Book Review of "Little House in the Big Woods"

Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

4.5 stars

Description: The Big Woods might be lonely, but it's never boring for young Laura and Mary Ingalls. There's housework to do, cheese-making, churning the butter, smoking the meat, and a thousand other chores to keep their house snug with food on the table. Unfortunately for Laura, she seems to hit a snag around every turn; it's so hard to be good, and Mary makes it look so easy! But despite the pretty pebbles that ruin her best dress and the disastrous argument over curls, Laura muddles through -- and in this tale, we follow the her family through fall harvesting, maple-sugaring, trips to town, and even as Ma slaps a bear (eeeek!). 

Concerns: One song lyric struck me as racially inappropriate.

Summary: Everybody has heard of the little Ingalls girls growing up in their log cabin, but how many know what a spunky character Laura really was? Aside from the fascinating anecdotes about life with no electricity, her story is hilarious to anybody familiar with cranky kids. Young Laura is no angel, and her memoirs don't sugarcoat her attitude or the spankings she so richly deserved! This isn't a suspenseful or action-packed read, but it is a lovely story and very engaging.