Little House Series
Engrossing frontier tales but they include racist attitudes.
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series is an engrossing saga for young readers -- and their parents. Beginning with Little House in the Big Woods, it charts the Ingalls family’s migration across the American frontier and vividly describes the homes and towns on the frontier, the natural landscape, and the challenges settlers faced just to make it through four seasons. Amid the everyday adventures of framing a house and sowing crops, however, are hurtful, racist attitudes -- Pa performs in blackface, for example, and Ma is terrified of the Native Americans -- and there's no mention of who is already on the land where Pa and Ma are homesteading. That said, these are well-crafted stories that go beyond typical historical fiction; reading them has become a rite of passage for readers across the country. Having frank discussions about the differences in the attitudes of Ingalls' day and ours offers a chance for important conversations and teachable moments.
Community Reviews
Role models and good values
Report this review
What's the Story?
In the LITTLE HOUSE series, Ma and Pa Ingalls make their way across the American frontier with their growing family, including Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace, moving from a tiny cabin in the deep woods, across prairies and creeks and small towns, trying to survive. The frontier is unforgiving, and the family faces lost crops and frozen winters, and nearly starves several times. But the joy of these books is in the look at life in the late 1800s, at the way boys and girls behaved, at how much work goes into making a loaf of bread, and at the wide-open spaces that are both beautiful and treacherous.
Is It Any Good?
These books are are classics for good reason. The Little House series takes readers on a journey back in time, when living in a house meant first finding wood and building it, when horse and buggy were the only way to travel, and when candy was a rare treat from town. These stories are engrossing, filled with charming conversations and plotlines that, for the most part, end happily. But it's worth spending time discussing the unhappy and uncomfortable parts. Young readers might not know how to parse the moments that are racist against Native Americans and African Americans, or sexist regarding gender roles, and might not understand that this writing is a product of its time. It also reveals the roots of attitudes that persist today, providing an opportunity for meaty discussions with an adult. That said, the series tells a wonderful, long story about family, perseverance, and the value of an adventurous heart.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how hard the Ingalls family works in the Little House series. It takes days to get to town, they live in such cramped quarters, sharing beds and a tiny cabin, they grow or raise all their own food and their neighbors are miles away. What do you think you would like most and least about living on the frontier?
Was anyone already living on the land where Pa was homesteading? Who decides the rightful owner?
What other books show life on a frontier?
Book Details
- Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Illustrator: Garth Williams
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Topics: Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication date: January 1, 1932
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 256
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: January 16, 2018
Our Editors Recommend
-
Anne of Green Gables
Beloved classic features lovable, imaginative heroine.
-
Little Women
Classic still charms despite outdated gender roles.
-
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Native American girl survives alone in compelling adventure.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate