The Little House on the Prairie

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

The adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family continue in Little House on the Prairie as they leave their house in the Big Woods and set out for Kansas, travelling for many days in their covered wagon to find the best location to build their new house on the prairies. Once they do, they get to work, building, farming, hunting, and gathering food—and face more difficulty and danger than they have before. Just as they’re feeling settled, the Ingalls family is caught in a conflict. Will they have to move again?

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780735253964

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) was born in a log cabin in the Wisconsin woods. With her family, she pioneered throughout America’s heartland during the 1870s and 1880s, finally settling in Dakota Territory. She married Almanzo Wilder in 1885; their only daughter, Rose, was born the following year. The Wilders moved to Rocky Ridge Farm at Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894, where they established a permanent home. After years of farming, Laura wrote the first of her beloved Little House books in 1932. The nine Little House books are international classics. Her writings live on into the twenty-first century as America’s quintessential pioneer story.

Reviews for The Little House on the Prairie

[ovistine · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent rendition of one of the "Little House" books by Cherry Jones. This one recounts the Ingalls family's trip to the prairie and the building of a house there. Unfortunately, all isn't perfect -- there are "wild Indians" and some issues with territory -- but overall it's clear that Laura loves life on the frontier.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some things that stood out for me in this reading: awesome description of building a log cabin. Wow! And talk about avoiding the neighbors (although I guess in the end they got more than enough of neighbors when the natives got all in an uproar). Reading about Christmas gifts occurred at the perfect time for us - but my kids weren't having any of it!

[bookconcierge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What I love about these books is that Wilder doesn’t completely sugarcoat life in the mid-to-late 1800s. There is plenty of hard work, danger and disappointment. The family endures many hardships including flood, fire, wild animals, disease and weather. But this is a strong family unit. Ma and Pa are steadfast, competent, hard-working, and protect their children as best they can. They are also thoughtful in answering the young Laura’s questions as she begins to understand that there are different ways to see things, and that complicated issues may have more than one “right” side. There’s also a strong sense of independence in these people. The adults are setting out for a totally new experience, and do not let hardship dissuade them. If they have to make a change to their plans, they do so with continued hope that their hard work will pay off. As Ma and Pa frequently state to their children, “All’s well that ends well.”

Cherry Jones does a great job of the narration on the audio book. She gives us a sense of adventure and excitement on the journey, with an underlying feeling of safety and security. I can’t help but delight in the joy of a simple surprise, whether it’s discovering prairie dogs, leftover beads or a special treat in a Christmas stocking.

There’s a good reason these books have endured. I highly recommend them for all ages.

[gillis3sarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd love anything that Laura Ingalls WIlder ever wrote.

[rakerman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting tale of prairie settlement. Quite nuanced interactions with the aboriginals (Indians), particularly given the time it was written. But ultimately the complexity of that interaction and the sometimes-strong language associated with it means this is not a good book for young children. Best to go directly from Little House in the Big Woods to On the Banks of Plum Creek.

[librisissimo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The "title book" of the Little House series was actually the 2nd in the set (or 3rd, depending on where you put "Farmer Boy"), and was the first destination (of several) of the Ingalls family after leaving the Big Woods of Wisconsin, settling in Kansas to farm where there are no trees, but there are Indians.Working sun-up to sun-down makes a hard life, but the parents transmit their ideals and industry to the girls, as well as their courage and resolve.As with all Laura's books, this is a faithful depiction of pioneer life in all its harshness and beauty, softened only a bit for young readers.The life of the country's early settlers would be impossible in today's cosseted nanny-state, and the parents would all be in jail for child abuse just for the normal events of their lives (unsupervised free play, hard work, and strict although loving discipline).I do not think what we have now is progress.

[sigmundfraud · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OMG what a wonderful book, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE by Laura Ingalls Wilder. As I wrote that i only now realized that the family's last name was Ingalls, taken from the author's name. I was with the family every moment as they moved west and settle in Indian Territory. The self sufficiency of the family is impressive. They represent basic American values. I never read this novel as a child but highly recommend it for adults.

[goodnightmoon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How simple, and how perfect. Listening to this story, I just couldn't believe how effectively Wilder captured the sense of the times. It is almost too good to be true - I wonder how much is embellished. As a teacher, I will definitely use this book to teach wagons moving west, Indian relations, building a log cabin, etc. Such a clear insight into history.

[mrsarey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the second book in the series, Laura and her family leave the Big Woods and move to a homestead in Kansas. Charles builds a house, they meet Mr. Edwards, and encounter Indians.

[kathleen586 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'd forgotten how good this book is. When I was younger I didn't like it as much as other books in the series, so I didn't read it as often. This audio version really makes the book come alive with the excellent narration and fiddle music. A few parts even brought tears to my eyes.

