How Many Books Exactly?

 

For anyone who knows me, they might say I am a little obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder, her books, and the shows based upon them. Though I have explained that the books weren't my favorites as a kid, Little House on the Prairie was a show I never missed. 

In the years that have followed, I've enjoyed watching Laura's universe expand in a multitude of ways:

• The Rose, Caroline, Charlotte, and Martha books,
• The books about other characters and historical figures from the Little House books, 
• The books that tie to Wilder and her books in some way, 
• Homestead sites and museums,
• The 2005 Little House on the Prairie television miniseries,
• The two Beyond the Prairie movies,
• Cast reunions and memoirs...

... and the numerous other books about Laura and her family that continue to make their way into world. 

Over the weekend, I catalogued all the books in my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection, which includes books in all of the above mentioned categories. I discovered over the years that I tend to forget all the books I own, so I've occasionally bought a book more than once. If that happens, I donate it to my local library, which runs an annual book sale. 

The total books in my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection stands at 122. I have shared some of them at Laura's Little Houses through the years. I might do that with some of the more recent additions to my collection. Does that sound interesting to you? Let me know in the comments. 

. 

Credo: The Rose Wilder Lane Story by Peter Bagge

The life story of the feminist founder of the American libertarian movement 

Peter Bagge returns with a biography of another fascinating twentieth-century trailblazer--the writer, feminist, war correspondent, and libertarian Rose Wilder Lane. Following the popularity and critical acclaim of Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story and Fire!! The Zora Neale Hurston Story, Credo: The Rose Wilder Lane Story is a fast-paced, charming, informative look at the brilliant Lane. Among other achievements, she was a founder of the American libertarian movement and a champion of her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in bringing the classic Little House on the Prairie series to the American public.

Much like Sanger and Hurston, Lane was an advocate for women's rights who led by example, challenging norms in her personal and professional life. Anti-government and anti-marriage, Lane didn't think that gender should hold anyone back from experiencing all the world had to offer. Though less well-known today, in her lifetime she was one of the highest-paid female writers in America and a political and literary luminary, friends with Herbert Hoover, Dorothy Thompson, Sinclair Lewis, and Ayn Rand, to name a few. Bagge's portrait of Lane is heartfelt and affectionate, probing into the personal roots of her rugged individualism. Credo is a deeply researched dive into a historical figure whose contributions to American society are all around us, from the books we read to the politics we debate.

'It's irresistible to try and imagine what Hurston would make of this book, and inevitable to conclude that she'd approve.' - NPR Best Books of 2017

'A bright, highly moving introduction to a figure who is no longer obscure, but the full range of whose accomplishments we have yet to take into account.' - Los Angeles Review of Books

Peter Bagge is the Harvey Award–winning author of the acclaimed nineties alternative-comic series Hate, starring slacker hero Buddy Bradley, and a regular contributor to Reason magazine. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, he got his start in comics in the R. Crumb–edited magazine Weirdo. Bagge lives in Seattle with his wife, Joanne, their daughter, and three cats.


Hardcover: 108 pages
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly Publications
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Audience: Ages 16+
Subjects: Comics Graphic Novels Literary Nonfiction Biography Memoir Autobiography
EAN: 9781770463xxx

Order here!

The Month of Love Brings Birthdays Too

In addition to being American Heart Month, the month of February has some very special days, including:

• Wave All Your Fingers at a Friend Day - 7
• Make a Friend Day - 11
• Valentine's Day - 14
• Random Acts of Kindness Day - 17
• Love Your Pet Day - 20

American Heart Month and Valentine's Day definitely remind us of love, so what better month to be host to birthdays for a special couple? Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7, 1867 and Almanzo James Wilder was born February 13, 1857.

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if these two never met? What if Pa didn't move the Ingalls family to Dakota Territory? What if Royal and Almanzo Wilder never left Spring Valley, Minnesota? What if they met, but never courted?

Just think: no August 1885 wedding, no Rose Wilder Lane, and likely no Little House books. That would mean no Little House on the Prairie shows and movies and probably no books on Ma's life or the other novels written about Laura's relatives.

What an awful thought! Thank goodness they did move to Dakota Territory and found each other.

Wishing Manly and Bessie a blessed birthday month.

Brand New LHOP Fan Flash Fiction: The Clock by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

The Clock

LHOP inspired fan flash fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little House on the Prairie television series, book series, or any of the characters.

Laura glanced up at the clock on the mantle when it chimed. Oh, how she enjoyed that beautiful present Manly had brought home the day before Christmas. She hadn’t expected any presents this Christmas. Just three weeks ago, Laura had given birth to a healthy girl. She didn’t remember much about the birth, but precious money had been spent on doctor bills and medicine. How could they afford such a beautiful clock?

“I traded a load of hay for it,” Manly told her. This put her mind at ease, especially when he told her he couldn’t have sold the load because they weren’t shipping any longer.

