Reviews of The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books

Do you remember the series of Little House® books by Laura Ingalls Wilder?Then, you will be interested in this new book.
While the Little House ® books are geared toward a juvenile audience, who may gloss over the natural landscape as they worry about the travails of the Ingalls family, the current book takes the time to “smell the roses” and details the numerous landscapes and plants that Laura recalls in her fictionalized memoirs.
Maybe you recall Laura’s doll Charlotte? Who knew that the doll’s features were painted with ink made from pokeweed, Phytolacca americana? And what were Laura’s husband’s techniques for a healthy apple orchard before the age of pesticides?
Filled with pictures, including original black and white photos and old newspaper clippings, this book is a combination of history and how- to for current gardeners who may want to grow some of plants that were common on the frontier of the Midwest including Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota.
The author, Marta McDowell, is a Horticulture and Landscape Design Instructor at New York Botanical Garden. The book is published in hardcover and is a great gift for any Little House ® fan.