The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pioneer Girl

by Megan Stine, Marcy Dunn Ramsey (Illustrator)

When Laura Ingalls Wilder was a little girl in the late 1800's, her family moved nine times in three years. The Wilders faced great hardships on the prairie. The crops they planted were destroyed by grasshoppers. Brutal snowstorms brought them close to starvation. But for Laura, who was born with her father's pioneer spirit, home wasn't a house--it was being with Ma, Pa, Mary, and baby Carrie. At the age of 65 she put pen to paper and wrote about memories. Through hard work and the help of her daughter, Rose, she became a successful author. The wonderful books she left behind tell the story of a rich life in the face of good times and bad.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, School, Family, Childrens

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

About the author

Megan Stine is the Editor-in-Chief of Real U Guides and the author of more than 100 books for young readers including Trauma-Rama, an etiquette book for teenagers published by Seventeen magazine, and several titles in a series based on the popular 1990’s television series Party of Five. A frequent writer of books in the enormously popular Mary-Kate and Ashley series, she is the best-selling author of Likes Me, Likes Me Not and Instant Boyfriend. She has worked with CBS and ABC in developing comedy and drama television pilots, and has written comedy material for a well-known radio personality in New York.

When she isn’t writing, she is a portrait and fine art photographer and a contributing photographer for the Real U series of guides.

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short biography of the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I recognized some of the stories mentioned, but there were some things I've never heard before or don't recall from other books. This had a timeline included in the back of the book of her life, also. I really enjoyed this one!

[Gloriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good, comprehensive biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although written for children, it was very interesting. I knew bits and pieces of the story from reading some of the books as a kid, but I'd never heard the whole thing from start to finish.

I'm definitely inspired to re-read the original Little House books now!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is from someone who read this book but has NOT read the Little House books yet. I'm familiar with their titles and the general idea of them which helped as I read this. I thought it was a clear introduction to Laura's early years and beautifully illustrated. So many illnesses that I'm grateful aren't part of life around me anymore. It touches on pioneer life but as it is a biography is obviously focused on Laura and mostly her immediate family.

[Caleb Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick little read with a basic timeline biography of Laura’s life.
While it mostly reiterated everything from the Little House novels, you did get the actual timeline of events and a few things that were left out of the novels. Definitely good for someone who wants a quick look at Laura’s whole story in a few pages.

[clubs · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this is a great starter book for readers interested in the life of laura ingalls wilder. other books have a bit more depth to them but this is a great for a quick overview and could be enjoyed by children and adults alike. it covers all the major events including why the little house series is written the way it is!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful summary of Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband Alamanzo, and daughter Rose. Fun read for a fan who has read her other books. I would suggest reading this first, as it gives a nice summary of her and what the rest of her books hold.

[Laken Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was basically a summery of all the little house books and the real life things that had happened to Laura and put in chronological order. It also tells details I had never known. I loved it. Definitely planning on making her gingerbread recipe in the back.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how you can give less than 5 stars about someone's life. If you're not interested, than don't read it. I love reading anything about Laura Ingalls Wilder, true Pioneer Girl. I've visited DE Smet 7 years ago, I hope to visit Rocku Ridge Farm sometime very soon.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful adaptation of Laura’s life told for younger readers. It is written much like the way LIW wrote the Little House books.

[Better Book Bureau · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this for my intermediate ESL class. Many of them were saddened and disappointed by how many tragic things happen in this book (no spoilers)! But there were some breaths of fresh air for them.

[Susie McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned more details about Laura's life in this book. It was interesting to discover how closely her books tracked her real life and how they deviated.

[Debra Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short recounting of laura Ingalls wilder's life.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short and concise biography of the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder. A timeline is included.

[Nicole Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet little biography about the Little House history. Can’t wait to read more.

[Mary L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography by Ramsey made me want to read a fuller story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life again. I think I did once after we had visited the museum and her home on Rocky Ridge.

[Lindsay Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice kids book on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It goes over her life, as a child depicted in the Little House books, as an adult raising her daughter, and as an older woman writing the books. My mom accidentally got this when trying to order Pioneer Girl. I went ahead and read it before I gave it away. The illustrations were done by Marci Dunn Ramsey, who worked with my sister in Chestertown, MD many years ago.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which was written in a similar style to Laura Ingalls Wilder's own books -- plain, simple storytelling. It tells the true timeline of her life, with more information about her writer daughter, Rose. I've owned this book for a long time, and I'm so glad I finally read it. A great back story for anyone, especially young people, who want to know more about Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Cws]

JAR5-Wil

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably read this in about 1993-94, best guess.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Random Goodwill find. Read it when I couldn't sleep. Nice summary of her life but it skips around, a lot.

[LIZ AMACHI]

I think this book its about the bigrafy for her.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a rating of three because it gave a lot of information, but was really easy to read. Even though it was easy to read I enjoyed reading it!

[Caroline Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly a child's book but a useful addition and woud be a good intro. to the other books.