A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America
Gr. 5-8. This volume combines three Wilder travel diaries:On the Way Home,recounting the 1894 trip from South Dakota to Missouri, with husband Almanzo and daughter Rose;West from Home, featuring letters written by Laura to Almanzo during her 1915 solo visit to Rose in San Francisco; andThe Road Back, highlighting Laura's previously unpublished record of a 1931 trip with Almanzo to De Smet, South Dakota, and the Black Hills. The first twodiariesremain essentially unchanged, althoughWest from Homeomits the historical setting by Margot Patterson Doss and spreads the period photos throughout the text. Young readers may be surprised that these candid jottings, largely unedited, are not at all like the polished prose in the Little House books. Here Wilder fixates on the cost of goods and services, is quick to criticize, and isn't above telling her husband that his mountain driving is terrible. Despite such surprises, this offers an amazing look at a beloved author, as well as a fascinating account of travel before interstate highways and air-conditioning.Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.