Little House in the Big Woods (original 1932; edition 1971)

Laura Ingalls Wilder tells the story of her childhood in this book. The book covers a year of her life in the wilderness of Wisconsin. Because this book is based on true events it would be a good book to read to students to show them a first hand account of a part of our history- moving out west. ( )

I listened to this wonderful audio book on my many drives around this traffic snarled city, and it was a lifesaver! Cherry Jones is an excellent narrator for this story, using just the right amount of expression and employing different octaves in her voice.
It was interesting to listen to this story again after having read it years and years ago. It is simply chock full of descriptions of domestic life in the mid 19th century. Reading it as a mother (who happens to have a particularly fussy baby at the moment), I found myself in awe of "Ma" and all of the tasks she must accomplish every day. Of course, Ma and Pa Ingalls are romanticized and idealized in this series, but still--I have no doubt that many women in the 19th century were in a comparable situation work wise. I would love to know how she accomplished so much with three small children hanging onto to skirts. And how did she feel about her life ? Is Pa as sexy as he sounds? hee.

I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of this series. ( )

The narration is a little to... smiley, I guess would be the best way to describe it. In that enthusiastic nursery-school-teacher kind of way. The story is engaging, and there's enough detail about pioneer living to help a person survive alone in the woods. I found myself annoyed at Pa some, but overall a nice visit to a childhood favorite. ( )

The story of young Laura, her sisters, mother, and father, as they live in the woods in the mid 1800s.
This story is a great way to introduce children to American history. Many will find the lifestyle of the early Americans intriguing. The author paints a great picture of the many chores that had to be done daily in order for families to survive. Children can use this story to compare and contrast modern and early American life. ( )

I love this series. - I spent Sunday afternoon inhaling life with Laura Ingells and her family as pioneers in the USA in the 1800s - I read this series every few years and it never ceases to amaze me at how people lived then. Even though a lot of the stories are based on real events, the books are fiction.