William Anderson (1)Rezensionen

reviewed - Katrina

From "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" to "Doe, a deer, a female deer," many people have grown up humming the tunes or singing the lyrics to the songs from the beloved movie "The Sound of Music". But what is the real story behind the brave von Trapp family? "V is for von Trapp: A Musical Family Alphabet" gives a behind-the-headlines look at this real-life singing family made famous in the classic movie. Starting with their idyllic early life in Austria where their love of music and performing began, author William Anderson takes readers along on the family's courageous mountaintop escape from Nazi authorities to their new life in America and the famous von Trapp family lodge in the Vermont hills. Meet determined Maria, the dashing Captain, and their talented children; the famous von Trapps whose life story captivated thousands and continues to inspire with its legacy of hope and achievement.

If you’ve read and loved the Little House books, you’ll want to read this book full of photos and illustrations related to the life and stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The oversize paperback includes historic photos of Laura’s family including aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents; the different sites where she lived with her family; the interior of various homes as well as the furniture and other memorabilia including Pa’s fiddle and Ma’s china shepherdess.

Reading this book is especially rewarding for those who aren’t able to visit the museums and other sites in the various Midwest United States. I loved the origin story of this book: Japanese translator Yumiko Taniguchi introduced the Little House books to Japanese readers through her translated books. In 1987 she wrote to the author, William Anderson, a specialist in the subject of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her times, asking him to describe the land and places depicted in the series, so that Japanese fans could know about the rural beauty of the wide prairies and dense forests. He connected with a photographer and together they “gathered and described the most important aspects of what remains from Laura’s past and what is preserved for the future.” The result is this book.

I was surprised to see that this is published by Harper Perennial, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, because the look and layout of the book is quite unprofessional. The captions don’t always line up with the photos they are next to, and the photos and illustrations are arranged as if by an amateur desktop publisher (a do-it-yourself job).

Despite the nonprofessional look of the book, reading it will surely bring the Little House books to life, and would be a welcome addition to anyone wanting to revisit the pioneer life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It would also make a nice gift for any Little House fan, both young or young at heart.

Kind of disappointing, because the letters aren't allowed to stand on their own. Almost every one is introduced with context, often unnecessary; and worse, each one has a cutesy 'title' in italics which is a phrase excerpted from the letter. I trained myself quickly to ignore these titles. I've always found it annoying to read something in a pull-out, and then read the exact same words again.

The letters span her adult life and are chronological. It is sad to thus 'watch' her grow old.

No new revelations here for any serious fan.

I actually ordered this book by accident. I meant to buy the autobiography actually written by Wilder and published in 2014. The illustrations in this children's book are beautiful, so I didn't return it. I happily read it's concise re-telling of Wilder's story, tiding myself over until the annotated version of Wilder's original book arrives in the post.

This book would be perfect to read out loud to a class of elementary students. The pictures are beautiful and it tells the story of the Ingalls family moving here and there and finally settling in De Smet and Laura's marriage to Almanzo and their various moves until settling in Missouri. It summarizes their lives in about 32 pages,with beautiful full-color artwork. Lovely book!

I grew up in Kansas, so as a little girl I read Wilder's books as did all of my classmates. I remember we all wanted to be the first class that headed to the library to pick books on RIF day (do they still have RIF day in schools?? Or is that a thing of the past? I will have to look that up....) because we all wanted one of the Little House on the Prairie books. They went fast! We used to read them and then trade with each other. Back then, once a week, the television show with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert graced the screen. We all watched it. So, I grew up with these stories. I think that's why I keep coming back to re-read them. Growing up in Kansas with the freezing winters and blazing hot summers, the wheat and corn fields, we all imagined what it must have been like before modern farm machinery, cars, paved roads, modern medicine....before the land was settled. It must have been brutal, but hearing the stories from Wilder made her childhood seem magical. Still brutal, but with stretches of beautiful experience and adventure.

Amid the mess of Covid-19, the delivery of my annotated Pioneer Girl (Wilder's original biography that wasn't published until 2014) is delayed a bit. I eagerly await it's delivery, but I really enjoyed this awesome children's book while waiting. The artwork by Dan Andreasen is beautiful!!

