Publication
Library of America (2012), 1490 pages
Collections
Description
This five-book paperback box set of the classic series features Garth Williams's illustrations in gorgeous full color. The books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's real childhood as an American pioneer and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family. Little House in the Big Woods Wolves and panthers and bears roam the deep Wisconsin woods in the 1870s. In those same woods, Laura lives with Pa and Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Baby Carrie, in a snug little house built of logs. Pa hunts and traps. Ma makes her own cheese and butter. All night long, the wind howls lonesomely, but Pa plays the fiddle and sings, keeping the family safe and cozy. Farmer Boy As Laura Ingalls is growing up in a little house in Kansas, Almanzo Wilder lives on a big farm in New York. He and his brothers and sisters work hard from dawn to supper to help keep their family farm running. Almanzo wishes for just one thing--his very own horse--but he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility. Little House on the Prairie Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas, and there, finally, Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie. On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura's family's first home in Minnesota is made of sod, but Pa builds a clean new house made of sawed lumber beside Plum Creek. The money for materials will come from their first wheat crop. Then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Soon millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm. In a week's time, there is no wheat crop left at all. By the Shores of Silver Lake Pa Ingalls heads west to the unsettled wilderness of the Dakota Territory. When Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace join him, they become the first settlers in the town of De Smet. And Pa begins work on the first building in what will soon be a brand-new town on the shores of Silver Lake.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member LauraLulu
Man, these are the books that did it for me, the ones that started my love of reading. I can still remember being 7 or 8 years old and staying up way too late, too wrapped up in the story to want to put it down--I guess much hasn't changed with me and reading, I still sacrifice sleep for a good
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book.I know they're probably not 5 star books, but they are for me--just looking at the covers gives me a nice warm fuzzy squee feeling. I couldn't wait to be able to buy them for my own daughter, I ended up buying them before she could even read--hopefully she'll like them as much as I did. Show Less
LibraryThing member jillrhudy
I've read the whole collection over and over throughout my life. It's still utterly absorbing and I can call many details to mind. Buttons on a dress that look like blackberries. Sugar maple candy. A pair of brown boots on a charity Christmas tree. Jack the dog, and all his years of loving service.
It's been a couple of years. I think I need to read through it again.
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Pa's fiddle tunes and Mr. Edwards' stories. Nellie Oleson and her china doll--and the leeches. Glass windows (just imagine!) An "Indian" with a really bad weather forecast. A tiny coffee mill, that must never stop grinding wheat, every waking moment. A tunnel from the barn to the house, made entirely of snow. Almanzo and Cap and their impossible (but successful) quest to get wheat. A train with supplies and an early Christmas. A splash of stove blacking on the parlor wallpaper (OMG!). A calf or a horse of one's very own. A calling card with a spray of roses. Sleigh bells at the schoolhouse door. A garnet engagement ring. A drawer of flour and a drawer of white sugar and a drawer of cornmeal, all within easy reach (riches!)It's been a couple of years. I think I need to read through it again.
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LibraryThing member Oreillynsf
Forget the TV series, go with the original. The Little House books were important to me as a child, and a reread really showed me why. What a magnificent way for a kid to explore social history -- through the eyes of another kid. They are, as is often discussed, rather racist, but I think the
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average reader can forgive this 19th Century xenophobia in order to read about the hopes and dreams and triumphs and all too frequent failures of this quintessentially American story Show Less
LibraryThing member Wanderlust_Lost
Stories for children of 7 or 8 the Little House series is an easy read and their sweet, innocent, but still sometimes serious themes are a good start for kids before they launch into properly serious kids books.
I love this series and they were among my favourites as a little girl. What girl doesn't
I'd recommend these to children everywhere.
I love this series and they were among my favourites as a little girl. What girl doesn't
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love Little House?I'd recommend these to children everywhere.
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LibraryThing member AlexBArcher
The Little House books tell the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who, with her family, was among the early pioneers of the American west. Born in 1867 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods in Wisconsin, Laura traveled with her family by covered wagon through Kansas, Minnesota, and
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finally the Dakota Territory, where she met and married Almanzo Wilder. There was deprivation and hard work. Crops were ruined by storms and grasshopper plagues. But there were also happy times of love and laughter, sleigh rides, holiday celebrations, and socials. These nine books, beloved by children for generations, capture the very best of the American pioneer spirit. Show Less
LibraryThing member je_kelley
Wonderful stories to grow up reading and reread as an adult. I often read Little House growing up and will still reread some of the books. Traveling with the Ingalls family from when they leave Wisconsin through Minnesota and all their travels and adventures helps you to understand what life was
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like in the 1800s and attaches you to the family. Show Less
LibraryThing member jglovesbooks
Laura and her family's journey is catalogued in this wonderful series. There are even cute black and white illustrations, which I enjoyed when my mom read me Little House in the Big Woods when I was five. I was able to read the rest of the series on my own, and I still enjoyed every page.
