A Little House Fiction/Nonfiction Book Pairing

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I’m linking up with Sarah’s Bookshelves today for the second topic of Nonfiction November: fiction/nonfiction book pairings. Nonfiction November is a blog event co-hosted by Sarah, Katie at Doing Dewey, Lory at Emerald City Book Review, Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness, and Julz at Julz Reads.

I was a huge Little House on the Prairie fan as a kid. I read the entire series over and over. Once I had read through the series in order a few times, I would skip around and read whichever one I was feeling at the moment (On the Banks of Plum Creek—that earth-sheltered house!—and These Happy Golden Years were my favorites).

It’s been years since I read the books, but they are stamped in my memory. In fact, a large part of me believes that the stories are real. I mean, I know they’re fiction, but I also know that some elements of the stories were based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s real life. How much? I’m not sure.

So when these books popped up over the last couple of months, my interest was reignited. I’ve been thinking about introducing my kids to the Little House series—obviously with some discussion about the attitudes toward American Indians—so there has always been a plan to revisit. In addition to the original series, I’m looking forward to reading the following three (cheating a bit on the “pairing” but I couldn’t resist): A biography, and two novels offering perspectives other than Laura’s.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

A biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder (I first saw it mentioned on Novels and Nonfiction).

Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller

A fictional account of the Little House story, with a focus on Caroline “Ma” Ingalls. This will likely be my first read of the three—I’ve had it on hold at the library for about a month, and I expect it to come in soon.

A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert

A fictionalized account of Rose Wilder Lane’s collaboration with her mother, Laura, to bring the Little House books we know and love to fruition. Hat tip to Hopewell’s Public Library of Life  for the review that put this on my radar (plus a review of Caroline!).

Related:

When Childhood Classics Turn Dark: Reading Anne of Green Gables, Little House, and Little Women as an Adult