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A Little House Reader: A Collection of Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder
 
 
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A Little House Reader: A Collection of Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder [Hardcover]

Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author), William Anderson (Editor)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


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Book Description

8 and up3 and upLittle House

Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Little House books have delighted generations of readers, was a writer long before she ever recorded the adventures of her pioneer girlhood. She first began experimenting with words as a young girl in Dakota Territory, writing poetry about her beloved prairies, her sister Mary, and her courtship with Almanzo Wilder. Eventually, Laura and Almanzo married and settled in the Ozark Mountains, where Laura became a widely known and well-respected journalist, penning her thoughts on farming and the life of a farmwife. She also wrote private sketches about her family, politics, nature, and eternity.

Noted author and Little House historian William Anderson has delved deeply into the Ingalls and Wilder papers and has put together a unique medley of Laura's writings from the time before her Little House books. Culled mostly from fragile and yellowed pieces of paper, this moving collection offers a window into Laura's day-to-day life and experiences, giving us a richer understanding of the woman and writer famed for her Little House books.

Even before she wrote the Little House books, Laura Ingalls Wilder was an avid writer. She wrote both newspaper and magazine articles and spent many evenings on Rocky Ridge Farm jotting down her thoughts and memories. Noted Little House historian William Anderson has compiled these writings, some never before published, into a moving collection touching on everything from family and farm life to time and eternity. Both a testimonial and a tribute, this collection offers us a richer understanding of the woman and writer famed for her Little House books.


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Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Anderson (A Little House Sampler, 1989, not reviewed, etc.) has collected occasional pieces, essays, and poems from Laura Ingalls Wilder's personal papers, written by her and by several members of her family, into a volume that shows how she ``bridged the gap from the henhouse to the publishing house,'' and that explores her social, philosophical, and religious ideas. Grouping selections thematically and decorating them with homey family photos, Anderson then cements the pieces with lengthy introductions that both fill in background as well as add links to the novels. His tone is often more earnest than Wilder's, whose juvenile verse--``I will leave this frozen region/I will travel further south/If you say one word against it/I will hit you in the mouth''--and broadly rustic characters (e.g., in a much later account of how the jail in Mansfield was burnt and rebuilt) have lost none of their humor. With few exceptions, everything here is either unpublished or appeared in local newspapers; fans of any age will find these reflections on a wide range of topics thoroughly enjoyable--and the prose and poetry from Wilder's mother and father, her three sisters, and daughter, a pleasant lagniappe. (Anthology. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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.


Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (January 17, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006026358X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060263584
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,960,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy companion to "A Little House Sampler", January 10, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: A Little House Reader: A Collection of Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Hardcover)
Again, William Anderson (who would have to be considered one of the premier authorities on Laura Ingalls Wilder) outdoes himself with this unique collection. This features not only Laura's pre-Little House writings from the Missouri Ruralist and other publications, but a real treat for Ingalls fans - writings from the other Ingalls family members - poetry by young Laura, Carrie and Mary; young Grace's diary, and more. All of this is tied together by Mr. Anderson's editorial commentary and photos. Very nicely done and a good read!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Provides much insight into Laura and her family, May 29, 2009
William Anderson, a noted authority on Laura Ingalls Wilder, has compiled a collection of writings, not only by Laura Ingalls [pre-Little House], but also by her family members, i.e. Pa Ingalls, Ma Ingalls, and sisters Mary, Carrie and Grace Ingalls. It was interesting to note that sister Grace was the only one in the Ingalls family to keep a diary, and I was also touched by Mary's poem about her Pa's violin titled "My Father's Violin".

Most of the book though is predictably devoted to Laura's writings and musings, and divided into the following sections:
"Writing from the Prairie"
"The House on Rocky Ridge Farm"
"The Missouri Ruralist years"
"Mrs Wilder's Nature Songs"
"Laura and her Hometown"
"Laura and the Younger Generation"
"Early Memories"
"The Little House Author"
"Of Time, Life, and Eternity"

The writings are accompanied in some instances by archival photographs such as portraits of Laura and Almanzo, their homestead, a charming photo of Laura in her housewifely garb, etc. These photos certainly add to the charm of the book.

I'd recommend this book to all those who are fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House Books. I've been a long-time fan, ever since I was a young child sitting in my family room thousands of miles away in Malaysia [where I was raised] and watching the television show with my family. I loved the show so much that I went on to devour the books [buying them used on what little allowance I saved], and as I grew older, I kept up with books to do with LIW. It has been an inspiring and heartwarming journey!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars LIW Writings, December 16, 2008
This review is from: A Little House Reader: A Collection of Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Hardcover)
As any LIW fan knows. We want to read everything we can get our hands on that Laura wrote. This is a nice addition to any collection.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Tales of lonely cowboys reading Shakespeare around campfires and accounts of pioneers transporting barrels of treasured books along the overland trails are not uncommon in the history of the west-movement. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
summer boarders, board walk
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Missouri Ruralist, Laura Ingalls Wilder, These Happy Golden Years, Kansas City, The Athenians, Big Woods, Farm Loan Association, Rose Wilder Lane, Dakota Territory, South Dakota, The Advance, Walnut Grove
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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