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Summary: The Little House on the Prarie
Review:
What I've always enjoyed about the Laura Ingalls Wilder books is her loving attention to detail and her beautiful depictions of family life - not just the daily chores and jobs of a pioneer family, but the warmth and closeness that every family should have. For instance, when reading this book you are instantly transported to the small cabin, where the fire is going strong and Ma is knitting and Pa is tickling his daughters with his beard and telling them terrifying stories of panthers. When there's rain, you are up in the attic with Mary and Laura as they play among the hanging vegetables and listen to the drops drumming on the roof. Then the holidays arrive with their rare sweets and some respite from daily work. Truly, a beautiful book, and though it's not my favorite from the series, it's still a gem worth reading.
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Summary: Yearning for the days of a long time ago
Review: "She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago."
Well, while these books took place a long time ago, thanks to Laura, this period in time, that cozy house in the Big woods of Wisconsin, the Ingalls Family, the firelight dancing on the walls in time to the sound of Pa's fiddle will never be forgoten in this timeless classic for all ages, boys and girls alike.
I read these a long time ago and absolutly loved them. Now that I'm grown, I'm rereading them with my family, and they still take me away to the days Laura grew up in oh so fast. These are a wonderful set of books to read by yourself, or to your family.
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Summary: still reading it!
Review: I began to read the Little House series when I was about 5 or 6 years old, and re-read each book about every other year or so. Laura's age is reflected in the tone of each one, especially in "Big Woods". You can't help falling in love with the Ingalls family as you follow them through the 20 years or so chronicled by Laura. This has always been one of my favorites, and I would recommend it to children who love adventure or history in particular and all children in general.
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Summary: Wondeful series for Adults to read (or read again) too
Review: I read these as a youngster and I am re-reading them after a trip near Independence, Kansas where we saw a house where Laura's family once setteld. They are great books! I am seeing the whole experience from a new perspective now that I am 35 (relating more with Ma I think) and I am enjoying the stories completely. It's also nice because the books can be read in a single afternoon or just a few hours. A wonderful look at the pioneer life with details about cheese making, maple suger harvests, and cabin building (in the later novels). I highly recommend these books but suggest reading them in order to keep the story of Laura's adventures straight.
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Summary: the best little log house
Review: I read this entire series (more than once or twice!) as a young girl and saved every book so that I could pass them on to my children. (Alas, I have all boys!) This would be a wonderful gift for any young girl. I would even read them again as an adult.
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Summary: Perfect Read Aloud Material
Review: I was in search of a good story to read aloud to my five year old daughter who loves books. To me, the obvious choice was Little House in the Big Woods, a book I associate with my own mother reading to me. This book was a fabulous choice. My daughter and I both looked forward to reading a chapter or two each night. This book sparked her interest in a time long ago, she is now constantly wondering if Laura and Mary had faucets and if they had Barbies. She has learned to appreciate what we have now, while also appreciating the beauty and joy of a simpler life. Laura and Mary are excellent role models for her. While they are children with spirit, they also mind their parents. This book has given her imagination a boost too for we all now pretend to be the Ingalls family. I highly recommend this book (and the rest of the series) to all parents of young children. It is perfect read aloud material for it holds a great story, with many moral lessons for our children.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book - but not as good as the ones that follow.
Review: I'm a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and fondly remember reading the Little House books when I was a child. I've just started reading the series to my 7-year-old daughter, though, and while she loved Little House on the Prairie, she was far less fond of this one. In fact, although she's usually a good listener, I found her attention constantly wandering as we read this book. And in all honesty, I could understand why. Laura Ingalls Wilder is without a doubt one of the best children's writers who ever lived, but I think she had barely begun to show her enormous talent when she wrote this book. Although there are wonderful little snippets of family life, and a few hints of the conflicts between the feisty Laura and her more reserved and perfect sister Mary, the truth is, there isn't much of a plot here. And Mrs. Wilder goes on for page after page describing how bullets were made, or butter churned. There are probably children who find that fascinating, God bless them, but my daughter was just bored by it. I don't think this is a BAD book, but Little House on the Prairie is so much better, so much more interesting that I think if you want to read the series to a young child, that's the place to start, even though this is the first book in the series. This is a book for children who have already fallen in love with Laura and her wonderful family.
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Summary: Glimpses of the Past
Review: Life is hard living on the frontier of Wisconsin in the 1870's. Laura is only a little girl, but she still needs to help with chorus around her family's log cabin. There are wild animals in the woods, and they must provide for themselves since the nearest town in hours away. But it's not all hard work. If Pa's not tired, he might entertain his daughters with a story or by playing his fiddle. With family relatively nearby to visit, life is certainly never dull. I had not read these books since I was a child until picking this up to reread. I had forgotten how entertaining they really are. There is no real plot, just a collection of stories covering a year in the life of the Ingalls family. This makes sense since they really are an autobiographical work. Still, the simple charm of the stories sucked me right in and I had a hard time putting the book down. There is plenty of detail here to give anyone a good picture of daily life during this time. And I must mention the illustrations by Garth Williams that greatly add to the book. There's a reason these books are so well loved 70 years after they were written. They are an entertaining look at everyday life in a different time and place. This is a book to treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Glimpses of the Past
Review: Life is hard living on the frontier of Wisconsin in the 1870's. Laura is only a little girl, but she still needs to help with chorus around her family's log cabin. There are wild animals in the woods, and they must provide for themselves since the nearest town in hours away. But it's not all hard work. If Pa's not tired, he might entertain his daughters with a story or by playing his fiddle. With family relatively nearby to visit, life is certainly never dull. I had not read these books since I was a child until picking this up to reread. I had forgotten how entertaining they really are. There is no real plot, just a collection of stories covering a year in the life of the Ingalls family. This makes sense since they really are an autobiographical work. Still, the simple charm of the stories sucked me right in and I had a hard time putting the book down. There is plenty of detail here to give anyone a good picture of daily life during this time. And I must mention the illustrations by Garth Williams that greatly add to the book. There's a reason these books are so well loved 70 years after they were written. They are an entertaining look at everyday life in a different time and place. This is a book to treasure.
Rating:
Summary: A Childrens Classic
Review: The first book of the Little House series that has become an (North) American classic. When I first read this book as a child I was thoroughly mesmerized by Wilder's evocative portrayal of pioneer life in the "big woods" of western Wisconsin. The book's pertinant underlying theme is the importance of the family unit, and the perserverance of the human spirit through times of hardship. It should not be forgotten, however, that the book is an idealization, a toned-down version, of pioneer life. Wilder was later accused of distorting and fabricating her stories, an aligation which shocked her because it had been her intention to write stories, not history. But that, I guess, is irrelevant to the children that this book--and those of the series--was intended for.
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