(You can listen to this episode here.)
We were delighted to welcome our first guest, Judith Kalb, to talk about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little Town on the Prairie (1941), the seventh book in the beloved Little House series. Judy is, in addition to being Deborah’s sister, a literature scholar and a lifelong Laura Ingalls Wilder fan.
Mentioned on this episode:
Other books in the Little House series:
Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
The Long Winter (1940)
The First Four Years (posthumously published in 1971)
Also by Laura Ingalls Wilder:
Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography (written beginning in about 1930; published in 2014)
Also mentioned:
The Complete Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson (This 1875 version, which says Tennyson’s Poems on the cover, matches the description of the Christmas present Laura finds hidden in her mother’s drawer.)
Stuart Little by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams
The Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the Railroads, and the Hard Winter of 1880-81 by Cindy Wilson
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
The TV adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. (Here’s the trailer for the remastered edition.)
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim
A post on Little Town on the Prairie on the website American Indians in Children’s Literature criticizing the
Mary Grace expressed surprise that the phrase “lunatic fringe,” used by Pa to describe Laura’s bangs, dated back to the 1800. It turns out that this phrase originally referred to women’s bangs. Theodore Roosevelt is credited with its first political use, in a 1913 speech.
Recommended for fans of Little Town on the Prairie:
Judith: The rest of the Little House series, especially These Happy Golden Years
Mary Grace: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Two are Better Than One and Louly by Carol Ryrie Brink
Deborah: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Other Rereading Our Childhood episodes:
Rereading Stuart Little by E.B. White
Rereading Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Rereading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout at rereadingourchildhood.buzzsprout.com and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms.
You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace at My Life 100 Years Ago.
This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.
Rereading Our Childhood 
Loved this. I grew up in Fargo ND in the late 50s and our 4th grader teacher read us this series. While most homesteaders in ND were Scandinavian, and not mentioned in the series, we did like seeing our region depicted in literature. I especially liked the struggles Laura felt to manage her temper. Somehow I remember it when she had to sew shirt colors!
I also loved Farmer Boy, albout Almanzo’s upstate NY upbringing.
Another favorite series – even more fun than the Wilder books, is Betsy Tacy. These friends grow up in Mankato MN and the book traces Betsy’s life until marriage. VIctorian times, very delightful. HOpe you will feature it! There is an active Betsy Tacy Society.
I also, as a Jewish girl – a tiny minority – loved All of a Kind Family. Great series, about immigrant life in NYC. Probably cleaned up considerably from the real experience!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your comments, Betsy! It’s interesting to hear your North Dakota perspective.
Laura sewing the shirt collars made an impression on me too. I’ve read a couple of memoirs by Lower East Side garment workers , and I was surprised to see Laura doing this grueling work.
We’re planning to do an episode on All of a Kind Family, and Betsy-Tacy is a great idea too.
Mary Grace
LikeLike