Nearly two feet tall, it had a sold walnut base and a glass door that covered a face wreathed with a gilt vine on which four gilt birds fluttered. Laura loved it at once.

“Whatcha thinkin’?” Almanzo said from his seat in the rocking chair across from her. His blue eyes twinkled and she could just see the uplifted corner of his crooked smile.

Laura snuggled little Rose next to her as the embers in the fireplace began to dwindle. “Just how thoughtful it was of you to buy the clock.”

“We needed it.”

She nodded. “That’s true. We could have done without something so elegant, though. It looks perfect on the mantle.” Laura sighed. “I know it’s wrong to pay too much attention to worldly things, but so many people have commented on it when they come to visit.”

Laura’s mind wandered through her childhood and she recalled Ma’s insistence that the place they lived wasn’t a home until the china shepherdess sat on the mantle. She finally understood what she meant. She wasn’t sure if they would always live here, but Laura was certain that the clock would find a place on any mantle in every spot she called home.


Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved.

Happy Anniversary to Almanzo and Laura!

Do you think Almanzo and Laura ever thought that long after they were gone there would still be people talking about them?

Do you believe that Mama Bess could even fathom that nearly sixty years after her passing people of all ages would be celebrating her legacy to children's literature? 

If it were not for Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic books would Bess and Manly simply be known as the parents of Rose Wilder Lane? 

In many ways, young Laura and young Almanzo are no different than kids are today. They grew up under the guidance of their parents and moved on to create lives of their own. Similarly, as young adults and then parents, they struggled to find their place in this great big world, to raise a daughter, and worked hard to survive. 

Just like their TV counterparts would portray decades later, they experienced joys and sorrows and health and sickness. Life on the prairie, just like modern day life, is not always a cup of tea. 

What Wilder's books and the film adaptations based upon them have always meant to me is that family and faith is the focus of all we do. In the end, it is our family and our faith that will carry us through the good times and the bad. That is what I see as the essence of what Wilder attempted to portray while giving readers a glimpse into what life on the prairie was like. 

May Laura and Almanzo continue to live on for new generations of fans across the world. Happy Anniversary! Thanks for sharing your life with us. 

Happy Birthday, Rose Wilder Lane

Rose Wilder was born in De Smet, South Dakota (when it was still Dakota Territory) on December 5, 1886 to Almanzo and Laura Wilder. Difficulties and tragedy led the Wilders to leave De Smet and spend some time in Spring Valley, Minnesota and Westville, Florida before they returned for a time to De Smet.

In 1894, the Wilders journeyed with friends to Mansfield, Missouri, where they finally settled. Rose attended school in Mansfield, but finished high school in Crowley, Louisiana where her aunt, Eliza Jane Thayer lived.

After graduation, Rose learned telegraphy and worked to support herself. While living in San Francisco, she met Claire Gillette Lane, whom she married in 1909. Having moved to Kansas City, Rose wrote for the Kansas City Post before she and her husband began selling real estate. As the years went by, Rose and Gillette drifted apart, and eventually divorced.

Rose returned to her writing and for decades wrote for major magazine, in addition to ghostwriting and authoring books. It was Rose who encouraged her mother to earn extra money by writing.

Rose Wilder Lane died on October 30, 1968, right before she was due to take a trip to Europe. She is buried in Mansfield, Missouri.

Happy 129th birthday to our favorite bachelor girl.

*

Rose Wilder Lane's home in Danbury, Connecticut was recently up for sale. It sold last month for $400,000. You can see pictures here.

LHOP Adventure Day 8 - Heading Home

I had packed most of my belongings before going to bed, so when we woke on the final day together, I just had to wash up and get dressed. We packed all our luggage into the car and headed out to breakfast at Walker's. To our great surprise, our honorary diva, Dorothy, arrived while we were there, so we got a chance to say our final goodbyes to her before driving to the airport in Madison.

It was tough for me to say goodbye to Divas Beth and Lorrie, but I was also eager to get home and see my family. We had chatted via FaceTime every night, but it's not the same as talking face-to-face.

Divas Marilyn and Martha and I made it into the airport and decided we would hang out at each other's gates until each of us left. Marilyn flew out first and then Martha a while later. Then it was just little ole me in the Madison airport waiting to head home. Once I arrived at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, I still had to wait for the valet to pick me up and get my car before I could drive home. By the time I pulled into my garage at 8:35 p.m., I was beat, but the reception I received at home was exhilarating.

Reflecting upon last year's Little House on the Prairie adventure, I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it was. I had always dreamed of visiting these places, but it seemed impossible. The Little House on the Prairie cast reunion gave me the incentive to take the kind of road trip I never imagined I would have the chance to embark upon. My girls don't share my love of Little House, and I had never taken a vacation without them.

So, what did I come away with from my LHOP Adventure?

