On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House, Book 4) [Paperback]

Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 11, 2004 | Age Range: 8 and up

For the first time in the history of the Little House books, this new edition features Garth Williams’ interior art in vibrant, full color, as well as a beautifully redesigned cover.

The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they leave their little house on the prairie and travel in their covered wagon to Minnesota. Here they settle in a little house made of sod beside the banks of beautiful Plum Creek. Soon Pa builds a wonderful new little house with real glass windows and a hinged door. Laura and her sister Mary go to school, help with the chores, and fish in the creek. At night everyone listens to the merry music of Pa's fiddle. Misfortunes come in the form of a grasshopper plague and a terrible blizzard, but the pioneer family works hard together to overcome these troubles.

And so continues Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier past and a heartwarming, unforgettable story.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Laura and her family continue their trek west to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. The nearby creek and swimming hole lures Laura with dangerous, yet thrilling adventures. But too soon, their new life is threatened when prairie fires and other strange events place their family’s crops in jeopardy.

Based on the real adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK is the fourth book in the award-winning Little House series. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. She and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Midwest. Later, Laura and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, made their own covered-wagon trip with their daughter, Rose, to Mansfield, Missouri. There, believing in the importance of knowing where you began in order to appreciate how far you've come, Laura wrote about her childhood growing up on the American frontier. For millions of readers Laura lives on forever as the little pioneer girl in the beloved Little House books.

Garth Williams began his work on the pictures for the Little House books by meeting Laura Ingalls Wilder at her home in Missouri, and then he traveled to the sites of all the little houses. His charming art caused Laura to remark that she and her family "live again in these illustrations."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Full Color Collector's Edition edition (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060581832
• ISBN-13: 978-0060581831
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Citizenship

More About the Author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. As her classic Little House books tell us, she and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Midwest. She and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, made their own covered-wagon trip with their daughter, Rose, to Mansfield, Missouri. There Laura wrote her story in the Little House books, and lived until she was ninety years old. For millions of readers, however, she lives forever as the little pioneer girl in the beloved Little House books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe how good this was February 7, 2005

By Matt Hetling

Format:Paperback

As a thirty one year old man, I don't suppose I'm the target audience for the "Little House on the Prairie" series. But after reading this book on a whim, I have to say that I'm hooked.

Laura Ingalls and her family eke out a difficult living on the plains of Minnesota during the time of pioneers and native americans. They are a tightknit family focused on doing the right thing, but their closeness and morality are severely challenged by the harshness of prairie life. They battle floods, drought, fires, blizzards, and insect infestations, all while trying to earn enough money to work toward a better life. Laura and her sister Mary have their first experiences with church and with school, and have to try to fit in as country bumpkins among more street-smart peers (most notably the obnoxious and relatively rich Nellie Oleson).

I found this book to be very charming. The unrelenting goodness of the entire Ingalls family is a bit tiresome at times, but the unflagging earnestness with which it is portrayed won me over, and I soon found myself completely invested in their happiness. The fact that they are happy with so little is refreshing, especially when viewed against the backdrop of modern times. The fact that it took place so long ago, and in such a harsh setting, actually made the good-hearted characters seem more believable.

But what really sells this book is the authentic portrayal of the way of life that the Ingalls' live. Living in a dugout by a creek, cutting the grass to make hay, and knitting clothes during long and dreary days; the book's colorful details make a practically-extinct lifestyle come alive. In particular, the way that the Ingalls must observe nature and learn to live within the context of it's rhythms and cycles was very interesting....

I watched the television show occasionally, and am surprised that this book is the first mention of Nellie Oleson, or the titular house, or some of the other storylines that were such staples on the show. I look forward to reading the other books and learning more about the elements that were not so prominently displayed.

One warning that I have is to avoid reading the back cover of the book. In six short sentences, it manages to spoil the single biggest plot twist in the book, which doesn't come until 200 pages in. Just pick it up and start reading, and you'll be happier for it.

