As soon as I finished The Little House series, I began listening to The Birchbark House. I’d been wanting to read it for a long time and was thrilled when this was the Audible Deal of the Day a few months ago. The Birchbark House is a children’s series set in the same time period as the Little House books, but it centers on a Native American family — also in Minnesota, which is where The Little House in the Big Woods was set.

I really enjoyed getting to know this family, who had me laughing and crying. I was hoping to read this with my kiddos soon, but there is one particularly gut-wrenching storyline that makes me think I’ll need to wait a couple of years before I introduce it to them. But on the whole — I really appreciate the balance in perspective this book gave me in relation to the Little House series. And I can’t wait to listen to more of Omakayas’ story!