An Ode to the 'Little House on the Prairie' Books

A Snapshot of my Collection

Most people know ‘Little House on the Prairie’ from of the famous tv show which ran from 1974 to 1983, showcasing the charming pioneer stories of the Ingalls family in the late 1800’s. I personally know it best from the multi book series.

The ‘Little House’ book series was started by Laura Ingalls, a real woman, telling real stories of her childhood on the wild open prairies of the west. She was born in Wisconsin in 1867 and wrote her first book 'Little House in the Big Woods’ at the age of 65 in 1932. She went on to write 7 more books during her lifetime, writing letters to her aunts when she needed details from stories she was too young to recall. The books detail her life, and she herself claimed that though the stories were sometimes tailored to be enjoyable to young readers, for the most part, the books were a true account of her and her families lives. They traveled from home to home, encountering various hardships and victories. What stands out most to me and many readers is the gentle and beautiful simplicity of her storytelling and vivid description of the world around her. Laura could truly paint a picture with words. She describes her father building them log homes and barns, cooking and gardening with her mother and sisters, traveling by covered wagon, attending school, visiting town, going to church, encountering Native Americans and wild animals of the great plains. She entrances the reader, even in describing things so simple as chores and meals. I highly recommend even just looking her up on Wikipedia, its fascinating!

“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat. In our mad rush for progress and modern improvements, let’s be sure we take along with us all the old-fashioned things worthwhile.”- Laura Ingalls Wilder

       Late in her life there were talks about turning her books into a film, but Laura would not sign away rights to any script that didn’t align with the books as she felt it would leave her readers confused and so in her lifetime she never signed. After her death though Michael Landon, of ‘Bonanza’ fame took on the task of directing and starring as ‘Pa’ Charles Ingalls for the TV series which only loosely following the books. While the main character’s names match, several story’s did not, which is why, although I do enjoy the show, it doesn’t hold much weight with me. Today Netflix is reportedly working to create a remake of the show which is said to follow the books more closely…

A Covered Wagon

After Laura’s passing there also came several whole new book series which now make up the greater collection, creating a line of ‘Little House Women’ books. Roger MacBride wrote books following the life of Laura's only daughter Rose Wilder, even co-writing one book with her. Maria D. Wilkes and Celia Wilkins wrote books following the life of Laura’s mother, Caroline. Melissa Wiley wrote more books, following the life of Laura’s Grandmother Charlotte of Boston Massachusetts and even her Great Grandmother Martha, who was born in 1782 in the Scottish Highlands. And I must say, in all these authors efforts they truly succeeded in holding true to the voice and tone of Laura's original works and creating historically accurate stories. They are fully worthy companions to her work. I love them.

I know ‘Little House’ from my elementary school’s library, which harbored just a small handful of old white canvas-bound hardback copies. When I first read the Little House Books I was in first or second grade. These were my first chapter books, and I was hooked. I was never interested in Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Nancy Drew...but Little House struck a chord.

I was raised on the rural outskirts of a small central-valley town. My father was a dairyman, and we lived on the farm property, set just above Dry Creek, surrounded by rolling golden hills which I watched grow into walnut orchards. My childhood activities involved following my dad on bird hunts, picking fruit and vegetables from our garden, playing with flour or masa at the kitchen table while watching my mom cook, collecting walnuts from the orchard floor, fishing trips, day-hikes, beach days, camping in the woods, house parties with the cousins at our house or my grandma’s, playing and collecting rocks in the creek bed when it went dry in the late fall and foraging wild figs, blackberry and flowers along it’s banks in summer. We raised chickens for eggs and owned goats, rabbits, dogs and cats. We spotted raccoons, possums, quail, geese, bobcats, coyote, hawks, vultures, toads, turtles, snakes, hummingbirds, even a red fox once! God, I miss the sound of the coyote howling through the night!

Me picking homegrown Grapes, playing outside, baking, cooking and fishing.

The food we ate was almost all home cooked, traditional Mexican dishes with stewed spiced meats, sautéed vegetables form the garden, rice, beans and tortillas. As long as it wasn’t spicy, they almost always served me the same food they ate, just in smaller portions. Our beef came from a dairy cow. We didn’t buy grocery store snacks, I recall bowls of salted orange slices or steamed broccoli, baked yams or a homemade cookie.

This is all to show that from a young age I felt a deep connection with the natural world, I knew the feeling of soil in hand, I knew where food came from and so in reading the Little House books I was entranced to find the story of a little pioneer girl, who 120 years before me detailed a life that felt so similar to mine. Laura and I both helped our mother in the kitchen, we both planted plants, we both listened to our fathers tell stories, we both heard the coyote howling.

“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” -Laura Ingalls Wilder

       I went on to read all the copies at the school and over the years since purchased a few from thrift stores and yard sales here and there. Last year I picked up one of those books that I had saved and read it again, and was surprised to find that even as an adult they still felt so real. They’re easy reading for children yet hold up enough to engage the adult reader through detail and the clarity of its accounts, it feels like a history book AND a hug.

So, I set out to collect the full series, some of which I found on Amazon, at Brand & Noble, others I found on ThriftBooks.com, my mother in law even gave me her copy of  ‘Farmer Boy’, Laura's book about her husband Almanzo Wilders childhood.

I've found that part of what I love about these books is the grounding effect they have on me. They remind me to live in the present , stay true to my will, and always give it my all. They remind me to put down my phone and get some sunshine on my face. In the modern day we need this reminder far too often.

“As you read my stories of long ago, I hope you will remember that things truly worthwhile and that will give you happiness are the same now as they were then. It is not the things you have that make you happy. It is love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good.”- Laura Ingalls Wilder

I’m still building up my collection and have more to read. I hope that one day I can read these same old copies to my own children, who I know will feel the connection with Laura that I did. Needless to say, I recommend these books to any child, no matter their experience in this world and to adults alike, especially those those cherish the timeless.