Friends, I loved reading Little House on the Prairie with you in April! We started our month by hosting an enriching discussion with Mitali Perkins who reminded us that we are never too old to read children’s books. Inspired by the wisdom Mitali shared with us, I began reading Little House and was completely enthralled by Laura’s stories. It also made me think of how much I enjoyed the show throughout my teenage years — if you haven’t watched it yet, you must!
After being whisked away to the prairie with Laura throughout the month, we celebrated this selection by taking a virtual tour of The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum. Museum Supervisor, Vicki Johnston, treated us to a wonderful in-depth tour as she Zoomed in from the historic home itself. Vicki and I worked on putting this evening together for our community for months. She is so incredibly passionate about her work and keeping Laura’s legacy alive. Does anyone else think we should visit the museum together on a book club trip?!
As always, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this month’s selection and learning about what this book means to you! See below for discussion questions and feel free to share your overall thoughts ❤️
2. Do you have a favorite character or one you think you would be friends with in real life?
3. Let’s put ourselves in Laura’s shoes. If you moved across the country in a cover wagon, what important belongings would you bring?
4. Have you visited any of the Ingalls-related locations across the U.S.? If so, please share what your experience was like!
5. Have you read any other books in The Little House series? Which is your favorite?
6. Feel free to share any other thoughts you have!
Christine Edwards says
As a child growing up in the 1970s, I read and reread all the Little House books and loved them. I was thrilled when the TV series came out and watched it with my parents and sister. So many images come to mind: the lemon verbena fragrance worn by Laura’s teacher, Mary and Laura’s delight at their simple Christmas presents of a tin cup, orange, peperment stick and sugar cookie; Pa playing the fiddle, Laura and Mary getting attacked by leeches swimming in Plum Creek; Laura trying to be good and resenting Mary for being well-behaved, etc. The book that resonates the most to me is The Long Winter. I remember reading the passage when they were down to the last potato and were left with nothing else to eat except the daily bread that Ma made and the huge banks of snow that covered up all the windows.
I would love to visit the Laura Ingalls Winder Home and Museum in Mansfiled, MO. The on-line tour was wonderful but I want to see everything in person. Let’s plan a trip!
Karen Werth says
I just finished watching your webinar on Laura Ingalls Wilder and loved it. I was first introduced to the series of her books when my husband and I read them to our three children when they were young and of course it was a family night when we all sat together and watched the TV series. Later I became interested in reading several of the books about her life and especially “Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House In The Ozarks” which are her rediscovered writings Edited by Stephen W. Hines. It is well worth reading to discover over 140 pieces of her writing. It was such fun to revisit the book “Little House on the Prairie” for this months pick. Along with this I also read the book “Caroline” by Sarah Miller, the same author of the book “Marmee” which we are reading for May. It’s the story of “Little House on the Prairie” but told through the voice of the mother Caroline as a pioneer woman leaving her family and heading into uncharted territory and how she relates to all they experience. I highly recommend it. Thank you for choosing this book and for the delightful webinar.
Karen Werth
Sara Navarro Rendon says
Thank you for the book recommendation! I look forward to reading “Caroline”.
Sara.
Carol Rios says
This was my first time reading a Laura Ingalls Wilder book. I thoroughly loved it!!! Of course, as a younger person I watched Little House on the Prairie on TV, but only after reading this book did it put things in perspective. I cannot imagine living back then. Everything had to be handmade, grown, cultivated. Their lives were so hard, yet they soldiered on no matter what. It has inspired me to read more of her books!!
Jennifer Williams says
1) My first introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder was through the TV show. I completely loved Laura—my aunt made me a bonnet, and I tried to will an overbite for myself.
2) My favorite character growing up was Laura, and I still love her, but Ma/Caroline also really warms my heart these days.
3) If I moved cross country, I’d want to bring family photos, my ceramic bunny that my grandmother made me as a child, a few broaches from women in my family, which I’d save for my ‘best’ outfits, and my stuffed dog Billy (not a great watchdog, but an excellent listener). I’m sure I’d try to sneak in a few more treasures, but those are the first that spring to mind.
4) I haven’t visited any Ingalls-related locations yet, but I’d love to one day.
5) I’ve read Little House in the Big Woods and (I think) Farmer Boy, but it’s been a while since I’ve read them.
6) My other thoughts on the book is that a) I love Jack and don’t understand why he can’t ride in the wagon, especially when they’re crossing the river; b) On paper or screen, I love Mr. Edwards—he reminds me of my grandfather; and c) Garth Williams’ illustrations really help bring the stories to life—add them to my ‘love’ list.
Renee Van Hoy says
I enjoyed re-reading Little House for the first time since my childhood. I read and re-read it many times. I still recall the thrill of returning the book to the library, and the librarian telling me that there were more books to read! I did not read them in order, but only as they were returned to the library. Now as an adult I marvel at how hard things were for Ma, and how she put up with so much, but still kept the children happy and and gave them a feeling of security.