A Little House Birthday

My First Little House Books

by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Doris Ettlinger (Illustrator)

In the Big Woods of Wisconsin, the members of the Ingalls family join together to enjoy Laura's fifth birthday, a celebration that includes special presents and merry music.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Classics, Read For School

40 pages, Library Binding

First published September 26, 1997

About the author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was an American author, journalist, and educator whose "Little House" series transformed the arduous reality of the American frontier into a foundational pillar of children's literature. Born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, Laura’s childhood was a nomadic journey through the heart of a shifting nation. Her family moved across Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakota Territory—often staying just ahead of legal evictions or chasing the promise of fertile soil. These years were marked by extreme hardship, including the "Hard Winter" of 1880–81 in De Smet, South Dakota, where the family survived near-starvation. Despite the struggle, these experiences provided the raw material for her eight-volume record of pioneer life, a series that has since been translated into over forty languages.
Before becoming a world-renowned novelist in her sixties, Wilder lived several distinct lives. At fifteen, she became a teacher in one-room prairie schools, a job she took primarily to support her family financially. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder, beginning a partnership that endured fire, paralysis from diphtheria, and the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. These trials eventually led them to Mansfield, Missouri, where they established Rocky Ridge Farm. It was here that Laura developed her voice as a professional writer, serving as a columnist and editor for the Missouri Ruralist for over a decade.
The Great Depression and the 1929 stock market crash wiped out the Wilders’ savings, providing the ultimate catalyst for Laura to pen her memoirs. Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane—a successful author in her own right—encouraged her mother to adapt her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, into a format more suitable for children. This resulted in a complex and often rocky literary collaboration; while Lane provided the professional "style," Wilder provided the "substance" and narrative heart. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was sixty-five.
Wilder’s legacy is a blend of immense literary success and modern historical scrutiny. While her books remain staples in classrooms for their vivid descriptions of 19th-century domestic life, her portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans have led to recent reevaluations. In 2018, the American Library Association renamed the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" to reflect these evolving cultural sensitivities. Nonetheless, Wilder remains a monumental figure in American letters, a woman who successfully "saved the American soul" by documenting the grit, faith, and unyielding persistence of the pioneer spirit.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The winter seemed long, and Laura and Mary began to be tired of staying always in the house. Especially on Sundays, the time went so slowly."

This story begins with the family's weekend routine. Every Sunday was bath day for the girls, followed by quiet time on Sunday - even though Laura often struggled with it.

"Laura and Mary dressed in their best clothes with fresh ribbons in their hair. On Sundays they could not run or shout or be noisy. They must sit quietly and listen..."

When Laura could no longer bear it, she begins to run and play - only to quickly be corrected by Pa and the promise of a story. But after Sunday came a wonderful day - Laura's 5th Birthday!

Laura's celebration lasted all day - with special tiny cakes, a dress for her doll (Charlotte), and even a little figure whittled by Pa.

"So they went laughing to bed and lay listening to Pa and the fiddle singing. It had been a happy birthday in the little house in the Big Woods."

Ahhh, what a wonderful tale.

This book initially threw me because...well...A Little House Birthday has almost a third of the book focusing on Sundays and the various ways they were dissatisfactory to Laura.

I did like seeing what their routine was like back in the day and learning how their Sundays may be different from my own.

That being said, as I child I was fully in Laura's corner. How dare the children have to be quiet and speak softly on Sunday! But as an adult, I empathize with Ma. All week, things were chaos in the Ingalls household and Sunday was the day of REST!

The birthday bits were really fun to read - it's always so interesting to see how birthday celebrations have changed over the years, especially from Laura's time to ours. I thought her presents were rather sweet - especially the new dress sewn by Mary for the Charlotte-Doll.

Overall, this was a lovely addition to the Little House Picture Books!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am torn when it comes to this newish Little House series. On the one hand, I am a champion of tradition and the original series holds such a fond place in both my memory and heart that I am instantly leery of any knock-off. On the other hand, there remains the possibility that these books will introduce a young generation to Laura and her adventures and that this positive association will lead the child to investigate the original series on her own (yes, I know boys may like these too but, come on, let's be real, the majority of the readers will be young girls.) Nonetheless, I maintain the argument that children can be read to at a higher level than they are able to read and, thus, there is no need for an abbreviated, watered-down version. After all, aren't Clif's Notes for students who either didn't have the time or make the time to read the text? My musings aside, this particular story only earns a so so accompanied by a shrug, "It's okay."
My suggestion would be to read aloud to kids from the real Little House series and give them these to peruse on their own time. I know I always like to carry around a book with me and these illustrated versions make wonderful carrying companions.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of several books in a series titled "My first little house". A single episode from "Little House in the Books" is illustrated as a picture book for younger children. The stories are classic and the drawings are well done, but the books fall rather flat when they are read to real live pre-schoolers. I think the difficulty is that children who are too young for the original books are too young to have a sophisticated enough sense of time to appreciate even simple historical fiction. Wait a year or two and read the original together.

ETA: I was wrong. My youngest niece, Willa (5) discovered these books on her own at the library as she was turning 4 and fell in love. They were the perfect gateway to both imaginative play as Laura and now she's enthralled with the originals.

