Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Iowa Story [Paperback]

William Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1989

What happened next in the Little House series? William Anderson's research and writing helps fill in the gaps of the famous pioneer family story, which has been loved for generations. Laura Ingalls Wi

Product Details

• Paperback: 50 pages
• Publisher: Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum; 1st edition (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096100889X
• ISBN-13: 978-0961008895
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Literary

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good information on Laura's time in Burr Oak, May 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Iowa Story (Paperback)

This is the definitive book of facts about Laura's time in Burr Oak, Iowa. This book tells about how the Ingalls family came to Burr Oak, what their time in Burr Oak was like, as well as providing an account of the restoration of the Master's hotel and information on other Ingalls ties to Iowa. If you want the complete account of Laura's time in Burr Oak, this is the book to read. This is an easily read book, althoigh it is more a collection of facts than entertaining. Old town in the green groves is the story version of Laura's time in Burr Oak. Laura lived in Burr Oak as a nine year old for a year, from the autumn of 1876 to the autumn of 1877. Although Burr Oak was a short period in Laura's life it was an important and interesting one. Laura never wrote about Burr Oak in her Little House books, because of four reasons. The most important of these is that it was not the happiest time for her and her family. Yet the adult Laura still had some fond memories of her time in Burr Oak:''I have thoughts of Burr Oak as a lovely place''. Laura's baby brother ,Charles Frederick Ingalls (Freddie), had just died before they arrived in Burr Oak, at the age of only nine months,and the Ingalls where coming from Walnut Grove, where the grasshopers had destroyed their crops. Thus, their time in Burr Oak was not off to an auspicious beginning. Nor did it get any better: by the time they left in the autumn of 1877 they had moved three times within the town of Burr Oak. One thing they did gain in Burr Oak-Laura's youngest sister Grace Pearl Ingalls was born there on May 23, 1877. Of all the Laura sites today,Burr Oak is probably the one that has changed the least.It is still possible to feel the atomsphere of the town as Laura felt it. Laura's time in Burr Oak was both happy and sad, and although she never wrote of it in her books, the time she spent there was always memorable to her. This book is the best source of facts on Laura's ''lost years''. If you are interested in Laura's time in Burr Oak, this is the place to start. Of course the best thing to do is to actually visit Burr Oak. It is as well worth visting as this book is worth reading. I am Laura's eighth cousin and I was a tour guide in Burr Oak two summers.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting!, February 18, 2005

By 

lor369 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Iowa Story (Paperback)

This small book describes the year that Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in Iowa and other ties that she had to Iowa. The year in

Iowa was not included in the books that Laura wrote. We find out that that year was not a happy year, particularly when they were actually "backtracking" east, when they are trying to move on west. We find out more about that year, Mary Ingalls'

time in Vinton, Iowa, and about other friends from Iowa.

The facts presented in this book was very interesting. I am from Iowa and lived in the town where Mary Ingalls went to

school (my grandparents lived right up the road from that school).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Into the Life of Laura, March 29, 2001

By 

"shirah334" (Florence, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Iowa Story (Paperback)

If you want to know more about Laura Ingalls wilder, this and The story of the Ingalls are the books to read. William anderson does a great job of giving more details that werent in the books.