Usually when I review children's books, I struggle with how to address elements that parents may not want to expose their children to. But in this case, happily, there's no conflict. Everything is not only G-rated, but blissfully so. Read more ›

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars this was my favorite of the Little House series May 9, 2002

By Alice Fielding

Format:Hardcover

This book is both joyful and heartbreaking. As a child I spent hours acting out the story with my dolls...the oxen, the horses named Sam and David, the little church in town, the nice girls and the snobby girls in school, the flags and rushes on the creek, the horrible grasshoppers and Pa's being away for so long while he went to find work....This is a very detailed, gripping story that really makes time fly. I loved it best of all the books in the series, and I really liked them all!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Banks Of Plum Creek January 4, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

No one can really explain the hardships and wonders of movingwest in the 1800s, or what it was like.After reading all the LittleHouse books I find this one the best one of the series. The books takes on from the previous book(Little House On The Parrie), as the Ingall's family moves out to Minnisota, where they buy land and a place called home. There home is very near Plum Creek and three miles to town. As they lived together, they face fears, hope, blizzards and locus,and learn that disasters won't destroy them. This story grabed me and made me go into the book and made me expierenced the story with them.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Banks of Plum Creek January 22, 2002

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

Laura and her family have moved to a small farm near Walnut Grove in Minnesota. They will have to adapt to Minnesota, the sod house, and a lot more. Laura Ingalls is a seven year old girl who loves to explore the creek, and is daddies little angel. Laura lives with her Ma, Pa , her two sisters Marry and Carrie, and their loyal companion and bulldog Jack. Pa goes out to get lumber and builds a beautiful new house with windows and he farms wheat to earn money. One day Pa said that in a couple weeks the wheat would soon be ready to pick. Then they see this peculiar sparkling cloud that filled the sky. Shortly after countless numbers of grasshoppers cover the field, the creek, and the rest of the farm, including Laura and her family. The grasshoppers consumed every plant including the wheat that Pa worked so hard to grow.
Mary and Laura start to go to school and on their first day they met many friends and some foes. one of their rivals was named Nellie who had a party and invited all the girls from school. Nellie was very rude and very cruel to Mary and Laura. Laura decided to have a party as well, and invited all the girls from school. Laura invites Nellie particulary to get back at her, and boy did she do a clever and a funny prank on Nellie. Then the Ingalls experienced blizzards, storms, and prairie fires which were very devastating. After all the work the family put into the farm and the wheat, their work finally payed off.
This book had lots of surprising, unpredictable, and very exciting events. If I could rate this book on a scale of one through ten, I would give this book a ten. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down, because I was so hooked on it. This book is fantastic and is great for every age, and great for every age, and should be enjoyed by everyone.... If your looking for a great book that will excite, delight, suprise, and grasp your attention, On the Banks of Plum Creek is just the book your looking for. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should pick up this book June 16, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

The title of the book I read is On the Banks fo Plum Creek by Laura Ingals Wilder. This book is about Laura Ingalls as she is growing up on the prairie. In this book, Laura and her family travel from Indian Territories to Minnesota in a covered wagon. They settle in a dugout on the banks of Plum Creek. Pa plants a wheat crop and builds a pine board house. He plans to pay back the money for the wood when he sells the wheat. As Pa is ready to harvest the wheat, a terrible thing happens. A huge swarm of hungry locusts comes and eats the wheat. Pa must go away out East to find work and to get money for food, supplies, and to pay back the house. Laura cares about her family and worries a lot about Pa when he is away. Will Pa come home safely? Will they be able to stay at Plum Creek, or will they have to move west?

The characters in this book were interesting and believable. The characters I thought were the most interesting and believable were Laura Ingalls and Nellie Olsen. Laura is the narrator of the story. She is eight years old and when you read this book you will see the story through Laura's eyes. She is likeable because she is nice and not rude, and she cares about her family. She is believable because she behaves well, but is also naughty sometimes. Nellie Olsen is mean, rude, and selfish to Laura and Mary, Laura's sister. Nellie is a believable character because I have met people like her. I thought the characters in the book were interesting and believable.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is a good writer because she is very descriptive and she uses strong words to create images. She makes the descriptions very concrete, but she doesn't make them so detailed they become boring. For example, Moby Dick had way too much detail. Snore (ZZZZ).... The author of the book uses strong words to create images. For example, when Laura was near drowning, "The water roared loud and tugged at her stronger and stronger. Laura kicked but the water was stronger than her legs." I felt scared because I thought Laura would be pulled into the raging waters and nobody would know. The author makes the story perfect to read because she has just the right amount of description and the images pop out of the page.

I like this book because it is a fun and exciting story, the characters are good, and the writing is perfect. The story has characters that are interesting and believable. The style of this book is spectacular. The descriptions are concrete, but not boring. Mrs. Wilder uses strong words to make the story come alive and create feeling and mental images. I would recommend this book to girls seven and up because it is a story about girls. Not many boys would like it. However, it is a hard read because there are difficult words in it. For example, "leech" means bloodsucker. I would rate this book five stars. I would recommend this book because it is a fun and exciting story, the characters are good and the writing is perfect. Read more ›