There are many different ways to be a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. Some people research topics in depth. Some people wear a sunbonnet and buy a Charlotte doll. Some people try to get autographs from as many actors/actresses from the “Little House on the Prairie” TV show as they can. I’ve done some of all…
Thanksgiving and Laura Ingalls Wilder
When you think of Thanksgiving, pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder is probably not the first image that comes to mind, but maybe it should be. Most of the traditions that we associate with Thanksgiving, including tracing it back to the Pilgrims, began with the pioneers and the Victorians. Onion vs. Sage The most famous Laura Ingalls…
One More Visit to the Little House: The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
“I’d like to write to the folks in Wisconsin” [Ma said to Pa] “If you mail a letter now, they can write this winter, and then we can hear from them next spring.“ Little House on the Prairie These words, read to my third grade classroom, made a lasting impression on me. I thought to…
From “Unlearned Poet” to “Untutored Housewife”: Samuel Worthen Ingalls and Laura Ingalls Wilder
As a child who’d practically memorized the Little House book series, I was entranced by the idea of Laura Ingalls Wilder as an “untutored housewife,” whose fiction suddenly sprang to life fully formed when she was in her sixties. As an adult, I learned that the widespread notion that Wilder was a self-taught genius with…
The House on Rocky Ridge Farm: Preserved, not Restored
Laura Ingalls Wilder was a teacher, seamstress, farmer’s wife, journalist, farm loan administrator, and an author. It was her role as writer of the Little House books that brought her lasting fame. And another job. She was the first, but unofficial, tour guide at her home on Rocky Ridge Farm near Mansfield, Missouri. Readers of…
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Naturalist
“Rabbits stood up with paws dangling, long ears twitching, and their round eyes staring at Mary and Laura.” On the Banks of Plum Creek I’d like to suggest a thought experiment. Instead of categorizing Laura Ingalls Wilder as an American children’s author, think of her as a nature writer as well. Take her titles. The…