Little House on the Prairie

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

My soon-to-be 80-yr.-old cousin mentioned to me that she had read Little House on the Prairie as a child and enjoyed it so much. She wanted to read it again. I found her a book that was as close as that 1950’s copy as I could get. Of course, before I mailed it off to her, I just had to read it myself again! What a joy!

Something special happens when you read a children’s classic through adult eyes. You see everything in a new light. I appreciate the author’s choice of words, her descriptive phrases and her development of the characters. I see the events in the story through my knowledge of the time period but as told by her as a young child. I marvel that she can recall these every day events from her childhood growing up on the Western Frontier and present them in the way that puts us, the readers, into the story, reliving it with her.

Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first book in the series in 1932 when she was 65 and completed the last book when she was 76. It took her years to work and rework her autobiography into the beloved “Little House” series that has endeared us to her.

I must admit that I already have images in my mind of the characters and they look a lot like Michael Landan, Melissa Gilbert and the others from the classic television show “Little House on the Prairie.”

I also must admit that I am now reading the whole series from start to finish and enjoying it very much. If I must cozy up with a good book this winter, this is a great series to keep me company!

Reviewed by Melody Williams