Little House in the Big Woods

by: Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932)
Illustrated by: Garth Williams

Little House in the Big Woods is about a family from the 1930's and their lifestyle on the edge of the Big Woods. The novel starts out describing the characters and what they do daily. The author talks about events the family has, such as hunting in the woods, or Christmas. The novel recounts Laura, Mary and their parents lives in the Big Woods over the course of the year. The novel talks about going into the woods and hunting, spending time with their extended family or going into the town. This novel accurately depicts what a family would be doing in their daily lives back in the 1930's.

I am not a huge fan of this novel. I think that it is interesting that it was written in 1932, but the language is very dated. I think that it would be difficult for students to read because there are run-on sentences, and fragmented sentences. The language is very dated, and the words used are not common today. I would not recommend this novel to students, but I would also not limit my students to not reading this book. It is good for the historical point, to describe what life was like back in the early 1900s. It would be read by a student in middle to upper elementary school.

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