The Little House

Author/Illustrator:  Virginia L. Burton

About the Author:

Virginia Burton was born on August 30, 1909, in Newton Center, Massachusetts, she went to school for dance and art and thought she would become a dancer, she used to draw the people on the train ride to school. She was about to begin a dance career when her father broke his leg and she had to take care of him instead. She gave up her dancing but began drawing sketches of great dancers and actors of the time.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 2-4

Synopsis:
This is a story about a man who built a little house way out in the country.  He wanted his great- great grandchildren to live in it.  The house could see the city lights at night and always wondered what it would be like to live in the city.  Then the city grew up around her, and she did not like it., it was noisy and busy and she couldn't see the flowers or hear the birds. The great-great grand daughter saw the house in the city and found out it was her grandmother’s house and had it moved back out to the country.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
Who lives way out in the country?  Who lives in the city? Why would someone want to live in the country? Why would someone want to live in the city?

Activity:

Have the class make a list of the differences between living in the city and living in the country.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Did you think the little house would be destroyed when the city grew up around it?  Do houses that are old usually get saved? What are some things that the house saw changing? 

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write a story about what their house would say about what it has seen for changes.  For example: Painting of different colors on the walls, remodeling of rooms, new furniture, outside changes. etc.

Reflection:

I love this story!  I think this book shows how a house was curious about living in the city instead of the country, but I think the house could represent a person.  I think people often wonder what other people's lives are like and want to live a different life, but then find out the life they had, was the right one for them.