First of all, I have the greatest friends in the world. They had all met each other before, but this was the first time I had been able to join them. From the moment I first landed in Wisconsin until the moment I left, they made me feel like the most important person on the face of the planet. They were so excited to meet me in person...though I was equally as excited to meet them. For a kid who endured more than her fair share of teasing (what we now call bullying) growing up, it was so strange to be met with such enthusiasm and kindness. I wasn't sure how things would turn out when we had never met in person before, but those ten years of being online chums made it so easy to fall in step with each other.

I re-learned how to read a map. If I have never told you this, I'll admit right now that I am directionally-challenged. I could get lost leaving my backyard. I never, ever drive to a new place without using my GPS. These friends don't use--I don't even know if they own--a GPS. At night, the map would get pulled out and Lorrie and Beth--the main drivers--would discuss the route to take the next morning.

I'm now eager for more road trips and to do something like this with my girls. A tiny challenge will be to find somewhere we all want to go because the girls and I like very different things. Their tastes are also very different from each other's. But a road trip to a new place doesn't sound so intimidating as it once did.

There are two sites I would definitely like to visit one day: Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri and the Wilder Farm in Burke, New York. I also wouldn't mind paying a visit to the home of Rose Wilder Lane, which also happens to be for sale right now. I would love to see someone come along and turn it into a museum, but the Danbury Museum and Historical Society is located about 10 minutes from her home on King Street, so there really doesn't seem to be a need for it.

My road trip last summer was truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of adventure. It was eight days filled with laughter and friendship; the memories of which I will never forget.

To read Day 7 of my adventure, please click here.

Book Review: Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen

A fascinating novel of family and culture mingled with mystery and bound to the story of an American icon is what you'll find in Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen.

After obtaining her PhD in American literature, a jobless Lee Lien finds herself heading home to the Chicago suburbs to work in her mother and grandfather's café. Before long, Lee's tense relationship with her overbearing mother leaves her hoping to break away from a life she always seems drawn back to. When her older brother comes home, only to quickly disappear again, he leaves behind a gold-leaf brooch from their mother's past in Vietnam that stirs up the forgotten childhood dream of an American reporter who visited her grandfather's original café in Saigon in 1965. Based upon a passage from the Little House books, Lee is convinced the reporter must have been Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Could this pin link her family to one of America's most famous pioneering legacies?

Pioneer Girl dissects the intersection of culture and family. It puts under the microscope the life of immigrants and how they assimilate into American culture. But this is only part of Lee's story: the tense relationship with her mother; knowing she is not the favored child--that is reserved for her older brother, the one who should take over the family business and care of their widowed mother in her golden years; the way Lee's mother clings to the old ways, while Lee as a child struggled to fit in as a Vietnamese-American; and Lee's overwhelming desire to break away while not knowing exactly what she wants or where she belongs.

Woven into Lee's family story is the well-known tale of the Ingalls family, pioneers whose journeys were chronicled in the classic Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that Lee enjoyed as a child. Convinced the gold-leaf brooch her mother brought to America was originally left behind by Rose Wilder Lane, Lee's search brings her through library archives and Laura Ingalls Wilder museums. A surprise discovery leads her to San Francisco, where Rose one lived, in an attempt to connect past and present.

Though I believe having a love for the Little House books, Laura Ingalls Wilder, or the Little House on the Prairie television show adds a greater depth to the enjoyment of Pioneer Girl, anyone will be captivated by this masterfully told, heartrending, and inspiring story of one woman's journey to find her place within her family and to boldly embrace the future. Well-drawn characters, rich descriptions, and the exploration of physical and metaphorical frontiers help to create an outstanding novel you will remember long after you've read the last word.

Highly recommended.

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult (February 6, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670025097
ISBN-13: 978-0670025091

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert

In 1928, Rose Wilder Lane—world traveler, journalist, much-published magazine writer—returned from an Albanian sojourn to her parents’ Ozark farm. Almanzo Wilder was 71, Laura 61, and Rose felt obligated to stay and help. To make life easier, she built them a new home, while she and Helen Boylston transformed the farmhouse into a rural writing retreat and filled it with visiting New Yorkers. Rose sold magazine stories to pay the bills for both households, and despite the subterranean tension between mother and daughter, life seemed good.

Then came the Crash. Rose’s money vanished, the magazine market dried up, and the Depression darkened the nation. That’s when Laura wrote her autobiography, “Pioneer Girl,” the story of growing up in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, on the Kansas prairie, and by the shores of Silver Lake. The rest—the eight remarkable books that followed—is literary history.

But it isn’t the history we thought we knew. For the surprising truth is that Laura’s stories were publishable only with Rose’s expert rewriting. Based on Rose’s unpublished diaries and Laura’s letters, A Wilder Rose tells the true story of the decade-long, intensive, and often troubled collaboration that produced the Little House books—the collaboration that Rose and Laura deliberately hid from their agent, editors, reviewers, and readers.

