For example, she becomes obsessed with seeing a little papoose (an Indian baby) and when she finally sees one - she quickly realizes that seeing one was not enough. Some of Laura's realizations and desires seem so out-of-wack for a children's book. They settle in Indian Country and we get a not-quite-politically-correct six-year-old's point of view. The Ingalls struggle to carve out a life for themselves while still celebrating the small accomplishments and triumphs of prairie life. Laura and her family left behind their little cabin in Wisconsin and set off for new lands and new adventures. There the wild animals wandered and fed as though they were in a pasture that stretched much farther than a man could see, and there were no settlers.
In the West the land was level, and there were no trees.
One of my favorite aspects about this series is that Wilder writes these novels in such a way that I feel like I lived through them.
I get hugely nostalgic for every time I read the Little House books. There the wild animals wandered and fed as though they were in a pasture that stretched much farther than a “There's no great loss without some small gain.” If only we lived and loved in Laura's time. “There's no great loss without some small gain.” If only we lived and loved in Laura's time.