LibraryThing member elaine58
One of my all-time favorite series, I was actually not interested in these as a child; however, I came to appreciate them as I read the entire series to my own children.
LibraryThing member russelllindsey
This 9 book set includes all the books from "Little House in the Big Woods" to "The First Four Years." The covers were updated, and it is a great set to own. I love her books, and have from the time I was a child. I received this set as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend. I ended up reading all
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nine books in order over the week after Christmas. Amazing set of books that will always be a classic. Show Less
LibraryThing member weitzfamily
I was given this set for my 1st birthday, in 1978. They were well-worn and well-loved well before my 10th birthday. Sharing them with my children has been priceless!
LibraryThing member aramisTdawg
This was, and is, one of my favorite series of books. The series is told from the point of view of Laura starting from her childhood in the "Big Woods" until her later years. She tells of the hardships and trials that her family went through during the 1800's. The books are so much better than the
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TV Show. Show Less
LibraryThing member drdonovan
I loved the Little House books! Biography and historical fiction were my favorite genres.
LibraryThing member molliewatts
The "Little House on the Prairie" books tell the story of the Ingalls family. The first book, "Little House in the Big Woods," is about the family's life in Wisconsin. The next books chronicle the Ingalls' journey from Wisconsin to the Dakotas, and all the stops they make along the way. "Farmer
I absolutely love these books - my box set looks pretty rough from all the use it's seen. These are some of my all-time favorites and I think every child should read them.
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Boy" is the only book not about the Ingalls family - this is the story of Laura Ingalls' husband, Almonzo Wilder, and his boyhood in New York state. The Ingalls family faces blizzards, famine, disease, and much more. "The First Four Years" is the final book, telling about Laura and Almonzo's first years of marriage and the hardships they face.I absolutely love these books - my box set looks pretty rough from all the use it's seen. These are some of my all-time favorites and I think every child should read them.
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LibraryThing member KassidyB
I got this exact box set for chtistmas, when I was nine years old and loved reading every one of these books. They are a great read, for not only children but people of any age!
LibraryThing member mistywood
Little House on the Prairie, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and illustrated by Garth Williams, is a heartfelt story about a pioneer family's struggles and hardships to make a life on the prairie. Together, they face the challenges of traveling from their home in the woods of Wisconsin, by covered
I have the entire box set of these wonderful stories. I love all of them, and have read them many times. I really enjoyed how the books follow this girl and her family throughout her lifetime.
Entension Activity: Oklahoma Land Run
After reading this book, or several books in the series, have a discussion about the way people lived in the 1800's. Provide pictures and books from and about that time period. Discuss the Oklahoma Land Run, what it was, and perhaps some of the reasons people participated in the land run.
Have children dress up in period costumes. Have students draw a map of the land run area (playground), and provide stakes to stake out land. Review rules of original land run, and have students participate in their very own Oklahoma Land Run.
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wagon, to settle on the wild prairie of Oklahoma. The illustrations are sweet, and help the reader to imagine particular aspects of the story.I have the entire box set of these wonderful stories. I love all of them, and have read them many times. I really enjoyed how the books follow this girl and her family throughout her lifetime.
Entension Activity: Oklahoma Land Run
After reading this book, or several books in the series, have a discussion about the way people lived in the 1800's. Provide pictures and books from and about that time period. Discuss the Oklahoma Land Run, what it was, and perhaps some of the reasons people participated in the land run.
Have children dress up in period costumes. Have students draw a map of the land run area (playground), and provide stakes to stake out land. Review rules of original land run, and have students participate in their very own Oklahoma Land Run.
Show Less
LibraryThing member HunyBadger
This is a children's set detailing the hardships and joys of a pioneer family, from the eyes of a 10-18 year old. They follow Laura and her family's adventures as they move "out West", such as living in a sod house, surviving illness and loneliness, subsistence living, farming, fear of attack by
These books were the inspiration for the long TV series, Little House on The Prairie.
