Today is Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthday. She was born in Wisconsin in the year 1867. So technically, today marks her 143rd birthday. I don't know about you, but as a child, I felt a very strong connection to Laura Ingalls. I loved her book series and I never missed the television show. It didn't help that Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura on the show, looked exactly like me. It's almost freaky when I see pictures because we could have passed as twins, all the way down to the freckles and braids.
There is a lot of controversy as to who actually wrote the Little House book series. Some say Laura did, others say her daughter did. At this point, it doesn't matter to me. The books are classics and I think every child should read them, especially American children so they can learn what life was like for the pioneers. My girls loved the books and have read them over and over. My boys haven't read them yet, and even though they're traditionally looked upon as books for girls, I know my boys would like them too.
Ironically, it's said that the first drafts of the Little House books were initially turned down by an agent because they lacked drama. I don't know about that -- there's a lot of drama in them between the animals, the Indians, the fear of freezing to death, and so forth. Because of those things, that's why I believe these stories appeal to boys just as they do to girls. One of these days I'm going to get myself over to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Missouri.
Laura said the reason she wrote her books was to preserve the stories of her childhood for the children of today to help them understand how much America had changed during her lifetime. Just think about how much it changed during her lifetime alone. Now think about how much things have changed since the 1800s. Today's kids look like they have cell phones surgically attached to their hands, with earbuds and iPods dangling elsewhere on their bodies. I'm always taken back when I remember in one of Laura's books how she got her very own tin cup for Christmas. Yes, a tin cup! She was so happy because she no longer had to share cups with her sister. Kids today have so much. Many have no idea what it would be like to have to do without even the simplest things -- like their own cup.
Happy Birthday Laura!
ReplyDeleteI have read some about the controversy about who wrote her books. I suspect she did as she was a rural reporter for many years. She was not uneducated or illiterate. But there is the possibility that her daughter helped with editing. That kind of collaboration I can easily see happening. But you are right, it doesn't matter who wrote them, they are classics and precious first hand eye-witness accounts of history.
I loved Little House on the Prairie...
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Laura! And thank you for such great books...
I love anything to do with Laura Ingalls too! I quite agree - kids don't know how spoilt they are these days - my kids included !
ReplyDeleteI loved the books too. I read the series as family reading nights, they loved them. She could really pull you into the book like you were right there with her.
ReplyDeleteI've been to the house/museum in Missouri and it is really neat. Her house was big, but everything inside was little. Both her and her Almonzo were pretty short. The museum was awesome. Tons of things from her home and growing up. When you first walk in the door, Pa's fiddle is the first thing you see in a beautiful round display. If anyone gets the chance to see it, it is worth it!
Nancy
p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RENA!!
wow i didn't even know Laura Ingalls was a real person. I loved Little House on the Pairie on TV as a child. I'm interested in reading her books.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Little House fan - between them and Anne of Green Gables, they made up a huge part of my childhood reading! I can't wait for my kids to get old enough so that we can enjoy them together - yes I kept all my copies!
ReplyDeleteI do have a funny story though. I had never seen the TV show and was at a friend's house when I was about 8. The episode was the one where there is a fire and Mary's baby dies. I cried my eyes out and couldn't figure out why anyone would watch a show about dying babies! I never watched another episode for 4 years! lol