Why did the two women conceal their writing partnership? What made them commit what amounts to one of the longest-running deceptions in American literature? And what happened in those years to change Rose from a left-leaning liberal to a passionate Libertarian?

In this impeccably researched novel and with a deep insight into the book-writing business gained from her own experience as an author and coauthor, Susan Wittig Albert follows the clues that take us straight to the heart of this fascinating literary mystery.

Coming soon!

Little House, Long Shadow Book Discussion - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Revisiting the Little Houses

This chapter starts off with Wilder's talk at a Detroit Book Week celebration in 1937, where she discusses how wonderful her childhood was because she had seen it all: the frontier, woods, Indian country, frontier towns, unsettled country, homesteading, and farmers coming in to take possession. Fellman is quick to point out that Wilder did not journal or keep a diary when she was younger, so her books are based upon memories. A recent book on memory is stated as saying that memories aren't fixed but are evolving generalizations of our past. It claims we reshape memories as we go through life. And this is what Fellman says happened with Laura. What she understood about past events underwent changes due to personal and political events and her experience of writing the books. She says Wilder viewed her past differently depending upon what was going on in the wider world.

The author mentions the influence of Frederick Jackson Turner, a historian who wrote the paper, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History." He believed that the frontier changed the pioneers as much as they altered the landscape they passed through and settled. He focused on the economic forces and the everyday actions of the farmers instead of the violent confrontations between the lawless and the law to counteract the 19th century interpretations of the frontier West created by stock characters of "explorers, Indian fighters, cowboys, desperadoes, prostitutes, and gamblers." The conquering of the West became, Fellman states, the source of much of American pop culture.

Fellman claims Wilder is one of those who interpreted her own experiences through this mythological frontier that was "omnipresent in many forms of popular culture in her day." Laura included more of the home life and female perspective of the frontier, and therefore, it provided a unique twist to the frontier saga. Wilder and Lane believed individualism was a good thing, and the Little House books, according to the author, helped strengthen the myth of the West as the main source of American individualism. The books also perpetuated the myth of self-reliance. Historian Stephanie Coontz states families see their own histories in terms of self-sufficiency and individual effort, ignoring the role of government and community. She says, "It would be hard to find a Western family today or at any time in the past whose land rights, transportation options, economic existence, and even access to water were not dependent on federal funds."

The author mentions on page 77 that she realizes Wilder and Lane are writing fiction, but there are still political implications to the stories, and as time went on, Wilder, Lane, and their publisher said these stories were true. Lane is quoted as saying, "They are the truth and only the truth." The rest of the chapter is dedicated to tracing definite patterns of the changes Laura and Rose made.

My thoughts:

I can see how your impression of your past changes as you age. You become more aware of things you might not have realized or perhaps misunderstood as a child. What I am not yet convinced of is that our view of the West is more symbolism than substance.

Though I didn't make specific mentions of any of the changes Fellman discusses in her book, one of the things she drives home is that the Ingalls family wasn't as isolated as portrayed in the books. Being an author of children's books, I always thought the other characters were omitted simply because too many would bog the story down and not focus on the main characters--the Ingalls family. This is especially true for The Long Winter. To add the Masters, who stayed with the Ingallses during that hard winter, would have added too many characters in the story and could have confused readers.

You'll find Part One of this discussion here.

Part Two of this discussion is here.

Little House, Long Shadow Book Discussion - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Creating the Little House

This chapter starts with Rose's return to Rocky Ridge Farm in 1928. Having spent time in her beloved Albania, she returned to help Laura with her writing, but also to recover from how the political landscape was changing Albania. As a freelance writer, Rose struggled with having to churn out story after story to make a living. Unlike her mother, who had many story ideas, Rose had difficulty coming up with ideas. It appears at this time, she was trying to start over. She wanted to build up her financial reserves so that when she was ready to leave the farm again, she would be free to do it.

Lane put herself into debt to build the English-style stone cottage for her parents to live in--despite Laura's lack of enthusiasm for the idea. The author claims Rose felt, no matter how much she did for her mother, it was never enough. It mentions a recurring dream Laura had about traveling a frightening road in a dark wood, which she interpreted as anxiety about money. According to the author, Laura's fear of doing without affected her relationship with her daughter.

When Lane's investments failed in 1931, her travel plans were thwarted. During the Depression, Laura opted to use her savings to pay off the mortgage on Rocky Ridge, but that also meant the Wilders had no money to retire. Lane resented having to churn out articles and stories to make a living. Neither Laura or Rose saw writing as a way out of their plight. Laura wrote Pioneer Girl during this time. Notations on the manuscript, according to Fellman, indicate Laura expected Rose to edit and embellish the work.

