Little Men facts for kids
First edition title page
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| Author | Louisa May Alcott |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Little Women |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Roberts Brothers |
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Publication date
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1871 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 376 (first edition) |
| Preceded by | Little Women |
| Followed by | Jo's Boys |
Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys is a classic children's novel. It was written by American author Louisa May Alcott and first published in 1871. This book is a sequel to Alcott's famous novel Little Women. It is part of an unofficial trilogy that ends with Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out: A Sequel to "Little Men".
The story of Little Men follows Jo Bhaer and her husband. They run a special school called Plumfield. The school teaches children using ideas from Transcendentalism. This was a way of thinking followed by Alcott's father, Bronson Alcott. At Plumfield, kids learn from books, but also about good morals and nature. They learn a lot by doing things and having experiences.
Little Men was very popular when it came out. By June 1871, 130,000 copies had already been sold. People liked the book's charm and how well Alcott wrote about children. This beloved novel has been made into several movies and TV shows. These include films in 1934, 1940, and 1998. There was also a television series and a Japanese animated series.
Contents
The Story of Plumfield School
The story begins when a shy orphan boy named Nat Blake arrives at Plumfield. This is the school run by Professor Bhaer and Mrs. Josephine Bhaer (who used to be Jo March). Nat is quiet and sometimes tells lies. But he is good at playing the fiddle, which he learned from his father. He quickly charms the ten other boys and the Bhaers.
Mrs. Bhaer tells Nat that every Sunday, she checks how each student behaved. She wants to know if they were good or if they made her sad. Nat decides he wants to make her proud.
Life at Plumfield
Nat soon learns that Plumfield is not like a normal school. For example, on Saturdays, the kids are allowed to have fifteen-minute pillow fights! This helps them get out their energy so they are less mischievous during the week. All the children also have their own gardens and pets. They are encouraged to be independent and learn on their own.
Nat quickly becomes friends with Tommy Bangs. Tommy is a bit of a troublemaker and keeps chickens. He lets Nat keep one egg for every dozen he finds. Nat dreams of selling his eggs to buy his own violin. Meg's twin children, Demi and Daisy, also live at Plumfield. Nat becomes good friends with them too.
Mr. Bhaer helps Nat stop telling lies. When Nat is caught lying, he has to gently tap Mr. Bhaer's hand with a ruler. Nat feels better when he plays his violin or walks with Daisy. Daisy is usually left out of the boys' games. Mrs. Bhaer and Laurie surprise Daisy with a tiny, working kitchen. The boys are not allowed to play in it. Daisy then hosts small parties for the boys with her simple cooking.
New Arrivals and Challenges
Nat's wild friend, Dan, comes to live at Plumfield. At first, Dan thinks the other boys are too soft. He gets them to try boxing, smoking, and playing cards. One of his games accidentally starts a small fire in the house. Dan, along with Mr. Bhaer's nephews Franz and Emil, help put out the fire. After this, Dan is sent to a farm in the country for a while.
Later, a girl named Nan arrives to be a friend for Daisy. Nan is even more of a tomboy than Jo was when she was young. She often gets into all sorts of trouble. Dan eventually runs away from the farm. He misses the Bhaers and returns to Plumfield with a broken foot. Mrs. Bhaer nurses him back to health. When Laurie helps create a new natural history museum for the school, Dan becomes its curator. This is because he loves being outdoors and learning about nature.
Lessons and Growth
One day, everyone goes to pick berries. Nat promises to look after little Rob, but they get separated and miss the wagon home. After a happy reunion, Mrs. Bhaer teaches them a lesson. The next day, she ties Nat to a string in one room for the whole day. This helps him understand the importance of responsibility.
Later, Laurie and Amy's daughter, Bess, visits. All the boys respect her so much that their behavior improves. When Nat is wrongly accused of stealing money, Dan takes the blame for him. This way, Nat is no longer avoided by the other boys. Dan also saves another student named Jack from a fall. Because of this, Jack admits that he was the one who stole the money and leaves the school. The boys plan to buy Dan a microscope to thank him for his kindness. Even though Dan cares more for the Bhaers now, he still wants his freedom. Mrs. Bhaer tries to keep him busy with different tasks at home.
Ending the School Year
Near the end of the book, Demi and Daisy's father, John, becomes very sick. They go to visit him, and he passes away that night. This makes Demi feel a greater sense of responsibility. A short time later, the boys have a "story night." They trick people in the house into coming to the schoolroom. They only let them out if they tell a story. Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer tell stories about working hard and being kind.
At Thanksgiving, everyone enjoys a feast made from the harvest of each boy's garden. They give thanks for all they have learned and received. The night ends with a fun play performed by the students.
How the Book Was Written
Louisa May Alcott's publisher first asked her to write a book for girls. She started writing the Little Women series in 1868. Alcott's brother-in-law, John Bridge Pratt, passed away suddenly. He was the inspiration for the character John Brooke. Alcott decided to give the money she earned from the Little Women sequel to her sister. This would help her sister's family.
With this goal, Alcott quickly finished the story of Little Men. She was visiting Rome around Christmas when she wrote it. The first edition of the book was published by Roberts Brothers in 1871. It came out the same day Alcott returned from her travels abroad.
Inspiration for Plumfield
Alcott wrote Little Men without a detailed plan. She just wanted to describe what life was like at Plumfield. The school in the book is shown as a perfect place for both boys and girls to learn together. The ideas for Plumfield came from Alcott's father, Bronson Alcott. He was a reformer in education and a famous Transcendentalist.
Alcott said that her father's own school, called Temple School, inspired some of the scenes at Plumfield. For example, Jo's way of writing notes about the children's behavior was used at Bronson's school, Fruitlands. However, Jo's notes were kept private, while Bronson's were shared publicly. Alcott herself was also a teacher. She had her own ideas about how to improve education during her time.
Movie and TV Shows
Little Men has been made into movies and TV shows several times.
Films
The first movie version of Little Men came out in 1934. It starred Erin O'Brien-Moore and Ralph Morgan. Another film followed in 1940, with Kay Francis playing Jo. In 1998, a Canadian movie version was released. It starred Mariel Hemingway and Chris Sarandon. Reviewers said the young actors were talented, but the movie was very emotional and didn't have much exciting action.
Television Series
In 1993, an animated TV series called Little Women II: Jo's Boys was made in Japan. Also, a Canadian TV series called Little Men aired from 1998 to 1999. It ran for two seasons. In this show, Professor Bhaer has passed away, and Jo runs Plumfield by herself. Some reviews said the children in the show sounded too much like adults.
See also
In Spanish: Hombrecitos para niños
