Little House on the Prairie [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Release date: October 14, 1953 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Little House

The adventures continue for Laura Ingalls and her family as they leave their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and set out for Kansas. They travel for many days in their covered wagon until they find the best spot to build their little house on the prairie. Soon they are planting and plowing, hunting wild ducks and turkeys, and gathering grass for their cows. Sometimes pioneer life is hard, but Laura and her folks are always busy and happy in their new little house.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sequel to Little House in the Big Woods, and true story of the author's own childhood, and of the days when her father, feeling that civilization was coming too fast to the Big Woods, uprooted his little family and took them, via covered wagon, to Kansas. Good Americana - and a first rate tale. Personally, I liked it certainly as well, perhaps better than the other. (Kirkus Reviews) --Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

The Ingalls family is headed west to Kansas. Pa builds a new cabin for shelter, and Laura and her sister Mary set out to explore the rolling hills and hidden nooks of the vast land around them. Just when the pioneering family begins to feel settled, they find themselves caught in the middle of a dangerous struggle between the Osage Indians and the U.S. government.

Based on the real adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE is the third book in the award-winning Little House series. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (October 14, 1953)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060264454
• ISBN-13: 978-0060264451
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as previous version May 20, 2007

By S.C.C.

Format:Paperback

I teach 5th grade and I purchased these books to complete my class set of these books. This new version is missing all of the wonderful sketches that made Laura's books famous. Why? The font is also smaller and the page numbers are different, making it difficult for the kids with this version to follow along. I'm most upset though at the lack of the illustrations that children have come to love since Laura wrote these books. Disappointing. Get the older version (without the photograph on the cover) if you can get it.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life on the Frontier April 7, 2004

By Mark Baker HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Pa Ingalls is tired of how crowded the big woods are getting. So he decides to sell the house and move west with his family. Just before the ice breaks, the family loads up their wagon and heads out. They cross the Mississippi River and then head south, settling two days away from Independence, Missouri. Now they have to build a new house and survive the wilderness. Meanwhile, Laura is anxious to see a papoose. And with all the Indians in the area, she may get her chance.

This is a charming book. It's almost a collection of short stories with many chapters being a self-contained event. Still, through these pages, we get a good picture of life on the American frontier 130 years ago. The book gives plenty of detail about their everyday life without getting bogged down. And it is interesting. Frankly, some of the chapters are so harrowing I felt my pulse quicken. Often I found myself shaking my head in awe at what the Ingalls dealt with on a daily basis. This is a good way to make anyone appreciate just what we have today.

These books are still popular 70 years after they were first written for good reason. They are an entertaining and enlightening look at a bygone era.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest books I've ever read. May 24, 2001

By ty7777

Format:Paperback

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.

Again it is a story about hard work and family sticking together. Superior to the first book in that you already know alot of the mundane [though very interesting]details of their daily life, and the characters. Now it is full of story. The interactions with wild life alone are astounding as taken for fact. They are not just the amusing tid bits from the first book, but quite dangerous and spellbinding ones.

Fantastic book for anybody. The whole series is great.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Laura Ingalls Wilder is an American treasure. May 3, 2002

By slomamma

Format:Paperback

I've recently started reading the Little House books to my seven-year-old daughter and I'm thrilled to discover that I love them just as much now as I did when I was her age. There are a lot of reasons for that. Laura Ingalls Wilder was a wonderful writer. She's simple and always crystal clear, but at the same time, she uses so much detail and has such a great sense of the rhythm of language that her writing is beautifully poetic and always a joy to read aloud. And the characters, of course, are among the most beautifully drawn characters in literature: the feisty Laura who has such a hard time doing what she's supposed to do, her frustratingly perfect sister Mary, her strict but kind parents. Even the animals in the book come across as interesting characters. No matter how tired I am in the evening, I always look forward to getting out Little House and reading a chapter or two.

Those were the things I loved about it as a child, and still love now. But as an adult I've also come to appreciate how quintessentially American this book is. It's the kind of book that makes you think about our heritage, and makes you proud to be American. In these books, Laura and her family keep facing hardships and meeting them head on. When necessary, they pick themselves up and move on to a new place, starting from scratch. They don't expect anything from anybody, and yet they care about their community and their neighbors. You often hear the words "pioneer spirit" used to describe America's best values, but after you read Little House that's not an empty phrase. You, and the child you read it to, understand it in your heart.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for little boys too! September 10, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I've just finished reading Little House on the Prairie to my six year old son and he enjoyed every page. The classic illustration were his favorites and now we've returned to purchase Little House in the Big Woods to start the series from the beginning. He's learning to read now that he's started first grade and the Little House books are a much anticipated bed time activity

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential Story of the American Pioneering Spirit November 24, 2000

By "sergiocqh"

Format:Paperback

I can still remember this book after all these years. It was and still is a sweet story, one that must be read by every American. It continues to amaze me how well a simple children's story can capture the lifestyle and the spirit of the late 1800s. It is a tale of nothing less than the human experience: hardship and prosperity alike seen through the innocent eyes of a young girl.

Try as you may, you'll never be able to resist the charms of this story. Laura Ingalls Wilder will forever live on in your heart as a bright flame, symbolic of everything good in our country, our world, and our entire existence.

It is a must read for all children everywhere. A thousand times more valuable than Star Wars or Pokemon, it is something a kid can love and hold on to for the rest of his or her life.