I loved reading the story before the story. There is so much that is seen on television and by reading the series but this book gave a much better view of the life the Ingalls family lived with background information passed over in the book. Great read and companion to the series when reading in the classroom.

This is a delightful book of drawings, stories and memories from our childhood spent with Laura Ingalls Wilder . For all of us that grew up with her life stories this is a treasure. Its memorabilia , heartwarming stories and especially interesting is the description of the different areas and states where they traveled and lived. From Laura Wilder's perspective here story is told here in its entirety. This is very well documented and researched. I absolutely loved it and am buying hard copies for gifts.
Thank you so much for the ARC which did not influence my review.

This is a wonderful companion to the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is a biography of the Ingalls/Wider families and their lives with an emphasis is on gardens, food and plants. The author goes through the series book by book and describes the landscape and plants. At the end of the book the author suggests your own road trip and how to plant similar gardens. The text is accompanied with wonderful photographs and historical photographs. You really feel like you are traveling along with the Ingalls/Wilder family and how they made each place a home. You will also be inspired to plant your own garden. This book will appeal to fans of the books but also to those interested in history and historic gardens and plants. Enjoy this armchair travel/gardening journey.

The frontier landscapes of the ancient world........

A wonderfully evocative and informative account of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and work, and her travels across America. Beautifully illustrated, reading it was such a joy. A must-read for anyone who loved – or indeed loves - the Little House on the Prairie books, but also for anyone interested in the history of the times and places Wilder knew so well.

A beautifully put together book, published in the 150th year anniversary of Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthday. With the characters that many of us have loved for years, description of nature, and honest fun, these books have taken their place in homes and libraries all over the world.

Marta McDowell pens a delightful addition to the Little House canon with this book, which focuses on the frontier landscapes depicted in the series. The table of contents provides the first hint of how tightly Wilder's narratives are woven into the land that fed her - the chapters are titled "Clearing the Land," "Preparing the Soil," "Harrowing," and so on, ending with "Putting Food By: The Rock House and the Farmhouse" (referring of course to Laura and Almanzo's final residence on Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri).

Readers will revel in the detail provided here. I live in the apple belt of Pennsylvania and was intrigued to learn that Rocky Ridge Farm's previous owner planted an orchard containing Ben Davis and Pippin apples (Ben Davis is unknown to me, but a nearby town still has a Pippinfest celebration every September). The book explains that Ben Davis is not an eating apple and was ideal for cider. The Cortland apple (still common today and used as a pie apple) is a descendant of the Ben Davis. If you are the kind of reader who likes learning all the extra bits of trivia about a book or a person, there is plenty of that in this tome.

Each chapter is richly illustrated with archival photographs, Garth Williams' beloved book illustrations, and other full color images (such as the beautiful Brown Leghorn chickens she raised and covers of seed catalogs Wilder undoubtedly saw). The ARC was difficult to read as a pdf, though I understand why the publisher released it that way (all the gorgeous illustrations). I definitely plan to look at this book again in hard copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC.

I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a slow read for me. I would pick it up and read one chapter about the next place that Laura moved with her family and then put it down for a while again. I really appreciated the combination of illustrations from the books, photos, and plant illustrations. It has a lot of interesting information about the animals and plants in each of the places where they lived, but the focus was definitely on the different plants in each place. It would be a perfect complement to pair with reading the series in order to get a better idea of what the plant life was like when Laura's family experienced each landscape.

I read some of this book and it's a lovely companion to the series of books and very well done. However, I came back to it to find it had expired on the date of publication, so I have to admit I didn't read it through to the end.

Great read for fellow Little House on the Prairie fans like myself. Definitely recommended!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. I apologize for my short review, but unfortunately a technical problem on my end prevented me from completing the book. But have no fear; I shall simply get my hands on a new copy and start again.

As a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan I am always looking for more about her and related to her life. This book is very interesting for Laura fans and those interested in elements of pioneer times and the world around in those days. There were items within I knew but there are things I learned too. The photos are well added too.

This book was supremely cool! I am a HUGE fan of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. I grew up reading the books and watching the TV show. I am pretty sure I have seen the repeats so often I could give you the dialogue from whole episodes verbatim. *lol* So I knew the minute I saw this one available for review that it was meant to be mine.

This book was stuffed full of cool information. Drawings, photos, newspaper clippings, and maps. Information about their life back in the day (food, clothing, weather, games, etc.). Personal photos of the Ingalls. Sometimes this type of book can make for dry reading, but the way it was written with the Little House tie-in kept it charming and fresh. It would make the perfect gift for any fan of the books or TV show.

In my youth there was one or two series I can lovingly remember being a fan of and one of them was Laura Ingalls, Little House. Marta does such a fantastic job of creating what that world would have looked like as Laura was writing these novels. There is so much thought, research, and details put into each line, each page and story. I loved being taken back to that place I loved to venture as a child and see it through a biographical form. Marta did it beautifully.

Interesting book for fans of the original series.

I don't think many teenagers read those little house on the prairie books these days.

What a fascinating book this is for fans of Laura Ingals Wilder books! A great deal of research obviously went into the writing of this book and it paid off in a concise and detailed account of the plants, flowers, and locations found in Wilder's books. I loved the photos that were liberally sprinkled in the book (though granted I will always picture Pa as Michael Landon, not the actual portraits!).

This is a must read for any fan of Wilder's books.

A visit back to my childhood.. A reminder of simpler times that required a lot of hard work. My favorite is the romance between Laura and Almanzo. Still my favorite books of all time!

I'd definitely recommend this to a "Little House on the Prairie" superfan curious about the broader context of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. However, I'm pretty sure I haven't read any of her Little House books. If I did, I can't really remember... but! As someone who loves plants, this book has a lot of great tidbits about prairie plants.

This is a really cool book for those who are interested not only in the stories of the Little House in the Prairie, but also in the lifestyle of the day. There are tons of pictures, maps, even botanical drawings of the plants that grow in various places the Ingallses have lived in. You will also find pictures of the actual Ingalls sisters, Laura's husband Almanzo, as well as other members of the family. Aside from that though, it includes a lot of detail about life back then, in all its facets - foods, plants, weather and even pests, clothing, games and entertainment. It's even got a list of plants the Wilders grew so you could grow your own Wilders' garden! For any history, pioneer or just plain old Little House fan, this book has the right stuff.

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books



by Marta McDowell

Timber Press

Biographies & Memoirs , Home & Garden

Pub Date 20 Sep 2017

I am reviewing a copy of The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder through Timber Press and Netgalley:

I remember reading The Little House on the Prarie Books in Childhood, and again as an adult. This book is an excellent companion to the series, the illustrations are well done. The photographs give us a glimpse into the World Laura, Mary and Kerri grew up in.

The book not only describes the food their parents grew on the various farms but also the beautiful plants like Geraniums.

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder goes on to talk about Laura's growing up, her life with Manny (Almanzo) and her daughter Rose.

I give The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder will be a delight to fans of her books. McDowell's carefully researched book brought to life the flora, fauna and terrain of those beloved books. What a wonderful commemoration to step into Wilder's shoes in what would have been Wilder's 150th birthday year and vicariously see her world! Gardeners will also enjoy the instructions for growing a little house inspired garden. Thank you Timber Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's copy of this book and for allowing me to review it.