Almanzo Wilder is almost nine years old, and is the youngest of four children. He's a farmer boy, living and working on his family's large farm in northern part of the state of New York. He goes to school in a one-room schoolhouse when school is in session, but when there's work to be done - and there almost always is on the Wilder farm - Almanzo does his part to help his family make a living.

Each season has its own special chores on the farm. In the winter the Wilder family hauls wood and cuts ice from the river. Spring is the time for planting and tending to the crops. Summer is time for picking berries and fishing and a trip to town on Independence Day. Harvest time brings lots of hard work, but it also means a trip to the County Fair. Then it's time to prepare for winter all over again.

Almanzo is old enough to feed and milk the cows and to help with the planting and harvesting. He even has a pair of young oxen he is teaching to obey commands; but he isn't old enough to care for the young horses. Although the temptation to go in by them and handle them is great, Almanzo obeys his father and leaves them alone.

Throughout the year the Wilder family works hard, and Almanzo seems to eat as much as he works! As the older children leave for school and begin to think about their futures, Almanzo knows what kind of future he wants. He wants to be a farmer for the rest of his life, and dreams of the day he will have a colt of his own to train.

Other Laura Ingalls Wilder titles:
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy