My love for historical fiction started when I was in elementary school. Some of my favorite books were the Little House series. I loved reading all of the stories about Laura and her family as she grew up in the Big Woods, on the Prairie, on the Banks of Plum Creek, and Along the Shores of Silver Lake. When I realized that these weren’t just fictional stories, that they were actually based on Laura’s life, I liked the books even more. I spent many hours playing outside, pretending to do chores or explore as Laura Ingalls had done. Laura Ingalls Wilder was a girl I looked up to for her hard working, high-spirited nature portrayed in her books.
Laura was a talented writer whose stories can take young readers back to a different time, but are still relevant to the things children face as they grow up. Besides her writing career, Laura spent some time being a teacher. Even as a young girl I always wanted to be a teacher, and I just loved reading about Laura’s teaching stories in Little Town on the Prairie. Even now that I have my own teaching certificate I often dream about going back in time to teach in a one-room school house like Miss Ingalls did.
Laura Ingalls Wilder is a great heroine because she graciously overcame so many hardships growing up on the prairie and was willing to share her stories with us through her writing.
-Hillary H.