Survey Results: These Happy Golden Years Favorite Little House Book

In 2013 we had a poll up that asked what your favorite Little House book is. Our readers selected These Happy Golden Years by a wide margin. Here are the top three choices:

• These Happy Golden Years 52%
• The Long Winter (my personal favorite) 25%
• On the Banks of Plum Creek and Little Town on the Prairie 22%

Thanks for taking part in this poll. The survey's full results appear in the sidebar.

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.

How the Little House Books Teach Selflessness

During the month of March, The Book Connection--my book blog--is participating in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). All you have to do during NaBloPoMo is blog every day for the entire month. Each month they give you a special theme to work around, which helps to inspire blogging ideas. This month's theme is "Giving Up" and this post flows in nicely with that theme. Because it has a Little House tie-in, I have posted it here. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this post.



Some of my Little House friends are rereading the Little House books in order. These beloved children's stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder have been my favorites for years--though I admit they did not interest me as much when I was a child as they do now.

We are currently reading and discussing On the Banks of Plum Creek, the fourth in the series. The most recent dicussion centers around Chapter 12 - Christmas Horses. In this chapter, Ma talks to Laura and Mary about what Pa wants for Christmas - a set of horses to help him harrow and harvest the wheat. The girls want things too, but horses aren't on their lists.

But after talking with Ma about Santa Claus and being unselfish, the girls soberly agree that they will ask Santa for horses. And in the next chapter they are pleasantly surprised to find that while Santa Claus did bring horses, he also managed to bring a few treats for Laura, Mary, and their baby sister Carrie; so the girls have a wonderful Christmas after all.

It is this type of sacrifice for the good of the family that endears the Little House books to generations of fans. The way in which the Ingalls family always ends up pulling together and helping one another is inspiring and makes you want to have that type of family too.



When the classic televison series Little House on the Prairie aired in the 70's and early 80's, it is exactly that pull together and help each other, our love and faith will get us through type of mentality from the books that Michael Landon and the crew captured week after week. While over time the storylines were based less and less on the material from the books, the essence and tone of the television series never changed. This is what I fondly remember about watching the show on the one television our family owned.

My children live a life much better than the one I lived. Growing up we had few material possessions and our family is what would now be called dysfunctional, at best. There are few things that my children want for, though it seems their list increases by the day, and I often wonder if, as parents, we have been successful in teaching them to think of others. And then I ponder the meaning of the sacrifice made by two young girls living on the banks of Plum Creek, and hope that our family could pull together in such a crisis, where our livelihood and our future might depend on it.

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder might have taken place during the 1800's, but for those of us living now, they not only entertain, they teach the values that will make our world a better place.

Alison Arngrim's trip to the UK a huge success!

Barnaby, a Little House on the Prairie fan for as long as I can remember, helped coordinate Alison's December 6th visit to the Hove Library in the UK, and also played tour host during Alison's visit. Here, Barnaby shares some of what happened during Prairie Day at the Hove Library:

"We had the theme tune playing for her arrival, and there was a big crowd of excited people, who had come from all over the UK (and America, Australia and other places too!) to see her! She read two chapters from On The Banks of Plum Creek, and read it beautifully, and did hysterical voices for Nellie and Mrs Oleson's characters! The crowd loved it, and afterwards Alison chatted away with everyone, signing autographs and posing for pictures - and then my phone rang, and ANOTHER radio station wanted to interview her live over the phone, so that was cool!

In the afternoon, we had our screening of "Bunny" with free popcorn! Alison sat at the front, giggling away at Nellie's nasty antics and that made the crowd laugh hysterically too! When Laura pushes Nellie down the hill in the wheelchair, everyone was roaring! Afterwards, Alison's Q&A was fabulous - the kids in the audience actually had the more intelligent questions, and she answered everything enthusiastically and was very down-to-earth and warm with everyone! A couple of little girls also tried on the Nellie wigs & bonnets, which was so funny!

We asked everyone to fill in Evaluation sheets, about how they enjoyed the day - everyone ticked "excllent" and in comments wrote how they want other cast members to come to Hove Library! I have to agree with them!!!!"

Sounds like they had a really great time. I'm still hoping that the cast makes its way to Malone, New York because that's probably the only site I'll ever be able to see.

Thanks goes out to Barnaby for allowing me to share this event with my readers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Thanksgiving dinner was good. Pa shot a wild goose for it. Ma had to stew the goose because there was no fireplace, and no oven in the little stove. But she made dumplings in the gravy. There were corn dodgers and mashed potatoes. There were butter, and milk, and stewed dried plums. And three grains of parched corn lay beside each tin plate.

At the first Thanksgiving dinner the poor Pilgrims had had nothing to eat but three parched grains of corn. Then the Indians came and brought them turkeys, so the Pilgrims were thankful.

Now, after they had eaten their good, big Thanksgiving dinner, Laura and Mary could eat their grains of corn and remember the Pilgrims."--On the Banks of Plum Creek

Wishing you and your family and happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving!

See LHOP's Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) at Prairie Day in the United Kingdom

Hove Library Presents:

For the first time in any library in the United Kingdom

PRAIRIE DAY

with special guest appearance by actress ALISON ARNGRIM - TV'S NELLIE OLESON of Little House on the Prairie

When: Saturday, December 6, 2008

List of events:

STORYTIME FROM 10:30 - 12:30

Alison will read a selection from Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic book On the Banks of Plum Creek followed by children's craft activities and autograph signing session.

And from 2:30 - 5:00 a special FREE screening of the Little House on the Prairie episode BUNNY! Alison will be present to chat and answer questions.

To reserve a FREE ticket for the screening and Q&A with Alison please telephone 01273 296937 or collect them from the Hove Library Enquiry Desk.


