Man of the Family is the second book in the Little Britches series. Ralph is eleven; his father has passed away leaving him to be the 'man of the family'. It's touching how hard he tries to provide for the family. In spite of his mother's insistence that he stay in school, he finds ways to earn money on the side. He is a resourceful and hard-working little chap and the neighboring ranchers look out for him. He and his older sister Grace and their mother band together to keep things going. 

Minor characters in the story use some bad language.