The First Four Years

Laura and Manly Wilder begin married life on their small prairie homestead with high hopes. The beautiful prairie world seems like a paradise; there are wildflowers in spring, wild geese in autumn, pony rides, and warm times together. But each year brings unforeseen disasters as well—storms destroy the crops; there is sickness, fire, and always unpaid debts. The first four years often prove heartbreaking for the Wilders. But they have each other, and their little daughter Rose, and a fierce determination to succeed.

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The "Little House" books tell the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life. She was born in 1867 in the little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin, and through the years she traveled with her family by covered wagon through Kansas, Minnesota, and finally the Dakota Territory, where she met and married Almanzo Wilder.

There was deprivation and hard work. Crops were ruined by storms and grasshopper plagues. But there were also the happy times of love and laughter, sleigh rides, holiday celebrations, and socials. These nine titles now in paperback bring the Ingalls family vividly alive and capture the best of the American pioneer spirit.

The illustrations by Garth Williams are the results of 10 years of research. Mr. Williams actually followed the path of the Ingalls family during the period 1870-1889. No wonder, then, that the pictures have a special quality for the children who have loved these stories through the years.