Little House Sampler [Paperback]

Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author), Rose Wilder Lane (Author), William T. Anderson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 1989 | Series: Little House

For everyone who loves the Little House books--a reissue of a charming collection of early stories and reminiscences by Laura Ingalls Wilder, along with essays and writings from her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, who was an award-winning writer.

This charming collection of early stories contains many never before published newspaper pieces, stories and essays by Laura Ingalls and Rose Wilder. Inspiring the popular series, these works are a vivid and personal testament to American life and history as seen by two remarkable pioneers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wilder's biographer (see above) intersperses this collection of previously ungathered writings by mother and daughter with archival photographs. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA Editor Anderson has collected a wide variety of writingfiction, essays, articles, columns, poems, drafts, unpublished manuscripts, notes, and musingsof Laura Ingalls Wilder and her journalist-novelist daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. Their voices inform even the best-read Wilder fans about the difficulties and adventures that balanced the joys and simple pleasures in the Ingalls and Wilder households. The women's work also paints an unsentimental portrait of frontier life in the late 19th Century. The varied purposes, audiences, styles, and formats of the selections invite study, comparison, and analysis and could serve as writing models. Anderson introduces each piece with biographical data and draws relationships to the ``Little House'' books. Alice Conlon, University of Houston
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 4, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060972408
• ISBN-13: 978-0060972400
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little pricey for a paperback but still worth it, January 15, 2002

By 

Homa Woodrum (NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little House Sampler (Paperback)

For those of us that are interested in life beyond the original "Little House" series, this is a great book to own/read. I think that it captures the character of Laura and Rose because the stories and articles are by their own hand.

I really enjoyed the photos throughout this book because while Garth Williams' representation of the Ingalls family is lovely, it is nice to see what they really looked like. Even though they are in black and white you can imagine Pa's eyes twinkling.

Rose and Laura have very different styles, but both styles are very good. I especially liked Laura's articles because they paint a picture of farm life. The sections range in length so if you one have a few moments of reading time here and there it isn't necessary to worry about reading it in one sitting (though you may want to!).

Other things I recommend are the Little House series (of course!), and the series about Rose that was published recently (it has its slow parts but it was written by someone close to the family so there is a lot of accuracy). If you want to read more of Laura and Rose's writing this book is the perfect solution even considering the high price.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading!, December 17, 1999

By 

KC "KC" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little House Sampler (Paperback)

For those of us who want to know more about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose, this is a great place to start. William T. Anderson has hand-picked some of the best short writings of Laura and Rose and incorporated them into this book. My favorite stories in this book include Laura's articles on her kitchen and dining room in Rocky Ridge and Rose's short story, "Innocence". The photos and Mr. Anderson's commentary add even more depth to our perceptions of LIW and RWL.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life after The First Four Years, November 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Little House Sampler (Paperback)

A Little House Sampler is the perfect title for this book. It gives you a sample of both Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane's interesting lives. Rose gives us a look into her and her parents lives after The First Four Years. Grandpa's Fiddle and Grandpa's Fiddle II was very interesting. I really enjoyed that story. Rose's story about the Faces in the Window is a perfect ghost story to tell around a campfire. Laura's stories about remodeling the kitchen and the dining room was great reading. She had a real decorating flair with the colors she chose. Laura wrote for Almanzo too. His stories about moving the spring shows us his story telling ability plus he was a very smart man. The pictures show his fine carpentry work. What a talented family! I mostly enjoy Rose's stories that describe her family life. I found her fiction work good reading but I thought she did her best writing when she wrote about her family. This book is a must for Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane collectors!