I first read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder in grade school. Growing up in a small Kansas town, I loved reading stories of the prairie and pioneers. I remember imagining what it must have been like to travel in the back of a covered wagon, and to be a homesteading pioneer family. Many, many children (and adults) have happily had those same thoughts, ever since the first Little House book was published in the 1930's.

I remember several family vacations where we drove hours out of our way to visit Ingalls and Wilder family homestead sites and museums. It was always worth the drive. We would all gather around the displays and point out possessions we remembered from the books. Seeing photographs of the family was amazing as well. It made the pioneer era seem so close...and yet so far away. A time gone by, but remembered fondly.

I still love her books. Her writing is simple, but strong, conveying the strength, determination and love her family had for each other and the land.

William Anderson's biography of Laura shares details about her family, each of their home sites, facts about their friends and neighbors, and the challenges they faced. At 232 pages, the book is a quick read, telling the history of the Ingalls and Wilder families in a charming, informative way. There are several black and white photographs and illustrations as well. I enjoyed learning about Laura's later years writing magazine articles, newspaper columns and her books. That was a portion of her story that was new to me.

I enjoyed learning more about her childhood and young adult life as well. I had forgotten how many times Laura's family moved due to financial hardship, natural disaster or other reasons. It must have been hard to pick up and leave everything behind so many times. Reading about Laura's life definitely brought back all the warm feelings I have for this family. I spent many hours as a child reading their story, and it was nice to revisit old memories.

This book would be a great read for anyone who enjoys the Little House books, young and old. It's a quick read, but very well written and informative.

William Anderson has written several books about Laura Ingalls Wilder including The Little House Sampler and The Little House Guidebook. For more information on the author and his books, check out his website:

00005255

A good guide book and great pictures!

I really enjoyed reading this book because I am a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I grew up reading the Prairie books. This nonfiction biography of her is interesting because it gave many details that were also in the series. There were several things that we different. Such as the death of her baby brother and moving out of Wisconsin originally. I think this book was pretty much a summary of the series crammed into one. It was missing all of the elements of adventure that Laura was able to capture in her bookks.

Letters of beloved Little House on the Prairie author, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

This book tells the life of a pioneer girl called Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would like to use this book in my teaching, because students can learn spirit of this brave girl. Additionally, the illustrations are very good. This book is good for 1-2 graders to read.

This is worth buying.

This book deserves a place on the shelf beside the Little House series. It is a useful and beautiful complement to the text and illustrations of the books.

I have a confession: I didn't read the Little House books as a child. I did, however, watch reruns of the television series Little House on the Prairie starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. I fell in love with the characters of the series, especially Laura. I couldn't stand the insufferable Nellie. I loved watching the family through their good times and bad. It wasn't until I was a little older that I realized the television series was based on books. It wasn't until I had children of my own that I finally read Little House in the Big Woods.

I wanted to kick myself for not reading these books sooner. Not only are they wildly entertaining, they are also autobiographical. First published in 1932, the Little House books became an instant success among children across the world. Laura's childhood growing up in a pioneer family has entertained kids for decades.

The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder edited by William Anderson came out in March of 2016 and I couldn't wait to read it. For me, this wasn't a book to devour in one sitting. Instead, it was a book that I read a little at a time. Savoring it like a glass of wine. And I'm glad I did.

The letters in this book start in 1894 and span until 1956. They are addressed to her husband, daughter, publisher, and fans. Some letters tell day-to-day activities while others refer to the creating of Wilder's beloved series. A few of my favorite letters to read were written as Laura and her daughter traveled across the United States when the highways of America were still being built. It's hard for me to imagine that because in my lifetime they've always existed.

This is a book I highly recommend for fans of Little House, book or television series. It gives you a behind the scenes look at the publishing of her books and a glimpse inside the personal life of a literary icon. Not to mention, a fantastic glimpse into history. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2016/08/review-selected-letters-of-laura.html#R...

This story chronicles Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was a pioneer and her family had many adventures moving west. The story tells how she met Almanzo Wilder, they were married, they settled in Missouri, and had a daughter. This would be a great book to supplement the 4th grade pioneer social studies unit. Students could relate to her story because it is written from a child's perspective of what it was like to live through that time.

The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a must read for all who love the Little House on the Prairie books! It was such a pleasure to get to know Laura by her own words and I found the adult Laura to be just as charming, intelligent and witty as she described herself as she was portrayed as the little girl in the LHP books.

