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Summary
Summary
From the two-time Newbery Honor-winning author of Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods comes the biography of one of the most important figures in the history of children's literature: Laura Ingalls Wilder!
Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up during the pioneer days of America. To the delight of millions of readers, she spent her adulthood recounting her girlhood memories in the form of her the Little House series, including The Little House on the Prairie . This is the true story of her life, and how she came to be known as one of the most important children's book authors of all time.
About the Women of Our Time series:
International in scope, the Women of Our Time series of biographies cover a wide range of personalities in a variety fields. More than a history lesson, these books offer carefully documented life stories that will inform, inspire, and engage.
Author Notes
Patricia Reilly Giff was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 26, 1935. She knew she wanted to be a writer, even as a little girl. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Marymount College, a Master's of Arts from St. John's University, and a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra University.
After she graduated from college, she taught in the public schools in New York City until 1960 and then in the public schools in Elmont, New York from 1964 until 1971. She then became a reading consultant before finally, at the age of 40, deciding to write a book. She also worked as an educational consultant for Dell Yearling and Young Yearling Books and as an advisor and instructor to aspiring writers. Her first book, Today Was a Terrible Day, was published in 1980. She is the author of more than 100 children's books, as well as a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers.
Together with her husband, Giff opened "The Dinosaur's Paw," a children's bookstore named after one of her own stories. She is the author of the Polk Street School books. Lily's Crossing, about the homefront during World War II, was named a Newberry Honor Book by the American Library Association as well as an ALA Notable Book for Children. The novel also won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor. Her companion book to Lily's Crossing, Genevieve's War, won a 2018 Christopher Award. Pictures of Hollis Woods was also named a Newberry Honor Book and Nory Ryan's Song was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Patricia Reilly Giff died on June 22, 2021. She was 86.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6 A brief biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder that may interest readers of the ``Little House'' (Harper) books. Obviously, a short biography of the author of nine autobiographical novels can't give readers much new information about her life. However, Giff does explain that Wilder started writing at age 65, after being encouraged by her daughter, Rose, and describes her life with Almanzo, the birth and death of a son, and her writing for local newspapers. Information about the Laura Ingalls Wilder award is sketchy at best, not stating that the award was first presented to Wilder, and stating that it is given ``to a children's author whose books are wonderful and loved by children.'' Giff includes quotes and facts from the ``Little House'' books, and her biography of the author should appeal to Wilder's fans. Margaret C. Howell, Cameron Elementary School, Fairfax County, Va. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fans of Wilder's popular Little House books will want to turn to this biography to learn which parts of the stories actually happened. Beginning with the first book, set in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, Giff supplies the pertinent facts. Important events, she explains, such as the death of a baby brother and later, the death of Wilder's own child, were left out of the series. This spare account of Wilder's experiences has a reminiscent air; in an author's note, Giff says she wanted children to know ``how difficult some of the times in Wilder's life really were.'' To this end her book is sadder than some of Wilder's fiction. Even after 20 years of journalism, Wilder felt ``I didn't know how to write'' and was asked to revise the first book, issued in 1932 when she was 65. Ages 7-11. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6. Laura Ingalls Wilder, born February 7, 1867, was 63 years old when she pulled out a lined yellow pad and wrote, ``a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.'' Laura reached back in her mind as far as she could remember to tell children what it was like to be a child in America long ago. The success of Little House in the Big Woods, published in 1932, brought letters from children begging for more. Farmer Boy, tracing her husband Manly's boyhood in Malone, New York, followed. After her sister Mary became blind, from scarlet fever and a stroke, Laura strived to make word pictures to help Mary ``see,'' a skill she later used in her own writing. Through her stories Laura reflected on the events in her real life, setting the stage for each book in succession. As a biographer Giff conveys a sensitive, enlightening, affectionate, and respectful view of Laura, ``a girl full of mischief and courage and life.'' Some of the difficult times that Laura accepted and wrote about matter-of-factly are given additional insight by Giff, particularly the events surrounding The First Four Years. In this addition to the Women of Our Time series, the author provides dimension and insight into Laura Ingalls Wilder's life. Evocative gray-shaded drawings add a nice touch. PW. 813'.52 (B) Wilder, Laura Ingalls / Authors, American [CIP] 86-28202
