Book Guide

THIS warm and engaging story of a boy and his father, of the wonderful relationship between them, of the adventures and wise counsel that were part of the lad's growing up, is a true story which reads like a novel.

When the author was in knee-pants, the family moved to Colorado for the sake of Father's health. The West was still pretty wild in those days, and it wasn't easy to make adjustments to a new and harder way of life. But Mother was a valiant woman and a remarkable manager, and Father — well, Father, with his understanding, his courage, his diligence, his unwavering honesty, was a guide and an example and inspiration to all of them.

The family was a close and happy one, but there was a special closeness, a special love between Father and Ralph, his eldest son. Ralph's many exciting experiences — as he learned to ride, broke his very own colt, made friends with a genuine Indian, and achieved his own glorious triumph at the rodeo — taught him many things. It was from Father, however, that he learned most — about self-reliance, patience, and the meaning of real character.

Mingling action and sentiment, tears and laughter, Little Britches has already established itself as a leading national bestseller. It offers lasting reading pleasure for the whole family.

From the dust jacket

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Ralph Moody

Ralph Moody

1898 - 1982
American
Ralph Moody was born in 1898 in East Rochester, New Hampshire, and is descended from a family which settled in Massachusetts in 1633. A good deal of... See more
Edward Shenton

Edward Shenton

1895 - 1977
American
Edward Shenton, a native of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is the illustrator of more than a hundred books and many magazine stories. He is also the autho... See more

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Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers Reprint

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers
Reprinted in 2017 by Purple House Press
Available formats: Hardcover
View on the Purple House Press site
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Content Guide

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Resource Guide

Close Reads Podcast
Podcast

Little Britches: Chapters 1-6
Released in 2019 by Close Reads Podcast
Available formats: Streaming Audio
Length: 1 hr. 19 min.
View on the Close Reads Podcast site

Six additional episodes finishes out the series on this book.


Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Little Britches: Father and I were Ranchers
Without the flamboyance or the caricature of other ""life with Father"" books this tells, simply, directly of the Moody...

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Plumfield and Paideia

Little Britches #1: Father and I Were Ranchers
Reviewed by Sara Masarik
There are three things in particular that Ralph knows very well and is able to convey with absolute sincerity, intrigue, and passion: horses, the vanishing West, and traditional American values. It is the way that he blends these three subjects that makes him such an important author for young people today. His stories capture a bygone era and do so in a way that shows respect for the reader and the subject matter.

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Redeemed Reader

Little Britches
Reviewed by Megan
A prime example of quality writing in an adventure story that is built on the relationship between a boy and his father....

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Kirkus Reviews

Little Britches
There's real stuff here about life in Colorado and it is told simply and directly and reveals a sometimes harsh but always...

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Plugged In

Father and I Were Ranchers
In 1906, 8-year-old Ralph Moody and his family live in New Hampshire....

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Semicolon

Little Britches, or Father and I Were Ranchers
Reviewed by Sherry Early
This autobiographical memoir/novel is actually the first in a series of such books written by the adult Mr. Moody about his childhood in Colorado, Boston, and later as a young adult, the West and Midwest. Ralph is eight years old as the story begins, but one has to remind oneself just how young he really was as the books progress through Ralph’s long life and he takes on more and more adult responsibility.

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