Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgeson Burnett is Number 85 on the The Hundred Best Books for Children found in The Book-Lover by Baldwin.
Books by Burnett will be very familiar to most homeschool families. Favorites include The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and our own favorite, Barty Crusoe and His Man Saturday.
Frances Hodgson Burnett was an English-born author who later moved to Tennessee with her family where she began her writing career as a young lady.
Burnett wrote more than fifty adult and juvenile novels. Her first adult novels were so well written that she was compared to George Eliot. When she began writing children’s novels, she had to keep producing them to maintain the standard of living she enjoyed, and she was no longer considered a “great” writer, merely a “popular” one.
Who Should We Then Read? by Jan Bloom
Little Lord Fauntleroy was Burnett’s first successful children’s book. It tells the story of Cedric who is born poor but happy and then finds he is an heir to a fortune. But Cedric maintains his grace and charm and wins over everyone, including his surly grandfather.
There has been much made of the velvet suit and long locks. But don’t get hung up on curls and clothes. Cedric isn’t what we think of today when we hear “Little Lord Fauntleroy.”
Burnett’s writing is enjoyable and has remained popular all of these years because she had that unique ability to “see” what she was writing about well enough to describe it in detail.
She said, “It is not enough to mention that they had tea; you must identify the muffins.”
Who Should We Then Read? by Jan Bloom
We call that “show; don’t tell.” It is a great trait for a writer to develop.
Little Lord Fauntleroy is a favorite on our read-aloud list. Just enjoy this one as a family.
Free eBooks
Suggestions
- This book makes a wonderful read aloud.
- You can ask for narrations (oral or written depending on the age of your child) or simply enjoy the language and descriptions in the book.
- As mentioned above, Burnett helps the reader see what she describes. Have your students illustrate and describe a scene on drawing and writing paper.
- Older students write a character sketch of Cedric.
- Have students compare and contrast Cedric with his grandfather.
- Create an author page for Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Additional Resources
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Puffin Classics paperback for those interested.
6 Free Summer Reading Titles for Young Ladies
A Little Princess…and more.
10 Favorite Robinson Crusoe Books
Barty Crusoe…and more.
Author Notebooking Pages {Free Download}
Use this free set to create an author notebook for our 100 Best Books for Children series.
The Secret Garden
For interest.
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