Christmas Stories

Little House Chapter Books: Laura #10

by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Heather Henson

Laura Ingalls and her family celebrate a series of pioneer Christmases by receiving visits from their family and friends, enjoying tasty things to eat, and exchanging homemade presents

Genres: Christmas, Middle Grade, Childrens, Holiday, Historical, Fiction

Library Binding

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was an American author, journalist, and educator whose "Little House" series transformed the arduous reality of the American frontier into a foundational pillar of children's literature. Born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, Laura’s childhood was a nomadic journey through the heart of a shifting nation. Her family moved across Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakota Territory—often staying just ahead of legal evictions or chasing the promise of fertile soil. These years were marked by extreme hardship, including the "Hard Winter" of 1880–81 in De Smet, South Dakota, where the family survived near-starvation. Despite the struggle, these experiences provided the raw material for her eight-volume record of pioneer life, a series that has since been translated into over forty languages.
Before becoming a world-renowned novelist in her sixties, Wilder lived several distinct lives. At fifteen, she became a teacher in one-room prairie schools, a job she took primarily to support her family financially. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder, beginning a partnership that endured fire, paralysis from diphtheria, and the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. These trials eventually led them to Mansfield, Missouri, where they established Rocky Ridge Farm. It was here that Laura developed her voice as a professional writer, serving as a columnist and editor for the Missouri Ruralist for over a decade.
The Great Depression and the 1929 stock market crash wiped out the Wilders’ savings, providing the ultimate catalyst for Laura to pen her memoirs. Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane—a successful author in her own right—encouraged her mother to adapt her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, into a format more suitable for children. This resulted in a complex and often rocky literary collaboration; while Lane provided the professional "style," Wilder provided the "substance" and narrative heart. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was sixty-five.
Wilder’s legacy is a blend of immense literary success and modern historical scrutiny. While her books remain staples in classrooms for their vivid descriptions of 19th-century domestic life, her portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans have led to recent reevaluations. In 2018, the American Library Association renamed the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" to reflect these evolving cultural sensitivities. Nonetheless, Wilder remains a monumental figure in American letters, a woman who successfully "saved the American soul" by documenting the grit, faith, and unyielding persistence of the pioneer spirit.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such precious sweet stories of Christmas on the prairies where simple things were enjoyed and family treasured. ❤️

[Sipz and Storiez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to collect more of the Little House Chapter Books series. They take the original novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and adapt some of our favorite stories for younger audiences. This one was delightful and it was great to revisit some of those Christmas stories from the series like "Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Clause" and "The Christmas Horses."

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant idea! Take some Christmas chapters from each of the Little House books and make a book for early readers.

This little volume contains the Ingalls Christmas from "Little House In the Big Woods," "Little House on the Prairie," "On the Banks of Plum Creek," and "By the Shores of Silver Lake." With each celebration we see how the little things meant so much. A new rag doll in a stocking -- Charlotte! Their very own tin cup. A package of Christmas candy. A new apron. And so much more.

If you have a new reader in your home, try this little series. They have been reillustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim. While I miss the familiar Garth Williams images, this new version is delightful.

After the Christmas season, I'll check out the other five books in the new series starting with The Adventures of Laura and Jack.

[Crystal ✬ Lost in Storyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas Stories features nine Christmas stories along with some fun Christmas-themed activities and an author introduction in the back of the book. It's been a while since I've read the original Little House books, but the reading level for this book felt similar to the original books. The only difference is that this book is smaller since it only includes select stories. This makes it more accessible to younger readers who would feel daunted by a larger chapter book.

That said, this book would make a great introduction for young readers to the Little House world. I'll be saving this one to enjoy with young readers during the Christmas holidays!

For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for younger readers, this easy to read chapter book features Christmas stories from Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Little House on the Prairie. Each Christmas is better than the last for Laura. As she grows up, celebrating Christmas takes on new meanings, and sometimes new places to live. No matter where they are, Christmas is most important being with her family. This is a wonderful new repacking of the book that features black and white illustrations through out the short book, along with some fun actives found at the back of the book, and a brief history of the author.

