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Little House on the Prairie #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Book Reviewed by:Based on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in the award-winning Little House series, which has captivated generations of readers.
Little House in the Big Woods, the first book in the Little House series, takes place in 1871 and introduces us to four-year-old Laura, who lives in a log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. She shares the cabin with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their lovable dog, Jack.
Pioneer life isn't easy for the Ingalls family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But they make the best of every tough situation. They celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do their spring planting, bring in the harvest in the fall, and make their first trip into town. And every night, safe and warm in their little house, the sound of Pa's fiddle lulls Laura and her sisters into sleep.
The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura'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.
Excerpt
Little House in the Big Woods
Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.
The great, dark trees of the Big Woods stood all around the house, and beyond them were other trees and beyond them were more trees. As far as a man could go to the north in a day, or a week, or a whole month, there was nothing but woods. There were no houses. There were no roads. There were no people. There were only trees and the wild animals who had their homes among them.
Wolves lived in the Big Woods, and bears, and huge wild cats. Muskrats and mink and otter lived by the streams. Foxes had dens in the hills and deer roamed everywhere.
To the east of the little log house, and to the west, there were miles upon miles of trees, and only a few little log houses scattered far apart in the edge of the Big Woods.
So far as the little girl could see, there was only the one little house where she lived with her father and mother, her ...
Laura Ingalls is a four-year-old girl living in a little log cabin with her family in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Her Ma and Pa work hard to keep the family safe and cared for in the wilderness, and Laura and her older sister, Mary, do their best to help while learning about pioneer survival. When they're not helping, they find fun wherever they can. Little House in the Big Woods may be a simple story, but it depicts pioneer life in a way that is both educational and interesting. Laura's perspective provides a sense of childlike wonder that will appeal to young readers; while adult readers may find the story's lack of plot less riveting, they may relate to or admire the family's strong work ethic. However readers of all ages must take the historical context into consideration. The books in this series contain blatant racism and reference to genocidal violence, which at the very least will require careful discussion with young readers. Nonetheless, this classic children's tale is a short but ultimately entertaining story about the pioneering days and the life of a young girl experiencing them...continued
Full Review
(776 words)
(Reviewed by Jordan Lynch).
In Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder narrates a fictionalized version of her childhood in the Big Woods near Pepin, Wisconsin, in the 1870s. The first official book in the Little House series, Big Woods is less well-known than the third book, Little House on the Prairie, which has been read in countless classrooms across the country and was developed into an award-winning television series in the 1970s. But despite the popularity of the series, the prevalent anti-Black and anti-Native sentiments are a source of controversy and have stoked a conversation about what to do when classic children's literature reflects racist views.
Haitian American bestselling author Roxane Gay has written about her love for the Little House...
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