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5/5 Papooses

(A Papoose is an indian (Native American) baby, and Laura is obsessed with them in this book.)

What is it about?

Laura’s Papa has decided the Big Woods are getting too crowded and the neighbors are scaring away all the game and wild animals. It’s time to move and he has heard from the government that the Indian territory west of the Mississippi will soon be open for settlement. They load all of their belongings into a wagon and set off on their way.

Was it good?

This is a children’s book, but it is entertaining and fascinating. Never have I been so enthralled by flooding rivers or indian war-cries. Everything in this book feels so important, and Laura’s descriptions are educational as well as interesting.

She includes a lot of details that a child might gloss over, but that I found especially fascinating. For example, when her Pa builds their log house she describes all of the steps involved and which tools he uses so you get really good understanding for how hard he had to work and what a clever and resourceful guy he was. Everyone in this book is so resourceful.

When I was a little girl I found inspiration in Laura herself, but this time I was most impressed by the Ma and Pa characters. I mean, holy cow, I would never iron my kids clothes while traveling on a wagon for months. I don’t even know where my husband put the iron when we moved into this house nearly two years ago.

I loved this book as a little girl, and I love it now, still.

This is book 2 or 3 of the Little House series depending on whether or not you read her husband’s childhood story. I have not read it. It is my understanding that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote these stories based off of her own personal experiences, and that she is little Laura in the stories.