Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House in the Big Woods is an autobiographical children's novel written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published by Harper in 1932 (reviewed in June). It was Wilder's first book published and it inaugurated her Little House series. It is based on memories of her early childhood in the Big Woods near Pepin, Wisconsin, in the early 1870s.

Little House in the Big Woods

Little house in the big woods

𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚢

Elisabeth Bontrager

I had no idea how much I missed these books until I started reading them again. I used to read these so often as a little girl and I definitely need to keep it up as I get older. Reading this book again brought back a rush of memories from reading them years ago. And oh how I love Garth Williams' illustrations, the pictures alone brought back memories, the girls sitting on their pumpkin chairs, at their pumpkin tables, with Susan and the other dolls. I remember being a 7-10 (somewhere in there) year old and wishing I could've been with them in the covered wagon and in the Big Woods. My 16 yr old brain says now that that life back then was so much harder and there's no way I would've actually wanted that. But my heart still longs to have been able to play with the Ingalls girls and their corn cob dolls, it still longs to sit around the fire with Pa and listen to stories that make me roll with laughter (I remember laughing so hard at the screech owl story, and the stump bear story, and of course the panther one. They still brought a smile to my face this last time), it still longs to fall asleep to Pa's fiddle songs. These books made up my childhood and these will be the first series I will have my future kids read. It was the first series I ever read and I'm still old-fashioned enough that I want my kids to fall in love with these good wholesome stories about family and life before they go down the road of fantasy and mystery. 

I highly recommend this series to anyone regardless of age. They were written for kids so the older you are the more you might find the writing lacking but the stories are timeless. At least to me.

A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share special occasions with relatives and neighbors.

Erin Darlyn

Re-reading Little House in the Big Woods this year brought back so many memories from my childhood. I used to read late at night when I was a kid, long after my parents had put us all to bed. It’s one of the reasons why I wear glasses now - I would spend hours reading by the light from the Jack-and-Jill bathroom between my room and my brothers’ room. 

I loved reading this story again as an adult and found myself so intrigued by all of the ways the Ingalls family did things differently than we do in western society now. As someone who dreams of farming, enjoys gardening and growing food, and who loves to spend time in the kitchen processing and preserving a harvest, it was so fascinating to read about how Pa would smoke the meat they were putting up for winter or how the family got together to process their maple syrup for the year. It made me grateful for the convenience afforded to me today, but also made me yearn for a simpler way of living that involves a deeper connection to the land, a more grounded sense of place and a more holistic way of fostering community. I do look forward to reading the rest of the series again. 

There are a couple of references in the book that are racist (primarily in song lyrics), which is why I did not give the story a full 5 star review. I would recommend having healthy conversations about this with your young ones who might read this book.

Little House in the Big Woods (Little House)

Elizabeth McInerney 

One of my favorite series. I want to go back to those days!

Beatrix Haase

I read these books so long ago. Totally forgot about them. I read them when I was in like 3 or 4th grade. This brings back so many memories! I should totally read these books again. I remember absolutely loving them!

xoxo,
Bebe

Jasmine Stanway

“She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the fire-light and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.”

These books are my go-to reads for the winter, and they never fail to make me feel warm and contended. As much as the first book in this series is written for little girls, it’s just as impactful as an adult, as it brings you back to simpler times, when you were a child and only had to worry about being taken care of, rather than being the caretaker and provider. These books always in-still in me that a happy childhood is a real blessing, and if you had one, you should remember to be grateful for it and reflect on it often so that your own child’s life may be as fulfilled one day 💛

Nora de Jong

Nicole Sonja

Feels like a home I never knew! It’s brilliant and I don’t quite know why.

Rowan Myers

When I'm upset, I reread books from my childhood. This helped very much.

Celeste Richardson

In the past few months, I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with the television show Little House on the Prairie. It’s something I’ve seen bits and pieces of throughout my life, as there were always reruns playing on some channel. But I’ve never sat down and watched it from the beginning as I’m doing now, and I’ve really been enjoying it. I just had a desperate desire for something pure and wholesome that almost always has a happy ending, and that’s what I’ve found in this series. Since I love the television series and said series is based on a famous series of books, I obviously need to read them, right?

This first book was absolutely adorable. Laura is five years old in this book, and still living in the Big Woods, before her family moves away. The prose is incredibly simply, and seems tailor made for reading aloud to children. There isn’t much plot, but the descriptions are vivid and very engaging, which is exactly what young children will enjoy about the book. 

I’m not a young child, so did I enjoy this book? Absolutely. I felt like I was right there with Laura, making butter and playing in an attic full of food stored for winter and listening to wolves howl outside of my window. Wilder did a great job of presenting the story through the eyes of a child, and reading it made me feel like a child again. I can’t wait to continue on with the series!

Noah Warner

This book is so cute and heartwarming. The way Wilder makes every chore laura does interesting and goes in-depth on how they were done. I'm very excited to see laura grow up and see her own family!

kezzie

Lizzy Grayson

The Little House books were some of my favorites growing up, and it was such a joy to share these books with my two girls. If it were up to my daughter, we would have read the whole thing in one sitting. So excited to be in the phase of life where I can begin to share childhood favorite books with my own kids!

My five-year-old's review: I loved it! Well, it's only one word: Good!

My three-year-old's review: I love it because it's so silly!

For the first time in the history of the Little House books, this new edition features Garth Williams’ interior art in vibrant, full color, as well as a beautifully redesigned cover. Laura Ingalls's story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Four-year-old Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Pioneer life is sometimes hard, since the family must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her folks celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep. And so begins Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier past and a heartwarming, unforgettable story.

Anna Adams

A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share special occasions when they get together with relatives or neighbors.

Aly Valenz

Thank you “ P S I still love you” for the Recommendation, I had this on my shelf and got right to it after I was done . It was so cute and heartfelt , very nice book.

Natalie

Another childhood classic. This was a huge part of our homeschool curriculum when we studied America Expansion - post Civil War!

Leanna Fleenor

I absolutely loved it!! I love how it shows how they found all their food and how they cooked it!! It’s amazing to see how challenging it was to live back then!! And they mad it seem like it was wonderful, and that’s great!!

Erin 

This book my mother handed to me, and in doing so I understood everything she loved as a child. While others prefer Little House on the Prairie, it was this one that I read over and over. I even dressed as Laura once for Halloween!

Reading this again many years after having read it first as a child was both incredibly different and yet incredibly familiar. There were bits in this book I remember reading like yesterday, and the pictures are as familiar to me as the back of my hand. The only difference I can tell between reading this as a child and reading as an adult is the length of the chapters - as a little girl, they always seemed so long! Now, I could probably read this in an afternoon with a cup of hot tea. Still heartwarming as ever, I suspect Laura Ingalls and her stories will never leave me.

Little House in the Big Woods

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