The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

Burton, Virginia Lee. The Little House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1942.

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton tells of a little house in the country inhabited by the same family for generations. The house is content to be lived in and loved, watching the seasons change every year. However, the world the little house knows begins to change as a city begins to be built around it. Focalized through the point of view of the house itself, this touching story serves to show the consequences of urban development in a simple, but very clear and honest way.

The text of The Little House is simple and straightforward, presenting the observations of the little house as she watches the seasons change every year in the country and eventually the gradual process of building a big city. Yet even while being simple, the text is full of heartfelt emotion, leading the reader to connect with the plight of the little house. Accompanying the text is Burton’s Caldecott medal winning impressionistic illustrations, which provide rich, colorful detail throughout the book. The reader is presented with a clear view of everything that happens around the little house as the city grows bigger, taking over more space on the page. The little house expresses her remorse at the loss of simple joys of the country, such as seeing the stars at night. In this simple, gentle fable Burton presents an honest message reminding readers to appreciate whatever is good about the here and now because change is always sure to come.