Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (published 1932) was the first book published by this acclaimed children’s author, and it kicks off the “Little House” series of stories that were loosely based on the author’s own childhood as a pioneer in Wisconsin. I find it to be more like a collection of short stories that depict late 1800’s rural life in the sparsely settled woods in Wisconsin, rather than a narrative telling of a characters struggles and ultimate resolution or change.
From the beginning, the book teaches about life and survival in the 1800s. The first chapter details slaughtering the animals Pa has hunted and curing the meat. Other chapters are about the girls’ pastimes and their chores, including making butter and cheese. Chapters detail family gatherings, trips, and everyday life in this era.
One glaring issue is racist lyrics in one of the songs Pa sings along to the fiddle, but I found it easy to skip it on reading the book aloud. Laura and Mary are very young children in these stories, aged 4 and 6 in the beginning, making it amusing to even young children. I found it a fun read aloud for my children as I introduced them to the lifestyle differences between “then” and “now.”
