I bought this book at a bookstore in a little town in Montana while traveling through the state. It was in the "regional selections" category, but it really was so much more than that. This story is a moving (true) story of a young woman in Montana who marries a rancher in the period when the West was still being settled. Widowed at an early age and left to fend for herself and her young children, grit and a sense of purpose keep her going. It was a true joy to follow the life of this heroic woman through difficult circumstances. This book is a gem and I would highly recommend it, as I intend to read it again and again through life. Perhaps women will enjoy it more than men, and mothers will likely appreciate it the most.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! Sally Lorimer age 10, wants a horse but doesn't have the room for one. The Lorimer family sees Kestrel but knows they could never afford it. Then Sally finds something that she feels is lucky. Then several days later an astonishing thing happens enough to let the family move to Kestrel Manor, a dream come true for Sally, now she can finally have her long-awaited horse. Then she meets Thalia and rides Tarquin, Thalia's horse has an embarrasing fall and vows to give up galloping all together. She soon finds out that buying a horse is much harder than she thought. Wiil sally ever find the right horse and find the courage to gallop again? Read it and find out!!!!!

This book is a gem from the past. Written in a very simple yet elegant style for children, Ms. Egermeier takes snipets from the Bible for each letter of the alphabet and writes an introductory poem and then a short story covering the specific scripture. An example; X is for Exodus, when, it is said, From the wrath of pharoah God's people fled. While each letters story is very well done, by far the Most beautiful part of this book are the illustrations. Each page is a full color plate by Providence Lithograph and each is worthy of framing on it's own.

This particular book is another of my favorites. I own most of Elsie Lee's books (with a few exceptions) and this was one of the first I ever read of hers. It's about a woman involved in a very messy divorce with some faked pictures of her to inflame her husband whom she is still in love with. She retires to her family home to nurse her wounds in private and lo and behold -- the man who made the faked pictures is living next door to her and she starts trying to find out how/why she was set up. I can't tell you much more without giving everything away, but once again, we have a very strong woman character who is self-sufficient and highly intelligent -- a wonderful combination and a fascinating mystery as well.

If you have read my other reviews, you know by now that I'm a real Elsie Lee fan. I love her strong women characters and I love a good mystery as well. In this particular book the main character is divorced by her artist husband at the beginning and she hits on a sure-fire way to avoid him and her immediate social circle by suggesting to her company that they pay her a stipend to travel Europe doing research while the gossip dies down. She ends up staying at the Villa Miranda and who shows up but her ex-husband (the artist) who is painting the wife of one of the owners. A wonderful who-dunnit involving smuggling and murder with another one of Ms. Lee's strong women protagonists.

Bravo to Ms. Washington for blowing the lid off a problem that is talked about constantly in private but only rarely in public.

Hello, I am Jack Chan from China Mainland. Now we intend to buy the copywriter of this book but we don't know how to deal with it and how we could connect with the author. Help us, please.

The contributions of women in the history of ethnographic studies, folklore research, and anthropology are now seen as important and fascinating areas of research. This biography is an excellent and highly readable study of an early pioneer in the study of culture. In this study, the book provides an intriguing portrait of a facet of the history of anthropological and folklore studies during the early part of the 20th century. It also outlines and adumbrates the formation of key concepts in the study of culture. The book is also useful for discovering how a creative and highly intelligent woman helped to found various disciplines and support a professional society designed to further the understanding of folklore. Finally, as a bonus, the story also includes an intriguing subtext that reveals professional and personal liaisons throughout Parsons' life story. Although the various liaisons were not exactly dangerous, they do point the way toward gaining a more complete understanding of ways that intellectual history is spawned in various fields of intellectual inquiry.

The memories of a rural North Dakota teacher have never been told with a richer, frontier flare. Elsie, talks about her 38 years of teaching, many in one-room schoolhouses. Her teaching duties range from washing toilets to wading through the hugh snowdrifts of the unrelenting North-Dakota winters. This book contains 16 photo pages along with many stories of the author's classroom experiences at Hay Township School No. 3. This is a must read book about America's nostalgic past.

I am a mom of 2 young preschoolers. I own the entire series of 28, but I haven't finished reading all the books yet. I had heard of Elsie Dinsmore before reading it, as it has been referenced even in Anne of Green Gables. I love historical novels.

Elsie is an 8 yrs old motherless rich girl who tries really hard to please God & her family. She is a love-starved girl who tries her best to obey & her family in order to win the affection of the Dinsmores - her grandfather, his wife, aunts & uncles (all children as well) and most of all her father. I agree with other reviews that at times Elsie was "too much sweetness", but I think that was done for emphasis on her contrast to the rest of the Dinsmore clan. She was not like the other younger Dinsmores, being sweet only to gain favor.

Mr. Dinsmore (her father) is a good man, though in this book he treats her very unfairly, and he reflects how people are quick to judge others and accept other people's prejudices. At times the reading does get a little sappy (the end), but I like sappy.

The racial issues are dated - as it was written in the late 1800's, and the reader sees it(slavery) in the viewpoint of a young rich girl in slavery south...which is who Elsie is. Having bits of reality added to the overall effect of the book. At one point, she tries to save a wrongly accused slave boy. It would be nicer if she was some champion for slaves, but as a female & a child, she had no place in society to do that sort of thing. It was sweet to see how she clung onto her nanny's love.

I would strongly recommend reading book 1, as it shows Elsie's stong Christian convictions. She stood firm, despite parental & emotional turmoil. She may be very conservative, but being conservative is better than being wrong with God. She was not just a "Sunday" Christian, she was an every minute Christian, and she did it with quiet strength and gentleness.

I didn't realize just how precious this book was when I bought it. Telling the children, we'd just read the first one to try it out, I have decided to get every one I can possibly get my hands on. They are the most beautiful books I have ever read. I certainly don't think they are over the top. On the contrary. I believe the author's intention was to provide an excellent role model, but more importantly, to lead children to Jesus in EVERY situation. This she has done perfectly. Elsie is an adorable character, it is set in beautiful surroundings and provides us with a look into 18th century living. My children of varing ages(and I!!) just can't get enough. I thoroughly recommend this book to every person of every age.

I found it very heart-warming to find that it is not only still possible to buy a copy of Elsie Dinsmore but also that there are others that have enjoyed the book. When I was a child, I never got tired of reading this book. I found it to be strangely compelling and unforgettable. My 12-year-old daughter recently read Elsie Dinsmore and she too loved it. As an adult I can appreciate the historic significance of this book. How interesting it is to get a glimpse of life from post-Civil War life in the South. How child-rearing practices have changed! I'm not a religious person, and I've always found the book to be a bit "preachy" for my tastes, but it never kept me from reading it over and over.