Guide Note

Little House on the Prairie is the most popular book in the Little House Series by American frontier-era author Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was released in 1935, and the publisher Harper & Brothers have continusely printed the series due to high demand. The series was adapted as a popular television series, an animated film, and several television movies and mini-series.

Fast Facts

1. Book published in 1935
2. TV series: 1974 to 1983
3. Story takes place in the Midwest

The autobiographical book Little House on the Prairie was written through the eyes of Laura Ingalls, a child on a journey with her family migrating west and the trials and tribulations on the way. She details the events of meeting the Indians for the first time, sickness, homesteading, and the government stepping in to evict them from their property.

The show was picked up by NBC and broadcast nationwide on September 11, 1974. Fans of the show complained of the gaping holes in the storyline, but the show remained at the top of the ratings. Melissa Gilbert played the part of the little girl Laura Ingalls. Her father Charles Phillip Ingalls was played by Michael Landon, her mother Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls by Karen Grassle, and her sister Mary was played by Melissa Sue Anderson.

1. "Home is the nicest word there is" - Laura
2. "Hard working folks only smell bad to people who have nothing better than stick their noses in the air! Well, whenever you stick your nose in the air with me, Nellie Oleson, it's going to get punched!" - Laura speaking to Nellie Olson
3. "Life sure is a lot easier when you don't like boys!" - Laura