I remember the Little House series fondly from my childhood but felt this book didn't live up to the first set. I didn't "feel" connected to the world described in the book like I did in Laura's stories. Overall it just felt flat and empty.
Maybe Jonascat didn't feel connected because it was so far different from what life in America is like. I personally love these prequels to the Laura series. I do like the unabridged version, though. This is the abridged version.