William Anderson (1) (1952–)

If you’ve read and loved the Little House books, you’ll want to read this book full of photos and illustrations related to the life and stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The oversize paperback includes historic photos of Laura’s family including aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents; the different sites where she lived with her family; the interior of various homes as well as the furniture and other memorabilia including Pa’s fiddle and Ma’s china shepherdess.

Reading this book is especially rewarding for those who aren’t able to visit the museums and other sites in the various Midwest United States. I loved the origin story of this book: Japanese translator Yumiko Taniguchi introduced the Little House books to Japanese readers through her translated books. In 1987 she wrote to the author, William Anderson, a specialist in the subject of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her times, asking him to describe the land and places depicted in the series, so that Japanese fans could know about the rural beauty of the wide prairies and dense forests. He connected with a photographer and together they “gathered and described the most important aspects of what remains from Laura’s past and what is preserved for the future.” The result is this book.

I was surprised to see that this is published by Harper Perennial, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, because the look and layout of the book is quite unprofessional. The captions don’t always line up with the photos they are next to, and the photos and illustrations are arranged as if by an amateur desktop publisher (a do-it-yourself job).

Despite the nonprofessional look of the book, reading it will surely bring the Little House books to life, and would be a welcome addition to anyone wanting to revisit the pioneer life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It would also make a nice gift for any Little House fan, both young or young at heart.… (mer)

Kind of disappointing, because the letters aren't allowed to stand on their own. Almost every one is introduced with context, often unnecessary; and worse, each one has a cutesy 'title' in italics which is a phrase excerpted from the letter. I trained myself quickly to ignore these titles. I've always found it annoying to read something in a pull-out, and then read the exact same words again.

The letters span her adult life and are chronological. It is sad to thus 'watch' her grow old.

No new revelations here for any serious fan.… (mer)

I actually ordered this book by accident. I meant to buy the autobiography actually written by Wilder and published in 2014. The illustrations in this children's book are beautiful, so I didn't return it. I happily read it's concise re-telling of Wilder's story, tiding myself over until the annotated version of Wilder's original book arrives in the post.

This book would be perfect to read out loud to a class of elementary students. The pictures are beautiful and it tells the story of the Ingalls family moving here and there and finally settling in De Smet and Laura's marriage to Almanzo and their various moves until settling in Missouri. It summarizes their lives in about 32 pages,with beautiful full-color artwork. Lovely book!

I grew up in Kansas, so as a little girl I read Wilder's books as did all of my classmates. I remember we all wanted to be the first class that headed to the library to pick books on RIF day (do they still have RIF day in schools?? Or is that a thing of the past? I will have to look that up....) because we all wanted one of the Little House on the Prairie books. They went fast! We used to read them and then trade with each other. Back then, once a week, the television show with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert graced the screen. We all watched it. So, I grew up with these stories. I think that's why I keep coming back to re-read them. Growing up in Kansas with the freezing winters and blazing hot summers, the wheat and corn fields, we all imagined what it must have been like before modern farm machinery, cars, paved roads, modern medicine....before the land was settled. It must have been brutal, but hearing the stories from Wilder made her childhood seem magical. Still brutal, but with stretches of beautiful experience and adventure.

Amid the mess of Covid-19, the delivery of my annotated Pioneer Girl (Wilder's original biography that wasn't published until 2014) is delayed a bit. I eagerly await it's delivery, but I really enjoyed this awesome children's book while waiting. The artwork by Dan Andreasen is beautiful!!… (mer)

I first read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder in grade school. Growing up in a small Kansas town, I loved reading stories of the prairie and pioneers. I remember imagining what it must have been like to travel in the back of a covered wagon, and to be a homesteading pioneer family. Many, many children (and adults) have happily had those same thoughts, ever since the first Little House book was published in the 1930's.

I remember several family vacations where we drove hours out of our way to visit Ingalls and Wilder family homestead sites and museums. It was always worth the drive. We would all gather around the displays and point out possessions we remembered from the books. Seeing photographs of the family was amazing as well. It made the pioneer era seem so close...and yet so far away. A time gone by, but remembered fondly.

I still love her books. Her writing is simple, but strong, conveying the strength, determination and love her family had for each other and the land.

William Anderson's biography of Laura shares details about her family, each of their home sites, facts about their friends and neighbors, and the challenges they faced. At 232 pages, the book is a quick read, telling the history of the Ingalls and Wilder families in a charming, informative way. There are several black and white photographs and illustrations as well. I enjoyed learning about Laura's later years writing magazine articles, newspaper columns and her books. That was a portion of her story that was new to me.

I enjoyed learning more about her childhood and young adult life as well. I had forgotten how many times Laura's family moved due to financial hardship, natural disaster or other reasons. It must have been hard to pick up and leave everything behind so many times. Reading about Laura's life definitely brought back all the warm feelings I have for this family. I spent many hours as a child reading their story, and it was nice to revisit old memories.

This book would be a great read for anyone who enjoys the Little House books, young and old. It's a quick read, but very well written and informative.

William Anderson has written several books about Laura Ingalls Wilder including The Little House Sampler and The Little House Guidebook. For more information on the author and his books, check out his website:… (mer)