Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers

By the time he was 22, Ralph Moody had lived more adventures than most of us will know in several lifetimes. Ralph's adventures are, I think, even greater because he came West (1906) at a time when the West was wide open for opportunity: the days of open range had ended about 20 years earlier and places like Colorado had been sufficiently settled so as to provide basic services (and safety), but there were not as yet so many people as to saturate the market. Small fortunes cold be made and lost as fast as an industrious young man could think them up and carry them out!But more than that, Ralph Moody simply had a determination and confidence and aptitude that enabled and motivated him to go out and make his own fortune and adventure in the world. So on one level, the entire Little Britches series (all eight books) is a testament to what a person can do if he takes life by the reins (pun only partially intended). Yes, life was hard, but Ralph never let circumstances discourage him. And he had an amazing father and mother who provided him with a rock-solid moral and spiritual foundation in addition to a unwavering work ethic.This was an era when there was no income tax, and a man could pretty much keep whatever income he could generate, by hook or by crook (or by "crooked"--but not Ralph!). So if the Moody kids collected coal that fell off the trains, they could sell it to their neighbors and make enough money for a widow to survive--and neither the IRS nor Social Services had a problem!But on a more basic level, Ralph Moody simply had a fantastic gift for telling a story that is engaging, unique, suspenseful, poignant, informative, delightful. It seems clear that Ralph kept a fairly detailed diary from his early years (although the only verification that I've found of this assumption is Ralph's own reference to "going off to write in my journal" when he lived in Maine). His ability to recreate events that happened years earlier, and his ability to describe them so wonderfully, speak to a lifetime of observing and writing about the world around him from an early age.Alas, I have not been able to find any satisfying information about "the rest of the story" about Ralph Moody outside of his eight books. We know he worked for Procter & Gamble in California and had a long marriage with three children. The National Little Britches Rodeo Association was started in Littleton after this book was published in 1950, although, incredibly, the rodeo association does not credit Ralph Moody on its own website (not that I could find)!For anyone who has a love of the West--or rural life in general--in the twilight of the era before WWI, and who loves good writing about an amazing life, I implore you to get and read all eight books in this series!PS--One little note: the subtitle "Father and I Were Ranchers" may lead you to guess that this is a story of a cattle rancher. In fact, farms of that day were generally referred to as "ranches" even though the primary function was growing crops, not cattle.

If I could give 10 stars to this book I would! I read Little Britches to my children ages 6 & 8 last year and we are now on the 7th book in the series (of 8 books). Little Britches (book 1) is still by far my favorite, but they are all wonderful. While we enjoyed Little House on the Prairie, I would say these rank even higher and they are especially good for boys (although my daughter and I love them just as much as my son). As a young man, Ralph Moody made himself a promise that he would save [...] by the time he was 50 years old and would write a book. This is the book he began on the eve of his 50th birthday. Ralph is 8 years old in this first book, in 1906 and his family has just moved west to help his father's tuberculosis (he's a "lunger" as the book says). They spend three years struggling to make a go of ranching and Ralph learns most of his lessons the hard way. His father, Charles, is a huge influence on Ralph. He is a patient, resourceful, upright man who is devoted to his family and to teaching his son to be a man of character. The book is never preachy however. All of the lessons are demonstrated but not outright told. My children get it though, even at their young ages! Even though the father is only in the first book, his presence is felt throughout the whole series in the lessons that Ralph learned from him ("always give a man a full day's work for a day's wage.")After reading it aloud to my kids, I purchased it on CD, read by Cameron Beirele Father and I Were Ranchers (The Little Britches Series Book 1) [UNABRIDGED] and they have worn it out listening to it in their rooms. Mr. Beirele does an excellent job doing the voices (book 6 six is a little different but still not bad). We now have all the books in print and audio CD (except book 8 which is seems you have to get as an MP3 download). My absolute favorites are the first 4 (Little Britches: Man of the Family (The Little Britches Series) [UNABRIDGED]The Home Ranch (Bison Book) and Mary Emma & Company (Bison Book). The Fields of Home turns out good, but his crotchety old grandfather just about drove me crazy. Shaking the Nickel Bush is probably the least favorite. Ralph has a "buddy" named Lonnie that is a lazy leech and I kept preaching for Ralph to dump him through the whole book. When he is finally rid of him, he finds all of his savings is gone too. That one might be better read than listened to because the Lonnie character is grating and Mr. Beirele suddenly can't get situated on a voice for Ralph and it changes throughout the CD.I think these books should be required reading in every home in America. We need more everyday heros to emulate. Ralph was a dutiful, devoted son who was not afraid to write about the dumb things he did as well as the smart ones. Just be aware there is some "cowboy language" in most of the books. That's how I described it to my children and they understood - we are not cowboys. It is certainly mild by today's standards but still bears mentioning. The family is a family of faith and that is more impressionable than the language. Just d**n and h*ll is all I remember hearing.Some other Moody favorites are Come on Seabiscuit!; Stagecoach West; and Kit Carson and the Wild Frontier.

Love this story. Poignant as well as humorous, and full of character building examples for little boys. A great one to read aloud and discuss. There is a horse named “Nig”, which could be another great thing to discuss and explain why today, this name would be considered offensive.

First read this book in 4th grade, I’m now in my 4th decade. Still a great read and great story