In LOVE with Laura Ingalls Wilder

At the beginning of the summer, on a hunch, I gave Ellie the box set of The Little House on the Prairie Books, all 9 of them. I thought maybe she'd find an interest. Well, as a parent, you think that quite a bit. Always looking for things that might strike your child's fancy. Right? Unfortunately, if you looked in the closets of our house,
you would find...
barely worn dance shoes,
unread books
lonely leotards
and even a couple games that have never been played.

NOT THIS TIME.

The books became her obsession this summer. Every spare moment she had, she'd come beg me, "mommy, can I pllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaase go read my book?"

Hmmmm. Let me think. Engross yourself in a set of classic sequels, many of which have been named Newberry Honor books?

Delve into a multi-layered story that was dear to me as a child?
(though I didn't read the books, I LOVED the TV show)

Well.... OK.

So read them she did...
one by one soaking up the details of Laura's life.

From childhood to marriage and everything in between,

• Little House in the Big Woods
• Farmer Boy
• Little House on the Prairie
• 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

and by mid-August she had tearfully shut the last page.

Like a great movie you never want to end, so felt Ellie as her dear story came to a close.

Thank goodness my cousin Ronda came to the rescue.

They themselves had been on quite a summer Laura quest... visiting all the Laura Ingalls Wilder houses in America, traveling to places such as North Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri!!! Wow!

The last piece of their puzzle was the Little House on the Prairie in Independence, Kansas. Graciously, they asked Ellie to go with her cousin Ana, and here are Ellie's pics!Thanks Ronda and Cousin Ana for taking Ellie along on your trip!!Post Note: While at the library, looking for something else to grab her interest, the librarian told us about some books by Roger Lea MacBride. They are the fictional account of the life Rose Wilder, Laura's daughter. So, she's at it again. Waking up early so she can read before school, reading while eating breakfast, reading in the bathtub, reading with a tiny flashlight in bed at night. Poor girl, she can't help it. Her obsession with reading is a genetic trait!!