TALES FROM THE PRAIRIE In 1932 Laura Ingalls Wilder published a children’s book called Little House in the Big Woods It told the story of the family life and adventures of a five-year-old girl who lived on the American frontier in the 1870s It was different from other books written about the past Wilder had personally experienced the events she described The book was based on her own life It Laura Ingalls Wilder is shown in a photograph taken when she was about fifty years old while she was writing for a weekly farm magazine 4 CHAPTER ONE
TALES FROM THE PRAIRIE is not considered an autobiography autobiography though An autobiography autobiography is a history of a person’s life written by that person Wilder changed around some facts when she wrote her stories Readers loved Wilder’s account of the joys and challenges challenges of frontier life Her descriptions of old-fashioned everyday routines as the seasons changed made kids feel like An illustration from 1867 shows a common pioneer’s home on the Western frontier the log cabin and covered wagon would have been familiar to Laura A covered wagon is a horse-drawn horse-drawn wagon with an arched canvas top Vocabulary The FRONTIER is a region at the edge of settled land in a country 5
LAURA INGALLS WILDER In the 1950s Wilder signs a book for a fan Her Little House books were well received by readers because of their warm truthful stories they were growing up alongside alongside Laura In time Wilder continued her story in a sequel called Little House on the Prairie Little House on the Prairie is the most famous of all her books Over the next few years the series grew to a total of eight books They describe how Wilder’s family family moved often Her family and friends experienced hardships and successes By the end of the series the 6
TALES FROM THE PRAIRIE Quick Fact The American Library Association has an award called the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award It was established to honor American authors or illustrators who have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature Wilder was the first recipient of the medal in 1954 little girl from the Big Woods married and moved into her own house Wilder’s stories provide a firsthand view of a time of change in American history Today the Little House books are considered classics of children’s literature Young readers continue to relate to and be inspired by Wilder’s descriptions of the American spirit and independence independence on the frontier 7