[Lisa Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never realized that this collection of My First Little House Books existed. This is a wonderful example of historical fiction meant for younger children. The Little House series was always fascinating not only to me, but also to my Mother. We loved watching the series and reading the books when I was older. It was a pleasure to introduce something that I loved as a child to my son, who is five years old. He was fascinated with how they made bathwater and why Sundays were so quiet. By the end of the story, he was interested in getting a fiddle for himself. This was a lovely story that boys and girls alike would enjoy. The illustrations were charming and showcased the love between the family. I would recommend this book to parents and to educators.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter loves this book, but I find it really frustrating that so much of it is about how awful Sundays are rather than inserting something else into the storyline. I know that that's how the original books are written, but I think it skews the perspective when half of the birthday book is about how lame Sundays are. I skipped those parts every time I read this to my daughter and was relieved when we gave it back to the library so that I wouldn't have to remember to skip the "Sundays were so boring" parts anymore.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet rendition of Laura's birthday in the Big Woods. I hadn't realized Renée Graef didn't illustrate all of these books. This one was done by Doris Ettlinger, who captured Graef's style (and Garth Williams's, in the chain of things) quite well.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/13/18 Read with the GTC kids
7/22/20 Read with Julia

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only one in the picture-book series I don't really like, this book's title is a bit misleading. Most of the story is about how miserably boring Sundays are and how the girls have to sit quietly all day. The text even mentions what a relief it is that Sunday wouldn't come again for a whole week.

It is a shame that historically, the Lord's Day became the customary dreary day of no-fun-allowed and multiple long services in uncomfortable buildings. This is difficult to read about but interesting nonetheless, and for sure a topic that was included in the Little House books. I just wish it needn't have been the focus of this particular story, which is aimed at small children and is introducing the questionable idea that Sundays are inherently rotten. Besides, it took up so much of the story that the birthday (which came on Monday) seemed out of place, as if it was tacked on at the end as an afterthought. Not the best execution, unfortunately.

The pictures, however, are lovely, as usual!

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Little House Birthday (My First Little House Books) / adapted from The Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Doris Ettlinger -- New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c1997. (32 pages)

SUMMARY: Couped up in the cabin for several winter days, Laura is running out of things to do. And then a special day comes when Pa tells here today is her birthday and the whole family celebrates.

REVIEW: A simple adaptation of events from Laura Ingalls Wilder's biographical books. The illustrations by Doris Ettlinger is very reminiscent of the one's created by Garth Willams in the classic longer versions. I enjoyed them, but I think they make a better supplement to the original story that can be read aloud to younger children.

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one is weird. After the classic introduction about Laura and who she lives with, there are five whole pages about slow Sundays. First they must bathe to get ready for Sunday, then sit quietly all Sunday long. "One Sunday Laura could not bear it any longer, and she began to play with Jack and run and shout." Spoiler* she gets told to sit quietly in her chair. Then she starts crying and pa tells her a story. Then she falls asleep listening to "Sunday hymns" and wakes up on Monday and "Sunday would not come again for a whole week." Oh, and then it's Laura's birthday.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the Little House books, and these "First Little House Books" are so charming. I can imagine that they would be a good introduction to the classic series for those readers who haven't quite made it to chapter books yet. Besides that, the illustrations are warm and comforting. Overall, an enjoyable read!

[J.]

AR 3.6

[Kathryn Chipchase · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite in this series. Sundays were boring days for Laura Ingalls so they are not put in a great light

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to introduce young readers to the Little House books.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every child should have the Little House books in their personal collection. I love the illustrations!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read Little House on the Prairie to our girls yet, so I thought I would read some of the books in this series of picture books first to introduce them to the story. They enjoyed the pictures and the story is short and sweet. It's a nice story to read at bedtime. We've read this one a couple of times.

[Kim♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much to my delight, my boys who are five and two absolutely love these books! The "My First Little House" series takes stories out of the original little house books and illustrates them beautifully. My boys love to point out each family member and my five year old asks lots of questions. These books have become a wonderful way to introduce history and "the simple life" to my little ones. These books have great family values. :)

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I adore Little House. Of course. They have a special place for me. I love that they have adapted some of the stories into picture books. But this one seemed to lose a bit of the charm. It wasn't all about how special the birthday was. The Sunday bit seemed a bit odd to have in there. Maybe it was supposed to show how special her celebration was. I don't know. But it isn't quite what I was hoping for in a birthday-theme book.

[Meadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a great love of all things 'Little House' so when I saw this at the library book sale I had to have it. Hazel also loves it, and we have read this story many, many times. She is well on her way to being another Little House girl. The pictures are cute, the story is not too wordy, but not too short either.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled when my son brought this home as his school library book pick for the week, as I am in the midst of re-reading the original series myself. We enjoyed this together and it sparked a discussion about life before TV, video games, electricity, and running water.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:
All the books in this series are beautiful.
Great intro to pioneer life, but may not connect to preschoolers with no frame of reference.
Son read them after he first learned to read.
Excerpted from Wilder's actual books.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple but joyful birthday for little Laura in the Big woods shows us what a 5th birthday must have been like. Family, hand made gifts that were sewn or whittled and yummy homemade treats. A humbling yet meaningful experience is described by Laura Inglills Wilder.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in this series. It is absolutely beautifully done. The stories are smaller bits from the main series of books, and they are some of the best parts of the main books.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

picture resource of the little house on the prairie one small chapter

[Giovanni]

It was a good book interesting for a little book like this.
Its great for kids its half a point and i know that's a little bit of points but its good.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Laura's - both with birthdays in the first week of February? We got pretty excited about that over here!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these first step books to the Little House series. In this one, Laura celebrates her fifth birthday. Very simple illustrations to compliment the story.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in the series for our shelves! The young kids really seem to enjoy these tales even though there's not much to them. Nice intro to American history.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read!