Travel westward in a covered wagon with the Ingalls family and experience the joys of  family reunions, the daily drudgery of feeding chickens and milking cows, and the terror of tornadoes, sudden blizzards which dump yards of snow around you, and "wild" Indians who appear at your doorstep.

            These books just thrilled me as a child and they thrill me still as I read them aloud to my own children now.  I love watching their fascination at what a struggle it was to survive in the rugged American wilderness, and can't help but smile as they absorb their first history lesson in such a painless fashion.

             The only disappointment I have had with this series is that the final book is so short and lacks the warmth of the earlier novels, probably because Mrs. Wilder passed away before it was rewritten.

Note: The series was the basis of the popular television show, "Little House on the Prairie".

Warning:  The story is sweet and easygoing, but also deals with the harsh realities of life in that era.  It is less than "PC" at times because it accurately depicts the general attitude towards native Americans in those days. If you are planning to read this to a youngster, be prepared for possible questions on these matters.

If you liked the "Little House" series you might also enjoy the "Anne of Green Gables" series.