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    The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books
    The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books
    The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books
    Audiobook6 hours

    The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books

    Written by Marta McDowell

    Narrated by Donna Postel

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The universal appeal of Laura Ingalls Wilder springs from a life lived in partnership with the land, on farms she and her family settled across the Northeast and Midwest. In this revealing exploration of Wilder's deep connection with the natural world, Marta McDowell follows the wagon trail of the beloved Little House series. You'll learn details about Wilder's life and inspirations, pinpoint the Ingalls and Wilder homestead claims on authentic archival maps, and learn to grow the plants and vegetables featured in the series. Excerpts from Wilder's books, letters, and diaries bring to light her profound appreciation for the landscapes at the heart of her world.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 18, 2018
    ISBN9781977338853
    The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books

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    Reviews for The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder

    4.5/5

    52 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      One of the most memorable things about Laura Ingalls Wilder's books for me was how her writing was imbued with the most evocative descriptions of food, such that items as ordinary as bread, milk, and apples tempted the reader as much as any Thanksgiving dessert table. Marta McDowell magnifies this quality in her new book, releasing in August 2017, which revisits each of the Ingalls and Wilder homesteads and describes the native flora in breathtaking detail. Biographical details are woven in and out of accounts of the local landscape recalling what Laura mentioned planting and eating in her stories and relating how agriculture impacted the family's daily habits and livelihood. McDowell recounts how many of the family's practices were forerunners of today's sustainability movement. The chapters correspond to the different volumes in Wilder's original series so that they can easily be read as companions alongside the books, which would make a great way for teachers to integrate science connections into a thematic unit. The book ends with a brief travel guide that, rather than aiming to replace existing works like William Anderson's "The Little House Guidebook," draw the reader's attention to sites of interest to naturalists that can be visited near each of the stops on the Laura Ingalls Wilder Trail, such as local parks and botanical gardens. An index of the plants named in the Wilder family's writings is also provided. This volume is sure to inspire readers young and old to see farming, gardening, and cooking in a new light, much as our pioneer forebears did. You'll definitely be motivated to save some seeds, get out and grow, and "put up" in the pantry after spending some time with this book.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully illustrated with drawings, maps, and photographs from the era of the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder to the current day. Well written and an interesting perspective that appears to be based on a great deal of research. Nicely told!
    • 5/5
      This year Laura Ingalls Wilder would be celebrating her 150th birthday, and this book shows just what the world she lived in was like.We get a taste of just about everything here, from what the landscape looked like, what her gardens were like, and even a few cherished photos.Not only do we see what life was like and about what it looked like for a young Laura, we do the same for Amanzo in this farm up by the St Lawrence River in New York.Come and get lost in Laura’s world, I loved this look into what inspired the Little House Books, and all we have come to love about this wonderful author.I received this book through Library Thing, and was not required to give a positive review.
    • 4/5
      With simple prose and lovely pictures, author Marta McDowell takes the reader through the ecology, botany, and agriculture that formed the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. From the sloughs of South Dakota to the apple orchard of Missouri, McDowell shows us the world Laura saw and loved. Laura loved farm life – planting, growing, raising chickens, harvest. She found great beauty and peace in the slow cycle of seasons. McDowell does an excellent job of comparing Laura’s real life to her books, and showing the reader where real life made the books richer and fuller. She also focuses heavily on the farm Laura and Almanzo create in the Ozarks, and uses detailed record kept by the Wilder’s to demonstrate their love of the earth and all growing things. As a want-to-be Gardener and an avid Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, I found this book a delightful read. It intrigued me to read about her life, her garden, her farm, and the things she loved – what flowers and plants and vegetables she grew. I highly recommend as a must for any Wilder-lovers library and an enjoyable read for any historical gardener.
    • 5/5
      The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books by Marta McDowell is facinating in that it follows Laura's moves from Wisconsin to Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Missouri. Not only do we get to travel along with the Ingalls' and Wilder's, but we learn about pioneering history, American agriculture, animals, native plants, and trees. Many of us that are familiar with Laura's books are aware she harbored a deep love for her country, and was of strong character. She was active in the community, participating in local fairs. The Wilder's were able to make a substainable living off their land. What they didn't eat, and store, was often fed to their livestock. This is really the type of book I was waiting for. But, I don't want to give away to much of it. So, I'll just go over a few points that I felt were interesting. Laura was happy to tour 'Muir Woods' while visiting daughter Rose, in California. We know from history that Muir's family emigrated to American, his family settled in Wisconsin the same state Laura was born in. You also learn that Laura was also known to be drawn to "Tennyson's...Maude". And, if you are familiar with the poem, you might think they were standing together when Tenneyson wrote , "From the lake to the meadow and on to the wood." This, too, was Laura's scenery. And, if you've read any of her books, you'll know she writes about being near water. I thought it very fitting this book includes a photo of an older Laura...near water.Yes, there were many hardships for Ingalls' and Wilder's. And, I love how Marta McDowell depicts their struggles in a detailed but not depressing manner.Laura was forty four when her first article appeared in the 'Ruralist' and she lived to see all of her books be reprinted in mutiple languages. I love that this story was teamed with photos, illustrations, drawings and clippings from newspapers of Laura's lifetime. My opinion is this book is truly a gem.FTC: I reviewed ARC for Net Galley.