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marauders and harsh weather. Often stubborn, but almost always optimistic, "half pint" Laura gives a glimpse into the toughness and determination required to be an American pioneer.These books were the inspiration for the long TV series, Little House on The Prairie.
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LibraryThing member hoosgracie
One of the few sets of books that I have read multiple times. The Little House books are some of the first that actually interested me. I can still remember reading them in the car when we went to visit Desmet, SD when I was around 8 or 9.
LibraryThing member rainbowdarling
The 'Little House' series is a charming series of novels depicting more-or-less the factual journey of the Ingalls family from the 'Big Woods' of Wisconsin to the praries in Dakota. The stories are sweet and unaffected with slight, subtle humor intermixed. Wilder's retelling of her own life story
From the first chapter of Little House in the Big Woods, Wilder is frank about certain dangers that the family faced, while showing that despite the difficulty of life on the frontier, people still went about their lives and found things to enjoy. Since Laura herself was so young in the telling of this story, the events shown are limited, but the stories are quaint and sweet and highlight the simplicity of the time in the post-civil war days.
Little House on the Prairie continues the story, telling what life was like when the family moved into 'Indian Country' in Kansas. It is interesting to read the story and read how they perceived the natives at the time, what their interactions were like and how they remembered the events. What was normal for that time would now probably end up in court for a case of discrimination. It also provides an interesting picture of what a mess it really was for those traveling west to try to find a homested and settle in on a claim. Without the proper paperwork, a family could end up having to uproot and move along. Sometimes it happened even with the proper paperwork. The Ingalls had to move along from there quickly and their leaving concludes the second book of the series. The style continues in a very simple fashion from the first book, possibly still because Wilder is writing the story of her young childhood which may affect how she herself perceived the time.
The next story in the series is an interesting departure. Instead of telling the next chapter of Laura's life, it tells a bit of Almanzo's. The Wilder family is different than the Ingalls family somewhat. The family at this point of the story is still in New York State and that provides a different picture of life than that of life on the prairie frontier. It gives us a little idea of who this Almanzo Wilder is, too, before he reappears later in the story. Of all the stories, I enjoyed this one, but it was my least favorite because of its departure from the story of Laura's family. It feels like an interjection rather than being a part of a chronological telling of the story. All the same, the characters in it are interesting and I felt like I was actually there thanks to the descriptions within. It's a good story that just doesn't seem like a true part of the book series.
On the Banks of Plum Creek is possibly one of the more interesting tales of the family's journeys. The live in a dugout, deal with blizzards and wild animals, but also have neighbors and a town close enough to visit when the weather isn't too bad. The cast of characters changes slightly because of the nearby town and suddenly life seems to be more than just about the Ingalls family. I liked the storytelling, too. Laura doesn't claim that she was a model child, or even that her sister Mary, though better behaved, was a model child. The two squabble, they struggle with tempers, jealousy, greed, temptation... normal human afflictions. I felt like I was a part of the lives of the people in the story, so alive they came off of the page.
At the beginning of the fifth book in the series, the family is moving yet again. Mary is blinded thanks to a bad bout with scarlet fever, so the lives of the Ingalls family are changed forever. They take their first train ride, the girls meet the first rough men in their memories and the family finally finds a place to settle down for good. It is a well-told story, but the events that happen in the book, the characters that are introduced and the settings described somehow pale to the ones from the previous books, and I felt I was left wanting for more with this set of stories. By the Shores of Silver Lake is probably my least favorite of the series, which I attribute to a lack of interesting secondary characters.
Once the family is settled in the new town of De Smet, they settle in for The Long Winter. The town is ill prepared for the winter that is to come, with temperatures lower than the thermometer can register and blizzards blowing more often than not. Supplies run low and people start to stretch what little they have as far as it will go. This is one of the more serious of the stories, and it highlights what kind of chances the settlers were taking by moving out to areas where the weather was unpredictable and likely unfamiliar to many of them, without the advantage of having time to have settled in and stored up in preparation for something like this happening. The events are well-told and it is interesting to read about the ingenuity that many of the townsfolk utilized to help get their families through the hard wintertime.
