Book Details
Written by
Illustrated by
Genre
More details

Little House in the Big Woods (by Laura Ingalls Wilder)

common sense media says

75th anniversary of a favorite pioneer story.


parents & educators say
  • 43% say there are positive role models
  • 43% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there are detailed descriptions of animal slaughter in this book. Children are also spanked when they misbehave, and one boy is stung by hundreds of yellow jackets.

Positive messages: The story is heavy on lessons for kids on right from wrong and the value of hard work. An African American man is called a "darkey" in a song.
Violence: Scenes where a gun is used or visible, typical for the time and location. Laura describes the preparation and slaughter of farm animals: skinning, cooking, etc. There are some stories of wild animal attacks. Children are spanked. A boy is stung by hundreds of yellow jackets.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Adult men smoke pipes, typical for the period.

More on Little House in the Big Woods

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about pioneer life and how they survived. Why was hunting necessary? How did the Ingalls entertain themselves without TV and other modern distractions? How do you think you'd fare without technology?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Laura Ingalls is a kid who loves to help her family, is afraid of wolves, and hates her "boring" brown hair. She lives in a little house in the big woods where she and her siblings work hard at their many chores, mind their ma and pa, go to school all in one room, and have lots of frontier adventures.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS is a classic reborn with great illustrations by Garth Williams. New readers and those familiar with Laura Ingalls and her family will love following along as Laura takes them through a year in the life of the little family of pioneers.

This story is a straightforward, fun read with a child's look into the life of a pioneer. It's great to see Laura and her sisters take simple pleasure in playing with their dolls, making homemade goodies, and listening to their father's stories.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Illustrator: Garth Williams
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date: December 25, 2007
Number of pages: 256
Hardcover price: $19.99

This review was written by Terreece Clarke
 
 

Review It

 

Review Little House in the Big Woods





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

What parents & educators say

6
Based on 7 parent & educator reviews:
  • 43% say there are positive role models
  • 43% say there are positive messages
  • 29% say it's educational

Most useful reviews by all members

crystle98
teen, 16 years old
 
perfect
very great i loved it my little sister loved it i read it to her at night. there is a little violence with animals but thats fine to some ppl

doubledecker29
parent of 8 and 10 year old
 

 
My favorite as a child
A wonderful story of the life of a pioneer family. Teaches the value of work and the simple pleasures of life.

AwesomeClem
kid, 8 years old
 
interesting book
it was good!!! it had serious subjects. it was a little long.

karinajohnson
parent of 5 and 8 year old
 
Pretty good
It is pretty good. I read it to my 5 and 8 year old kids and they liked it for the most part. Some parts they found boring (and I did, too) but they liked it. There were parts that we discussed how things are different now. For example, how Laura so much dislikes her brown hair, how it was typical to smoke, how the kids were spanked, etc. The educational value is very good. It teaches history in an engaging way.

kipper123
kid, 11 years old
 
Good for 8+ readers
I didn't like this book that much. Laura and Mary are great role models! Laura thinks of herself as ugly compared to Mary. In one of the chapters Laura thinks that her brown curls are dirt ugly while she is thinking Mary has beautiful long blonde curls.

wholegrainmommy
parent of 4 year old
 
Even really young ones can love it.
I started reading this to my 3 year old and found that she LOVES it. She has certain chapters that she likes me to read over and over again, like each chapter is a self-contained book. I dont skip anything, but I do abbreviate certain parts that lose her attention (eg the detailed description of the smokehouse, how Pa cleans his gun and makes bullets, etc.) She can't sit still while I'm reading it (because there are no pictures to look at) but I know she's paying attention because we discuss it after we read. If you've got a child who loves being read to, you might be suprised how much they can get out of this book.

Misty waterfall
teen, 16 years old
 
Ok book for me
I have 2 say i think its for people that arent like me. I dident like it that much.Maybe its just me. I hope other people like it better than i did.

MamaRo
parent of 2 and 4 year old
 
The story is about a 4-year old girl. As long as the child has the attention span for chapter books, this should be a good one.

JocelynRamming
kid, 12 years old
 
Best Book For You
A good life lesson

kaloren
parent of 5 and 10 year old
 
Great series, fun, historical and great family values.
I remebr reading these as a little girl. I loved the spunk of Laura and her little adventures. I alos loved the history and being able to learn about life during the pioneer days. Now my daughter ahs read the series and is re-reading them becasue she enjoys them so much too!

hmph11
kid, 13 years old
 
pretty good
cute book!

steffo
parent of 5 and 7 year old
 
Wonderful story, great family discussions of older times
My girls loved the story and adventures of the sisters! It's never too early to expose children to historical references in a fun way!

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you read Little House in the Big Woods?


Already read it? What do you think?

 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors


About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age