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Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers Paperback – September 1, 1991

by Ralph Moody (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,549 ratings
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A most appealing book . . . Its genuineness and its simplicity will build up a large audience of enthusiastic readers.—San Francisco Chronicle

Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasures and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes and wind storms give authentic color to Little Britches. So do adventures, wonderfully told, that equip Ralph to take his father's place when it becomes necessary. 

Little Britches was the literary debut of Ralph Moody, who wrote about the adventures of his family in eight glorious books, all available as Bison Books.  

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    7 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 8
    Little Britches
  3. Print length
    260 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    Preschool - 2
  6. Lexile measure
    1090L
  7. Dimensions
    5.3 x 0.9 x 7.9 inches
  8. Publisher
    Bison Books
  9. Publication date
    September 1, 1991
  10. ISBN-10
    9780803281783
  11. ISBN-13
    978-0803281783
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Moody] has a splendid talent for bringing the ashes of the past into life."—Chicago Sunday Tribune

"This is a gallant book—from the first sentence until the last. It is a true story, written in the first person, written without sentimentality but with extraordinary drama."—Christian Science Monitor

"A most appealing book . . . Its genuineness and its simplicity will build up a large audience of enthusiastic readers."—San Francisco Chronicle

"You will search long . . . To find a more disarming and refreshing account of family life than Ralph Moody has set down in Little Britches."—Chicago Sunday Tribune

"Enthusiastically recommended for young and old."—Library Journal

"Ralph Moody’s books should be read aloud in every family circle in America"—Sterling North

"The story of the Moody family is told without embellishment in a simple, straight-forward style. It is especially suited for reading aloud as a family. The difficulties Ralph faces, the mishaps and consequences, will provoke quality discussions with middle schoolers and older students, although children as young as third grade will enjoy and benefit from the story."—Homeschooling Today

About the Author

Ralph Moody (1898–1982) is the author of Come on Seabicuit! as well as the Little Britches series about a boy's life on a Colorado ranch, all available in Bison Books editions.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0803281781
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bison Books (September 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780803281783
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803281783
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 11 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1090L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.9 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,549 ratings

About the author

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Ralph Moody

Ralph Moody

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
1,549 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kurt
5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best stories ever told
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2011
Verified Purchase
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.
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F.Y.I.
5.0 out of 5 stars man of virtue
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023
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The story of Ralph Moody is so good, I went on to read the rest of the series. This is the kind of book that stays with you because you see the kind of person you yourself would like to be: a person of grit, honor, and sacrifice. Ralph Moody modeled these and more. A remarkable man from a remarkable family.
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M.
5.0 out of 5 stars 10 Stars for Little Britches!
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2010
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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 .
17 people found this helpful
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Stam
5.0 out of 5 stars My son loves it!
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
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My 12yr old is still raving about this book!
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Top reviews from other countries

CanadianMother
5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring tale of a brave, hardworking, close-knit family
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
It's surprising to me that I went through my entire life loving the Little House on the Prairie books, and tales of the "olden days" in general, and yet never heard of Ralph Moody or his series of books which begins with this one, Little Britches.

Little Britches is a true story. In the book, Ralph remembers the time when he was a young boy and his family moved west, to a ranch in Colorado, in the early 1900s. When they arrived, the "ranch" was not quite what they had expected, yet instead of complaining, they all buckled down and got to work to create a farm that their family could live off of, getting some help from kind neighbours along the way. Ralph worked hard too, and even helped with the family finances when he went to work herding cows - at age 9!

Life held many challenges for the Moody family, but the way in which they pulled together, and loved each other, is truly inspiring. I especially enjoyed the scenes where the father was imparting wisdom to Ralph about what it means to be a man - an honest, hardworking man. Truly, there are some good lessons in this book, and I plan to read this book very soon with my own 9 year old son.

I highly recommend this book as a family read aloud for older children (maybe 8 and up?), and as a good, touching book for anyone who enjoys stories from times past.
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Barb
5.0 out of 5 stars Like Little House on the Prairie for Boys
Reviewed in Canada on September 22, 2015
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I fell in love with the Moody family when I read this book to my family. It is a habit in our house to read in the evening before bedtime (Just as Ralph's mother did) and I am always very picky about my choice of novels to read. I prefer non-fiction and historical novels that show a way of life and living unfamiliar to most of our generation. It nearly seems like fiction when you compare this 9 year old boy from 1908 to nine year old boys today. I never thought I would have any interest in a book about a boy who loved horses, but Mr. Moody has a way of grabbing your interest from the very beginning. I would have wanted Ralph as my own son. He was a not-so-flawless typical boy but had an inimitable charm, and a strong sense of respect for not only his parents, but his siblings as well. My two eight-year-old sons as well as my husband looked forward every evening to hearing a chapter and the three of them would often chant "one more, one more!" I was elated to find out that Ralph had written several books following and we have enjoyed the ones we have read so far. Not only were we entertained, we learned a lot of new (old) things. Unless you are only into unicorns, superheroes and zombies, I honestly believe that there is not one literate person who would not get something out of these amazing books.
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Kirstin
5.0 out of 5 stars She loved this book when she was younger
Reviewed in Canada on April 20, 2018
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Was a gift for my mother. She loved this book when she was younger.
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Janelle penner
5.0 out of 5 stars Little Britches series
Reviewed in Canada on April 13, 2014
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I had heard about this series of books, so I just went on and looked for Ralp Moody books. It's new for the family but we absolutely love it. I will gladly recommend it as it's good reading for a family setting.
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Pam Shobbrook
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2017
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had to read a couple of chapters to get interesting but after that I look forward to reading more
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