Little Author in the Big Woods (16 page)

5. After about 14 minutes, the whey will have begun separating from the butter.

6. After about 16 minutes, the curd will be more noticeable, and there will be much more whey.

7. Start pouring off the buttermilk into one of the bowls. You can drink it or use it in another recipe. Continue shaking the butter for a few minutes, until your butter has solidified a bit more and until you aren't getting any more buttermilk.

8. Pour out the butter into a bowl. It will look like a scoop of ice cream.

9. Pour cold water over the butter and start “massaging” it with a spatula to rinse the rest of the buttermilk out. Continue replacing the water until the water stays clear. Drain.

10. Spread your fresh butter on crackers, bread, or johnnycakes!

 

Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House in the Big Woods
(1932)

Farmer Boy
(1933)

Little House on the Prairie
(1935)

On the Banks of Plum Creek
(1937)

By the Shores of Silver Lake
(1939)

The Long Winter
(1940)

Little Town on the Prairie
(1941)

These Happy Golden Years
(1943)

The First Four Years
(written around 1940, but published in 1971)

 

Other Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder

On the Way Home
(1962) This is a diary of a trip to Missouri Laura and her family made in 1894. It was published after her death.

 

West from Home
(1974) This is a collection of letters from Laura to her husband, Manly, written in 1915 and published after Laura's death.

 

A Little House Traveler
(2006) This consists of three parts:
On the Way Home
and
West from Home,
as mentioned above, and
The Road Back
, a previously unpublished diary.

 

Glossary

Calico
—
A brightly printed cotton cloth imported from India.

Diphtheria
—A highly contagious and potentially fatal disease caused by bacteria. Symptoms are a sore throat and fever.

Homestead
—
A farmhouse with nearby buildings and land.

Husk
—The outer shell or covering of some fruits or seeds, like walnuts or corn.

Kerosene
—
A thin oil made from petroleum, used for heating and cooking and in lamps.

Mortgage
—
The deed that spells out the financial agreement between the bank and the owner of a house or building.

Prairie
—
A large area of flat or rolling, treeless grassland.

Shanty
—
A roughly built wooden cabin or shack.

Sod
—
A section of grass-covered soil held together by matted roots.

Surveyor
—A person whose job it is to carefully look over, or survey, land.

Whey
—The thin, milky liquid that is left after cheese or butter has been made.

 

 

Sources

The author used the books below in her research; look for them in your library if you would enjoy reading more about Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Anderson, William.
Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography
. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.

Collins, Carolyn Strom, and Christina Wyss Eriksson.
The World of Little House.
New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

Wadsworth, Ginger.
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Storyteller of the Prairie.
Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1997.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.
West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder to Almanzo Wilder, San Francisco, 1915.
Edited by Roger Lea MacBride. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.

Zochert, Donald.
Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder
. New York: Avon, 1976.

 

About the Author and Illustrator

Yona Zeldis McDonough
is the author of many books for children about strong women, including
Sisters in Strength
;
Anne Frank
; and
Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott
; as well as
The Doll with the Yellow Star.
Ms. McDonough lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
yonazeldismcdonough.com

 

Jennifer Thermes
is the author and illustrator of
When I Was Built
and
Sam Bennett's New Shoes
, which was a Bank Street College Best Children's Book. She is also the illustrator of
The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever!
She lives in Newton, Connecticut.
jenniferthermes.com

 

 

Text copyright © 2014 by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Thermes

 

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McDonough, Yona Zeldis.

Little author in the big woods: a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder / Yona Zeldis McDonough; illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. — First edition.

pages        cm

Summary: “Many girls in elementary and middle school fall in love with the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. What they don't always realize is that Wilder's books are autobiographical. This narrative biography describes more of the details of the young Laura's real life as a young pioneer homesteading with her family on many adventurous journeys. This biography, complete with charming illustrations, points out the differences between the fictional series as well as the many similarities. It's a fascinating story of a much-celebrated writer”—Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8050-9542-5 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-62779-279-0 (e-book)

1.  Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867–1957—Juvenile literature.   2.  Women authors, American—20th century—Juvenile literature.   3.  Women pioneers—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.   4.  Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867–1957. Little house books—Juvenile literature.   5.  Autobiographical fiction, American—History and criticism—Juvenile literature.   I.  Thermes, Jennifer, illustrator.   II.  Title.   III.  Title: Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

PS3545.I342Z7684 2014    813'.52—dc23 [B]    2014014946

 

eISBN 9781627792790

 

First hardcover edition 2014

eBook edition September 2014