Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Publication: Harper Collins (originally pub'd 1932), Hardcover, 238pp
Series: Little House #1
Genres: Children's, Classic, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Source: Library
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Meet Laura Ingalls...the little girl who would grow up to write the Little House books. Wolves and panthers and bears roamed the deep Wisconsin woods in the 1870's. In those same woods, Laura Ingalls lived with her Pa and Ma, and her sisters Mary and baby Carrie, in a snug little house built of logs. Pa hunted and trapped. Ma made her own cheese and maple syrup. All night long, the wind howled lonesomely, but Pa played his fiddle and sang, keeping the family safe and cozy. (From Goodreads)
I haven’t read the Little House books in SO. LONG. A reread of the series has been on my mind for the last few years, but I stupidly sold my box set a few moves ago and I haven’t replaced it yet. I finally got up the courage to wander into the children’s section of the library the other week, so now I can finally get reacquainted with Laura and her family.
The writing style feels very much like it’s from the POV of a child (Laura, obviously), which I didn’t remember from the last time I read it. I also didn’t remember the very Victorian-ish/Edwardian-ish sensibilities, the kind that you’d find in books like The Secret Garden, for instance. For example: Nature is good! Children should be outdoors! Hard work is good, too, and children should work hard. (Children like working hard, too. It’s almost like playing but more useful?) It makes sense, because Laura COMES from that time period. Also, that sort of thing was popular (again) when her books first came out in the 1930s– or maybe she made it popular again! Either way, it’s there, and it’s making me regret living in a city. Continue reading »

