Many years ago I remember reading this book as a child and loving it, so naturally, once I remembered the joy it gave me, I read it once again. I'm happy to report after the fact that it still gave my present self as much joy as it did to my past self, though for vastly different reasons. As a child I enjoyed the story presented to me, the character growth, and the overreaching message of the happiness to follow in going out and enjoying nature - in giving back to our planet. I still love all these components, but as an adult I also appreciate the historical information given as well about how life was back in the late 1800's for different kinds of people, granted it was through a highly rose tinted lens. I could also appreciate the characters more and their plights, such as the loss and absence of parents, loss of friends and partners, and the terror and horribleness of large amounts of change - especially for a child. This exercise of just noting all these changes was an experience of joy and of seeing my growth as a person and a reader. Despite all this there was a component of this book that I didn't enjoy, and missed my first time through, which was the racist themes present concerning Indians and African Americans. While some may explain this away due to the time it was written, it still isn't an effective excuse and unfortunately ruined my experience of the book to an extent.