SEARCHING FOR LAURA INGALLS [Hardcover]

Christopher Knight (Author)

Book Description

First-hand observations, personal reflections, and full-color photographs trace a family visit to the sites described in the ""Little House on the Prairie"" books.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-This photographic essay chronicles a nostalgic journey to rediscover the reality of midwestern pioneer life in the late 19th century. Meribah, daughter of the author/photographer collaborators, has been immersed in the "Little House" books for several years, and her family's summer vacation has been arranged to pursue her consuming interest. The narrative documents their experiences as they visit historical sites in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, trying to discover Laura Ingalls's world. The pensive eight-year-old is shown standing on a deserted street in DeSmet, South Dakota, recalling the Fourth of July festivities described in Little Town on the Prairie. Silver Lake, where Laura and Almanzo's courtship took place, has disappeared, but the young visitor does enjoy a swim in Plum Creek. Lasky reflects upon her child's impressions and feelings, recorded in italicized commentary, and fills in details of the journey. The two voices work well together. Knight's sunlit, full-page, full-color photographs are an integral part of the story, giving visual perspective to the events. Although some of them depict vast changes in the area, others have a timeless quality, bringing the past and present together. Although not a purely factual account, this book could be used to introduce the series to young readers. A solid addition where Wilder memorabilia is in demand.
Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. As she did in her earlier Dinosaur Dig (1990), Lasky recounts a personal family vacation--this time to see the childhood homes and haunts of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The author and her husband (photographer Knight), together with their son and daughter, visited the settings for most of the Little House books--Pepin, Wisconsin; Walnut Grove, Minnesota; and DeSmet, South Dakota. Lasky and daughter Meribah share the narrating duties, each providing her own personal insights into the trip. Meribah is disappointed, for example, that the replica of Little House in the Big Woods doesn't have pumpkins in the attic, but a swim in Plum Creek (complete with leeches) provides all the authenticity she can handle. What emerges is a wonderful glimpse of the sights that Wilder described, as well as a picture of this contemporary family. (Max, clearly not as enthusiastic about Wilder as his younger sister, entertains the family with excerpts from a book on road kill.) Knight's crisp color photos accurately portray the sites and local color of these areas, making this a sure hit with Wilder fans. Kay Weisman

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (October 31, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027516660
• ISBN-13: 978-0027516661
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,129,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi Readers! Thanks for coming by my author page. I've written all sorts of books - from fantasy about animals to books about science. One of my favorite animal fantasy series, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, is a major motion picture. I liked writing about Ga'Hoole so much that I decided to revisit that world in a new series, Wolves of the Beyond. Visit my website, www.kathrynlasky.com to see a slide show about the real wolves I researched for the series and for the latest update on the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie. All my best, Kathryn

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shameless use of a beloved author, June 22, 2002

By 

"lanie31" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Searching for Laura Ingalls (Paperback)

What a great idea for a story, especially for those of us who grew up with the Little House books and want to share the experience with our children. How fortunate, however, that I chose to preview this one before passing it along to my daughter. The book really isn't about Wilder at all. The overstory is used as a vehicle by the author to decry the evils of human beings as they take over the planet, littering, polluting and deforesting.

The litany is outrageous. As our young hero searches out the places where Wilder lived, we learn that winters are no longer hard because of destruction of the rain forest, people who drive RV's are hogs, the entire Big Woods has been chopped down for furniture, Lake Pepin is filled with litter, reproductions of historical sites have been turned into tourist traps by capitalists, streets have been paved and Silver Lake turned into a sewage pond. When the young diarist is disappointed that De Smet is not having a civic July 4th celebration her mother responds that the townsfolks must all be home sitting in their air-conditioning. The overall tone of the book is, well, whiney.

I don't think it's necessary to spend another 500 words debunking these points. Some of them are no doubt true. The bottom line is that Ms. Lasky has used a childrens book along with the name of a cherished author to disseminate her political and social views to the young and impressionable. Rhetoric is often at the core of worthwhile adult literature but is sorely misused here. I wonder if the author is getting a royalty from copies of this book sold at those tacky souvenir shops?

4.0 out of 5 stars charming :-), July 13, 2010

By 

Kimberly Winemiller "Snoopy Lover" (Winston-Salem, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Searching for Laura Ingalls (Paperback)

Growing up a HUGE fan of Laura Ingalls, I found this book to be very engaging & charming. We are seeing a trip to places from Laura's books through the eyes of a little girl who is also a huge fan. For those of us who may never get to take this trip, it answers a lot of questions as to what things are like in those areas now. I felt as if I had been on the trip with them. I did not feel like it had deep political statements to make, just observations. And I liked that we were able to share in Meribah's excitement over her findings, as well as her disappointment when things did not quite live up to her expectations. I think any fan of Laura will enjoy this book - it is written for elementary level children, so it is a quick easy read with lots of photographs. I enjoyed it very much & am thrilled to own it. :-)

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Book -- Bizarre Coincidence!, August 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Searching for Laura Ingalls (Paperback)

The photographs are gorgeous, and the story's very sweet and engaging. I bought the book for my eight year old niece, and I'm sure she'll adore it. (I've never read the Laura books, I'm afraid)... The really strange thing, what first caught my eye, is the co-author's name: Meribah Knight. Funny; my name is Mirabai Knight. Both pretty uncommon, aren't they? If the authors ever check this webpage, I'd like to email them. I'm curious about where they found a name like that for their daughter (and let's see... she must be around 15 or 16 now, right? I'm 17.), and how she's doing. Cool bit of serendipity, anyway. (`8