Little House on the Prairie (Little House, #3)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This is my umpteenth time reading this book, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did when I was a girl! There’s a simple charm to these stories of pioneer life that invites you in.

As always, Laura is my favorite character because she is spunky and brave and hilarious, while her sister Mary is prim and boring.

Pa is another favorite, because he is a musician, and because his funny and jovial ways remind me of my own father. Laura says that “Pa always laughed out loud and his laugh was like great bells ringing.” haha! Wonderful!

In this book, the Ingalls family is settling in Indian Territory, building a log cabin, digging a well, and plowing the land for fields of corn. But the Indians are close by and some of them are dangerous.

This book contains the most famous scene of the entire series, when Mr. Edwards swims across the raging creek to bring Laura and Mary Christmas gifts that he claims Santa Claus asked him to deliver. When I was a kid reading this, I never realized or thought about how the adults are reacting in the scene. I was focused on the children getting their gifts.

Now reading as an adult, I see it so differently, knowing the extent of the sacrifice Mr. Edwards had made and the danger he went through. “Pa shook Mr. Edwards’ hand, and shook it again. Pa and Ma and Mr. Edwards acted as if they were almost crying, Laura didn’t know why.”

The adults are overwhelmed by emotion at seeing their children so happy with their presents, and they are relieved that Christmas is not ruined. Is there anything more powerful for an adult than to see children happy at Christmas, knowing the sacrifice that it cost?

The author is brilliant at bringing an emotion to the forefront with very few words. I adore all these books!