Laura Ingalls Meets Nellie Oleson: The True Story (Book Review)

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The continuing saga of the struggling Ingalls family AFTER they have built their "little house on the prairie" and stopped to settle in a little sod house by the "banks of plum creek" where they get livestock, plant crops and the girls attend school for the first time and meet Nellie Olsen. (Gasp!)

They also encounter hardships (of course) like blizzards, failed crops, and LOCUSTS!

Well written, interesting, and appropriate for ALL ages from young children right up to old fogies (like me). Enjoyable for boys and girls, men and women, and with so much more depth and realism than the 1970s TV show, this would be perfect for a family read-aloud time.

NOTE:
About mid-way through this ebook, I decided to give a listen to it in audiobook format when I read a review stating it had a wonderful narrator. So here is my review specifically "speaking" 😉 to that format.


AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:

It seems strange to hear someone else speak the words that have so far been only in my voice and in my head throughout these many years. But it's good to have a new experience with the book and Cherry Jones does a lovely job reading it with her calm and expressive voice. I get a fresh perspective when I hear her different inflections and how she emphasizes different things than I do.

But audiobooks are never quite as good as being directly engaged with the written word, no matter who is reading it. And the harsh fiddle music they have inserted in between some of the chapters feels more like an interruption. Although a good idea, it might be better if they chose music better suited to the tone of the story or event they are attempting to enhance at that moment. Or perhaps just someone with a better singing voice. (Sorry, sir, whoever you are.) As it is, it only serves to remind me how much this version is missing the Garth Williams illustrations which have become synonymous with this series of books for generations.

Also, since being able to read is not a requirement for an audiobook, I'm lowering the Age Suitability to three years old. Actually, you can go even younger if you can locate a two-year-old that will stay in one location longer than ten seconds! 😉


Main books in the "Little House" series:

1. Little House in the Big Woods
2. Little House on the Prairie
3. Farmer Boy (Almanzo Wilder's story)
4. On the Banks of Plum Creek
5. By the Shores of Silver Lake
6. The Long Winter
7. Little Town on the Prairie
8. These Happy Golden Years
9. The First Four Years

I hope all this information is helpful. Thank you for reading it.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

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