The first episode Michael Landon is absent due to sickness. So the scripts were rewritten and Caroline Grassle took over Landon 's lines.
In this episode, the award is a dictionary. It's the same dictionary Laura later receives as a birthday gift in the season 3 episode "The Music Box".
Despite his name being mentioned throughout, Mr. Edwards never appears.
Due to Landon being ill, his part was written out of this episode. In the opening scene, Laura does a narration of how Pa never usually went on trips frequently, which explains his absence throughout. This entire opening scene pictures a distance/wide shot of the family helping Charles and Mr. Edwards load their wagon for the trip. Since Landon had been hospitalized for his illness, a stand-in was used for him.
The tree Mary is sitting against when Caroline finds her after the exam is the same one Laura is later standing beside when she overhears Charles tell Mary she's going blind in season 4's "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (Part 1)".