Little House, Long Shadow then goes on to talk about how Pioneer Girl was rejected, but the Wisconsin years turned into a children's book titled, "When Grandma Was A Little Girl," which was accepted for publication by Knopf. This would be picked up by Harper and Brothers after Knopf closed its children's division, and was published in the spring of 1932 as Little House in the Big Woods. Originally thrilled by the book's success, Rose watched her mother achieve public recognition while she was being forgotten by friends, which was hard for her.

Fellman shares much of what we already know about the writing of the books and the difficult relationship between Rose and her mother. It also talks about some of Laura's articles for the Missouri Ruralist on the topic of mother-and-child relations. While Laura didn't believe in whippings, she also didn't believe in displays of affection. By the end of the 19th century, female advice authors, however, would be talking about how a child must in every way be made happy. Rose seems to have accepted this new idea of love and emotional support easier than her mother. The book also talks about how even though Lane wished her mother could go it alone on her books, Rose couldn't pull away, and Laura may not have been confident enough to let her.

Rose completed Let the Hurricane Roar late in 1931. It covered much of the same ground as On the Banks of Plum Creek, but showed Lane's feelings of isolation and her idea that people are pretty much on their own. Not only was this a story about individual courage, it was about the current economic depression: how life is never easy and "our great asset is the valor of the American spirit." Laura, of course, resented Rose using this material without permission, and Rose was crushed by her mother's lack of support.

The book takes a look at how the country is changing at this time. The children's book, The Little Engine That Could, was released in 1930, and illustrated the can do spirit of the Hoover administration. The Wilders had been Democrats for many years, but they didn't like the shift in philosophy that came about with the New Deal. Lane became angry over government farm-relief programs that implied individuals were incapable of handling setbacks on their own. The Wilders couldn't fathom the idea of cutting down so-called crop surpluses. Fellman also mentions how Mansfield was affected by the Depression, and that the town had been struggling even before the crash.

My thoughts:

Why would you build your parents a house and go into debt doing it if they never seemed to want it in the first place? They seemed quite happy in the home Almanzo built. Once Rose left, they moved right back into it.

Why did Laura's success impact Rose in such a way? Was it because Rose struggled to come up with ideas while her mother had plenty of them? Was it just her nature? 

Is it any wonder Laura was upset with Rose over her alleged use of material she planned to use in her children's series? Especially since she didn't ask first.

The Wilders' concern over a shift in political philosophy makes me think of when Ronald Reagan claimed he didn't leave the Democratic party, it left him. As ideology shifted, the Wilders couldn't relate to this desire to have the government step in and assist. No matter how you lean politically, I think we can all relate to how that might happen if a party you believed in started promoting something that went against your grain.

You'll find Part One of this discussion here.

Little House, Long Shadow Book Discussion

I've been reading Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture for the last few weeks. It's taking me a while because I am reviewing other books for different blogs, and because the chapters are long.

Chapter 1 - Growing Up in Little Houses


In the Introduction, we learn that author Anita Clair Fellman grew up with the Little House books and read them to her children. At some point, however, she discovered that Rose Wilder Lane was not only a libertarian, but also collaborated with her mother on the books. Instantly, she wonders if some of Rose's ideas made it into those books. As she ponders this, Ronald Reagan is elected president, and she is struck by the "individualist, antigovernment nature of his rhetoric." She is impressed by how Americans respond to it. It also makes her wonder why such anti-state ideas resonated for them, which makes her wonder if the books' appeal has something to do with the vision Reagan was talking about. Could children's books, "by virtue of their content, emotional appeal, ubiquitousness, and iconic status in the culture" help explain a shift in political assumptions by the populace?

There are several more pages to the Introduction, but most of them have to do with how the author approached her research: viewing the Wilder and Lane papers at the Herbert Hoover Museum, looking at books by authors like Ayn Rand, sales of the Little House books, autobiographical and biographical sources, etc.

The first chapter spans a great deal of time. It talks not only about Laura and Rose growing up in their little houses, but also about Caroline and Charles, Mary, and how Laura found herself acting as the older sister once Mary went blind. It mentions Carrie, Grace, and Freddie but only in that they were members of the family and that Mary went to live with Carrie after Ma's death. It talks about the somewhat tense relationship between Laura and Ma, and how Laura was not exactly the "good" daughter. It also discusses how Laura wrote for the Missouri Ruralist and, with Rose's help, broke into the national market. It spends time talking about Laura and Rose's relationship: that Laura always saw her as a child (no matter how old she got), how Rose helped shape her mother as a writer, Rose's feeling that she must take care of her elderly parents and provide for them, etc.

This chapter ends in 1926, with Lane leaving the farm and traveling to Albania once she felt her parents were secure enough. It also mentions that in 1925, Laura was performing research for her autobiography or some form of historical fiction.


My thoughts:

This author isn't the first one to mention a political agenda. Independence and self-reliance were necessary for Laura and her family. It took a lot of courage for any person--male or female, married or single--to move West into a territory they knew little about that was filled with dangers of all kinds. Some authors have claimed Caroline was a racist because she didn't like Indians. Many white settlers saw Indians as a real danger. When the family lived in Kansas, Charles was squatting in Indian territory, and Kansas was already a hot bed of problems without the treaty issues.

