“Give Them the Love of Reading “

By

Gerry Niskern

When our family moved to Phoenix in the summer of l942, I was overjoyed to learn that we were only about ten blocks from the Phoenix Carnegie Library on West Washington. An easy walk for a kid back then, even loaded down with a staggering stack of books. And of course, among those volumes was “The Little House in the Big Woods”, the first of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series.

Wilder’s first book was published in l942 and lucky for me, the Phoenix library carried it; and  all the rest of the mesmerizing stories of Wilder’s childhood as they were published.

Millions of young readers were enthralled with the true stories of the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains and the harshest experiences of homesteading families. She wrote about Indian attacks on the settlers, wolves stalking their cabin and swarms of Locasts that devoured their crops many times.

However, throughout all the Little House series, she told of her family’s love and devotion to each other. Her father’s violin music that entertained and entwined their family ties.

A new biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder was published this year called “Prairie Fires.” The author Caroline Fraser brings to life the unknown details of Wilder’s extraordinary life.

I knew My daughter had read the books, but I was surprised to learn that one of her brothers was familiar with the “Little House” sagas also. When I was describing the new Wilder bio, “Prairie Fires”, he said “my teacher read them to us in the second grade. I loved them.” He could have told me back then, but I guess seven year old boys don’t do that!

When my great-granddaughter was expected, my baby shower gift was a little boxed set of “Little House” books. I don’t know if she ever read them. I hope so.

My great-great-granddaughter is going on three and loves her books. I think she will be an early reader and guess what she will  receive for Christmas that year?