Biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder

The first biography of the Ingalls family was The Story of the Ingalls, published by William Anderson in 1967. Since then, Anderson has written a number of informative booklets about the Ingalls and Wilder families. All are available through the Ingalls-Wilder historical homesites/museums. This "Laura Ingalls Wilder Family Series" includes the following titles: (1) The Story of the Ingalls, (2) The Story of the Wilders, (3) Laura Wilder of Mansfield, (4) A Wilder in the West, (5) Laura's Rose: The Story of Rose Wilder Lane, (6) The Horn Book's Laura Ingalls Wilder, (7) The Iowa Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and (8) The Walnut Grove Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The booklets are from 32 to 50 pages in length and each covers a different aspect of Laura's life or that of relatives mentioned in the "Little House"® books. The Horn Book's Laura Ingalls Wilder is edited with an introduction by Anderson and contains reprints of articles that appeared in the December 1953 issue of Horn Book magazine. All booklets are richly enhanced by family photographs, drawings, and maps. Available at the heritage homesites and via mail order, these are "must have" publications that are also reasonably priced at only a few dollars each.

Juvenile Biographies by other authors, in order of publication:

Blair, Gwenda. Laura Ingalls Wilder. New York: Putman, 1981. ISBN 0-399-20953-0 --- 63 pages, lovely pencil illustrations throughout by Thomas B. Allen. Laura's story is told in a simple and straight-forward manner, from Indian Territory to the writing of the "Little House"® books.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up in the Little House. New York: Viking Kestrel, 1987. ISBN 0-14-032074-1 --- 'Women of Our Time' biography, illustrated by Eileen McKeating, 55 pages. Begins with Laura as an adult, remembering her childhood and how she came to write her series. Short and sweet, an  interesting perspective, and not the same old story.

Greene, Carol. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Author of the Little House Books. Chicago: Children's Press, 1990. ISBN 0-516-44212-0 --- A 'Rookie Biography', 46 pages, and an easy read that includes many color photographs and wonderful illustrations by Steve Dobson. Younger children who have heard  the "Little House"® books will enjoy seeing the real people, places, and items they know and love. Text is informative and nicely formatted. An eye-catching biography!

Stine, Megan. The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pioneer Girl. New York: Dell, 1992. ISBN 0-440-40578-5 --- A 'Dell Yearling Biography', illustrated by Marcy Dunn Ramsey. Includes historical timeline and Laura's gingerbread recipe. Retelling of the "Little House"® stories with bits from the unpublished Pioneer Girl manuscript.

Wheeler, Jill C. Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Tribute to the Young at Heart. Edina, Minnesota: Abdo & Daughters, 1992. ISBN 1-56239-115-1 --- The 'Young at Heart' series, 32 pages. Large black-and-white drawings and photographs, large text. Easy to read.

Glasscock, Sarah. Laura Ingalls Wilder: An Author's Story. Austin, Texas: Steck-Vaughn, 1998. ISBN 0-8172-7285-2 --- 'Pair-it' biography for beginning readers, 25 pages.

Wallner, Alexandra. Laura Ingalls Wilder. New York: Holiday House, 1997. ISBN 0-8234-1314-4 --- Beautiful book, 28 pages with simple,  yet colorful and richly detailed illustrations by Wallner. A great first biography to read aloud; sure to delight.

Wadsworth, Ginger. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 2000. ISBN 1-57505-432-X --- An 'On My Own Biography', 47 pages plus timeline, nice full-color illustrations by Shelly O. Haas. Easy reader beginning with Laura's family in Minnesota and containing just the basics.

Woods, Mae. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Medina, Minnesota: Abdo Publishing, 2000. ISBN 13: 978-1577651130, 24 pages. --- Intro, then eight double pages about Laura's life. Sepia photographs. Easy reader.

Walker, Pamela. Laura Ingalls Wilder. New York: Children's Press, a Division of Scholastic Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-516-23589-3 --- A 'Welcome to Reading' book, small size, 24 pages. Full-page historical and family photographs with simple text.

Ward, S. Meet Laura Ingalls Wilder. New York: PowerKids Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8239-5712-8 --- 'About the Author' biography, 24 pages. Artsy "scrapbook" format that concentrates on the visual rather than the informative: a coffee-table easy reader. Large photos and drawings combined with  multiple text sizes and fonts make it a visual experience. Commonly seen photographs, very basic information.

Raatma, Lucia. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Teacher and Author. Chicago: Ferguson Publishing Company, 2001. ISBN 0-89434-375-0

 Martinucci-Marsh, Licia. Laura: A Story about Laura Ingalls Wilder. New York: Scholastic, 2002. ISBN 0-439-35118-9 --- Early-reader storybook biography available only through school order, 16 pages. Very lovely illustrations by Craig Spearing on each page.

Mara, Wil. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Chicago: Children's Press, a Division of Scholastic Inc., 2003. --- 'Rookie Biography,' 31 pages. Photos and drawings to accompany simple text, but includes a few unsettling bits: conestoga wagon for covered wagon, photos and maps with text in error; also errors in fact.

Strudwick, Leslie. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Mankato, Minnesota: Weigl Publishers, Inc., 2003. ISBN 1-59036-027-3 --- 'My Favorite Writer' series, Well-written biography for younger children; includes information on how a book is published, plus information about the "Little House"® books themselves. Contains map, color photos, and information about HarperCollins spinoffs and "Little House on the Prairie" television show. Cover illustration of Laura is a bit scary, however.