Favorite Little House on the Prairie Episodes

Little House on the Prairie ran for nine seasons and three post-series movies. Fans have been clamoring for a reunion show for years, though as time passes it seems less likely that it would be possible. Some of the actors have passed away--Michael Landon, Kevin Hagen, Dabbs Greer, Merlin Olsen, Victor French--and some have moved on to other careers.

There are fans who like the earlier episodes where the Ingalls girls are still young and growing up. Others, like me, enjoy the older seasons where Adam Kendall and Almanzo Wilder are a part of the town. And every fan has his or her favorite episodes.

"Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow" remains my favorite, though there are others that come in a close second. It is television drama at its best, and contains so many elements of what made the show a success. A two-part episode, it is partially based on the tragedies the real Wilders experienced as a young married couple.

Almanzo contracts diphtheria. Ordered to bed by Doc Baker, when a hailstorm threatens his wheat crop, Almanzo races out to save it and ends up suffering a stroke. The real Almanzo experienced this as well. Unlike his TV counterpart, he would suffer its effects for the rest of his life. In addition, the real life Laura also contract diphtheria, and Rose was sent to live with her grandparents, Caroline and Charles, while they battled their illness.

Now paralyzed, Almanzo (played by Dean Butler) is unable to make the mortgage payments. Deeply in debt, and with a very pregnant Laura no longer able to work, the Wilders are concerned about their future. Things go from bad to worse when Almanzo's older sister, Eliza Jane arrives to take care of Almanzo.

Feeling lonely, Eliza Jane hampers Almanzo's recovery, hoping she can find him a proper job in Minneapolis that he can perform from his wheelchair. Almanzo and Eliza Jane make plans to sell the house in Walnut Grove, but a tornado destroys it. In real life, the Wilder's home was destroyed by a fire not long after the death of their infant son.

The loss of the house on top of Almanzo's illness and the thought of leaving the place that has been her home for most of her life, cause Laura to give up and retreat to bed. Almanzo decides he must be the husband that Beth needs. With the help of Charles, he learns to walk again, and then begins rebuilding a small home in Walnut Grove.

Beth and Manly have an emotional reunion in front of the frame of their new home, where Laura sees Almanzo walk for the first time since his stroke. "Welcome home, Beth," announces Almanzo before they embrace.

I hope you'll consider sharing your favorite Little House on the Prairie episodes with us.

Happy Anniversary Bess and Manly!

 

 

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder tells the story of Laura and Almanzo's courtship and their wedding that took place a few days early to avoid the church wedding his sister and mother wanted to plan.

 

Almanzo and Laura--Manly and Bess--spent 64 years together--until Almanzo passed away in October of 1949. The First Four Years was a book Laura wrote about the early years of their marriage. It was not published in her lifetime. Roger Lea MacBride, Rose Wilder Lane's heir, discovered the manuscript with Rose's belongings after her death in 1968. A decision was made to publish the manuscript without any editing, so the tone of the book is a bit darker than that of the other Little House books--though it does end on an optimistic note.

 

Those first four years of marriage were difficult ones. Laura did not want to be a farmer's wife, but she consented to try it for three years. Those were years of joys and years of sorrows. A hailstorm destroys their crop and their debts begin to mount. Their daughter Rose is born and that year they are able to make enough to pay off some of their debts. A hot wind destroys their crops the next two years. They contract diphtheria and Almanzo suffers a stroke. Laura gives birth to a son, who dies a few weeks later. Their home is destroyed by a fire and they are forced to work for room and board at a neighbor's place. But Laura is sure their luck will change.

 

Eventually Bess and Manly left De Smet, SD and traveled to Missouri, where they built a place they called home for the rest of their lives. Rocky Ridge Farm was where Laura penned her famous children's books.

 

 

The pioneering era ended long ago, but the pioneer girl who traveled across the prairie by covered wagon is still remembered. Her books teach us about the history of this country and the many things that make it wonderful. The Little House books display the importance of family, faith, love, perseverance, optimism, and respect. When I had the chance to speak to Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, he mentioned how the stories are evergreen. These timeless stories resemble the values that remain just as important today as they were when Laura lived through them and wrote about them.

 

Happy anniversary Laura and Almanzo. Through your lives, we have learned--and hope to learn--so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder (2002)

Beyond the Prairie, Part 2 continues the story of the Wilder family. Having set out in a covered wagon, they cross the Missouri River and leave Dakota behind.

While optimistic about their new home, troubles plague them. Almanzo's health continues to impair his ability to clear  the land and plant the apple trees left behind by the previous owners. They must hire help, but have no way to pay anyone other than in firewood. Rose is bullied at school and begins keeping to herself. She runs away and gets lost in a cave.

