There were two little calves in the barnyard, and seven little pigs with the mother hog in the pigpen. Sukey and Rosie, the cows, were turned loose in the woods now, to eat the wild grass and the juicy new leaves. Every day they made fresh leaf hats for Charlotte and Nettie, and they made little leaf cups and saucers to set on their table. Charlotte and Nettie, and the two little wooden men Pa had made, lived in the playhouse with them. Mary had a cracked saucer to play with, and Laura had a beautiful cup with only one big piece broken out of it. It was her swing because it was in her tree, but she had to be unselfish and let Mary swing in it whenever she wanted to. Pa made a swing of tough bark and hung it to a large, low branch of Laura’s tree. The green leaves were the roofs, and through them they could see bits of the blue sky. The soft grass made a green carpet for them. Mary’s playhouse was under Mary’s tree, and Laura’s playhouse was under Laura’s tree. They had playhouses under the two big oak trees in front of the house. Under the hems of their skirts their ankles and their feet were as brown as their faces. Next day they could run farther, and soon their shoes were oiled and put away and they ran barefoot all day long.Įvery night they had to wash their feet before they went to bed. At first they might only run out around the woodpile and back, in their bare feet.

Buttercups and violets, thimble flowers and tiny starry grassflowers were everywhere.Īs soon as the days were warm, Laura and Mary begged to be allowed to run barefoot.

The grass grew green again and the woods were full of wild flowers. Birds sang in the leafing hazel bushes along the crooked rail fence. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier history and a heartwarming, unforgettable story.After the sugar snow had gone, spring came. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep.Īnd so begins Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Told from four-year-old Laura's point-of-view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin.

The book that started it all! Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's treasured Little House series, which is based on her life growing up as an American pioneer.

Little house in the big woods house