[christyb2020 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary review:This is a story that centers on the Ingalls, a pioneer family. The novel represents memories of the author's life in the Midwest during the nineteenth-century. Wilder structured the work to include twenty-six chapters, told from the perspective of Laura Ingalls in the third person. Laura is also the central character and main protagonist. With this in mind, Wilder begins the book with an introduction of the family, which consists of Ma and Pa, three daughters: Mary, Laura, and Carrie: and the family guard dog. As the story begins, the family is moving, traveling through Minnesota and Kansas and camping outdoors on the prairie. By the sixth chapter, the Ingalls move into the log cabin they built. Throughout the rest of the work, the family continues to discover their surroundings, encountering both good times and challenges. By the end of 'Little House on the Prairie,' the family eventually heads for Independence Missouri, to a great countryPersonal reaction:I like that this story it is such a classic and can be read for a long time.Classroom extension ideas:1.The students can learn how to make butter like the did in the pioneer days2.The students can make button string like laura and Mary did in this book

[leda.dowd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

SO FAR SO GOOD!

[jgbyers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At the beginning of this story, Pa Ingalls decides to sell the house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, and move to the Indian Territory near Kansas. Laura, Pa, Ma, and Mary and baby Carrie, move to Kansas. During the book, the Ingalls family becomes terribly ill from a disease called at that time "Fever 'n' Ague" later referred to as malaria. Mrs. Scott, another neighbor, takes care of the family while they are sick. Mr. Edwards, another neighbor, brings the children Christmas presents. In the spring the family plants a small farm and make Kansas their home. At the end of the book the family is told that the land must be vacated by settlers as it is not legally open to settlement yet, and Pa elects to leave the land and move before the Army forcibly requires him to abandon the land.

[sjmccreary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe I've lived my entire life without reading this book. A charming story - autobiographical - about a young girl whose family decides to leave Wisconsin and move by covered wagon to the Indian Territory where it is less crowded. They settle on the Verdigris River, 40 miles from Independence, Kansas in the southeastern corner of the state. It explains how Mr Ingalls built their cabin, the fireplace, the furniture and the stable for the animals. It told about the neighbors who lived near them and came to help when it was needed. It also described a prairie grass fire and how the family worked to save their home from the flames. The references to the Indians, though, were a little disturbing. One of the neighbors states that "the only good Indian is a dead Indian". Although Mr Ingalls chides him for that comment, he is of the opinion that since the white settlers have come, it is time for the government to move the Indians farther west. The book was first published in about 1935, so I suppose it would express views of another generation. I had an illustrated edition, and enjoyed it very much.

[kailee.gibbs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about a family from the 19th century that decides to move from the city to the country. Their play for life was to live off the land, hunting, fishing, and farming. This book accurately portrays real life struggles in this time. However, the family is close and figures out their way.I love this story! It is a great partial of the past and how my ancestors didn’t have it as easy as we do today. This is a great way to teach kids not to take things for granted.1.This is a great art project for young children to color wagons during thanksgiving.2.This is a great book to start an open discussion with the children on what they think life would be like if we took all material things away. This teaches them not to take everything for granted.

[giannab.b1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Okay i like this book because of the deatils and how they like to exporle tyhe world. LIke qhwn they were howling in the moonlight enormous, and so close Laura could almost see their glittering eyes. Then she whispered to Pa turning from the window the wolves have made a circle around the whole house. What will they do. Well what happen was Pet and Patty began to trot brisky, as if they were glad , too. Laura heldd tight to the wagon bow and stood up in the jolting wagon. Beyond Pa's shoulder abd far acorss the waves of green grass she could see the tress, and they were not like any trees she had seen before.

[themiraclesnook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to say I went back to my childhood with my latest read. I found this book at the local thrift store. This book was worth more than the 50 cents I paid for it. I read Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have to be honest the last time I read this it was with my mom when I was little. I have to say that I loved this book more now this time around than I did then. I found it hard to put down. I also heard Michael Landon’s voice when I read the words of Pa. In this book Laura moves with her family to Indian Territory which is Independence Kansas. This book takes you through the struggle of pioneer life. I was reminded of how hard it was to live in that day and time. Laura is such a good story teller. I wish I could have met her and Mary. I enjoy the fact that Laura was so energetic and full of life as a child. Did you read this book as a child? Have you re- read it? If not it is truly is worth a re-read. I give this book 5 stars.

