Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (Little House) [Paperback]

William Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Little House

From her pioneer days on the prairie to her golden years with her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, Laura Ingalls Wilder has become a friend to all who have read about her adventures. This behind-the-scenes account chronicles the real events in Laura's life that inspired her to write her stories and also describes her life after the last Little House book ends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This straightforward chronology of Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) details her heritage and birth, her family's pioneering and her travels with her husband Almanzo and daughter Rose. Though he makes use of the author's private journals, Anderson provides little information on his subject's life and times that the reader wouldn't glean from the eloquent descriptions in the Little House series. Because it fleshes out some of the gaps in that series, this biography might interest history buffs, and Wilder devotees may snap this up. But by simply shadowing and underscoring her universally acclaimed writings, the book pales in comparison with Wilder's own versions of her adventures. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-- This biography of the quintessential pioneer girl who lived the ``Little House'' stories and later captured them for posterity in her books is substantial in length and content. Like the subject's enduring series, it not only chronicles growing up on the frontier, but also pictures a way of life that has long since vanished. Many more people and events from Wilder's childhood and mature years appear here than in other juvenile accounts. Quotations from her works are woven into the text. Anderson brings credentials to the work, yet falters when discussing Wilder's awards. He states that Little House in the Big Woods (1932) became a Newbery Honor Book, when, in fact, On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937, both HarperCollins) was the first of the series so named. Compounding the error, he describes an Honor Book as ``the most outstanding children's book of the year.'' These inaccuracies aside, Anderson's colorful and detailed biography should prove popular with ``Little House'' devotees and students reporting on notable women or authors. Two sections of black-and-white photographs are included. --Pat Katka, San Diego Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Collins (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060885521
• ISBN-13: 978-0060885526
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Literary
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Literary
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > 1900s

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laura's life painted rosy, June 15, 2000

By 

yarden "yarden" (portland, or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (Little House) (Paperback)

After reading through the entire LITTLE HOUSE series (again), I became interesting in learning more about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I began with this book, and read some additional books as well. I found that LAURA INGALLS WILDER: A BIOGRAPHY was very informative, but that it was written in a very positive light. It glossed over some traumatic moments in Laura's life, and made her look like a perfect person instead of a normal person with some faults.

This book is designed to fit in with the current LITTLE HOUSE paperback design, which is handy. It is an easy read (written for the 9-12 set), but will interest those who want to know more about "the real Laura." I would recommend it over the other biographies I have read about Laura Ingalls Wilder because it is written to be interesting, not to be historically detailed. However, Laura's life was painted a lot rosier than it was in real life.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Become a Little House Expert!, December 4, 2002

By 

Alice Bright (Kansas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (Little House) (Paperback)

Historian William Anderson did a great job with this little book in rounding out the life and times of the Ingalls family. He fills in the gaps with historic details for those parts of her life that Laura ommitted, for reasons of her own. The final chapters of the book are especially fascinating as we travel to Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri to see how Laura, Almanzo and Rose lived after "West From Home." Also included is the fascinating story of how the "Little House" books came to be. Anderson also provides some embellishment from Laura herself on stories told in the "Little House" series. It's heartwarming to hear another version from Laura of Almanzo's surprise Christmas visit. This book is full of little tidbits just like that - which are irresistible to Little House fans!

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, full of surprises, December 26, 2001

By 

Anna M. Vandenhazel (West Valley City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (Little House) (Paperback)

If you've read the "Little House" books, you'll find that some things in the stories weren't quite the same in real life - for example, the Ingalls family's time spent in Burr Oak, Iowa, isn't mentioned in any of Laura's stories, nor the fact that they actually lived in the Big Woods twice in Laura's lifetime - the events of "Little House on the Prairie" actually took place when Laura was too young to remember, so of course she relied on her parents'memories of Indian Territory. Also of note are a couple of name changes - the "Oleson" family was actually the Owens family, and the quarrelsome people she stayed with on her first teaching job were named Bouchie, not Brewster. Many more surprises await you when you read the story, but I don't want to give everything away!