This is probably my 500 gazillionth reread of this book, but something about Williamsburg, and my mom’s screened in porch, and the birds all chirping always draws me to the Little House series. Little House in the Big Woods will always be my favorite (and most reread).

I’m continuously fascinated by the foodways descriptions in this book. I love how Wilder details the making of butter and cheese, the butchering and salting and smoking of meats, the wonderful sugar snow and all the maple sugar from it. I wish that more of us here in the USA still had such an intimate connection to our food.

Also, does anyone else find this a great book when you want some KonMari cleaning inspiration? Seriously. I’m in the process of prepping for a large move, and I need to clean out all of my clothes, books, etc. This book makes me feel like I can do it! And that life will be simpler, prettier, and happier if I do! If Ma can make do with having two nice dresses and a homemade straw hat, I think I can pare down my overly-stuffed walk-in closet a little bit.

Certainly, the novel gives a false sense of simplicity to the time period, but it’s also told from a child’s perspective. Young Laura had no notion of money and wars and the promises and lies of the US government. To her, life was the seasons and her family. The cozy nights of winter, the long summer evenings. Sometimes — especially when life is feeling particularly stressful — it’s nice to sink back into seeing the world through a child’s eyes.