You’ve requested it and here we are finally tackling The First Four Years as a read-along! Since there are only four chapters of varying lengths, I’ve split the chapters as best I could. There are fourteen sections and I’ve tried to divide them where there were breaks.
Here are the sections to choose from:
Section 1: Chapter 1, pages 1 to 10. Ending with sentence: The first year was begun.
Section 2: Chapter 1, pages 10 (bottom) to 21. Ending with sentence: Pieplant was so sour, that first taste must have been simply terrible.
Section 3: Chapter 1, pages 21 (middle) to 33/35 (very top). Ending with sentence: But as they went their leader turned and looked back at Laura where she stood, with the wind blowing her skirts around her and her braids flying, watching them go away across the prairie into the west.
Section 4: Chapter 1, pages 35 (top) to 44 (bottom). Ending with sentence: When Trixy lipped her hand or rested her soft nose on her shoulder, or Skip, the scamp, searched her pocket for a lump of sugar, she felt that they were very satisfactory friends.
Section 5: Chapter 1, pages 44 (very bottom) to 60. End of chapter.
Section 6: Chapter 2, pages 61 to 68 (very bottom). Ending with sentence: And so November passed and December came.
Section 7: Chapter 2, pages 68 (bottom) to 76. Ending with sentence: As they drove away, she hugged Rose tightly; but she was sorry for Mr. Boast as he stood still where they had left him, and for Mrs. Boast waiting in the house, knowing what Mr. Boast was going to propose to them.
Section 8: Chapter 2, pages 76 to 83. End of chapter.
Section 9: Chapter 3, pages 84 to 93. Ending with sentence: Trixy and Fly enjoyed the races they ran in the moonlight and the shying at the shadow of a buncy of hay in the road or the quick jump of a jack rabbit across it.
Section 10: Chapter 3, pages 93 to 97. End of chapter.
Section 11: Chapter 4, pages 98 to 108. Ending with sentence: It was a long way from the scenes of Scott’s glamorous old tales to the little house on the bleak, wintry prairie, but Laura brought back from them some of their magic and music and the rest of the winter passed quite comfortably.
Section 12: Chapter 4, pages 108 (middle) to 121. Ending with sentence: It was his business and he wasn’t worrying.
Section 13: Chapter 4, pages 121 (lower half) to 128 (top). Ending with sentence: Rose must be cared for and all the numberless chores attended to.
Section 14: Chapter 4, pages 128 (top) to 134. The end.
If there are any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Please let us know in the comments below this post which section you would like. Email your section summary to beyondlittlehouse (at) gmail (dot) com by the time the section before yours is posted, if not sooner. I think it’ll be very interesting to see how different readers interpret this book. Good luck!