    • 5/5
      Author Marta McDowell takes readers to each location Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almonzo lived, discussing things present and things omitted from the books. The book shows Laura's connection with the land, demonstrating the importance of agriculture in the era in which she lived. The book designed to celebrate the 150th birthday of the author is well-researched but written at a level most fans will enjoy. Its carefully selected illustrations add to the reading experience for the fan. The book would make a great gift for those reading the books for the first time or for a lifelong Laura Ingalls Wilder enthusiast. This review is based on an advance electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.
    • 5/5
      I gave this to my daughter and she loved it! Very informative, and very well illustrated! The pictures, maps, and even the advertisements bring the text to life and make it even more interesting! I think the quote on the back is indeed correct, it is "A Must-Have Treasure for Little House Fans"!
    • 5/5
      I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.This book is a fascinating work of scholarship that focuses on a unique angle of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life: that of the flora and fauna described in her books and other personal writing. She had a wonderful knack for describing settings, making them come to life through her words, and this book takes that further by adding historical context and fantastically detailed descriptions and photographs. McDowell goes through each Little House book and expands on Laura's descriptions, and fills in some blanks as well, such as going to places like Burr Oak, Iowa, which was not included in the fictionalized accounts. The book-by-book breakdown is thoroughly enjoyable, but the back of the book contains another treasure trove of information: a sort of tour guide of what you will find when you visit each of Laura's home sites today, and a detailed table of all plants mentioned across Laura's writing with full citations. Seriously, that alone is a jaw-dropping piece of work. The book will even tell you where to order vintage seeds so you can grow many of the plants yourself.If you love the Little House books and want a different insight into that period of history in the upper Midwest, this book should be on your shelf. I also highly recommend this to any writers working in that area and period. I certainly will be keeping this on my shelf for future reference.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. That's all there is to it. It's so nostalgic and engaging at the same time. I learned loads more than I thought I would. I adore history so this was great! I would recommend this book to lovers of the Little House series or history in general. It really is a great, riveting read. 5 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      Book received from NetGalley.I think I woke my husband up with my squealing like a fangirl when I saw that I was approved for this book. I have loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's books for years and am always thrilled when something new comes out about her, though much of it is about things I have already learned about her. I grew up reading the "Little House" books, especially with my family coming from one of Missouri's neighbors. Laura was definitely one of their better-known daughters though her life took her through many states and territories in the US. Since this year is the 150th anniversary of her birth and with the success of "Pioneer Girl", I was hoping for some new non-fiction books to be released. I believe that this one is a great addition to the library. It focuses on the botany, biology, geography, and geology of the areas the Ingalls and Wilder families lived, focusing mainly on Laura. This would be a great book for the older children who want to know more about what the prairies that Laura lived on were like, and the adults that still wonder what a chokecherry is or why in the world Ma thought that watermelons gave you malaria. I loved the illustrations and photos in the book, especially the illustrations of the prairie plants that Laura described in her books. It's going to be a long wait until this comes out in September so I can add it to my shelves.
    • 4/5
      A nice companion volume to the Little House series, with behind-the-scenes stories of Laura and Almanzo, and plenty of information about the flora and fauna of the times and locations of the books. A keeper, though I might send my copy to my eldest sister, who introduced me to Laura's world 50 years ago.
    • 5/5
      The story follows Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stays in Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Missouri. The book is not a retelling of Wilder’s life, but a botanical journey of the areas she lived. Maps, pictures of the landscape, and numerous garden plant illustrations accompany text describing living conditions, cultural and social relevance for Wilder and family. An extensive list of the plants that Laura grew and knew includes the common name, botanical name, work the plant is reference in and whether the plant is grown at the Rocky Ridge Farm. There is also a list of recommended readings along with sources and citations. The book is an excellent addition to libraries for fans of Wilder and biologists.I received this book through Net Galley. Although encouraged as a courtesy to provide feedback to the publisher, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.