Little House on the Prairie (Little House #3) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Ingalls and her family are heading to Kansas! Leaving behind their home in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, they travel by covered wagon until they find the perfect spot to build a little house on the prairie. Laura and her sister Mary love exploring the rolling hills around their new home, but the family must soon get to work, farming and hunting and gathering food for themselves and for their livestock. Just when the Ingalls family starts to settle into their new home, they find themselves caught in the middle of a conflict. Will they have to move again?
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.
Review: I have so much nostalgia for this series and love getting the opportunity to read them as an adult with my three children. In this book, Laura and her family are leaving the woods of Wisconsin including the only home Laura has known and their extended family and traveling to the wilds and unknown of Kansas by covered wagon.
Reading this again as an adult, I can't help but put myself in the shoes of Ma and Pa and think over and over about the backbreaking daily work they do on every page of this book, all while also caring for three small children and multiple animals. They have so few material possessions and are so isolated. I would be panicking non-stop about running out of food, someone being gravely injured or sick, and being left alone without resources in the middle of nowhere. Indeed, there are multiple crises that the family goes through over the course of the book. It is interesting how many critics decry these as idealized depiction of this life, but I think the author still included a good many serious incidents in this book, which was written as fiction for young children to enjoy. I also couldn't help but feel a little irritated with Pa for putting them in this position because of his decision to go west, despite Laura's childlike acceptance and hero worship of him.
This is truly a depiction of a time gone by, when you could live off the land and build, grow, or make most everything you needed. While Laura is not given a lot of information because she is a child, this book does paint a general outline of the turmoil over land rights and the pressure on Native Americans to be forced off the land.
I loved Mr. Edwards in this. What a top-notch neighbor and great person! Could not believe he crossed that rive in December when it was swollen by rain just to bring them Christmas presents. What a man.
I did forget how tragic the ending to this book is! It really is a great portrayal of the turmoil of the settlement of the west. I really felt for Laura and her family as we leave them at the end of this without a settled home once again.
Stars: 5
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