[tristinholt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary of book:Little House on the Prairie is about a family who travels from Wisconsin to the Indian lands of Oklahoma. Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author, and her family had to leave the Big Woods because it was becoming overcrowded. Pa sold their little log house and built a covered wagon. When Ma, Pa, Mary, and Laura came to the prairie, Pa built a little house. As soon as they began to feel that this was home, the government made them move again, because the land belonged to the Indians.Personal Reaction to the Book:During most of my childhood I was in a Laura Ingalls phase. I wore her dresses that my mother had made for me, I tried calling my dad Pa (it just didn’t seem to suit him), I begged my parents to get me a dog so I could call him Jack, and I pretended that every car trip was the longest wagon trip ever! I think these stories helped me become more interested in not only history but reading as well. Don’t I have a clever mother and father! Students can easily become engulfed in any book that captivates their imaginations and helps them escape reality. I believe that any book by Laura Ingalls Wilder is appropriate to allow the students to do so.Extensions:1.The students can create their own journal that they can write in during a journey from Wisconsin to Oklahoma. Their journey will consist of discussions about a possible route the Ingalls family may have taken, where they would stop and rest, how long the horses could pull that heavy wagon, and other important facts.2.Older students can sew together a rag doll. If the boys do not wish to do this they can make a little log cabin with tongue depressors.3.For students who finish early, a worksheet activity such as a word search with a prairie theme can be compelted. 4.The teacher can dress up in clothing from the time period to show the students what people wore in the 1800’s. If the students would like and it is allowed by the teacher or principal, the students may dress up the next few days in clothing they think was worn in the 19th Century.5.Students can research what life was like in the 1800’s and write a report. If time allows, students can create a small poster of their research and hang it on the wall.6.Younger students can color pages of farms, tractors, and wooden cabins. The teacher can describe the life of the pioneers without any air conditioning or heat.

[silversurfer_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. Laura's "voice" jumps out at every page. She makes you feel and experience Prairie life. Just terrific. Full of fun, humor, hardship, suspense and charm.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the second book in the series, Laura and her family are moving from the Big Woods in Wisconsin to the prairies in Kansas. There, they start with very little, except what they brought with them in their wagon, and build on the land they find. This is also Indian Territory, so there is some concern about that. I really enjoyed this. It is fun to read this series again (though I'm not sure if I did read the entire series when I was younger; I think so, but I'm not positive). There are so many great descriptions of the prairies, as well as how they lived and built things (the house, the chimney, the stable, the garden, etc). It's amazing how much they had to know to be able to start a life and build everything from scratch.

[gjchauvin504 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion: This may be a children's book, but it's just as good if not better for adults. The writing is simple but not insulting. The story itself is captivating. The occurences between the settlers and the American Indians were really amazing. All through the eyes of a little girl.Laura Wilder had an amazing gift to tell stories and to make an accurate picture of the time she grew up in and of what she thought and felt as a girl. This is not like the show in many respects though. If you only want to read about the exact characters and stories from the show, this may surprise you. Mr. Edwards is not in here much and you won't see characters like Albert or Mr. Oleson in this book. As they live on the prairie, there is no school or store, only a few neighbors a few miles away. Also Indians which only actually show up now and then.

[blev-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is great for 5th graders during reconstruction era.