REVIEWED http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/2017/1...

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: I really enjoyed the Christmas parts in the full length novels of the original series, and this is a great way to condense them and make it easy for young readers to enjoy. I loved being able to revisit some of my favorite Christmases with Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary, Carrie and even Grace. This will be a great book to read with Munchkin over the holiday season and introduce him to their stories. It is also great that you don't have to read this series of chapter books in order as they take bits and pieces throughout the series on a common theme and puts them together. So each book is chronological and can be read on its own.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read-aloud. Having never read the full Little House series, I still enjoyed this. I think it was a little hard for my son to follow, because it was only selected stories and there wasn’t much time to get to know the characters. Overall, I liked it okay, but I didn’t love it. I know times were different when the books were written, but the sexism and some outdated ideas and language were a little too prevalent for me to want to read the rest of the series with my son.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"After dinner , Pa and Ma and Mr. Edwards sat by the fire and talked. Mary and Laura looked at their beautiful cakes and played with their pennies and drank water out of their new tin cups. Little by little, they licked their sticks of candy. That was a happy Christmas." 😍💛 This is why I love LHOP.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one with my youngest daughter. It's a compilation of the Christmas stories from the Little House books.

It was perfect for my 6 year old. The Little House books are too long for her, but we enjoyed the short little Christmas stories.

[Leah Agirlandaboy]

A re-read for me, and a first read for my 9yo. It’s nice to remind kids that once upon a time they might have expected nothing more from Santa than a shiny new penny and a tin cup to drink water out of.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this for the girls, as I am reading them the Little House series and I thought this would be fun for the holiday season. No Christmases with Almanzo and the illustrations are not the Garth Williams ones.

[Beth Hartnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone pulled out all the Christmas chapters from the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and put them in one slim volume ... sheer, maple syrup drizzled over snow fun! Will pop this into Johanna's stocking. :)

[kaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

because tis the season

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nine year old and I had some good conversations about how simple Christmas was back in Little House times and about expectations.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was feeling nostalgic

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girls loved having this as our readaloud! We read multiple chapters a night, and they so enjoyed hearing about Laura's Christmases.

[Ashley Beatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sweet daughter brought this home from school for me to read. She knows I loved these books as a kid. So nostalgic reading about their Christmases all over again 🤍

[Gmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 'Little House' collection, we walk with Laura through a few Christmas' spent with family and friends. We hear about the time that Christmas almost wasn't, if not for the fortuitous meeting of Mr. Edwards and Santa Claus. We learn the secret to getting what you REALLY want for Christmas (wish wish wish with all your might and get your family in on it too!). We even learn how small gestures of kindness and giving are returned tenfold in the blessings we ourselves receive.


**copy received for review

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice collection of Christmas' the Ingallas family celebrated through the series of the Little House books. I think it had three maybe four 'stories' of their Christmas celebrations. From the one in the Big Woods to the one during the Hard Winter. Nice to read them all gathered into one book. These are almost word for word from the book they came from so if you are one that doesn't like to repeat read something then this book wouldn't be for you, but if you don't mind rereading something and enjoy reading things pertaining to the time of year it currently is. This is a great book to read to remember what families did in the past when there wasn't any money or neighbors.

[Cws]

JEAR3-Wil

[Maya Poedji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngga ada kata lain kalo buat karya-nya Laura Ingals...bakalan dibabat abis begitu terima ditangan!
I adore her...

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet compilation of Christmas stories.

[Emily Beckett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new. Short stories from the other books.

[WSL Library]

x2

[Asma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is a little boring(on my first try),and a little fun,and I can't think of any more.

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of Christmas stories. it doesn't include when Laura is older, but only the Christmas stories from Big Woods through Silver Lake, I think. But it's perfect for a young reader.