Author Study By, Georgia

Little house in the big woods by: Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder Presentation by: Georgia Harrell Block: 4/8

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder She spent her childhood riding around in a covered wagon and heading west. She wrote a book series based on her real life childhood. The Ingalls family goes on many adventures and you get to go along with them. You really feel like you are in the part of the 1800’s.

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls She was the second out of five children. Her dad’s name was Charles Ingalls and mother’s name was Caroline Ingalls. Her sisters’ names were Grace Pearl, Carrie, and Mary (who went blind). She had a brother named Charles (who died when he was 9 months).

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder was born February 7, 1867 in Pepin, Wisconsin. As a child, she moved a lot. Laura was mainly self-taught and when she was 15, she got a teaching certificate. She married a farmer named Alamanzo Manly Wilder in 1885. They faced many hardships and tragedies. They moved to Missouri in the late 1890’s and she began to write about her childhood on the frontier. Her first book, “ Little House In The Big Woods” was published in 1932. She wrote nine books in the series, and the last one was in 1943. Laura died in 1957 at age 90.

She died 3 days after her 90th birthday.

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder Wrote the series Little House On the Prairie( 9 books ) Little House in the Big Woods Little House On The Prairie Farmer Boy On the Banks of Plum Creek By the Shores of Silver Lake The Long Winter Little Town on the Prairie These Happy Golden Years The First Four Years

Little House in the big woods Little House In The Big Woods is the first book out of many in a series. This book is the intro to all the Laura Ingalls books. It is my favorite book by this author. I like it a lot because it tells about real life in the 1800’s. Laura has many fun adventures, and I like the relationship she has with her family.

Main character In the book, Little House In The Big Woods, Laura is 4-5 years old. She lives in a log cabin with her Ma, Pa, and her sisters. Laura was a hard worker, doing many chores for her family. Laura was a happy and loving child, too! She was enthusiastic and always ready for adventure.

Important Minor Characters Pa (Laura’s dad) He works very hard, but also likes to have fun. He plays jokes on his family, tells stories, and he likes to play the fiddle. He calls Laura “Half Pint.” Ma (Laura’s mom) She is serious and works very hard. She is also very capable and loving to her family.

Important Minor Characters Mary (Laura’s older sister) She is two years older. She is a good rule follower and always helpful. Carrie (Laura’s little sister) She is just a baby. She loves to be sung to and played with. Jack (Their faithful dog) very, very, very loved by Laura.

Protagonist and Antagonist Protagonist- Laura Ingalls (main character) Antagonist- Winter in the woods of Wisconsin

Setting The book takes place in the early 1870’s in the wood of Wisconsin. Most of the action is in Laura’s log cabin and the unpopulated wild woods. Little House In The Big Woods’ setting does not change in this book.

point of view This book is written in third person point of view. It is limited through, because only Laura’s thoughts and actions are told - not the other characters.

Theme The major theme of Little House In The Big Woods is family. Laura’s family makes fun times out of hard work. They are loyal and always take care of each other. The love they have for each other is shown through their words and actions.

Mood For most of the book, Little House in the Big Woods, the mood is joyful. For example, many nights before bed, Pa plays his fiddle for the family. You can tell how much the family enjoys that special, happy time. A few times in the book the mood was frightening and suspenseful. An example of this was when a big, black, wild bear tried to kill the family’s pig.

Tone Laura Ingalls Wilder set the tone for her first Little House book as cheerful and playful. An example of this is when she wrote about the dance at Laura’s Grandpa’s house. Getting the whole family together to share fun and fellowship showed the love they had for each other.

Voice The voice in Little House in The Big Woods helps express the tone of the book. You can tell the author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, was completely connected to the stories she was sharing because she lived that life. Her tone is positive and loving.

Other Info One of the major conflicts in this book is Person Against Nature. Laura and her family are constantly battling the harsh winter, dealing with wild animals, and struggling to farm and hunt for food. The dialogue used shows the relationships between the characters. You can feel how much Pa loves Laura when he says, You’re only a little half-pint of cider!” From that point on, his nickname for Laura is “Half-Pint.” Throughout the book, Pa tells stories about his father, Laura’s Grandpa. These flashbacks usually have some sort of lesson in them for Laura to learn from.

Imagery Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote with a lot of imagery. For example, she described Laura’s uncle as “big and broad and walked with a swagger . He had bold, merry blue eyes.” In another part of the book she wrote, “the air sparkled.” Her words really paint a picture in your mind. An example of a metaphor in the book is a time when Pa was playing his fiddle while Laura was in bed and she wrote, “Laura began to float away on the music.” She also used personification. For example, “The trees seemed to be hurrying by on each side of the wagon.” Another example would be, “The trees shook their wet, black branches.” I love how she used vivid descriptions to help me feel like I was really there.

Compare & contrast Little House In The Big Woods Little House on the Prairie *They live in a log cabin with no windows. ,[object Object]

Laura got a rag doll for Christmas.*The log house has glass widows and doors. ,[object Object]

Laura got a tin cup and a shiny penny for Christmas*Laura and her family are in it. *Pa plays his fiddle and dances. * The tone for each book is cheerful and positive.

“Little House In The Big Woods” Going to town and Grandpa’s party They fought off bears and tried to make as much food as the can before the winter storm would hit. They made it safely through the long, harsh, cold, winter. 1870 Big woods of WI The family works together to prepare for the long winter. They end in summer time, their uncles were sure to visit. They were all happy.

“Little House On The Prairie” Dealing with strangers, native Americans, panthers, and wolves The Ingalls move away from everything they have and know to start a new beginning. Building a new house, planting crops, and dealing even more with the Native Americans. Jack their dog gets left behind on the shore. Late 1870’s Kansas Prairie They are traveling from WI to KS to find a new home. After building a house, planting a garden, and getting used to things they move, again, because they were on Native land. They end up going east to Missouri.

Review: by Brooke Mclaughlin Little House In The Big Woods is one of my favorite nonfiction books. I like this book because Laura Ingalls Wilder mad it so detailed that I felt like I was part of her story. In this story she explained how she went through some interesting times. Laura is a real pioneer girl and a superb writer. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with great adventure boiling inside them. By, Brooke

Author Study By, Georgia

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