As the years pass, things improve for the Wilders, until Laura is called back to De Smet to visit her beloved father on his death bed.

A curious thing happens between the two movies. At the end of Beyond the Prairie, narrator Tess Harper, who plays an older Laura, tells viewers that the Wilders traveled for six weeks and arrived at their final destination in Missouri. Amazingly, Rose Wilder, who was a toddler (probably about 2) when she left De Smet, is school age at the beginning of Beyond the Prairie, Part 2. Now, I love Skye McCole Bartusiak's portrayal of the highly intelligent, moody Rose Wilder, but I thought the rapid aging of characters was reserved for soap operas. This seems to be one of those cases where the storyline dictates throwing common sense out the window.

Meredith Monroe and Walton (Walt) Goggins reprise their roles as Laura and Almanzo Wilder in this movie. Their performances are stellar, despite the inaccurate and somewhat lackluster storyline they are handed. We see the young couple thrilled to discover the new home they hope to turn into a prosperous farm. We ache with them when they believe the $100 bill Laura had tucked into her writing desk has disappeared, just as we rejoice when Laura finds the money that had slid into a crack. We are inspired by all the hard work they do to get their farm up and running, and we feel their anxiety when Rose is lost.

An interesting exchange takes place between Laura and a stranger on the wagon train. A young immigrant stops the Wilders on their way to the river, and encourages them to come into their camp for conversation. This is where the Wilders meet Beth and George Magnuson and their son, Charlie, who is played by a young Cody Linley (Jake Ryan, Hannah Montana). This immigrant approaches Laura at night when she is writing and asks her what their story is. She mentions the death of their son. In The Ghost in the Little House by William Holtz, it is said that the Wilders never spoke of their son's death. Rose didn't even know she had a brother until after her mother died. I find it curious that she would speak of something so personal to a stranger.

A tiny nitpick for the house on the Wilders' new property having a rusted box spring mattress that was left behind. While spring mattresses replaced the timber frames late in the 19th century, it's highly unlikely many pioneers would have been able to afford one, especially if they were living in a house as small as the first one that stood on what would be named Rocky Ridge Farm. It's kind of like spotting a red metal toolbox on the floor when Manly (Almanzo) brings Bessie (Laura) to see their new house under construction before they're married in the first movie. Also, for some reason, I recall there being a scene where Laura asks Rose if she took the $100 from the desk when they discover it missing. That's not on the DVD. It might not seem like an important scene, but just like the tense scenes between Rose and her mother where Laura insists she stop speaking her made up language or when Laura tells Rose she must return to school even if the girls are mean to her, it shows the somewhat difficult relationship they had in real life.

The viewer doesn't get a chance to see all of what happens in the near decade they lived at Rocky Ridge before the new house is built. As the first harvest of apples begins to ripen, Laura imagines for Rose what she thinks their future will look like, and suddenly we have this picture of the new house waiting for its coat of white paint. We get a chance to see the Ingalls family one last time and for Pa and Flutterbudget to share a moving moment.

What I find most interesting in Beyond the Prairie and Beyond the Prairie, Part 2 is how many people encouraged Laura's writing. Her own father toward the end of the movie instructs her not to forget about the pioneering era and not to let Rose forget it either. While poetry and writing articles seemed to come naturally for the real life Laura, it's truly not until she is encouraged by Rose, as a successful writer, that Laura considers penning her now classic books. Perhaps the writer and producers of the movie are attempting to show us that this was who she was meant to be all along, but I didn't get that feeling from the historical information I've read.

Overall, Beyond the Prairie, Part 2 has its place in the world for Laura fans. Those who don't care for the liberties Michael Landon took in producing Little House on the Prairie probably aren't going to be fond of this movie either. For those of us who grew up loving the television show, Beyond the Prairie, Part 2 and its predecessor is another way for us to honor the legacy that Laura left behind.

Actors: Terra Allen, Alandra Bingham, J. Scott Bronson, Courtnie Bull, Lindsay Crouse
Directors: Marcus Cole
Writers: Stephen Harrigan
Producers: Dori Weiss, Robert M. Rolsky, Stephen Harrigan
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: November 23, 2010
Run Time: 96 minutes
ASIN: B0042RJWRY
 
Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder, Little House on the Prairie, NBC) is working on a production of Laura's life. It has been shown at some of the festivals celebrating the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Hopefully it makes it to TV or directly to DVD soon.

May Featured Book of the Month

Little House on Rocky Ridge is the first book in Roger Lea MacBride's eight-book series of Rose Wilder's life: moving to Missouri, growing up on Rocky Ridge Farm, going to school, and leaving Missouri to spend a year with her Aunt Eliza Jane Wilder Thayer in Louisiana. The last book of the series, Bachelor Girl, chronicles Rose's journey to San Francisco, where she became one of the many women who earned her own way by taking a job outside the home.