At the start of Little Town on the Prairie, there seems to be a shift from the other Little House books. Where previously in the stories, Laura has been a little girl, suddenly she is taking on real work, has an interest in what her clothes and figure look like and is taking notice of the things going on in town for purely social reasons rather than what seems fun to a little girl. A lot of this story focuses around the family's intent to get Mary to a college for the blind and then about Laura's school times and the social 'whirl' of town. The stories are sweet and quaint in a way that is classic and comforting. The things that were important to girls then is so different than now, and the stories told in this book highlight that while still making it interesting for the reader who may not understand the conventions of the time.
These Happy Golden Years is an interesting change from even just the previous book in the series, though certainly very different from the first six. Laura is more adult in the stories and even takes on real work of her own - as a teacher. Her trials with trying to control a class of students, some of whom were older than her, and venturing into her first romance. It's interesting to read about how the courtship between Laura and Almanzo came about and how, despite Laura's attempts to keep Almanzo away. Most interesting is Laura's own form of 'feminism', which greatly varies from that of even twenty years later. Laura is against using the word 'obey' in her wedding vows, but not particularly in favor of votes for women. The stories are sweet and subtly romantic, lacking the overtures and public displays of affection of subsequent generations and all the sweeter for it.
The last book typically included in the Little House series is the least like the others. As it was never edited, it lacks the polish that the other books have, and is more frank than any of the others about some of the harder aspects of life for the young Wilder family. It deals with drought and hard weather, plagues, disease and debt. Laura and Almanzo deal with a lot in that first four years of their married life, trying to make things thrive on their claim in De Smet four the three year trial of farming (stretched to four for a 'grace' period). Despite some of the positive things that happen for them in this book, this is definitely the saddest of the series. It is good, but not something that I could see myself going back to when I want something sweet and light-hearted.
All in all, the Little House books are classic. They're great for all ages, though all but the last seem to be written more with children in mind. The stories are touching and sweet and are a good diversion from more complex modern times. These are books worth keeping and revisiting.
Show More
as well as she can remember it is written in a style that feels very juvenile. As such, one gets the idea that the stories were perhaps written to appeal to children, but in their simplicity, both children and adults can enjoy the accounts of the westward travelers. From the first chapter of Little House in the Big Woods, Wilder is frank about certain dangers that the family faced, while showing that despite the difficulty of life on the frontier, people still went about their lives and found things to enjoy. Since Laura herself was so young in the telling of this story, the events shown are limited, but the stories are quaint and sweet and highlight the simplicity of the time in the post-civil war days.
Little House on the Prairie continues the story, telling what life was like when the family moved into 'Indian Country' in Kansas. It is interesting to read the story and read how they perceived the natives at the time, what their interactions were like and how they remembered the events. What was normal for that time would now probably end up in court for a case of discrimination. It also provides an interesting picture of what a mess it really was for those traveling west to try to find a homested and settle in on a claim. Without the proper paperwork, a family could end up having to uproot and move along. Sometimes it happened even with the proper paperwork. The Ingalls had to move along from there quickly and their leaving concludes the second book of the series. The style continues in a very simple fashion from the first book, possibly still because Wilder is writing the story of her young childhood which may affect how she herself perceived the time.
The next story in the series is an interesting departure. Instead of telling the next chapter of Laura's life, it tells a bit of Almanzo's. The Wilder family is different than the Ingalls family somewhat. The family at this point of the story is still in New York State and that provides a different picture of life than that of life on the prairie frontier. It gives us a little idea of who this Almanzo Wilder is, too, before he reappears later in the story. Of all the stories, I enjoyed this one, but it was my least favorite because of its departure from the story of Laura's family. It feels like an interjection rather than being a part of a chronological telling of the story. All the same, the characters in it are interesting and I felt like I was actually there thanks to the descriptions within. It's a good story that just doesn't seem like a true part of the book series.
On the Banks of Plum Creek is possibly one of the more interesting tales of the family's journeys. The live in a dugout, deal with blizzards and wild animals, but also have neighbors and a town close enough to visit when the weather isn't too bad. The cast of characters changes slightly because of the nearby town and suddenly life seems to be more than just about the Ingalls family. I liked the storytelling, too. Laura doesn't claim that she was a model child, or even that her sister Mary, though better behaved, was a model child. The two squabble, they struggle with tempers, jealousy, greed, temptation... normal human afflictions. I felt like I was a part of the lives of the people in the story, so alive they came off of the page.
