Little House books S/O thread

[rose red]

Here's a book that many of you would probably enjoy reading.........Laura, by Donald Zochert.

I read that book in middle school.  The cover (front and back) always make me laugh.  It's a good starter for books outside of the series. 

[hermanne]

I still remember chunks of the books, almost word-for-word. (Just don't ask me what I had for dinner last week! )

I like cooking, especially with historic recipes. I'd love to try the Christmas candy they made by boiling maple syrup and molasses and pouring it on snow in circles and sqiggles.

[Kimberami]

How much did I love the Little House series?  I named my daughter Laura Elizabeth.     I've tried several times to get my daughter interested in the series, but so far she's resisted them.   
I read them all as a kid, and I've always wanted to make a trip to the places mentioned in the books. 

[cicero]

I don't think i ever read the books (i  can't believe i didn't/ i was such a huge fan of the TV show and such a bookworm and of course i was sooo in love with alonzo!)

[Hillia]

I don't think i ever read the books (i  can't believe i didn't/ i was such a huge fan of the TV show and such a bookworm and of course i was sooo in love with alonzo!)

If you loved the show, be prepared...it has virtually nothing to do with the books except for character names and a few events.

[rose red]

I don't think i ever read the books (i  can't believe i didn't/ i was such a huge fan of the TV show and such a bookworm and of course i was sooo in love with alonzo!)

If you loved the show, be prepared...it has virtually nothing to do with the books except for character names and a few events.

It was quite a shock to find out Mary never married.  And Albert never existed.

[GratefulMaria]

Oooh, great thread idea. I read a few of the books as a kid, but not many. I think i have become more interested mostly from reading about them on here Gotta love EHellions. On that note - can anyone suggest some books that aren't necessarily aimed at children?

Constructing the Little House: Gender, Culture, and Laura Ingalls Wilder http://www.amazon.com/Constructing-Little-House-Culture-Ingalls/dp/1558491228 is a pretty thought-provoking work -- Little House through a feminist lens.  I don't know that I found it disillusioning in and of itself, but it certainly was a part of how differently I was seeing the books as an adult.  They were my literary comfort food up through my adolescence.

The Ghost in the Little House was tougher going for me, as it really brought home how grim (to use a PP's very apt word) life must have been for the family, and what a sad and difficult legacy that can leave.

[Just Lori]

I don't think i ever read the books (i  can't believe i didn't/ i was such a huge fan of the TV show and such a bookworm and of course i was sooo in love with alonzo!)

If you loved the show, be prepared...it has virtually nothing to do with the books except for character names and a few events.

It was quite a shock to find out Mary never married.  And Albert never existed.

And Pa did not look like Michael Landon.

I knew that college was free for Mary, but I still think Laura's money took care of her travel and other expenses.  I've also read that Freddie's death was so difficult on the family that Laura simply couldn't include it in the stories she wrote.  I imagine her own son's death was equally difficult to write about.

When I was about 12, my parents planned a side trip through Missouri on one of our vacations so I could see the LIW house there.  My brother and I got into a fight in the car and my father cancelled the trip.  Many years ago, when I was working for a newspaper in Florida, I had an opportunity to interview Roger Lea MacBride, the man who inherited Rose's estate.  I was beside myself with excitement, but then Mr. MacBride had an accident and had to cancel the interview.  Obviously, fate has not been kind to me when it comes to LIW experiences.  I still hope to travel to Missouri someday.

[Just Lori]

I once read a theory that Carrie might have had celiac disease.  I imagine the prairie diet would not have been kind to someone who couldn't handle wheat well.

[nuit93]

I read a similar theory that type 1 diabetes ran in the family.

I can't imagine how one would care for a disease like that in the 19th century.

[TylerBelle]

I liked the inclusion of Almanzo's boyhood story. I always found it fascinating how during his childhood, his family seemed quite prosperous, in comparison to Laura's and how in her childhood there were many hardships.

Also in comparing the books to the show, I know a lot of liberties were taken there, Eliza Jane in the books could be sometimes nasty (remember making Carrie rock the classroom bench), but in the show, she was for the most part rather nice. On the other hand, in the books what you see of Mrs. Oleson, she was nice, like when she gave Laura some books to read at Nellie's party, whereas in the show, well, you know.  Then again, I'm not sure if Mrs. Oleson in the books was like Nellie, for that character was comprised of three different girls Laura knew growing up.

[nuit93]

I liked the inclusion of Almanzo's boyhood story. I always found it fascinating how during his childhood, his family seemed quite prosperous, in comparison to Laura's and how in her childhood there were many hardships.

Also in comparing the books to the show, I know a lot of liberties were taken there, Eliza Jane in the books could be sometimes nasty (remember making Carrie rock the classroom bench), but in the show, she was for the most part rather nice. On the other hand, in the books what you see of Mrs. Oleson, she was nice, like when she gave Laura some books to read at Nellie's party, whereas in the show, well, you know.  Then again, I'm not sure if Mrs. Oleson in the books was like Nellie, for character was comprised of three different girls Laura knew growing up.

I loved the descriptions of the meals that Almanzo ate growing up!  Always made my mouth water.

[Betelnut]

Farmer Boy was definitely one of my favorites of the series!  That and The Long Winter.

[Jocelyn]

I read a similar theory that type 1 diabetes ran in the family.

I can't imagine how one would care for a disease like that in the 19th century.

In the days prior to insulin, children wasted away. Insulin is necessary for removing sugar from the bloodstream and conducting it into the muscles and organs. A Type I child would get thinner and thinner, and wouldn't be able to eat enough to grow. Eventually, the kids contracted some communicable disease that they weren't able to fight off. Diabetic control via diet and exercise are dependent upon having SOME insulin, so it would depend upon whether the child's pancreas was producing any. That's why, even now, Type IIs are better off than Type Is.

[katiescarlett]

I was such a fan of the books that when I was 9 I made my mom braid my hair in two braids, then pin them on top of my head.     That same year, we went to Branson, and my parents took me to the Wilder home in Mansfield, MO. 

Did ya'll know that Rose had a baby boy that died also?  I can't remember if he died at birth, or very young, just that he died.