William Anderson has done a fantastic job of compiling the letters for this book and the necessary notes needed to help the reader understand a specific letter are short and to the point. I found they really help to enhance the reading experience and it in no way hinders it.

The book is divided into six different periods of Laura's life ~ The Farmer's Wife, The Emerging Writer, A New Enterprise, Star of the Children's Department, The Last Golden Years and The Author of Classics. The end result? A wonderful view into the person Laura Ingalls Wilder was as an adult and written by her own hand! I also gained a much better understanding of all that went into the process of Laura (and Rose's) creation of the LHP books.

I highly recommend this book and I give it a 5 STAR rating!

Thank You to Harper Publishing and Edelweiss for the gift of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful collection of personal, business and fan letters written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Each letter is prefaced by a short, insightful editorial with some background information. I’ve read everything written by Ms. Wilder and felt I knew much about her, but this book gave me an even better understanding of her life.

Included are letters to her husband, Almanzo, telling him of her travels, letters to her editors including her business dealings with them, heartfelt letters to fans and what I found to be the most interesting, letters to her daughter Rose as they collaborate on the writing of the Little House books. Some of the letters include stories that aren’t included in the Little House series that Laura sent to her daughter for possible use in Rose’s fictional novels. I found it fascinating to read of Laura’s thoughts on what to include and how to edit the portions of the books she had sent to Rose for review. There are even letters from Almanzo to Rose telling her some of his own stories and letters from Rose to Laura.

I hadn’t realized that the Little House series was the first multi-volume novel for children ever written. It has been a much loved series over the years and has entertained many children and adults. I read the whole series to my own daughter and now she’s reading them to her son.

This is a comprehensive collection of letters and is very well edited. It was a pleasure to spend time with Ms. Wilder and her family once again. Highly recommended for those who love Ms. Wilder’s work and for any history buff.

This book was given to me by the publisher through Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

Wonderful collection of items about the writer, Laural Ingalls Wilder. For someone who loves history, a keepsake and would make a lovely gift.
Curricular Connections:
*Must have resource if teaching or working with Little House on the Prairie series
*Use to understand Laura's perspective of her times, although she wrote about Native Americans, her books do not convey an accurate portrayal, this resource may allow readers to understand why.
*Discussion in writing about ways in which people communicated during her lifetime-letters, mail, telegrams

Nicely done! Good collection of photos and historical research into the locations and times of Little House on the Prairie.

This beautifully written biography allows you to dive deep into the life of Laura Wilder, the well-known author of the Little House books. Starting with her ancestry and progressing into her final years, it was clear that Anderson put a lot of thought into writing this book. The details provided give the reader a clearer picture of Laura, her family, and the pioneer days. The illustrations were also remarkable mementos of Wilder’s past, such as family photographs, letters, drawings, and her writing. As I was reading along, I enjoyed looking at the pictures provided and reading the short explanations about them. It allowed me to fully grasp the transformation that took place in America. As a child, Laura traveled across the country with her family in a covered wagon. Much later in her life, she and her husband, Almonzo, were able to purchase a car. It was amazing to see the progression of modernization throughout the book and the effects it had on a once, pioneer girl.

A bit long for bedtime but otherwise a fun read for Little House fans.

Historical Fiction
Biography

Sam Clemens is an adventurer, who is silly and occasionally a trouble-maker.
He is a writer for the newspaper.
He boards a steamboat and wrote about life. He took the author name of "Mark Twain".
Libraries are dedicated to Mark Twain

This is an biographical story about Laura Ingalls Wilder's life. The book is well illustrated showing a lot of graphic detail about the prairie life. The book takes her from about age 3 to the time of her death. She was a hard worker and a traveler. She was also a teacher of language arts at age 15 years old. In later life she married and had a daughter of her own. Her daughter was a world traveler. Then when she was much older she became a writer of describing her younger years on the pioneer. Her books became famous and known as the "Little House". Laura was very family oriented.

It was nice reading this and looking at all the pictures after reading the Little House series.

An introductory overview of Louisa's life, and the times she lived in, including interesting tidbits on her individual family members, her friendships, her writing life and publishing challenges. Filled with color (present day) photographs, historical photographs and illustrations from her works. Interspersed with Louisa's writings as well; an engaging and "largely visual documentary" ("Acknowledgments").