Little House on the Prairie
The “Little House” Books is a series of American children’s novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Missouri) between 1870 and 1894.[1] Eight of the novels were completed by Wilder, and published by Harper & Brothers. The appellation “Little House” books comes from the first and third novels in the series of eight published in her lifetime. The second novel was about her husband’s childhood. The first draft of a ninth novel was published posthumously in 1971 and is commonly included in the series.[2]
The Little House books have been adapted for stage or screen more than once, most successfully as the American television series Little House on the Prairie, which ran from 1974 to 1983.[3] As well as an anime and many spin-off books, there are cookbooks and various other licensed products representative of the books.[4]
A tenth book, the non-fiction On the Way Home, is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s diary of the years after 1894, when she, her husband and their daughter moved from De Smet, South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, where they settled permanently. It was published in 1962 and includes commentary by Rose Wilder Lane.
The first book of the Little House series, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932.[5] This first book did well when it was first published.[6] The Little House books were reissued by Ursula Nordstrom to be illustrated by Garth Williams.[7]
Before writing the Little House series Laura Ingalls Wilder was a columnist in a farm journal.[6] Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, was the motivator behind Wilder’s writing and publishing of the first book.[5] Since the first book, there have been around 60 million Little House books sold.[5] There are 9 books that fall under the Little House books umbrella.[8]
Rose Wilder Lane had a heavy hand in the editing of the books, though Laura Ingalls Wilder’s voice is still strong.[6] It is contested the amount of influence that Lane had on the books, especially regarding any political themes, but views that align with hers are very visible within the books.[5] Regardless, Rose Wilder Lane was a large part in the publishing and form of the books. Lane also had a hand in giving the rights to Roger Lea MacBride, who then led to the creation of the television show entitled Little House on the Prairie.[5]
Time ranks the Little House series as 22 out of 100 of the “100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.”[9] They are considered classics of American children’s literature and remain widely read. In a 2012 survey published by School Library Journal, a monthly with primarily U.S. audience, Little House in the Big Woods was ranked number 19 among all-time best children’s novels, and two of its sequels were ranked among the top 100.[10] Five of the Little House book have been Honor Books for the Newbery Medal. In 1938, On the Banks of Plum Creek, was an Honor Book; in 1940 By the Shores of Silver Lake was as well. Later in 1941, The Long Winter, became an Honor Book, and the two later Honor Books were The Little Town on the Prairie, in 1942, and Those Happy Golden Years in 1944.[11] In addition to this, the American Library Association stated that The Long Winter, the seventh book in the series, was a “resource for teaching about pioneer history.”[12]
