Little House in the Big Woods
• $11.55
• Amazon.com
A great rediscovery and a current fave. I recommend buying an older hardcover version, which Amazon calls "collectible", but really don't cost too much more.
"In the morning Pa was there. He had brought candy for Laura and Mary, and two pieces of pretty calico to make them each a dress. Mary's was a china-blue pattern on a white ground, and Laura's was dark red with little golden-brown dots on it. Ma had calico for a dress, too; it was brown, with a big feathery white pattern all over it.
They were all happy because Pa had got such good prices for his furs that he could afford to get them such beautiful presents.
The tracks of the big bear were all around the barn, and there were marks on his claws on the walls. But Sukey and the horses were safe inside.
All that day the sun shone, the snow melted, and the little streams of water ran from the icicles, which all the time grew thinner. Before the sun set that night, the bear tracks were only shapeless marks in the wet, soft snow...."
Maxwell’s Daily Find
Stuff I find, like for myself and would recommend to a client. More
Shoe Storage Solutions: Under $100
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
10 Low-Budget Pantry Items Everyone Should Have
Summer Recipe: Gluten-Free & Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
I read these books as a kid but never watched the television series. I got a complete set for one of my nieces a couple of years ago for Christmas and I think she enjoyed them also. They are good for boys or girls who like to read and are interested in early-American life.
I treasure this book. Especially because there are so many sweet moments between Pa and the little girls.
These are wonderful books. And if you like them, you should read the books by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, that are beautifully written as well!
I love these books. I started this one with my first grade daughter back in September, and she liked it so much I bought the full set for her, which she can now read all by herself.
We live in a small pre-war house right outside DC, and the value of these books has been that our daughter really appreciates our house now. After seeing that Laura always had to share a room with one or more sisters, and that their whole family lived happily in one large (partitioned) room at times, is a great example of how little space we really need.
Loved the books as a child. As an adult, I got pretty annoyed at Pa for dragging his family from wilderness to wilderness and being so irresponsible, while his family nearly got eaten by bears or starved to death. I related more to Ma, and now felt like Pa was kind of a jerk.
I loved those books when younger and have now gotten my granddaughter to read and love the books. The best part is we will be taking a summer trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder home in DeSmet, South Dakota! We aren't that far from where the home is (I am in Aberdeen, SD). My granddaughter can't wait.
The Little House books, The Chronicles of Narnia, various books by E.L. Konigsburg (remember "From The Mixed Up Files..."?), and Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet The Spy books all were a part of the library in our house. Little House books were read over and over again until their spines gave way and the pages would slip out.
Parnassus, I agree - re-reading them as an adult puts a whole new spin on the series. I still think they are worth reading to your kids, but man, Pa was really a piece of work...
Thanks for the memories. I loved the books. My own kids were rather bored with them.
Maxwell, I'm so excited for you two to enjoy it with your little one. So sweet that my mom read the series with me when my parents gave it to me as a child. I remember loving that it was all true ... Wilder's memories of her families' love and life full, simple & real. Fast forward to precious, cozy moments curled up with my daughter reading the series to & with her from infancy to young womanhood. That meant so much to my mom. I still own my series in paperback (in great condition) ... time to read them again.
My great grandmother and her daughter (my grand aunt?) knew Laura, and probably some of the other Ingalls' from the DeSmet area. They're buried there now as is Pa & Ma Ingalls if I recall. My sis & I half jokingly wish our relatives of that era had trekked on to CA and bought a ton of land instead of staying in (south) Dakota Territory.
Parnassus, agree! And Laura's always feeling guilty about not being godly enough, which gets on my nerves as an adult.
We are reading this book aloud to our four kids during tea time after school. Its been such a lovely peak in to life as pioneers - we are especially enjoying the chapters about maple sugaring and the dance!