Outside of a Dog: Wilder, Laura Ingalls: (01-02) Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie

Trent

Trent wrote on March 15, 2007 at 11:43 AM:

I read these probably a dozen times, too, when I was a kid, and hadn't given them a thought in probably twenty or more years. I have no idea how they would read now...maybe I'll find out in a few years if/when they become bedtime story fodder... I do remember something about a bear from the first book!
And the Am. Indians from later books.

Kate

Kate wrote on March 15, 2007 at 12:03 PM:

I remembered the bear story's punchline when I got to it, though I doubt that I would've remembered it ahead of time.

They make very nice sick reading.

Niko

Niko wrote on March 15, 2007 at 5:32 PM:

Wow, it's a bit jarring to get a different take on these books. It's been a while since I last read them, but for me they've always been... well, whatever you get when you've reread a book so many times that it's just part of who you are. It's a weird sort of cognitive dissonance to realize that they're just books-I-might've-read-once to someone else. :)

Kate

Kate wrote on March 15, 2007 at 9:43 PM:

Niko: It's also partly my personality. Even for books that I've read so often that they're part of me, it's very hard for me to completely turn off the analytic part of my brain. (Drives my mother crazy.)

Chomiji

Chomiji wrote on March 27, 2007 at 11:54 AM:

I liked the "Little House" books as a kid, and I actually like to re-read the later ones (from By the Shores of Silver Lake onward) from time to time. My late father once made the interesting comment that the reading level of the books "grows" along with Laura.

Laura was definitely "the boy" of the family, and my sympathies were always with her. I vividly remember thinking that Laura's mother was a terrible spoilsport, and that her father seemed a lot more fun.

But as an adult, I find myself thinking of the sacrifices Ma made to travel West with her husband - not just in terms of the ease of life, but in terms of the social connections she had to cut. In Little House in the Big Woods, the first book, relatives come to visit several times each year. Once they move West, there's no more of that until they unexpectedly run into Counsin Docia in Silver Lake. And Ma spends years living where she has no social contacts beyond her husband and daughters, until the town of De Smet grows up near their claim, and they start living there during the winter. She must have been powerfully lonely - no wonder she was a little compulsive about her daughters' behavior.

It's interesting to contrast Ma's personality with that of Almanzo's mother in Farmer Boy. Mrs. Wilder is a prosperous farm wife in northern New York state, she earns considerable income on her own from the sale of butter, and can see friends and relatives weekly (at church) if not more often. She's much more easy-going than Laura's Ma, but how much is circumstances and how much is personality - who knows?

I always did love all the little the details about how things were done "back then," in all the books.

- Cho

Kate

Kate wrote on March 27, 2007 at 11:06 PM:

Cho, welcome, and thanks for the comments.

That's an interesting connection, between Caroline Ingalls' behavior and social situation. Loneliness makes sense as an explanation for that, though I don't know if it's something that the books would support or hint at. I'll have to look.

Good to hear that the reading level grows, too; I think that will make the re-read easier.

Stee

Stee wrote on April 16, 2007 at 12:00 AM:

I found this page after a search of "Larua Ingalls + dog". My family met a brindled bull dog today and I wanted to confirm that was the same type as Laura's loyal and faithful Jack. Although this page is not connecting to the "dog" I was looking for, I can't help add my two cents.

I also read the Little House books during my childhood. I picked up the eco-pack a few years back to start reading with my children. They are perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders. I start with Farmer Boy for the boys - they get hooked on the others because Laura is a tomboy and love to hear her antics with the evil Nelly Olson.

As an adult I love the fast read and love the look on my kids faces when something exciting happens, or something crushing or Ma or Pa say something pithy. (Kids are much more willing to listen to outsiders advice, even if it's from a book!)

These are a great American treasure.

We even tried to watch the TV show on DVD but it does no justice to the dynamic characters of the books.

Kate

Kate wrote on April 16, 2007 at 9:12 PM:

Stee: welcome, and I look forward to being reacquainted with the evil Nelly Oslon (who I don't recall at all)!

Ashlynn

Ashlynn wrote on June 11, 2007 at 10:40 PM:

all i have to say is that i am one of laura ingills wilders great cousins i just found out today

Kate

Kate wrote on October 14, 2007 at 5:37 PM:

Scathing comments on _Prairie_'s depiction of the Osage tribe, with historical details about just how egregious the Wilders' trespassing on Osage lands was. I had taken the child-POV's characterizations to be, well, child-POV, but that is a distinction that may elude child readers and should at least be discussed with them by adults.