Laura Ingalls Wilder shares the homesteading chores she and her family did for survival, in her stories about her life as an American pioneer on the unsettled prairie. For our family, and many others, those pioneer skills are a creative hobby—maple sugaring for our own maple syrup, smoking our own meat, raising honeybees, baking, cooking outdoors over a fire, making corn husk dolls, and sleeping under the stars. So, it's fitting that we enjoy Laura Ingalls Wilder's sometimes similar experiences (even if ours are done for fun). But, the Little House on the Prairie books have also been enjoyed by many for so long because of the universality of relating to Laura's journey growing up. Many connect with Laura Ingalls Wilder's pioneer family seeking a better life, working towards their dreams, struggling at times, and creating memories together long ago—because those family qualities are timeless.
We drove across the country, as far as Laura Ingalls had bumped over the prairie in a covered wagon, to see how Laura lived. But even before this, as a child, I journeyed with little Laura Ingalls through her childhood stories. The classic Little House on the Prairie series of children's books has enthralled generations. Children, and adults alike, enjoy Laura Ingalls' adventurous, difficult, and humorous portrayal of life on, and across, the prairie during the westward expansion of America. Garth Williams' delicate pencil drawings add warmth and charm to the Little House stories, as they have for this illustrator's other books that became classics—Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little.
The original Laura Ingalls Wilder's books: Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, The First Four Years. See these links to resources for studying the Little House on the Prairie stories in the classroom or at home.
See our Little House homestead visit and our 15 prairie project ideas to do at home—
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©heather cahoon • wordplayhouse®
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