These adventures of a young girl in the Wisconsin ‘wilderness’ make for a great read. It is hard today to imagine Wisconsin being considered ‘the west’ let alone ‘wilderness’. The strength of spirit it must have required to make a home and raise a family in the wilderness is unimaginable. This ‘American’ spirit is embodied in our young heroine, Caddie Woodlawn, as she matures from a tomboy to a young woman; without losing her self-reliant and independent streak. As father of three daughters, I appreciated the ‘talk’ that Caddie’s father gave her near the end of the book:

It’s a strange thing, but somehow we expect more of girls than of boys. It is the sisters and wives and mothers, you know, Caddie, who keep the world sweet and beautiful. What a rough world it would be if there were only men and boys in it, doing things in their rough way! A woman’s task is to teach them gentleness and courtesy and love and kindness. It’s a big task, too, Caddie—harder than cutting trees or building mills or damming rivers. It takes nerve and courage and patience, but good women have those things. The have them just as much as the men who build bridges and carve roads through the wilderness. A woman’s work is something fine and noble to grow up to, and it is just as important as a man’s. But no man could ever do it so well.

Don’t imagine that this book is only for girls! The stories and adventures will appeal to both boys and girls. I highly recommend this book to young readers, especially those who enjoy the Little House on the Prairie stories or the feisty Anne of Green Gables.