You likely know the book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about a homesteading girl’s life growing up in the late 1800’s. “The Little House Books” are beloved by generations and wonderful for reading aloud or independently.
What do you do if you have little ones you want to share these stories with? The Little House Books are chapter books, and they’re usually too long and complex for little ones or even emerging readers.
The good news is you can turn to the “My First Little House Books” including Winter Days in the Big Woods! This series of picture books was created for your little ones and emerging readers (toddlers to about third grade). These books also stand alone in the world of children’s literature adaptations – there are no other books quite like them. To create the series the publishing team used the actual words written by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her chapter books, pulling short bits of text and individual stories from the longer books, adding lots of beautiful full-color illustration, ending with a series of 14 picture books ideal for young children.
What Makes This Book and Its Series Unique and Special
The books are considered to be adaptations, however they use Laura Ingalls Wilder’s actual words, which makes them unique. Because most adaptations modify the text of the original book – usually to shorten the book and/or use easier vocabulary. Each of Wilder’s slice-of-life novels contain hundreds of story vignettes, which allowed the creators of the My First Little House books to carefully select individual stories and preserve Wilder’s words.
These books also have a special illustration arrangement. Garth Williams is the original illustrator of The Little House books (Helen Sewell illustrated several early editions but Garth Williams ended up being the artist who worked with Wilder to illustrate all her books). The illustrations in the My First Little House Books are by other illustrators who were inspired by Garth Williams’ original work and specifically given his permission to create artwork in his style.
Laura Ingalls Wilder was one of the most significant writers in American children’s literature. While I know that some people today have concerns about Wilder, I don’t feel you can dispute the skill of her writing. She wrote in a day when all writing happened by hand, on paper. And she wrote extensively. She wrote for decades for newspapers before she wrote her books. That type of writing work is what I call production writing and it does wonders for honing a writers’ skill. Additionally Wilder’s daughter Rose was a skilled writer in her own right, and she supported her mother’s writing of the chapter books. It was Rose that encouraged her Laura to turn her autobiography Pioneer Girl into fictionalized chapter books. All to say that in a Laura Ingalls Wilder book every word and its use was chosen with care. This approach yields books with superior storytelling and children exposed to books like these become strong writers.
Why Read This Book
- Pure enjoyment to read – with a perfect blend of pictures and words for younger children from preschoolers (age 3) to as high as third and even fourth grade.
- Learn about the season of winter and what it was like to live in America, in a log cabin, in the late 1800’s.
- Relish the beautiful illustrations, taking time on each page and allowing little ones to point to what they see in the pictures, asking you for the words to describe each item (such as pumpkin, doll, tree, dress).
- A book you will want to leave out so children can access it. Because the pictures contain so much detail, children often spend a lot of time looking at the pictures, even coming back to the book again and again to examine it.
“My First Little House books are expertly created, from the use of the original words by Laura Ingalls Wilder, to the excerpts selected, to the illustrations drawn in the style of Garth Williams and with his blessing.”
Sarah Galbraith Laucks, Beehive Books and Art
Book Facts
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Illustrator: Renée Graef
Copyright: 1994
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Picture Book
Age Range: Preschool to Third Grade. Ages 3 to 9.
Reading Level: Little Ones and Emerging Readers
Expansion Circle Ideas
Read More: Winter Days in the Big Woods is part of a 14-book series. If your child enjoys this book, it opens the door for you to read more books from the series. Most children’s libraries the books from this series on their shelves.
Science: Spend some time with pumpkins. Go to a fall event and pick out a pumpkin, or a few different types. You can cut each one open and study them. Talk about what Laura’s family might have done with pumpkins.
Geography: Get out a local map of your area, and identify where beavers may live. Talk about what beavers need – water, woods, etc.
Meet the Illustrator: Explore the art of Renee Graef at her website graefillustration.com. Let your explorations lead you to more books to read!
Get This Book
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BUY NEW:
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BUY USED from:
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BORROW from your local library:
Visit your local library to borrow a copy of this book. If you don’t see it on their shelves, ask them to request the book for you. You may be able to request the book online through their website; if that does not work talk directly with library staff to make your request.
Get Pioneer Girl
Pioneer Girl: An Annotated Edition is the autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Written first it was published last. The book is not in publication as of the writing of this article. You can find it on websites that sell used books and from used booksellers. I recommend looking at these websites to purchase your very own copy:
Please know that Pioneer Girl is a lengthy read and not for children. It’s very interesting and I do use the book with children to show them photographs of Laura and her family, places where she lived, and to help children understand the fictionalization of The Little House Books. The book will be a valuable addition to your home library!
See Inside
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First Annual Book Sale at the Farm