Lars and the Grass House

Lars looked at his new home on the wide prairie. The house was built from thick blocks of earth and grass. People called it a sod house. Lars missed his old wooden home far away. Here, there were no tall trees to climb. There was only flat land under a big blue sky.

The sod house felt dark and quiet inside. Dirt sometimes fell from the ceiling when the wind blew hard. Lars felt sad and lonely in the new place. He helped his father dig in the dry soil. He helped his mother sweep the hard dirt floor. Lars wondered if he would ever feel happy here.

One afternoon, Lars went outside to sit in the sun. A small brown bird hopped near his boots. The bird sang a cheerful tune. Lars looked across the endless green grass. The wind made the grass move like soft waves in the ocean. The big sky felt open and grand.

Lars smiled and walked back inside the little sod house. The thick walls kept out the hot sun, making the room cool and cozy. They all sat together to eat warm bread for supper. Lars knew that this sweet grass house was finally becoming his real home.