At the beginning of the fifth book in the series, the family is moving yet again. Mary is blinded thanks to a bad bout with scarlet fever, so the lives of the Ingalls family are changed forever. They take their first train ride, the girls meet the first rough men in their memories and the family finally finds a place to settle down for good. It is a well-told story, but the events that happen in the book, the characters that are introduced and the settings described somehow pale to the ones from the previous books, and I felt I was left wanting for more with this set of stories. By the Shores of Silver Lake is probably my least favorite of the series, which I attribute to a lack of interesting secondary characters.
Once the family is settled in the new town of De Smet, they settle in for The Long Winter. The town is ill prepared for the winter that is to come, with temperatures lower than the thermometer can register and blizzards blowing more often than not. Supplies run low and people start to stretch what little they have as far as it will go. This is one of the more serious of the stories, and it highlights what kind of chances the settlers were taking by moving out to areas where the weather was unpredictable and likely unfamiliar to many of them, without the advantage of having time to have settled in and stored up in preparation for something like this happening. The events are well-told and it is interesting to read about the ingenuity that many of the townsfolk utilized to help get their families through the hard wintertime.
At the start of Little Town on the Prairie, there seems to be a shift from the other Little House books. Where previously in the stories, Laura has been a little girl, suddenly she is taking on real work, has an interest in what her clothes and figure look like and is taking notice of the things going on in town for purely social reasons rather than what seems fun to a little girl. A lot of this story focuses around the family's intent to get Mary to a college for the blind and then about Laura's school times and the social 'whirl' of town. The stories are sweet and quaint in a way that is classic and comforting. The things that were important to girls then is so different than now, and the stories told in this book highlight that while still making it interesting for the reader who may not understand the conventions of the time.
These Happy Golden Years is an interesting change from even just the previous book in the series, though certainly very different from the first six. Laura is more adult in the stories and even takes on real work of her own - as a teacher. Her trials with trying to control a class of students, some of whom were older than her, and venturing into her first romance. It's interesting to read about how the courtship between Laura and Almanzo came about and how, despite Laura's attempts to keep Almanzo away. Most interesting is Laura's own form of 'feminism', which greatly varies from that of even twenty years later. Laura is against using the word 'obey' in her wedding vows, but not particularly in favor of votes for women. The stories are sweet and subtly romantic, lacking the overtures and public displays of affection of subsequent generations and all the sweeter for it.
The last book typically included in the Little House series is the least like the others. As it was never edited, it lacks the polish that the other books have, and is more frank than any of the others about some of the harder aspects of life for the young Wilder family. It deals with drought and hard weather, plagues, disease and debt. Laura and Almanzo deal with a lot in that first four years of their married life, trying to make things thrive on their claim in De Smet four the three year trial of farming (stretched to four for a 'grace' period). Despite some of the positive things that happen for them in this book, this is definitely the saddest of the series. It is good, but not something that I could see myself going back to when I want something sweet and light-hearted.
All in all, the Little House books are classic. They're great for all ages, though all but the last seem to be written more with children in mind. The stories are touching and sweet and are a good diversion from more complex modern times. These are books worth keeping and revisiting.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rainbowdarling
The 'Little House' series is a charming series of novels depicting more-or-less the factual journey of the Ingalls family from the 'Big Woods' of Wisconsin to the praries in Dakota. The stories are sweet and unaffected with slight, subtle humor intermixed. Wilder's retelling of her own life story
From the first chapter of Little House in the Big Woods, Wilder is frank about certain dangers that the family faced, while showing that despite the difficulty of life on the frontier, people still went about their lives and found things to enjoy. Since Laura herself was so young in the telling of this story, the events shown are limited, but the stories are quaint and sweet and highlight the simplicity of the time in the post-civil war days.
Little House on the Prairie continues the story, telling what life was like when the family moved into 'Indian Country' in Kansas. It is interesting to read the story and read how they perceived the natives at the time, what their interactions were like and how they remembered the events. What was normal for that time would now probably end up in court for a case of discrimination. It also provides an interesting picture of what a mess it really was for those traveling west to try to find a homested and settle in on a claim. Without the proper paperwork, a family could end up having to uproot and move along. Sometimes it happened even with the proper paperwork. The Ingalls had to move along from there quickly and their leaving concludes the second book of the series. The style continues in a very simple fashion from the first book, possibly still because Wilder is writing the story of her young childhood which may affect how she herself perceived the time.
