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Laura Ingalls Wilder

ローラ・イングルス・ワイルダー

Rōra Ingurusu Wairudā

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1867-02-07 （Pepin County, Wisconsin, U.S. (Big Woods)）
Died
1957-02-10 （Mansfield, Missouri, U.S.） age 90
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Pepin / Big Woods, Wisconsin → Independence area, Kansas → Walnut Grove, Minnesota → Burr Oak, Iowa → De Smet, Dakota Territory / South Dakota → Mansfield, Missouri (Rocky Ridge Farm)

Career

Occupations
writer, teacher, journalist, family farmer
Active Years
1911-1957
Influenced By
Charles Ingalls (father), Rose Wilder Lane (daughter and editorial collaborator)
Influenced
Children's authors influenced by frontier/family narratives

Education

High school in De Smet (attended)
Period: 1880s（在学・中途退学）
Country: United States
Attended high school but did not graduate; obtained teaching certificates and taught one-room schools in her teens.

Awards

Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (first recipient)
1954
Organization: American Library Association (ALA) / Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Result: 受賞
Newbery Medal (Honor/runner-up)
1938
Work: On the Banks of Plum Creek
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 準入賞
Newbery Medal (Honor/runner-up)
1939
Work: By the Shores of Silver Lake
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 準入賞
Newbery Medal (Honor/runner-up)
1940
Work: The Long Winter
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 準入賞
Newbery Medal (Honor/runner-up)
1941
Work: Little Town on the Prairie
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 準入賞
Newbery Medal (Honor/runner-up)
1944
Work: These Happy Golden Years
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 準入賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Little House in the Big Woods

1932 Children's literature / historical fiction 256 pages

A semi-autobiographical children's book based on her childhood in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, depicting family life and seasonal rural routines.

pioneer lifefamilyliving with nature
Translations
  • Little House in the Big Woods (Japanese translation title)

Farmer Boy

1933 Children's literature / autobiographical elements 288 pages

Focuses on Almanzo Wilder's childhood and rural farm life, detailing agricultural work and family upbringing.

rural lifecoming of age

Little House on the Prairie

1935 Children's literature / historical fiction 320 pages

Depicts life on the Kansas prairie, focusing on the family's travels and encounters on the frontier.

migrationfamilyhardships of pioneering
Adaptations
  • [television] Little House on the Prairie (TV series) / Michael Landon（出演・制作で主要な役割） (1974)
  • [anime] Laura, The Prairie Girl (Japanese anime) / 不明/複数 (1975)
Translations
  • Little House on the Prairie (Japanese translation title)

On the Banks of Plum Creek

1937 Children's literature 240 pages

Follows the family's life in Minnesota, portraying floods, farm work, and daily experiences.

natural challengesfamily resilience

By the Shores of Silver Lake

1939 Children's literature 256 pages

Set in Dakota Territory, covers the family's new life and events surrounding railroad construction.

settlementmodernization

The Long Winter

1940 Children's literature 288 pages

Depicts the severe winter of 1880–81 in Dakota Territory, focusing on settlers' struggle against cold and scarcity.

survivalcommunity

Little Town on the Prairie

1941 Children's literature 272 pages

Centers on town life in De Smet, school experiences, and evolving family relationships.

communitygrowing up

These Happy Golden Years

1943 Children's literature 304 pages

Covers Laura's adolescence, early teaching career, and courtship leading to marriage with Almanzo.

youthmarriage

Bibliography

  • Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
  • Farmer Boy (1933)
  • Little House on the Prairie (1935)
  • On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
  • By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)
  • The Long Winter (1940)
  • Little Town on the Prairie (1941)
  • These Happy Golden Years (1943)
  • The First Four Years (posthumous, 1971)
  • Pioneer Girl (autobiographical manuscript; annotated edition 2014)
  • On the Way Home (diary, published 1962)

Adaptations

  • TV series 'Little House on the Prairie' (1974–1984)
  • Japanese anime 'Laura, The Prairie Girl' (1975–1976)
  • Little House on the Prairie (musical, 2008–2010)

Translations of Works

  • Japanese translations of the Little House books
  • Works translated into over 40 languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
plain, clear narrative voiceautobiographical material adapted for childrendetailed depiction of seasons and daily life
Recurring Motifs
family cohesionpioneering and self-reliancecoexistence with natureovercoming adversity

Health

  • diabetes / cardiac problems (late life)
    1956–1957
    Decline in health during late life; contributed to hospitalization and death in 1957.

Legacy

The Little House series became a classic of children's literature, inspiring museums, screen and stage adaptations, and broad translations. The books' portrayals of Native Americans and race have generated debate, leading to controversies such as renaming of honors.

Museums

  • Laura Ingalls Wilder House and Museum (Rocky Ridge Farm, Mansfield) Mansfield, Missouri, U.S.
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum (Pepin) Pepin, Wisconsin, U.S.
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum (Walnut Grove) Walnut Grove, Minnesota, U.S.

Archives

  • Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum (Laura Ingalls Wilder papers / archives)
  • Mansfield public library / local archives

In Popular Culture

  • TV series 'Little House on the Prairie' and related films, stage productions, anime
  • Google Doodle commemorating her 148th birthday (2015)

Quotes

  • Home is the nicest word there is.
    Source: Attributed in interviews/works and public quotations

Trivia

  • The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal was created in 1954 in her honor and she was the first recipient (renamed in 2018 to the Children's Literature Legacy Award).
  • A Google Doodle marked her 148th birthday in 2015.
  • There is scholarly debate about the extent of editorial/authorial collaboration with her daughter Rose Wilder Lane.