After Father’s death, young Ralph became the man of the family in a West that was still not fully tame. He and his older sister Grace valiantly helped their mother to keep the family together. It wasn’t easy, there were heartbreaking disappointments and anxious moments. But there were also exciting episodes, amusing developments, real accomplishments, and exhilarating triumphs.
Ralph engaged in a number of daring and challenging pursuits. He earned his spurs as a genuine cow puncher, rode in cowboy races, picked cherries and gathered coal, helped his mother operate a successful bakery route and he devised an unusual business which brought the family a steady income and revealed Ralph was quite an inventor! All this and school too. Though Ralph worked hard to help support his family, he had more fun and adventure than most boys.
A number of colorful, engaging people come to life in these pages. There’s good-hearted Sheriff McGrath, Hi the capable cowboy, and of course, Mother, a brave woman who saw to it that her children had a real home, and who well deserved her son’s loving tribute. Here again is the story of warmth and the joy of close family relationships, and the courage of a proud American heritage. Cover and endpages by Algot Stenbery.
This brand new hardcover is a facsimile of a 1950s book! It comes complete with a dust jacket, pictorial hardcover and endpapers (see the illustration below). We hope you love the feel of turning these thick pages as you read the book.
As an added bonus, included at the end is a two-page letter written by Marshall Harbinson, the writing instructor who encouraged Moody to put his life story down on paper. You’ll get another perspective of Moody in Harbinson’s letter at a time when he was just becoming well-known to the world. You’ll be enlightened by this new information!
“Ralph Moody has the rare ability to blend understatement and deep emotion….Man of the Family is a powerful and beautiful little book.” —Sterling North
“Man of the Family is everything Little Britches was—a heartwarming, frank, completely delightful narrative.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“…a deeply honest bit of Americana. Man of the Family is a book for everybody in the family.” —The Chicago Tribune
Target Ages: 8-12
Purple House Press
Pub Date: September 15, 2019
1.1" H x 8.1" L x 5.4" W
275 pages
hardcover