The next story in the series is an interesting departure. Instead of telling the next chapter of Laura's life, it tells a bit of Almanzo's. The Wilder family is different than the Ingalls family somewhat. The family at this point of the story is still in New York State and that provides a different picture of life than that of life on the prairie frontier. It gives us a little idea of who this Almanzo Wilder is, too, before he reappears later in the story. Of all the stories, I enjoyed this one, but it was my least favorite because of its departure from the story of Laura's family. It feels like an interjection rather than being a part of a chronological telling of the story. All the same, the characters in it are interesting and I felt like I was actually there thanks to the descriptions within. It's a good story that just doesn't seem like a true part of the book series.
On the Banks of Plum Creek is possibly one of the more interesting tales of the family's journeys. The live in a dugout, deal with blizzards and wild animals, but also have neighbors and a town close enough to visit when the weather isn't too bad. The cast of characters changes slightly because of the nearby town and suddenly life seems to be more than just about the Ingalls family. I liked the storytelling, too. Laura doesn't claim that she was a model child, or even that her sister Mary, though better behaved, was a model child. The two squabble, they struggle with tempers, jealousy, greed, temptation... normal human afflictions. I felt like I was a part of the lives of the people in the story, so alive they came off of the page.
At the beginning of the fifth book in the series, the family is moving yet again. Mary is blinded thanks to a bad bout with scarlet fever, so the lives of the Ingalls family are changed forever. They take their first train ride, the girls meet the first rough men in their memories and the family finally finds a place to settle down for good. It is a well-told story, but the events that happen in the book, the characters that are introduced and the settings described somehow pale to the ones from the previous books, and I felt I was left wanting for more with this set of stories. By the Shores of Silver Lake is probably my least favorite of the series, which I attribute to a lack of interesting secondary characters.
Once the family is settled in the new town of De Smet, they settle in for The Long Winter. The town is ill prepared for the winter that is to come, with temperatures lower than the thermometer can register and blizzards blowing more often than not. Supplies run low and people start to stretch what little they have as far as it will go. This is one of the more serious of the stories, and it highlights what kind of chances the settlers were taking by moving out to areas where the weather was unpredictable and likely unfamiliar to many of them, without the advantage of having time to have settled in and stored up in preparation for something like this happening. The events are well-told and it is interesting to read about the ingenuity that many of the townsfolk utilized to help get their families through the hard wintertime.
At the start of Little Town on the Prairie, there seems to be a shift from the other Little House books. Where previously in the stories, Laura has been a little girl, suddenly she is taking on real work, has an interest in what her clothes and figure look like and is taking notice of the things going on in town for purely social reasons rather than what seems fun to a little girl. A lot of this story focuses around the family's intent to get Mary to a college for the blind and then about Laura's school times and the social 'whirl' of town. The stories are sweet and quaint in a way that is classic and comforting. The things that were important to girls then is so different than now, and the stories told in this book highlight that while still making it interesting for the reader who may not understand the conventions of the time.
These Happy Golden Years is an interesting change from even just the previous book in the series, though certainly very different from the first six. Laura is more adult in the stories and even takes on real work of her own - as a teacher. Her trials with trying to control a class of students, some of whom were older than her, and venturing into her first romance. It's interesting to read about how the courtship between Laura and Almanzo came about and how, despite Laura's attempts to keep Almanzo away. Most interesting is Laura's own form of 'feminism', which greatly varies from that of even twenty years later. Laura is against using the word 'obey' in her wedding vows, but not particularly in favor of votes for women. The stories are sweet and subtly romantic, lacking the overtures and public displays of affection of subsequent generations and all the sweeter for it.
The last book typically included in the Little House series is the least like the others. As it was never edited, it lacks the polish that the other books have, and is more frank than any of the others about some of the harder aspects of life for the young Wilder family. It deals with drought and hard weather, plagues, disease and debt. Laura and Almanzo deal with a lot in that first four years of their married life, trying to make things thrive on their claim in De Smet four the three year trial of farming (stretched to four for a 'grace' period). Despite some of the positive things that happen for them in this book, this is definitely the saddest of the series. It is good, but not something that I could see myself going back to when I want something sweet and light-hearted.
All in all, the Little House books are classic. They're great for all ages, though all but the last seem to be written more with children in mind. The stories are touching and sweet and are a good diversion from more complex modern times. These are books worth keeping and revisiting.
