Collins, Carolyn Strom & Eriksson, Christina Wyss. Inside Laura’s Little House. The Little House on the Prairie Treasury. Illustrated by Garth Williams & Cathy Holly. HarperCollins, 2000. ISBN 0-06-029015-3. $24.89. 104 pp. * 3-6 NF Reviewed by AnnMarie Hamar Inside Laura’s Little House offers a vivid look at what life was like for young Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family in their Kansas prairie home. Collins and Eriksson start out with a brief biographical sketch of Laura. They explain the challenges facing people who chose to homestead a parcel of land, what they ate, how they dressed, and the activities they enjoyed. The authors have included a number of recipes, songs and crafts from the Little House time period that children and adults can do together. Readers can make Brown Sugar Christmas Cakes, sew a nightcap like Mary and Laura used to wear, or sing such traditional American folksongs as Oh, Susannah. The text is simple and easy to read. There are a few photographs of Laura hand her family, including her husband, Almanzo Wilder. Most of the illustrations are drawings that depict prairie life and activities related to it. Each of the craft activities is illustrated in a step-by-step fashion. I enjoyed this book tremendously. Readers who enjoy the Little House books will be happy to add this volume to their collection.
