Buttertub Hill Kids

Christmas out of a catalog? For many rural children, those catalog pages contained possibilities previously unimagined, and hours were spent selecting items for Christmas. Join the Buttertub Hill Kids as they faced a rugged farm life with the spirit of determination and love for each other.

Life in a large family at the turn of the 20th century was hectic, crowded, and full of love. The joys of living on a family farm in rural Illinois provide stories of strength, cleverness, and humor. From driving the horses during haying to shucking forty ears of corn, growing up one of the Buttertub Hill Kids set a firm foundation for Beulah Firkins Jackson's 85 years of life. She co-authored the Pleasure Reading Series with Edward and Marguerite Dolch which was classic literature rewritten in the Dolch 1000-word basic vocabulary and continued writing throughout her entire life.
When Grandma Beulah would come to visit, her chair became the hub of the household. Grandchildren (nearing middle age) would be sitting or standing nearby, quietly talking about their careers or their homes or some event in their lives; one or more great-grandchildren would be dashing in and out, bringing a book to be read oequesting a song to be sung, or just ready for a hug or some Grandma lap-time; and one of her children (approaching senior citizen status) could usually be seen, hovering in the background, hoping to get a word in edgewise. She attracted them all, like a magnet sitting snugly in a dish of iron filings.