Show More
as well as she can remember it is written in a style that feels very juvenile. As such, one gets the idea that the stories were perhaps written to appeal to children, but in their simplicity, both children and adults can enjoy the accounts of the westward travelers. From the first chapter of Little House in the Big Woods, Wilder is frank about certain dangers that the family faced, while showing that despite the difficulty of life on the frontier, people still went about their lives and found things to enjoy. Since Laura herself was so young in the telling of this story, the events shown are limited, but the stories are quaint and sweet and highlight the simplicity of the time in the post-civil war days.
Little House on the Prairie continues the story, telling what life was like when the family moved into 'Indian Country' in Kansas. It is interesting to read the story and read how they perceived the natives at the time, what their interactions were like and how they remembered the events. What was normal for that time would now probably end up in court for a case of discrimination. It also provides an interesting picture of what a mess it really was for those traveling west to try to find a homested and settle in on a claim. Without the proper paperwork, a family could end up having to uproot and move along. Sometimes it happened even with the proper paperwork. The Ingalls had to move along from there quickly and their leaving concludes the second book of the series. The style continues in a very simple fashion from the first book, possibly still because Wilder is writing the story of her young childhood which may affect how she herself perceived the time.
The next story in the series is an interesting departure. Instead of telling the next chapter of Laura's life, it tells a bit of Almanzo's. The Wilder family is different than the Ingalls family somewhat. The family at this point of the story is still in New York State and that provides a different picture of life than that of life on the prairie frontier. It gives us a little idea of who this Almanzo Wilder is, too, before he reappears later in the story. Of all the stories, I enjoyed this one, but it was my least favorite because of its departure from the story of Laura's family. It feels like an interjection rather than being a part of a chronological telling of the story. All the same, the characters in it are interesting and I felt like I was actually there thanks to the descriptions within. It's a good story that just doesn't seem like a true part of the book series.
On the Banks of Plum Creek is possibly one of the more interesting tales of the family's journeys. The live in a dugout, deal with blizzards and wild animals, but also have neighbors and a town close enough to visit when the weather isn't too bad. The cast of characters changes slightly because of the nearby town and suddenly life seems to be more than just about the Ingalls family. I liked the storytelling, too. Laura doesn't claim that she was a model child, or even that her sister Mary, though better behaved, was a model child. The two squabble, they struggle with tempers, jealousy, greed, temptation... normal human afflictions. I felt like I was a part of the lives of the people in the story, so alive they came off of the page.
At the beginning of the fifth book in the series, the family is moving yet again. Mary is blinded thanks to a bad bout with scarlet fever, so the lives of the Ingalls family are changed forever. They take their first train ride, the girls meet the first rough men in their memories and the family finally finds a place to settle down for good. It is a well-told story, but the events that happen in the book, the characters that are introduced and the settings described somehow pale to the ones from the previous books, and I felt I was left wanting for more with this set of stories. By the Shores of Silver Lake is probably my least favorite of the series, which I attribute to a lack of interesting secondary characters.
Once the family is settled in the new town of De Smet, they settle in for The Long Winter. The town is ill prepared for the winter that is to come, with temperatures lower than the thermometer can register and blizzards blowing more often than not. Supplies run low and people start to stretch what little they have as far as it will go. This is one of the more serious of the stories, and it highlights what kind of chances the settlers were taking by moving out to areas where the weather was unpredictable and likely unfamiliar to many of them, without the advantage of having time to have settled in and stored up in preparation for something like this happening. The events are well-told and it is interesting to read about the ingenuity that many of the townsfolk utilized to help get their families through the hard wintertime.
At the start of Little Town on the Prairie, there seems to be a shift from the other Little House books. Where previously in the stories, Laura has been a little girl, suddenly she is taking on real work, has an interest in what her clothes and figure look like and is taking notice of the things going on in town for purely social reasons rather than what seems fun to a little girl. A lot of this story focuses around the family's intent to get Mary to a college for the blind and then about Laura's school times and the social 'whirl' of town. The stories are sweet and quaint in a way that is classic and comforting. The things that were important to girls then is so different than now, and the stories told in this book highlight that while still making it interesting for the reader who may not understand the conventions of the time.