Thompson, Pat. Pioneer Girl. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN  978-0-19-919540-0 --- 'Oxford Reading Tree True Stories,' 32 pages. Suggests a retelling of stories from the books as Laura told them to a young Rose. Basic mistakes (homestead laws, "state" instead of "territory", dates of events) throughout. Cartoon illustrations with a few historical photos (homesite photos -- look like copies of postcards to me, Ingalls family, Rose). Soft cover, definitely not worth the $8 cost.

Alter, Judy. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Pioneer and Author. Chanhassen, Minnesota: Child's World, 2004.  ISBN 1-59296-007-3 --- 'Our people' series, 32 pages. Well-written biography for younger children; only a couple of minor errors in fact. Contains glossary.

Armentrout, David and Patricia Armentrout. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Vero Beach, Florida: Rourke Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-58952-663-5 ---'Discover the life of an American legend' series, 24 pages. Full-page photos are facing two paragraphs of easy text on each page. Basic.

Parker, Christi E. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Huntington Beach, California: Teacher Created Materials, Inc., 2005. --- ISBN 0-7439-8910-4 --- 'Primary Source Readers,' 25 pages, paperback. Basic text with vocabulary words highlighted. A few errors in facts. Colorized photographs; some don't exactly depict what they are said to. Other bios are much better; this one not worth the $9 cost.

Patchett, Kaye. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Detroit, Michigan: KidHaven Press, a division of Thompson Gale, 2006. ISBN 0-7377-3159-1 --- 'Inventors and Creators' series, 48 pages. Author does not explain homesteads correctly at all. Lots of factual errors. Photographs identified incorrectly.

Berne, Emma Carlson. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Edina, Minnesota: Abdo Publishing Company, 2008. --- Uses Pioneer Girl manuscript (in error) as basis for "truths" when it differs from the "Little House"® books.

Biographies for older children and adults, in order of publication:

Zochert, Donald. Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Chicago: Henry Regenery, 1976. Now published in New York by Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-01636-2 --- 241 pages with 16 pages of family photos. Zochert relied heavily on the unpublished Pioneer Girl manuscript (often quoting Laura's passages word for word) and information from historical newspapers.

Spaeth, Janet. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1987.

Anderson, William. Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. Contains reproductions of ten Ingalls/Wilder family photographs. ISBN 0-06-020113-4. -- ISBN 0-06-020114-2 (lib. bdg.)

Miller, John E. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town: Where History & Literature Meet. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1994. --- Excellent history of  De Smet in the early years! Not only Ingalls and Wilder facts, but full of information about other De Smet "Little House"® characters as well.

Wadsworth, Ginger. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Storyteller of the Prairie. (Lerner Biographies) Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-8225-4950-6 --- An informative biography for older children, 128 pages richly peppered with family photographs (some of which have seldom been included in other books) , Garth Williams illustrations, historical photographs, and drawings. Retells the "Little House"® story of Laura's life and details up to when Wilder began her series. A worthwhile investment for the wide variety of facts it covers.

Miller, John E. Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 1998. --- Simply the best adult LIW biography available to date. Details about Laura's early years, but mainly focuses on Wilder's years in Mansfield, Missouri, from 1894 until her death in 1957. Covers not only the writing of the "Little House"® books, but Laura's other writings as well

Gormley, Beatrice. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Young Pioneer. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-689-83924-3 --- 'Childhood of Famous Americans' series, 221 pages, black-and-white illustrations by Meryl Henderson; widely available. An easy read, but numerous errors in factual information.

Ford, Carin T. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Real-Life Pioneer of the 'Little House' Books. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishing, Inc., 2003. ISBN 0-7660-2105-X. --- Although this bio has a bibliography, it still uses the same sources repeating the same mistakes. Uses Pioneer Girl manuscript, but it's not referenced, so it's not clear if this information was obtained second-hand.

Benge, Janet and Geoff Benge. Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Storybook Life. Lynnwood, Wisconsin: Emerald Books, 2005.  ISBN 1-932096-32-9 --- 'Heroes of History' series, 193 pages. No photographs, one map, bibliography. Uses Pioneer Girl manuscript details to tell the story of Laura's life in "storybook" form.

Hill, Pamela Smith. Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life. Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9777955-6-7, 244 pages. --- Relies heavily on Wilder's Pioneer Girl manuscript and letters between Wilder and Lane; content is limited about periods from which no letters survived.

Fellman, Anita Clair. Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8262-1803-2, 343 pages. --- Shows how the "Little House"® books have played a significant role in American culture.

Sickels, Amy. Laura Ingalls Wilder. New York: Chelsea House, 2008. ISBN 9-78079109526 --- 'Who Wrote That?' series, 126 pages, hardback. --- 9 chapters with some family photographs, bibliography, index, etc. Uses internet info and other biographies for information. Not an engaging design. Definitely not worth the $30 cost!

Stone, Tanya Lee. Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Photographic Story of a Life. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-4507-6, 128 pages. --- Lots of Ingalls-Wilder family photos and historical photos.

If you know of any biographies that should be included here, please let me know. For a list of books and articles by and about Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane, see the BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Copyright © 2009 by Nancy Cleaveland - All Rights Reserved. - Last update December 9, 2009.