Pioneer Days: The Works of Laura Ingalls Wilder

[Deleted]

Thanks for the link, that article was fascinating, I had no idea they had such a contentious relationship. And now I know one of the people to blame for Libertarianism.

[granolamom]

Just popping in to say that I'm reading "Little Town on the Prairie" to my son (age 6) and he had a HUGE nightmare after hearing about the mouse eating Pa's hair during the night.

These books seem different every time I read them. I remember being fascinated by the sister relationship when I was young (I have brown hair, my perfect older sister is a blonde), then reading closely for the marriage plot when I was a little older. This time around I'm struck by how they are almost like how-to manuals--I think I could make a smoke house out of a big tree, if I had to and I had a big axe.

[divasahm]

Oh, "Little Town on the Prairie" is my favorite! I loved reading about Laura's wardrobe and how much fun she and her friends had as teenagers.

I can definitely see how some of the stories in those books could inspire nightmares, though. I remember reading "The Long Winter" and being so glad I lived in Texas, where we didn't have to deal with killer blizzards.

[NappingAthena]

I was going to say "Little Town on the Prarie" is my favorite, but I think its really "These Happy Golden Years." I pretty much love the whole DeSmet years, though.
I went to visit DeSmet with my mom, sister, and grandparents when I was in high school and it was a life highlight, I've been to Mansfield too but I was in junior high and only have dim memories of it. My dad actually has a friend who's from DeSmet, and didn't believe my dad at first when my dad said he knew where it was.

[dwanollah]

I was so excited to find out that my Gram is from a town called Winner, not too far down the road from DeSmet!

I love the prairie life details, too... from smoking meat to building a cabin to moving everything to town for the winter. I actually love Farmer Boy, which not a lot of readers do, because it's such a rich, detailed look at a cycle of a year on a farm at that particular time. I never understood why fairs were held at a certain time of the year until I read it. And mmmm...pie!

[divasahm]

I loved all the details, too--my grandparents actually started reading the books when I was 7 or 8 because I loved them so much and would ask my granddaddy about how things were different now with his dairy herd. Granddaddy loved "Farmer Boy" best, and Grandmother's favorite stories were about the china shepherdess who traveled everywhere with Ma, and about how Ma made sure her girls grew up to be as cultured and ladylike as possible, despite their prairie/farm upbringing--just like my great-grandmother did with my grandmother and her siblings.

I think I need to go find divaspawn1's "Little House" books...

[ladytrentham]

I just re-read them, too! My favorite is The Long Winter. Almanzo & Cap... le sigh

The thing that stood out to me though is how much Mary came off to me as an insufferable prig at times!!! There's a scene that really bugged me--where they've just been snowed in the house {again} and Laura & Carrie say something about missing their friends at school. I'll look it up tonight and get a page reference.

[chiqui]

Yeah, Mary was a little Miss Perfect, wasn't she? I hate to admit it, but I was glad when she went blind.

[Auroranorth]

Mary does admit she was a brat at times in These Happy Golden Years.

[mrsbowling2]

I like Farmer Boy a lot because it isn't scary--they have money, nice things, and good, abundant food. And a big house. I have always been a worrywort so as a kid, it was always stressful for me to read the books with the grinding poverty, hunger, and cold situations. Little Town on the Prairie is one of my favorites, too, because it is SO happy after The Long Winter.