It is 1906, and eight-year-old Ralph Moody’s family is getting ready to move. They live in East Rochester, NH, and Ralph’s father Charles works in the woolen mills, but it isn’t good for his lungs. Cousin Phil, who lives in Denver, CO, visits and convinces Father that ranching in Colorado wou...
"Shaking the Nickel Bush" was very different from all the other books in the Little Britches series. This book focuses solely on Ralph and his life experiences. His family is mentioned occasionally, but Ralph does not really interact with them. His life has taken a different route, and he is on h...
I just finished reading this book to the boys (8 and 6). As a read-aloud I really can't say enough about this series. First and foremost, these are true stories, a fact that really seems to resonate with my boys. Second, Ralph Moody lives according to a moral code that is impeccable. Moody or...
1912 Medford Massachussetts Ralph 15 gets sent by widowed mother with large family to her father Tom Gould's farm near Lewiston, to appease city police chief with eyes on reform school. In smooth shaded illustration, by oil lanterns, old iron cookstove, deep forest -- balky heifer tugs rope, shy ...
4 July 1919 Nebraska. Ralph Moody "Bud" 20 is diabetic, down to last dime when put off a freight train. Three months later he owns 8 teams of horses and rigs. His girl Judy works alongside. On wheat and corn farm of bully Hudson, he pulls together Swedish brothers, drunk Doc, Spanish-speaking Pac...
Another excellent read from Ralph Moody. I think I liked this one more than Fields of Home and very nearly as much as Man of the Family--largely because the Moodys are once again trying to make a living at odd jobs in a new situation. Ralph exercises his ingenuity and incredible work ethic, his...
Horse of a Different Color ends the "roving days" of young Ralph Moody. His saga began on a Colorado ranch in Little Britches and continued at points east and west in Man of the Family, The Fields of Home, The Home Ranch, Mary Emma & Company, Shaking the Nickel Bush, and The Dry Divide. All have ...
Mr. Wilke had a good big onion field down on the bottom land near the river. It was sandy ground, and the sun made it as hot as a frying pan. And it seemed as though those onions had to be weeded on the very hottest days. Sometimes I used to tell myself it really was a frying pan, and that I was ...
There I heard of a cloudburst at Atwood, thirty-odd miles up Beaver Valley from Cedar Bluffs. Cloudbursts weren’t uncommon in spring, so I paid little attention to the report and spent a couple of hours dickering over a few cattle. When I moved on, the next rancher told me that a second tremendou...
Nobody sent boys to school when they were needed at home to help with the plowing or planting, so when it got down to where only four girls and I were left, school closed for the summer. The day after it closed, Mrs. Corcoran came to see Mother about getting me to work for them. They had about th...
The next thing I knew, Hudson bellowed, “All hands out!” My eyes snapped open just in time to see Paco leap to his feet, his blanket flying in mid-air, and a pitchfork clutched in his hands, but Hudson was nowhere in sight. Paco said he’d never come as far as the corner of...
Hazel helped Jenny bring the breakfast into the chuckhouse, and when we were nearly through eating, she said to her father, “You didn’t ride fence this week, did you, Paw?” “Nope,” he said. “Didn’t have no time. Prob’ly won’t get none this next week neither. Got to round u...