Little House on the Prairie series – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Barnes and Nobles is not my favorite place to buy books. However, they have these lovely leather bound sets of classics that I absolutely adore. When I was there last, I picked up the Little House on the Prairie: the first five novels collection. I figured I’d do all five in one review because, let’s be honest, the first book is less than 150 pages and a children's book. It’s a little hard to write a review that would be entertaining with that little bit to work with. The first book in this series Little House in the Big Woods is actually the Wisconsin book from the "most famous book set in the state" list.

I first started reading these books when I was 10 or so and I wanted to know how I would feel about them as an adult. I still really enjoyed reading this series. I can definitely sympathize with the adults now. In Little House in the Big Woods, the love expressed between all the family while the were having their dance demonstrates nicely that even when you may not see people that often, you’re still family. In Little House on the Prairie, the decision to move because “there’s too many people” is quite the way I feel about our current home some days. Having to abandon their farm that they worked so hard on must have been terrible but Charles, the father, was so accepting. His “we have all the time in the world to get it right” attitude is something more people need to find. On the Banks of Plum Creek was the family’s first semi-successful attempt at staying in one place and it goes disastrously wrong. Blizzards and plagues of grasshoppers pretty much destroy their crops and any hopes of making a living so Pa has to find work as a farm laborer. He’s gone for long stretches of time while the girls grow up and after a couple years and paying off their debts they move on to the next book. Also seeing how the “richer” farmers lived in New England in Farmer Boy versus the struggles of the more adventurous settler farmers was an eye opener. Makes you wonder why people would give up that kind of life to make their fortune but it takes all types.

By the Shores of Silver Lake intrigued me the most as an adult. It takes place a few years after the previous book ends and you begin to see Laura’s and Mary’s adult personalities take shape. The family moves to a railroad building town intending to stake a claim after the railroad has been built. At this time however the town is still a very rough place. The girls aren’t allowed to wander far from home and they don’t understand why which causes some rebelliousness. As a kid from a generally safe 21^st century neighborhood, I never understood why they couldn’t just go where they wanted. As an adult with a better sense of what those places were like, I understand completely and feel sorry for their poor mothers. In the end, the railroad moves on and the Ingalls stake their claim and neighbors start moving in.