Little House in the Big Woods

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Of all the books in the Little House series, this is the one I’ve read the most often.  Many of you already know that I am a purist about starting a series at the beginning, so when I introduce the world of Little House to students, this is where I begin.  This series never held a place in my heart the way the Betsy-Tacy books did, but it’s still an important one that many adults remember fondly from childhood.  I’ve read Little House in the Big Woods aloud to first graders (who loved it!) and used it for Guided Reading lessons with third graders.  Interesting side note:  in all the years I taught Little House, many students continued with the series.  But only boys finished it.  There’s really a lot of fabulous frontier and pioneer stuff once you get past the fact that the main characters are female.

Interrupting this post to call attention to the comments where I was called out for my incredibly poor phrasing.  I did not at the time of the post, nor have I ever believed that books with female characters are something a reader needs to “get past”.  I do believe that by third grade, many boys have already been conditioned to believe that they will not enjoy a book with female characters or have experienced a situation that makes them believe they will somehow be thought less of for liking something that is perceived as girly.  In my conversations with boys about this series, I never once told them that they would like it in spite of the female characters.  I told them about the adventures and the pioneer life.  I chose not to edit this post to remove my poor wording because I felt the ensuing discussion had value and also to highlight how even people who consciously make an effort to not stigmatize gender in books can have momentary lapses.  And that this is something that should make us even more vigilant and careful when selecting our words.

This first book is set in the woods of Wisconsin and focuses largely on the small details of everyday life, especially the food.  But readers’ favorite parts usually include Pa’s stories and the few times the Ingalls family manages to get together with family, at Christmas and for a dance during the sugar snow.

Racism – Pa sings a song about an “old darkey”.  When I read the book aloud, I usually skip the song, but when working with independent readers, it’s important to address the language and tone of the song.  The best question I ever had from a student about this section was “Was the song racist, or was Pa racist because he was singing the song?”  After some discussion, the student decided that if you repeat racist things, you are probably at least a little racist yourself.  Obviously, how you approach this section is up to you, but I wanted to share just how thoughtfully third graders could approach the material if given some guidance.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – In the Bible Adam didn’t have to wear his best clothes on Sunday because he only had animal skins to wear.  Ma buys white cloth for underwear.
Profanity – None.  “gay” is used to mean happy, which may take some quick discussion for children used to the modern definition.  I would often cite Christmas carols (like Deck the Halls) to help them process the older usage.
Death, Violence and Gore – Father has a gun which he uses for hunting.  There is a very detailed description of how he cares for it and makes bullets.  Animals are killed and trapped for food.  A hog is butchered and Laura hates to hear it squeal.  A panther chases Laura’s grandfather and ultimate attacks a horse, ripping its skin with its claws.  It is shot and killed.  Pa’s toenail was torn off as he ran through the woods.  His father thrashes him with a switch for not following directions.  Grandpa and his brothers broke the Sabbath by sledding and their father “tanned their jackets.”  Laura is spanked on her birthday, but they are gentle spanks. In one of Pa’s songs he mentions laying someone in her tomb. Laura slaps Mary’s face.  Laura gets whipped with a strap.  A calf must be killed for cheese-making.  Another song of Pa’s talks about a man who starves because his wife has him eat the whey.  A boy is very badly stung by a swarm of yellow jackets.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Pa buys tobacco for his pipe. Men smoke pipes.
Frightening or Intense Things – Wolves wait outside and Laura knows they would eat little girls.  Laura’s aunt headed out to get water and her dog became vicious, growling, snarling and snapping.  Aunt Eliza says she though the dog was mad and would have shot him if she’d had a gun. The dog was actually protecting her from a large panther that would have killed her.  A bear gets into the yard and claws at the barn.