A Trip Down Memory Lane // On Our Bookshelves...

ONE FOR THEM AND ONE FOR ME...

Bare feet and bonnets run giggling around our garden, horses are ridden, milk is churned, babies are put to bed to the sound of fiddle music and folk songs. It's when I watch our children absorbed in independent, imaginative play that I know the girls have been won over by a particular book, hook, line and sinker.

And I can honestly say I am thrilled we have finally entered the world of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books together.

As an adult (as you'll see in a bit), these stories still totally capture my imagination. Perhaps its the memories of my own trips out to the mid-west in my teens, perhaps its the honesty and accuracy of the stories... perhaps its that deep down, we all dream of living in a little log cabin in the wild, making a life for ourselves and being completely self-sufficient.

But there is no doubt about it... Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura and Carie have captured my children's hearts as much as they did mine 25 years ago...

So here's whats on the bookshelf...


One for them... (or make that two...!)
Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls Wilder

We have whizzed through the first two books in the series, devouring a chapter a night and immersing ourselves, first in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, and now on the open prairies. As I read aloud to the children, sitting across from them, I can't help but sneak a look at their expressions now and again. You know a book has hit a cord when they feel what the protagonist feels. They have been laughing, grinning, clinging to each other right along with Laura and Mary, and truly, completely engaging with every chapter.

The books are based on the true life experiences of Laura Ingalls and her family and really do tell the story of a genuine frontier family. You can't help but be totally gripped by the beautiful scenery described, be amazed by the bravery and adventurous nature of the family, and be charmed by the tales of every day life... Both the ordinary and the exciting. All three of us girls are absolute loving it and I suspect, over the course of the summer, we'll go most of them if we keep up with our current hunger for reading them!

Of course, there is something very cute about your children wandering around in bonnets all day too...

One for me...
Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life
Pamela Smith Hill

But my children aren't the only ones gripped by Wilder fever! My parents returned from the USA this month with this gem for me. I guess they know really I'm just as obsessed as my girls are, but honestly, there is something just so appealing to me about this stripped back, simplicity of life. Yes, it was tough ... I realise that, but Laura speaks some real gems of wisdom, the kind that's only learned in trial and hardship, and I'm keeping a little book of quotes as I read this one.

I highly recommend this biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life!

Now I'm off to find my bonneted babies!

If you've written a post about what you, or your little people, have been reading recently, please join in with the Linky below and Carie (Space for the Butterflies), myself and Katie will pop round and take a look!

   

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