Love all the books written by this author.

My favorite little house on the prairie book when I was a kid. It felt so cozy to revisit half-pint and Pa and Jack. I want to live in a dugout house and play in Plum Creek. The grasshoppers were as scary as I remembered. Nellie is the worst.

This was always one of my favorites of the Little House series, perhaps because there is much to correlate with the TV series and its beginning. I loved watching it as a child in the 70's and forward.
Cherry Jones continues to do a stellar job in narrating this beloved series of books.

If we disregard racist parts (but they do paint a picture of the time the book was written. with proper explanation of the context to the children, this could be a great lesson book about prejudice), this was a really fun read. I feel that, as more the family goes west, the harder their life is and the nature is more dangerous and unpredictable. Since they live closer to the town, we get more interactions with other characters. The book made me appreciate all the amenities we take for granted. Not sure if I'll read the next book in the series, but I'm glad I met this family.

This one was always my favorite of the series, and I used to fantasize about living in a dug-out of my own. It's interesting to revisit these books as an adult and see how Laura's POV matures as the series progresses; the insights and sentences are more sophisticated as she ages. As always, I love her descriptions of the land, of clothing and household objects, and food. Anyone interested in writing children's literature could benefit from seeing the arc of narrative voice Ingalls employs.

Man, I love to hate Nellie Oleson. Nothing makes me happier than when Laura gets a cape of her own--and a muff. But again, it's frustrating to see Pa's hopes for the family completely dashed once again as they battle plagues of insects and brutal Minnesota winters.

This is one of my favorites in the series--it's just so exciting! The grasshoppers, Pa in the storm, Nellie Oleson (boooo!), Christmas at church, leeches in the creek...so many fun and interesting and sad and scary and happy things happen in this one.

So fun to listen to this with the boys!

This has been the most exciting yet of the series with even more disasters and fewer descriptions. It is also the volume where things start to go a bit wrong, which does make the whole story more realistic. The narrator is, as in the other books able to draw us into the tale and help us to forgive Pa (who seems to make some very unwise decisions). I don't know who I would recommend this to as it depicts a very different world from that of today's children and is not necessarily what adults would want to read! But I enjoyed it enough to plough on with the next one!

The Ingalls Family versus the World

Laura and her family drove their covered wagon all the way to Minnesota to begin life anew.

Their new house? Built into a bank, with mud walls and a grass roof. A dugout. Ma is not pleased (especially when a cow manages to go through the roof!) but the girls found little ways to be delighted.

There's a little creek full of fish and crayfish. There's school - full of new people and learning. And there's family - all together and happy.

Except, the crops are ruined . And will stay ruined. Winter is right around the corner and they hardly have anything to eat. Ma, Pa and the girls need money so they can survive. And so, Pa does what he thinks is best and walks 300 miles to find work.

Will he be home in time for Christmas?

Will he come home at all?

As always, the book is beautifully written and stunningly heartfelt.

Audiobook Comments
Read by Cherry Jones and accompanied by Paul Woodiel on the fiddle. Love this audio series SO freaking much.

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wow. As other reviewers have stated - the contrast between Pa & Almanzo's father could not be greater. Reading these as an adult is rather mind-blowing. Add "as a parent" and it takes on a whole new level of "holy crap!". I simply cannot fathom doing the things that they did, nor weathering the storms that they did - quite literally. Nor putting my children in the way of harm the way that was done then (as when Pa decides to leave the whole family alone for months on end or simply days on end when he goes to town and is trapped outside in a blizzard). You would think that their awareness of the fragility of life would be even more pronounced than ours since we live in a bubble of perceived safety.

After reading about the grasshopper plagues that they lived through (a miracle when you think of the impact not just on their crops, but their livestock and every other means of sustenance) I decided to look up some info on what happened and when and why it doesn't happen anymore. I discovered that they "grasshoppers" which numbered literally in the MILLIONS (likely Trillions considering the geographic area that they absolutely covered like carpeting) were "Rocky Mountain Locusts" and that they are now extinct. There are entire books written about the survivors of these plagues that occurred year after year at one point. I love this series.

The Ingalls's life someone manages to be so cozy and quiet as well as terribly exciting and unstable!

Beautiful example of a wholesome and loving family life. The marriage and partenership of Ma and Pa is fantastic. They trust each other, sacrifice for each other, love each other, and embody the sacred feminine and masculine whole maintaining expert teamwork.

In this book, the Ingals come to Plum Creek, go to church and school, meet the Olsens, deal with a terrible plague of grasshoppers, bear through cold blizzards and even more.

Laura Ingalls is a fantastic writer. Her storytelling, page and characters are all fantastic.
I really relate to the spunky Laura! She is a spunky rebel.

Best quotes:

"What must be done is best done cheerfully."

"Everything was beautiful and good, except Laura."

"How strong and kind he was."

"Once you begin being naughty it's easier to go on and on, and sooner or later something dreadful happens."

"Being good could never be as hard as being watched."

"She knew how to milk a cow. She has watched Pa do it."
- Leading by example. We can almost pass along our skills if we are consistent and mentor.

"It's pleasant to be with a crowd of people all trying to do the right thing, same as we are."

"Let's be thankful for what we have."

"Nothing's too much for you."

"He never took more than they needed to eat."

"You're right Caroline you usually are."

This one seemed to be the most serious so far in the series. Things were not always happy and easy, by any means, but the family always made the most of their circumstances and survived. I'm anxious to read on and find out what happens next!