About the Author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. She and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Midwest. Later, Laura and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, made their own covered-wagon trip with their daughter, Rose, to Mansfield, Missouri. There, believing in the importance of knowing where you began in order to appreciate how far you've come, Laura wrote about her childhood growing up on the American frontier. For millions of readers Laura lives on forever as the little pioneer girl in the beloved Little House books.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 1‘A picture-book adaptation of a chapter from Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods. Readers meet Laura Ingalls and her family as they carefully prepare for her first trip to town. The night before, Mary and Laura have their hair wound up in rags so they will have curls. On the big day, they wear their best dresses, and Ma packs a picnic lunch. Laura is impressed with the many houses in town and the wide selection of store items. The more active part of the original chapter, in which Laura tears her pocket because she greedily picks up too many beach stones, has been omitted. Graef's full-color, double-page illustrations carry the text. From the gingham-check endpapers to the warm green and gold tones of the outdoor and interior scenes, she captures a glimpse of the characters' way of life while maintaining the style of Garth Williams's original illustrations. While there is little action in this book, it may be a good discussion-starter on pioneer life. For a livelier account, stick with the original.‘Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CT