A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America [Hardcover]

Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up | Series: Little House

By the mid-1930s Laura Ingalls Wilder's journeys had taken her from Wisconsin to South Dakota, from Missouri to California and back again. She had traveled by wagon, by train, and by car; alone, with her husband, and with her daughter. She had watched the times, seasons, and people change over six decades of traveling. But one thing remained the same: Laura always kept a pencil and paper with her to jot down notes about her experiences.

For the first time ever, writings from three of Laura's most memorable trips have been collected in one special omnibus edition featuring historical black-and-white photographs. On the Way Home recounts her 1894 move with Rose and Almanzo from South Dakota to their new homestead in Mansfield, Missouri. West From Home consists of letters from Laura to Almanzo as she traveled to California in 1915 to visit Rose. And previously unpublished materials from Laura and Almanzo's car trip in 1931 now tell the story of their first journey back to DeSmet, the town where Laura grew up, where she met Almanzo, and where they fell in love. Laura's candid sense of humor and keen eye for observation shine through in this wonderful collection of writings about the many places Laura Ingalls Wilder called home.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This volume combines three Wilder travel diaries: On the Way Home, recounting the 1894 trip from South Dakota to Missouri, with husband Almanzo and daughter Rose; West from Home, featuring letters written by Laura to Almanzo during her 1915 solo visit to Rose in San Francisco; and The Road Back, highlighting Laura's previously unpublished record of a 1931 trip with Almanzo to De Smet, South Dakota, and the Black Hills. The first two diaries remain essentially unchanged, although West from Home omits the historical setting by Margot Patterson Doss and spreads the period photos throughout the text. Young readers may be surprised that these candid jottings, largely unedited, are not at all like the polished prose in the Little House books. Here Wilder fixates on the cost of goods and services, is quick to criticize, and isn't above telling her husband that his mountain driving is terrible. Despite such surprises, this offers an amazing look at a beloved author, as well as a fascinating account of travel before interstate highways and air-conditioning. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“All the charm and interest that have made her Little House books all-time best sellers.” (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060724919
• ISBN-13: 978-0060724917
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,290 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it!, May 23, 2006

By 

Kathryn Miller (Hanover, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America (Hardcover)

This book contains "On the Way Home" and "West from Home," which I (and most other die-hard fans) already own and have read. However, this book is worth purchasing if only for the never before published "The Road Home." The journal of Laura's trip back to De Smet is a fabulous purchase for anyone who loves all things Laura. In it, she gives her impressions of the towns along the way, as well as her feelings about the people and places of South Dakota. The reader gets a view of the real Laura in this book! Buy it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but repeats what many readers already own, January 23, 2007

By 

G. Favreau - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America (Hardcover)

This book is a must for all fans that have not yet experienced On the Way Home and West from Home. My only problem is why publish The Road Back with the other books and not separate so fans that have the other two stories can just read The Road Back. I know that it is hand to have all three together in hardcover; the book will last much longer than the paperback version of On the Way Home and West From Home. West from Home is the best part. The letters are descriptive and full of color. This part holds your interest. The historical introduction of West From Home is missing, but it is not needed. It basically states that the city had rebuilt within six years of the earthquake and was ready to hold the fair. On the Way Home is good. Rose Wilder Lane's introduction and conclusion are written from a sophisticated yet childish viewpoint. She talks like herself at the age of 7, when that trip took place. Laura's diary is simple, but full of interesting stories. The Road Back is a long read, with only a couple of highlights. It describes beautifully the Black Hills, and Laura's comments about Manly's driving are interested to read. However, the book to me mentions only slight changes that have occurred since they last saw South Dakota. The part about where they stayed on the way to and back is long. You do get a picture at Grace's delicate health and Carrie is mentioned briefly. In the introduction to the Road Back, there is one historical inaccuracy. Laura has seen South Dakota when she returned in 1902 to visited her dying father and then attended his funeral. It had thus been thirty years for her since she had gone home.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Travels of Laura Ingalls Wilder, March 3, 2006

By 

Cheryl C. Malandrinos "johnnycat15" (Western Mass) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America (Hardcover)

This is a must have for any fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her writings. Part 1 is titled "On The Way Home" and is a compilation of diary entries from Laura, Almanzo, and Rose's journey from DeSmet, SD to Mansfield, MO in 1894.

"West from Home" begins with an introduction by Roger Lea McBride. The letters and postcards featured in this part are those written by Wilder to her husband Almanzo from San Francisco in 1915 when she traveled to California to visit their daughter Rose Wilder Lane during the Panama-Pacific Internationl Exposition. Both "On the Way Home" and "West from Home" are available as separate titles for purchase.

"A Little House Traveler" adds Wilder's record of Laura and Almanzo's 1931 journey by car back to DeSmet, SD to those previously published travel entries and letters. In Part 3, which is titled "The Road Back" readers will find detailed entries about the price of gas, meals, and lodging while Wilder comments on the conditions of the towns they passed through and how much things had changed since they had moved away. These writings have never before been published. They were drafted after Wilder had finished writing her first book in the now famous Little House series.

"A Little House Traveler" is Laura Ingalls Wilder at her best, using her keen eye to bring the reader into a world that has since gone by.