These Happy Golden Years is an interesting change from even just the previous book in the series, though certainly very different from the first six. Laura is more adult in the stories and even takes on real work of her own - as a teacher. Her trials with trying to control a class of students, some of whom were older than her, and venturing into her first romance. It's interesting to read about how the courtship between Laura and Almanzo came about and how, despite Laura's attempts to keep Almanzo away. Most interesting is Laura's own form of 'feminism', which greatly varies from that of even twenty years later. Laura is against using the word 'obey' in her wedding vows, but not particularly in favor of votes for women. The stories are sweet and subtly romantic, lacking the overtures and public displays of affection of subsequent generations and all the sweeter for it.
The last book typically included in the Little House series is the least like the others. As it was never edited, it lacks the polish that the other books have, and is more frank than any of the others about some of the harder aspects of life for the young Wilder family. It deals with drought and hard weather, plagues, disease and debt. Laura and Almanzo deal with a lot in that first four years of their married life, trying to make things thrive on their claim in De Smet four the three year trial of farming (stretched to four for a 'grace' period). Despite some of the positive things that happen for them in this book, this is definitely the saddest of the series. It is good, but not something that I could see myself going back to when I want something sweet and light-hearted.
All in all, the Little House books are classic. They're great for all ages, though all but the last seem to be written more with children in mind. The stories are touching and sweet and are a good diversion from more complex modern times. These are books worth keeping and revisiting.
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LibraryThing member knewt08
Good for a childrens book
LibraryThing member satyridae
After a couple of days immersed in this series for the first time in I don't know how many years, I'm left bemused in a lot of ways.
From a historical standpoint, there's little else out there for kids that is this rich and complete. The everyday details that make up a pioneer life are lovingly
From a modern, perhaps revisionist standpoint, I was uncomfortable with the hate that boiled out of Ma every time she talked about Indians. I didn't like the way Pa treated his family, the way he got the most potatoes, the way he dragged them from pillar to post on a whim. So many of the things I didn't like were cultural and I feel as if I haven't any right to not like them, if that makes any sense. It's the way things were then, and ought to be presented as such. Those who don't remember their history and all that.
I dig the messages about self-sufficiency, I found the descriptions of how to craft houses and furniture and food out of prairie sod and a few cottonwood trees to be fascinating and useful.
But I don't much like the Ingalls family. I haven't a thing in common with any of them, I don't think. I'm walking away for the last time with some fond memories, and that's enough.
From a historical standpoint, there's little else out there for kids that is this rich and complete. The everyday details that make up a pioneer life are lovingly
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dwelt upon in a way that's just far enough removed that even the littlest reader doesn't panic. After all, if they all starved to death in The Long Winter, there wouldn't be a next book, would there? From a modern, perhaps revisionist standpoint, I was uncomfortable with the hate that boiled out of Ma every time she talked about Indians. I didn't like the way Pa treated his family, the way he got the most potatoes, the way he dragged them from pillar to post on a whim. So many of the things I didn't like were cultural and I feel as if I haven't any right to not like them, if that makes any sense. It's the way things were then, and ought to be presented as such. Those who don't remember their history and all that.
I dig the messages about self-sufficiency, I found the descriptions of how to craft houses and furniture and food out of prairie sod and a few cottonwood trees to be fascinating and useful.
But I don't much like the Ingalls family. I haven't a thing in common with any of them, I don't think. I'm walking away for the last time with some fond memories, and that's enough.
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LibraryThing member auntieknickers
I, like another member, have read these more times than I can count. I read Little House in the Big Woods to my son when he was 4 (a good age for it really) but he wouldn't let me stop with that book and we had gone through all of them before he hit kindergarten! It's good to read them aloud as you
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can discuss things (like Ma's attitude to Indians) with your child as you read. Show Less
LibraryThing member EllenCam
I loved this series on TV and even more than the series, I loved these books and read them as an adult. This is not the type of book I would have thought I would enjoy, but each and every one of them became an all time favorite of mine. I treasure this little library, and hope to have grandchildren
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some day who can enjoy them as much as I have. Show Less
LibraryThing member emmartin9
This box set was one of my favorites as a child! The romantic vision as a child of what it was like to grow up on the prairie! I am glad I kept the set to share with my children and they enjoy the stories as much as I did!
LibraryThing member ashleyk44
These were the books that really got me hooked on reading when I was a little girl. I remember doing a book report on them in second grade and dressing up as Laura for it. Words can't describe how much I loved these books, and how much they meant to me. I can't wait to share them with my own
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children someday. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
159853162X / 9781598531626
Physical description
1490 p.; 5.39 inches
Pages
1490