Name: Little Author in the Big Woods
ISBN: 9780805095425

Yona Zeldis McDonough

A narrative portrait of the author of the beloved Little House series details her real life as a young pioneer traveling west with her family and homesteading on new territories, revealing how her actual life differed from the adventures in her books. By the author of Sisters in Strength.

A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little Author in the Big Woods

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

I so enjoy reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder, my favorite author as a child. So I eagerly devoured this short, sweet biography for younger readers, grades 3-6. A great companion to the novels and a useful read to contextualize the Native American experiences Wilder described in her books with a more historical and less biased view of the native peoples that lived on the prairie when their wagon rolled in and they staked their claim. I did wonder why there was no real biographical information about Charles Ingalls in the Prologue. That was a big piece missing and was the first thing I thought about again when I finished the book. I get the focus on her mother Caroline as a major role model in Laura's life, but her father was a huge influence as well. I don't think there was one mention of her nickname "half-pint of sweet cider" either. Also, one or two actual photos of Laura, Manly and her family would have been nice to include. Pluses are the soft pencilled, Garth Williams-esque illustrations by Jennifer Thermes, the direct, friendly language used to tell the story of Laura's adventurous life, and the directions for typical pioneer games and the recipes, particularly for Johnnycakes which made my mouth water!

Little Author in the Big Woods A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder

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