To find out more about the Hove Library please visit them online at http://www.citylibraries.info/libraries/hove.asp

Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls by Heather Williams--Book Review

Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls, written by Heather Williams, is based during the time in which On the Banks of Plum Creek, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, takes place. Nellie hates life on the prairie and yearns to move to wonderful New York City. Very little about prairie life gives Nellie satisfaction; but what does is that her family is the richest family in town and that she is the most popular girl in school. Nellie becomes upset when she is not the center of attention. Once Nellie is not the center of the attention, she becomes angry at her limelight stealer and plots revenge. In class one day, Nellie feels as though she is unjustly accused and becomes upset with her teacher, Miss Beadle. Nellie decides to fill Miss Beadle's desk drawer with disgusting insects and employs her brother Willie's help.

In the spring of the next year, a new girl comes to school. Her name is Laura Ingalls and everybody likes her better than they like Nellie, which makes Laura an enemy. Laura even has the nerve to play a different school yard game and Nellie's best friend, Christy, loves to play the new game instead of her favorite game. At supper that night, Mrs. Oleson uncharacteristically asks Nellie how school was that day. When Mrs. Oleson hears that Nellie thinks she no longer has any friends, Mrs. Oleson comes up with a plan to help the girls realize how special Nellie is. The plan is a birthday party and the party, in Nellie's mind, helps her become the most popular girl. Nellie is excited to go to school the Monday following the party but is floored to learn that that wretched Laura is going to have party. Once again Laura is the most popular girl and Nellie becomes upset. During the party Laura plays a mean trick on Nellie and Nellie wishes that something bad would happen to the Ingalls family so that they would move back east.

Later in the summer the town is plagued by grasshoppers and families are forced to moved away. Nellie discovers that her family is no long as rich as they were and that she can no longer have whatever she likes from the store. Nellie becomes quite sad, thinking that she is the cause of the grasshoppers. At school Nellie is overcome by her feelings and confesses to Miss Beadle that the grasshoppers are here because of her. Miss Beadle sets Nellie straight and tells Nellie that being a pioneer girl is not easy and that she will have to be brave and good. Nellie takes these words to heart and tries to be brave and good.

I have a little disclaimer for my above review of the book. I realize that I make Laura seem to be a bit 'bad', but this is not my intent. The book is written in the view point of Nellie as is this review.

At first I did not think that I would enjoy this book. In the first few chapters Nellie is rather bratty and I do not like reading a book where a child is bratty and gets away with it. After the first chapters, I think that Nellie does not come across this way. Overall I enjoyed the book. There were a few things I thought were interesting. I thought it was interesting that Nellie's first doll was named Laura and I thought that it was interesting that Mr. and Mrs. Oleson had different first names than they did in the tv series. I suppose that we don't know their real first names, so that any name really could've been their first name.

I think that the book was well done and that reading the book gives one insight into what may have been going through Nellie's mind and why she was the way she was.

Reviewed by: Kerissa

Featured Book of the Month

Well, I totally missed June and we'll be gone to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for part of July, so this will be June/July's featured book of the month. Discussion came up at the Dean's Divas Yahoo Group about Nellie Owens--one of the three girls Laura Ingalls Wilder used to create the character of Nellie Oleson in On the Banks of Plum Creek. This led me to dig out the William Anderson booklet, The Walnut Grove Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Once again, Laura Ingalls Wilder historian William Anderson brings his readers right into Laura's world with a short booklet about one of the places Laura lived during her life. Actually, thanks to a map included in the front of this booklet, readers discover that the Ingalls family lived in Walnut Grove two times during their travels before settling in De Smet,SD.

The booklet begins with an introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Almanzo, and their daughter Rose. On Page 11, we find out that Laura had no plans to write another book after These Happy Golden Years. Laura and Almanzo were enjoying a modest, but comfortable life on Rocky Ridge Farm, venturing out in their Chrysler when it suited them.

Then it moves on to Plum Creek and Walnut Grove when Laura lived there, talking about how the railroad caused an influx of homesteaders into Walnut Grove, including the Ingalls family. Anderson shares all about their lives in Walnut Grove, the churches and businesses, and some of the townsfolk. During their time in the area, the only son of Charles and Caroline Ingalls was born, Charles Frederick.

Anderson follows the Ingallses travels to Burr Oak, IA and back to Walnut Grove after the death of their son, mentions the new people who had moved to town, and the old acquaintances they caught up with upon their return. This is where the reader hears more about Nellie Owens and her family.

As in numerous other accounts, we hear about Pa's itchy feet and his desire to move west. The Ingalls family is stricken with another tragedy: Mary becomes ill and is left blind. So Pa moves to De Smet, SD. The final words from this section coming from Laura's own hand that were recorded in On the Banks of Plum Creek.

The last three sections of this booklet are dedicated to how Laura took her memories and turned them into the classic children's book, On the Banks of Plum Creek, how Walnut Grove pays tribute to Laura, and illustrator Garth Williams's visit to Walnut Grove and Plum Creek.

Following the format of his other booklet, The Story of the Ingalls, Anderson includes an Appendix with additional information for the reader.

The most interesting part of this booklet for me was being able to view versions of Laura's manuscripts (long-hand and typewritten). As with all of Anderson's books and booklets, The Walnut Grove Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder makes the perfect addition to your Laura Ingalls Wilder library.

Other booklets by William Anderson:

The Story of the Ingalls
The Story of the Wilders
Laura Wilder of Mansfield
A Wilder in the West (about Eliza Jane Wilder)
Laura's Rose: The Story of Rose Wilder Lane
The Horn Book's Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Iowa Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder