Ralph sets up a number of business ventures both independently and with the help of his siblings. One of the most interesting aspects of this second book is to see how enterprising the entire Moody clan is. Ralph begins to behave in accordance with this responsibility, despite his young age and despite the challenge of providing for his many siblings and mother. Although Ralph was only 11 years old when his father died, his mother comes to him in confidence after the funeral, and tells Ralph that he is now the man of the family. In many ways it is a much more somber story. Man of the Family has a markedly different tone than Little Britches since it addresses how the family moves forward after the death of their father. If you haven’t read any of Ralph Moody’s books, but have younger children who did enjoy Farm Stories, Ox-Cart Man, or any other stories about horses and homesteading, you may want to look into reading both Little Britches and Man of the Family at some point in the future. We also see the family’s relationships with one another strengthen in the face of their tragedy.

We see all of them grow – not just Ralph. The second book offers a revealing glimpse into the life of a family that has lost a loved one and must pull together to survive.

Fortunately, Ralph wrote an entire series to answer all of those questions! There are so many unresolved questions at the end of the first book that the reader longs to know what becomes of the Moody family. But if you’ve only ever read Little Britches, we highly recommend reading Man of the Family, as well.

You can’t read the ending of Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers without also feeling compelled to read Man of the Family.

Father and i were ranchers