Little House on the Prairie (novel)
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''Little House on the Prairie'' is an autobiographical children's novel by
Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the ''Little House on the Prairie'' series of children's books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood ...
, published in 1935.Little House on the Prairie
Google Books
It was the third novel published in the ''Little House'' series, continuing the story of the first, ''
Little House in the Big Woods ''Little House in the Big Woods'' is an autobiographical children's novel written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published by Harper in 1932 (reviewed in June). It was Wilder's first book published and it inaugurated her ''Little House'' series. It ...
'' (1932), but not related to the second. Thus, it is sometimes called the second one in the series, or the second volume of "the Laura Years".


Plot summary

The novel is about the months the Ingalls spent on the
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
around the town of
Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
. Laura describes how her father built their one-room log house in
Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...
, having heard that the government planned to open the territory to white settlers soon. In contrast to ''Little House in the Big Woods'', the Ingalls face difficulty and danger in this book. They all fall ill from
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
, which was ascribed to breathing the night air or eating watermelon. American Indians are a common sight for them, as their house was built in
Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode b ...
territory, and Ma's open distrust of Indians contrasts with Laura's more childlike observations about those who live and ride nearby. They begin to congregate at the nearby river bottoms and their war cries unnerve the settlers, who worry they may be attacked, but an Osage chief who was friendly with Pa is able to avert the hostilities. By the end of the novel, all the Ingalls' work is undone when word comes that U.S. soldiers are being sent to remove white settlers from Indian Territory. Pa decides to move his family away before they can be forced to leave.


Historical background

The Ingalls moved from Wisconsin to Kansas in 1868 (stopping for a while in
Rothville, Missouri Rothville is a village in northern Chariton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 63 at the 2020 census. Geography Rothville is located on Missouri Route E ten miles east of Sumner, six miles northeast of Mendon and six miles so ...
), and lived there between 1869 and 1870.
Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...
was born there in August, and a few weeks after her birth, they were forced to leave the territory (however, in the novel, she is present during the move to Kansas). They moved back to Wisconsin, where they lived the next four years. In 1874 they started for
Walnut Grove, Minnesota Walnut Grove is a city in Redwood County, Minnesota, Redwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 871 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Another name formerly associated with the area is Walnut Station. History Walnut ...
, stopping for a while in Lake City. Although Wilder states that Charles had been told that the Kansas territory would soon be up for settlement, their homestead was on the
Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode b ...
Indian reservation and Charles' information was incorrect. The Ingalls had no legal right to occupy their homestead, and once informed of their error, left the territory despite the fact that they had only just begun farming it. Several of their neighbors stayed and fought the decision. As they were preparing to leave, the Ingalls received word from Wisconsin that the man who purchased their farm near Pepin had defaulted on the mortgage. Since they had to leave Kansas, they decided to go back to Wisconsin and moved back to the farm they had left two years earlier. So instead of heading to Minnesota as the series relates, they headed to Wisconsin and lived there again for a few years before heading west to Minnesota.


Reception

Virginia Kirkus had handled Wilder's debut novel ''Little House in the Big Woods'' for Harper & Brothers as its book editor from 1926 to 1932. In ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'', her semimonthly bulletin from 1933, she awarded this novel a
starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...
(as she did the next three sequels). "Good Americana – and a first rate tale. Personally, I liked it certainly as well, perhaps better than the other." In 2012, the novel was ranked number 27 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' – the second of three ''Little House'' books in the Top 100.


Notes


References


External links

*
Little House Books
at HarperCollins Children's Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Little House on the Prairie Little House books 1935 American novels Children's historical novels Novels set in Kansas Novels set in Minnesota Novels set in the 1860s Novels set in the 1870s Harper & Brothers books American novels adapted into television shows 1935 children's books