Little Town on the Prairie facts for kids
Front dust jacket with Sewell's illustration
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| Author | Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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| Illustrator | Helen Sewell and Mildred Boyle Garth Williams (1953) |
| Country | United States |
| Series | Little House |
| Genre | Children's novel Family saga Western |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
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Publication date
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November 20, 1941 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 288; 290 pp. |
| OCLC | 6389205 |
| LC Class | PZ7.W6461 Liv |
| Preceded by | The Long Winter |
| Followed by | These Happy Golden Years |
Little Town on the Prairie is a children's novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was published in 1941. This book is the seventh in her famous Little House series.
The story takes place in De Smet, South Dakota. It starts in the spring after a very hard winter. The book ends with Laura becoming a schoolteacher. This job helps her sister, Mary, stay at a school for the blind in Vinton, Iowa. The novel shows 15-year-old Laura's first paid job outside her home. It also covers her last terms of schooling. She gets a teacher's certificate and a job at the Brewster settlement, about 12 miles (19 km) away.
This novel won a Newbery Honor award in 1942. Many Little House books received this award between 1938 and 1944.
Contents
Story of the Prairie Town
The story begins in May 1880, after a very tough winter. At the Ingalls' land, Pa starts planting corn and oats. These crops will help the family earn money. He then builds two small bedrooms onto their claim shanty. Ma plants her new vegetable garden. Laura, Carrie, and Mary help with farm chores and housework. They also take care of their youngest sister, Grace.
Gophers start eating Pa's corn seeds. A mouse even cuts his hair while he sleeps! So, the family decides to get a cat. The cat is only five weeks old but quickly becomes a great hunter.
One evening, Pa asks Laura if she will sew shirts in town. Many new people have arrived, creating a need for such services. Laura does not like the work. But she continues because the money will help send Mary to a college for the blind. Some men in town organize horse races. Laura's future husband, Almanzo Wilder, wins the buggy race. He uses his two Morgan horses and his brother's heavy wagon.
On the homestead, the Ingalls' corn and oat crops are growing well. Pa plans to sell them to pay for Mary's college that fall. However, blackbirds fly down and destroy both crops. Laura and Mary think Mary will have to wait for college. But Pa sells one of their cows to get the money. Ma and Pa take Mary to college. Laura, Carrie, and Grace are left alone for a week. To feel less lonely, they do the fall cleaning. They succeed, even with a few small problems. Ma and Pa are surprised when they return.
In the fall, the Ingalls family moves to town. They believe the coming winter will not be as bad as the last one. But their claim shanty is not good for cold weather. Pa thinks it is safer to stay in town. In town, Laura and Carrie go to school again. Laura meets her friends, Minnie Johnson and Mary Power. She also meets Ida Brown, the adopted daughter of the new minister. Ida claims to be related to John Brown. Nellie Oleson, Laura's old rival from Plum Creek, has also moved to De Smet. She attends the same school.
The teacher for the fall term is Eliza Jane Wilder. She is Almanzo's older sister and has her own land nearby. Nellie turns Miss Wilder against Laura. For a while, Miss Wilder loses control of the school. A visit from the school board brings order back. However, Miss Wilder leaves at the end of the fall term.
For the winter term, Mr. Clewett replaces Miss Wilder. Laura focuses on her studies. She only has one year left before she can apply to be a teacher. But she also enjoys the town's literary meetings. These are held at the school every Friday night. The whole town gathers for fun, including singing, speeches, spelling bees, or plays.
The winter is very mild. Laura and Carrie never miss a day of school. Laura and her classmates become good friends after a birthday party. Because of this, Laura starts to fall behind in her studies. But she still remains at the top of her class. She spends the summer studying to catch up. The next school year, there is a new teacher, Mr. Owen. During a week of church meetings, Almanzo asks to walk Laura home. Ma is surprised because Laura is only fifteen, and Almanzo is an adult.
Near Christmas, Mr. Owen organizes a school exhibition. This event helps raise awareness for the school's needs, as it is getting too crowded. He asks Laura and Ida to recite all of American history. They are nervous, but they perform perfectly on the night of the exhibition. Carrie also does well, reciting a poem. Almanzo walks Laura home again. He offers to take her on a sleigh ride after he finishes building his cutter.
At home, Laura meets Mr. Boast and Mr. Brewster. They saw her perform at the exhibition. They want her to teach at Brewster's settlement, twelve miles (19 km) from town. The school superintendent comes and tests her. Even though she is not yet sixteen, he gives her a third-grade teaching certificate. The novel ends with Laura getting ready to teach school.
Real-Life Connections
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote these books based on her own memories. They are considered historical fiction. This means they are true to history but have some made-up parts. In 1941, Little Town on the Prairie won a Newbery Honor award. This award is for excellent children's literature.
To encourage people to move to the mid-west United States, the government passed the Homestead Act in 1862. This law divided unsettled land into sections. Heads of families could claim land for a small fee. A section was 1-square-mile (2.6 km2), and a claim was ¼ of a section. Thirty-six sections made a township. A section was identified by numbers, like NW quarter of Section 18, Township 109, Range 38. For $10.00 plus other fees, a man could get 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land. He had to live on it for five years and not move back east. The Ingalls family claimed land near Plum Creek. In spring 1880, Charles Ingalls claimed land south of De Smet.
The novel's events happen between the summer of 1881 and December 24, 1882. Mary started at the Iowa School for the Blind in Vinton on November 23, 1881. The government paid for blind people from Dakota Territory to attend this college. However, Laura's income was still needed to help the family financially, especially with Mary away.
In Wilder's books, the character "Nellie Oleson" is a mix of two real girls. One was Nellie Owens from Plum Creek. The other was Genevieve Masters, who Laura knew in De Smet. In real life, Laura never saw the "Nellie" from Plum Creek again after her family moved away.
What Happened Next
The novel ends with Laura starting her teaching job. But her life and her family's lives continued. When she was 18, Laura married Almanzo Wilder. They lived on their own land and raised horses, which Almanzo loved. They had a daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. They also lost a son when he was a baby. Rose grew up to become an author herself.
Over the years, Laura wrote essays and articles for newspapers and magazines. Most of these were about homesteading. She wrote the first draft of each of her books by hand. Her daughter, Rose, helped her type and edit them. The well-known drawings by Garth Williams appeared in new versions of the books about 20 years later.
The Little House Legacy Today
Today, De Smet, South Dakota attracts many fans. They come to see the historic places from the books. These include By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years. The Ingalls family lived in De Smet from 1879 to 1894. Visitors can see their homestead, a house Charles built in town, the Brewster School where Laura taught, and the surveyor's home where the Ingalls lived.
Besides the main Little House series, there are other book series. These books tell stories about five generations of Laura's family. The Little House series has been very successful. It has led to many related books. Two series, Little House Chapter Books and My First Little House Books, retell the original stories in simpler ways for younger readers. Other series tell the stories of Laura's mother (The Caroline Years), her grandmother (The Charlotte Years), and her daughter (The Rose Years). There are also Little House themed craft, music, and cookbooks.
External Links
- List of real life individuals from the Little House books