The first chapter of Little House on Rocky Ridge starts off with Mama and Papa (Laura and Almanzo Wilder) deciding to leave De Smet, SD to travel to The Land of the Big Red Apple in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.

The journey was a tough one, even though their friends the Cooleys came with them. And when Manly and Bess (Almanzo and Laura) arrived in Missouri and finally settled on a little farm to purchase, they discovered the hundred dollars Laura had hidden inside her writing desk--all the money they had--was missing!

But once the money was found, they paid a visit to the banker and bought the little farm with the rocky terrain that they christened Rocky Ridge Farm. Then they really got down to work and made it a real farm.

Originally published under the umbrella of Little House The Rocky Ridge Years in 1993, by the time Book 7 - On the Banks of the Bayou and Book 8 - Bachelor Girl came out in 1998 and 1999 respectively, the series was titled The Rose Years.

Roger Lea MacBride, Rose Wilder Lane's only heir, went to painstaking lengths to ensure that this series was as close to the original Little House books as possible. Those efforts are more than evident to readers; and it is my opinion that of all the other books about Laura's relatives, The Rose Years comes the closest in style and tone to the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

This series had two illustrators - David Gilleece and Dan Andreasen. While both men had their unqiue style, they also managed to illustrate the books in a way that left the reader feeling like she was in familiar territory with the Little House books that were illustrated by Garth Williams.

Little House readers will love finding out more about Rose Wilder and Rocky Ridge Farm in Little House on Rocky Ridge.

New Laura Ingalls Wilder Title from LIW biographer John E. Miller

While searching the Internet for the cover art of Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder by John E. Miller, I discovered that Miller recently came out with another Laura Ingalls Wilder title published by the University of Missouri Press.

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane: Authorship, Place, Time, and Culture (Dec 2008) analyzes the fascinating partnership between mother and daughter and addresses two of the most controversial issues for Wilder and Lane fans: how much did Rose contribute to Mama Bess's Little House books and how did Laura truly feel about the Indians.

For more on this title, visit the University of Missouri Press online at http://press.umsystem.edu/

February Featured Book of the Month

Many biographers write about Laura Ingalls Wilder, but few discuss her life in its historical context as well as John E. Miller. In Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder, Miller focuses on the Wilder's years in the Land of the Big Red Apple--Mansfield, Missouri--from 1894 to 1957.

Through the use of Wilder's unpublished biography, letters, newspaper articles, and other doumentary evidence, Miller discusses how Laura Ingalls Wilder the pioneer and farm wife became Laura Ingalls Wilder the author.

Miller discusses Laura's relationship with her daughter Rose, Laura's writing career prior to the publication of her Little House series, and her life on the farm, to build a complete picture of Laura, and shows how Laura's personal life and experiences shaped her books.

For all these reasons and more, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder by John E. Miller is February's Featured Book of the Month.



I own the hardcover version of this book, but a paperback version with a new cover was released in 2006.

Happy Birthday Laura!

"Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs."



With these opening words from Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder secured her place in the world of children's literature.

I'm sure most of you know the story by now. At the age of sixty-three, Laura was saddened to realize that so many people she knew and loved had passed away and that the things they did and the dreams they had might be forgotten. So, at her daughter Rose's request, Laura sat down at her desk and wrote the stories of her childhood.

Even though the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, Virginia Kirkus, an editor at Harper's realized the potential of Laura's story, and once published, Little House in the Big Woods was praised by critics across the country.

What Laura had seen as a one-book adventure of the Ingalls's life in the Big Woods, turned into an eight book series, with the ninth book, The First Four Years, being published after her death.

On Laura's 142nd birthday, we think fondly upon the little girl who lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin in her little grey house made of logs. We thank Laura for sharing the spirit of the pioneering life with generations of children worldwide. We feel blessed that her books have been turned into movies and television shows that allow us to appreciate the life the Ingalls and Wilder families lived. And lastly, we are thankful for those whose continued interest in Laura's life brings us new ways to discover the world of the Little House all over again.

Happy Birthday Laura!

January Featured Book of the Month

Well, since it's half-way through January I thought I might post this month's featured book from my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection.

On the Way Home is one of my favorites. This book is Laura's account of the Wilders' journey from De Smet, SD to Mansfield, MO where they would settle at Rocky Ridge Farm and live out their remaining years. Rose is just seven years old and has been living with her grandparents because both her parents have been stricken with diphtheria. Then her father suffers a stroke and never regains his full strength. With these hardships and crop failures, the Wilders decide to move on and settle in the Land of the Big Red Apple.

On the Way Home is filled with Laura's observations from the Wilder's travels where she shares the sites, the weather, the day's events, and the people they met. In Rose's introduction--which sets the scene for the book--she talks of how Laura made daily notes in a little "5-cent Memorandum book". These notes are what became On the Way Home. Maintained in the same diary format as the original notes, this book will make an excellent addition to your Laura Ingalls Wilder Library.