[lycomayflower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't remember this one nearly as well as Little House in the Big Woods, but many of the incidents (and many of the illustrations) were familiar and welcome. I was struck in Big Woods by the ingenuity and courage of the settlers living on the frontiers in the 1870s; in Prairie I am no less impressed by those qualities, but the circumstances of the Ingalls family in this installment gives me the willies in a way that the realities of living in the Big Woods did not. Surely it is because I have always lived nestled among hills and under trees that the descriptions (and illustrations--maybe even especially the illustrations) of the wide open prairie and the notion of a house just plopped in the middle of all that space quite literally gives me the shivers. Do you know a person who must sit with his back to the wall in a restaurant because that open space behind him is discomfiting? That's how I feel about houses. They ought be backed up against the foot of a mountain or at the least tucked in a clearing with tall trees all around. I'm glad, I guess, that there are people who like that kind of open environment (both Pa and Laura in this book seem to take to the flat openness of the prairie particularly well) as not all of us can live at the foot of mountains--there just aren't enough of them. But I leave them to it.The constant fear regarding encounters with restive Indians lent a sense of suspense to Prairie which was completely lacking in Big Woods. The fears I had about attitudes toward native peoples in this book were perhaps somewhat overblown. There is certainly othering going on here, and a fair amount of prejudice, but Laura (mostly) seems innocently fascinated by the Indians and Pa (though he definitely carries a nice load of white-settler-entitlement around with him) adopts a live-and-let-live attitude, talking his neighbors down from their fears on more than one occasion. Some passages made me squirm a bit, but keeping in mind the context in which the book was written and the time it recalls, and considering the perhaps more-enlightened-than-typical attitude of Pa, those passages weren't enough to ruin a series of childhood favorites. I would be fascinated, however, to read some articles delving into the portrayal of the native peoples in this book and providing some discussion of the political and historical situation. I'd particularly like to read some opinions on the scene where Laura becomes enchanted by an Indian baby with "hair . . . as black as a crow and its eyes . . . black as a night when no stars shine" and demands that Pa "get [her] that little Indian baby!" as well as on the fact that Pa's sense of morality when it comes to usurping the Indian land seems to stem directly from what the government says is okay. If Washington says the Indian Territory is open to the settlers then he's going to have his land and the Indians can go lump it. If they say not, then he'll move on. That the Indians are obviously living on the land and that they were clearly there first seems not to enter into it for him.Pa, in fact (and to a somewhat lesser extent, Ma), has become one of the most interesting aspects of these books for me on these rereads. How does he know how to make a life on the prairie anyway? That he should be a competent frontiersman generally can be taken as a given since when we first meet him in Big Woods he's already been making a successful go at that kind of life for several years (at least). But how does he know what the specific dangers of the prairie are? And how to deal with them? As a child, I accepted Pa as the all-knowing performer of crafty miracles and protector of home and family (I knew men like that myself, after all), but as an adult I begin to want to see him as a real person and to question him and to suspect that sometimes his pioneer spirit endangers his family (a number of minor catastrophes in Prairie, which are presented as things from which Pa saves the day, are actually his fault). The question of what children know and what adults know and keep from the children, I think, is a central theme in this book, and one which probably sails right over the head of children readers (except for the few times when it is made explicit as part of the action). I count six instances in Prairie when the whole family is a hair's breadth away from a horrible death, and much of what is interesting to me here (beyond the details of the day-to-day business of staying alive, which is always fascinating) is how these two adults try to--and mostly succeed at--giving their children a happy life which is free from fear and dread.

[zommbie1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Growing up this was never really my favourite book and I think part of my problem was the attitude towards the Indians. This time reading it I did appreciate Pa’s view that they should treat the Indians with respect.What I do like about this book is the quite contentedness with the every day. There is no need to be ‘entertained’ something that I think is all to prevalent in today’s society. I felt a great calm reading this book.I also love Garth Williams drawings in my copy. They are so beautifully done.Laura was a childhood heroine of mine. I wanted to be like her. She wasn’t always good (neither was I). She had adventures (looking back now so did I). Thinking about my childhood heroines they were often like Laura. A bit of a free spirit. Not ladylike, wanting to be in the thick of things and very curious about everything. That was me.

[christineplouvier · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I discovered the Little House books when I was about eight years old. I remember two weeks one summer when I was confined to bed with a hard head cold, and how these stories took me away from my miseries. These were the stories that inspired me to learn and practice home preparedness: when I grew up, I learned how to make bread, cheese and vinegar; how to can and dehydrate food; how to knit, crochet and sew clothing; how to keep milk goats and rear chickens. Thank you, Laura Ingalls Wilder, for enriching my life in so many ways.

[ashleytylerjohn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There are some sweet, lovely passages of writing, and the tone is so gentle and calm that I feel like I'm hitting a puppy to only award it 3 stars, but it's lack of plot momentum (it's really just one of those "and then, and then, and then, and then" kind of books) keeps it in the decent column.

It's definitely an improvement over the first two, as it has slightly less of a pioneer family how-to manual tone to it, and there's even some evocation of history and social issues. (Unlike some, I don't have a problem with the story's take on indigenous people--I thought it was rather deft how Wilder managed to convey, through young Laura's uncomprehending listening, that dear old Pa may have been a bit in the wrong on this issue).

I've never watched the show (it looked boring, to me, when I was growing up, earnest and not funny and not sci-fi or fantasy).

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).

[sparklegirl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really like this book, it is about Laura ingalls as she travels across the prairie.

[thatotter-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love how incredibly capable everyone is, especially Pa.

[auntieclio · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I almost didn't finish this one and am questioning reading the rest. As a trained historian, I understand that we must not insist people from the past have the same ideals we have. But Little House on the Prairie was so filled with bigotry against the Indians I began to despair. Also a reminder of how completely horrible the US government, and settlers, were towards those who had lived on the land first.On the lighter side, Pa always impresses me with how much he knows. How to notch logs just right to build a house and lay a floor. How to plow and plant. How to make things like bedsteads and rockers.If reading this with a child now, I would be extremely careful to explain that the attitudes in this book were the prevailing attitudes of the day and that they are in no way acceptable.

[sriemann_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

See review for Little House #1