Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog dedicated to the famous children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the shows based upon them. I've been a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder since I was a child. I never missed an episode of Michael Landon's Little House on the Prairie when it aired on TV in the 1970's and 80's.  As an adult, I grew to love the books written by Wilder and my reading room is home to over 70 titles by and about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. A writer by trade, I appreciate how Wilder drew her readers into her childhood through her vivid descriptions of pioneer life. These are truly outstanding volumes of children's literature. 

Landon's Little House on the Prairie tends to be a source of controversy for Wilder fans, many who believe that the show should have followed the books much closer than it did. I've never subscribed to that idea. Perhaps it is because it was the show that caused me to investigate the books further. Or maybe, it's because I see the books and the show as two distinct and totally different ways to honor Wilder's legacy. 

Ed Friendly, the Associate Producer for Little House on the Prairie was one of the people who believed Michael Landon should have stuck more closely to the books. So, in 2005, he produced with ABC Disney his own version of Little House on the Prairie, which ran as a mini-series. Though there was hope that this mini-series would be picked up as a regular show, that unfortunately did not happen.

In between these two shows, CBS ran two movies titled Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Beyond the Prairie II: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder. But even though the word "true" was in the title, creative license was taken with the events of Wilder's life.

This blog will be a discussion on many things. It will encompass the books, the shows, the movies, the many Laura Ingalls Wilder events that take place around the country every year, the Ingalls' and Wilder's homesteads, news on new Laura Ingalls Wilder projects, and maybe even updates on what the stars of some of the shows and movies are up to now. It is my sincere hope that I can turn this blog into a place that lovers of Laura Ingalls Wilder and those who have sought to preserve her legacy will come to share all about this talented author who captured with her books an era that was quickly diminishing from the American landscape as the country grew and matured.