The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder

August 1, 2017

Readers who fondly remember Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books will delight in this biography from McDowell, who teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, which examines the natural world from Wilder's point of view. Moving from the big woods of Pepin, WI, to the De Smet prairie in Dakota Territory to Wilder's adult home at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, MO, as well as numerous other locations in between, McDowell follows the beloved author from childhood, when she explored and chronicled plants and animals, both wild and domestic. A chapter describes the New York boyhood of Wilder's husband, Almanzo. Charming line drawings along with both color and black-and-white photographs lavishly illustrate the lives and surroundings of the Wilders and their daughter, Rose, as they settled and farmed land in wildly different landscapes. An appendix lists the plants that Laura knew and grew and identifies the books in which they are mentioned. VERDICT A well-researched, beautifully illustrated title that entwines the natural world depicted in Wilder's books with her life as a settler, farmer, and writer.--Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
McDowell (Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life) commemorates the 150th birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) with a captivating look at the beloved Little House on the Prairie author’s relationship with nature. Mining her subject’s novels and memoir for insights, McDowell traces Wilder’s interest in wildlife to the beginning of her childhood in the Wisconsin woods—the setting for her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods—and then follows the chronology of the autobiographical Little House novels, providing a historical account of each book’s setting. In describing the ecosystems along the prairies, McDowell catalogues the various wildflowers that Wilder likely encountered when her family traveled across country. Maps, illustrations (including the beloved Garth Williams drawings from Wilder’s books), and photographs add a touch of nostalgia and aid readers in identifying the plants and geography described. McDowell’s warm descriptions of the author, her times, and the plants she loved provide a wonderful companion to Wilder’s books, while instructions on growing a Little House–inspired garden add an interactive component. Gardeners, botanists, and fans of Wilder will love this book. Color illus.

August 1, 2017
Laura Ingalls Wilder's famous Little House books are notable for their richly realized settings. And it is those settingsthe natural world that informs the Little House booksthat provide the subject of McDowell's own book. The author visits each of the places that inspired the eight books, giving the reader not only biographical material but also a careful examination of the fauna and, especially, the flora of each location. In the second part of her book, she offers suggestions for a tour of the Wilder gardens and tips for growing a Wilder garden, including a multipage inventory of plants that Wilder knew and grew. The book is pleasantly written, with the occasional nice turn of phrase: acorns, with their concentrated energy, are a sort of Red Bull for tree sprouts. It is also lavishly illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps, and, notably, a selection of Helen Sewell's and Garth Williams' illustrations from the Little House books. Though not for every reader, the book is a feast of opportunity for dedicated Wilder fans and enthusiastic gardeners everywhere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)