Every Sunday evening, I spent in front of the TV in order to see how Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert were going to make me cry. The second installment of my Monday series, Books That Inspire is the Little House on the Prairie series. These books are some of my mother’s favorites, and I remember her reading them out loud to me.
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about what it was like to grow up in an America with less than fifty stars on a flag, and before automobiles and skyscrapers.
If I summarized how these books influenced me, I think I would respond that they made me feel as though with hard work and ingenuity, man could accomplish just about anything he set his mind to. The stories of survival in a once very wild America instilled within me an awe and reverence for the pioneer. I loved to imagine what it would have been like to live here before all of our modern day conveniences. I couldn’t imagine a world in which one could be so self-sufficient.
The relationships in the book were ideal to say the least. I didn’t realize this until my second or third reading. Ma struggled to be the always supportive, submissive wife. The girls obeyed their parents and learned to work out their differences even with the ever-snobby Nellie. Many of the moral and relationship themes are timeless.
These books also create a healthy interest in the time in history when their were still skirmishes with Indians, a growing railroad and new and when modern inventions were arriving at an alarming rate.
Tell me, which Little House book or story was your favorite?
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I’ve never read the books, but my daughter got them to share with her family. Always watched the show, though.
You ought to highjack the books from your daughter. 😀
I’ve never read the books, but recently my husband and I have been watching episodes of Little House on the Prairie, one after another, from Netflix. We enjoyed every one of them. Blessings to you, Patricia…
They are good family entertainment. Although the last few years are annoying because it seems like they ran out of ideas and everything bad that could possibly happen to a family happened the them…
I read them to my kids in front of the wood stove that kept our house warm. That was back in the first energy crisis. We kept the house at 60 degrees all winter. Brrr. Laura’s winter stories made us feel so much warmer!
The books are excellent.
60 degrees! Our kids would sue us now! The Little House books do bring a warmth to hearth and home.
I grew up watching the show, Little House on the Prairie.
I don’t know if I’ve ever read the whole book, but my favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder book would have to be On the Way Home because Laura, Almanzo, and Rose finally get to settle down in Mansfield, Missouri.
Are you a fan of Missouri? You should read the books…they are great.
You’re right! I should read the books. I grew up in Sedalia, Missouri and I currently live in Kansas City, Missouri.
Maybe reading them could be a summer project?
Little House in the Big Woods, I think. Love this series, love Laura Ingalls Wilder and all that the books represent!
As an adult, I marvel at the goodbyes said at the beginning of this book. They very well could have never seen their family again. How hard that must have been on Ma!
I love this series! I read it as a child and although the story was very far-removed from my reality, the spirit of adventure and excitement it sparked in me is something I never forgot. I have since bought a great boxed set and re-read it several times. It never fails to brighten my day. A favorite is hard to choose, but I think the first book is special coz it introduced me to these timeless characters and Farmer Boy coz I was such a tomboy growing up! I love the relationship between Laura & Pa. It reminds me of how things used to be with Dad & me…
Other series I love are Anne of Green Gables and Road to Avonlea. Great post!
I’ve never read Anne of Green Gables, but I’ve seen the PBS miniseries…love, love, LOVE! How sweet that the relationship between Laura and Pa reminded you of your relationship with your father! Glad you enjoyed the post!
I never read any of the books but I loved to watch the show growing up it was such a wholesome show that you could watch together as a family
You should read them Areta. Maybe even with your daughter. The first few books are kind of childish, but later in the series there’s romance, and that would probably hold her attention…
The best ever! My daughter is in a book club this summer that will be reading them. 🙂
What a great summer read for her. Make sure they read the Long Winter in July and August when it’s REALLY hot… 😀
I love, love, LOVE Little House on the Prairie! I watched it all the time growing up. Even now, if I find it when I flip through the channels, I watch it again. I can’t possibly pick out a favorite.
I admire Laura Ingalls Wilder’s tenacity and strength, but I have to confess that I haven’t read any of the books. (I did read Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, a series that another commenter mentioned. Not that it makes my Little House oversight any less offensive ;))
This would be great summer reading….just sayin’
I remember many years ago, the programme was a regular must see by my mother, and I have to admit I watched from time to time. I do hope they will reintroduce the series again, as family television can be a rewarding experience.
We do have it on the Hallmark channel from Comcast…Here’s to family programming, even though it makes you cry every week! 😉