(3) 4-6 Beginning with the birth of Laura's parents, this volume relates the events that affected the beloved author's life. Reproductions of black-and-white photographs and other memorabilia, such as newspaper clippings, letters, documents, and manuscript pages, overlap in scrapbook style. A visual treat for Little House fans, this edition contains a newly penned prologue by compiler Anderson to mark Wilder's 150th birthday. Timeline.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Charlotte's peripatetic mother moves her, twin Freddy, and their younger half-sister Rose to modern-day Walnut Grove, Minnesota, so she can write a book. Charlotte continually rebuffs their new life on the prairie, especially when she has to volunteer at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. While Charlotte's pessimism wears thin, her underlying insecurities are believable. Wilder fans should appreciate all the Little House references.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Zoom In on Amazing Authors series. This series, which aligns to Common Core Standards, offers beginning readers brief, humdrum introductions to the lives of five well-known children's book creators and one cartoonist (Schulz). While archival photographs add interest, generic stock photos unrelated to the authors or their work (especially in Mayer and Ryan) are less successful. Lists of quick stats and key dates are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Zoom In on Amazing Authors titles: Charles Schulz, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Maurice Sendak, Mercer Mayer, and Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. This biography will be of interest to young fans eager to know more about Wilder and how closely her own life was mirrored in the Little House books. The accessible text is well paired with genial illustrations that call to mind Lois Lenski's art. Devoted fans will appreciate the appended recipes (gingerbread, Johnnycakes, and homemade butter), games, and corn-husk doll instructions. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Williams imagines a new chapter in the life of the Wilder clan in her sequel to Farmer Boy. Almanzo and his family leave New York State for two years in Spring Valley, Minnesota. The readable story may seem familiar to fans of the series, but Almanzo continues to be an adventurous, horse-loving boy and time and place are vividly re-created.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(1) YA These three renowned mothers were born in 1867. Each had a child with whom she had a rocky early relationship that blossomed into mutual love and respect. The parallels remain implicit in these poetically realized lives; the thirty vignettes concerning each mother-daughter pair offer just a few telling facts, beautifully phrased and skillfully arranged. Portrait photos, introductions, and afterwords round out the stories. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(4) YA Who Wrote That? series. Formulaic but informative, these biographies of popular children's book authors examine each writer's life, including the inspiration behind some of their works. Each volume includes photographs and quotations from interviews, as well as descriptions of main characters and annotated lists of books and awards. Useful for aspiring authors as well as book report writers. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Who Wrote That? titles: Gail Carson Levine, Shel Silverstein, Laurence Yep, Pat Mora, Scott O'Dell, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Walter Dean Myers.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Willard imagines an episode not included in the Little House series: Mary's first months at the Iowa College for the Blind. Mary initially dislikes Mattie, a bitter, seemingly mean classmate. Mary changes her mind, though, when she learns the source of Mattie's unhappiness. The writing, appropriately homey, sometimes resorts to heavy-handed preaching about self-reliance and acceptance.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) YA Essential Lives series. This series offers serviceable if bland biographies of people famous in a variety of arenas. The writing is straightforward, and frequent sidebars help with historical context. Some photographs and archival materials also break up the pages. The volume on the one contemporary subject in this group (Jobs) is less assured than the others. There are six other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Lives titles: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Steve Jobs, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lucretia Mott, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 This book retells On the Banks of Plum Creek from Nellie Oleson's perspective. Readers get to know her a little bit before Laura Ingalls shows up partway through, giving stuck-up Nellie some depth and motivation for her actions. The writing pales in comparison to Wilder's, but Williams is creative in her weaving of this story with the original.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Little House: The Caroline Years series. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen. Seventeen-year-old Caroline wants to stay in her hometown of Concord, Wisconsin, to pursue a teaching career. So when she begins a courtship with her old neighbor, Charles Ingalls, who longs to move west, she faces a serious life-altering decision. The gentle, old-fashioned story provides a believable look at pioneer life and a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Renee Graef. Illustrated with black-and-white drawings, this brief biography begins with Laura's childhood and recounts the actual events that inspired the Little House series. Because the text offers no original insight and does not include source notes or a bibliography, it is not an adequate research tool. Nevertheless, it will find an audience among very young fans of the series.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) 4-6 Little House: The Charlotte Years series. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen. During her eleventh year, Charlotte faces many changes: she eagerly begins finishing school; her baby brother dies; her family is reunited with a long-lost uncle; and a new dam near their home forces them to move. Wiley's gentle historical narrative intertwines these life lessons with everyday events, bringing the era and the characters to life.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) YA People to Know series. These biographies will give young students personal information about two famous men of the twentieth century and some insight into their careers. Adult support may be needed to help less able readers with life stories that are more detailed and less choppy than many biographies written for the primary grades. The photographs are plentiful and appropriate. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Meeting Famous People titles: Walt Disney and Neil Armstrong.]

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Little House: The Martha Years series. Illustrated by Renee Graef. Ten-year-old Martha is excited about her first trip to the city to visit her newly married sister, Grisie, but the actual experience leaves her longing for her manor home in the Scottish Highlands. Unfriendly servants, instructions to act with decorum, and the sudden death of Grisie's father-in-law leave little time for fun and exploration. This book is not as engaging as the previous ones, but the setting and characterizations make it a good read.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. Rylant draws on Wilder's scant notes about events between On the Banks of Plum Creek and By the Shores of Silver Lake. During Laura's ninth year, the family lives in six different houses, Freddie is born and dies, and baby Grace arrives. Despite the fact that Wilder herself chose to overlook this period, Rylant captures the essence of Laura's personality, and the episodic chapters reflect the structure and style of the original works.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Little House: The Charlotte Years series. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen. Eight-year-old Charlotte struggles with her teacher's unfair treatment and sulks about being left out of trips to Boston to see the new gaslights and the president. But she also finds pleasure in everyday family life, as well as surprises, such as a new baby in the house and a trip to the fair. This is a pleasant continuation of the fictional story of the sensitive girl who would eventually become Laura Ingalls's grandmother.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Garth Williams. This oversized "special read-aloud edition" contains large, easy-to-read print. Unfortunately, the enlarging of Garth Williams's pencil drawings, with their soft lines and shading, results in some indistinct and hazy illustrations. Grandparents and baby-boomer parents may appreciate the large print, but they won't appreciate the extra heft.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Renee Graef. Word for word, an entire chapter from Little House on the Prairie forms the text for this holiday picture book. When the creek rises, Laura and Mary realize that Santa will not be able to make it to their homestead, but their disappointment turns into joy when Mr. Edwards unexpectedly brings their gifts to them. Graef's attractive artwork complements the touching story, which stands well alone.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Little House: The Charlotte Years series. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen. In this sequel to Little House by Boston Bay, five-year-old Charlotte joins the town's celebration of the end of the War of 1812 and anxiously awaits the return of her father's hired hand, Will, who is a member of the militia. Little House fans will be intrigued with the story of Laura's grandmother, though Charlotte is charming enough to carry this well-crafted series completely on her own.

Reviewer: Anne St. John