A `Little House` Anniversary

release dates: March 27-April 2
13-1 (10)
© 2010 Universal Uclick
Favorite Book Turns 75
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
A ‘Little House’ Anniversary
A short stay
Do you love to read? If so, you’ve
probably read at least one of Laura
Ingalls Wilder’s books about her life in
pioneer America.
This year, we celebrate the 75th
anniversary of Laura’s famous book
“Little House on the Prairie.” This
week, The Mini Page learns more
about Laura and her books.
In July 1870, the U.S. Congress
ordered the Osage Indian Reserve
to be sold. The tribe moved to a
reservation in Oklahoma.
Also that year, the Ingalls family
heard from the man who had bought
their land in Wisconsin. He no longer
wanted the land.
The family was not happy with how
things had gone in Kansas, so they
decided to move back to Wisconsin.
Little girl on the prairie
Laura was born in Wisconsin on
Feb. 7, 1867. Her family moved around
a lot when she was a child. When
Laura was just 2 years old, her family
moved from Wisconsin to Kansas.
Family tales
A year in Kansas
image courtesy HarperCollins Publishers
photo courtesy Little House on the Prairie
The family settled in southeastern
Kansas, near the Verdigris River.
They lived in Rutland Township, near
Independence, Kan.
In 1977, researchers from the Kansas
State Historical Society found the
original
foundation
of the
Ingalls
home and
the well
dug by
Laura’s Volunteers built a log cabin on
the site in Kansas using Laura’s
father.
descriptions from the book.
Indian territory
When Laura’s family moved to
Kansas in 1869, they settled on the
Osage Indian Reserve. Many other
Native American tribes had already
been forced out of Kansas. White
settlers hoped the Osage would have
to move to Oklahoma, opening up the
land in Kansas for farming.
Although Laura was only a toddler
when her family lived in Kansas,
her parents
and her
older sister,
Mary, shared
with her
many of the
adventures
found in the
book. The
story of this
part of her life
became one
“Little House on the
of the most
was Laura’s
beloved books Prairie”
third book. This photo of
for children. her was taken when she
was a young woman.
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13-2 (10); release dates: March 27-April 2
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Laura’s Life
A new way of life
Moving on
Have you always
lived in the same
place? Some kids
move around a lot
with their families,
and others stay in
one area for their
whole life.
Charles Ingalls,
Laura’s father,
worked at many
different jobs. He
raised crops and animals, worked as
a carpenter, and hunted animals for
meat and fur to sell.
Back in Wisconsin
After the Ingallses moved back to
Wisconsin, many other settlers began
to arrive in the area. Charles, whom
Laura called “Pa,” wanted to live
where neighbors weren’t so close by.
When Laura was 7 years old, the
family climbed into their covered wagon
and started west, toward Minnesota.
When Laura’s father came back, he
was ready to move again. The family
went to Burr Oak, Iowa, to work in
a hotel in town. Laura and Mary
washed dishes and did other chores.
But they missed the prairie, so after
two years in Iowa, they headed back
to Walnut Grove. Soon they followed
Pa to Dakota Territory, where he had
found a job with the railroad. He
promised they wouldn’t move again.
A helpful sister
Mary had lost her eyesight during
a long illness. After school, Laura
would come home and repeat her
lessons to Mary so that she could
keep up with her education.
A home in a hillside
Near the town of Walnut Grove,
Minn., the family stopped along
Plum Creek. Their first home there
was hollowed out of a hillside, with a
roof made of sod.
Later, Pa built a house for them
and planted wheat in their fields.
Laura and Mary loved going to
school in Walnut Grove. But after
grasshoppers destroyed the wheat
crop, Pa had to travel far away to
find work.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Ready Resources
The Mini Page provides ideas for Web sites,
books or other resources that will help you
learn more about this week’s topics.
On the Web:
• www.lauraingallswilderhome.com/kids.htm
• www.littlehouseontheprairie.com
At the library:
• “Prairie Girl: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder” and
“Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder” by
William Anderson
Laura grows up
At 15, Laura became a teacher. She
also fell in love with Almanzo Wilder,
and they married when she was 18.
She and Almanzo had a daughter, Rose,
and a son who died soon after he was
born. The Wilders spent most of their
lives in Missouri.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Brown
Bassetews
try ’n
The N d’s
find
Houn
Words that remind us of Laura Ingalls Wilder are hidden in the block below. Some
words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice.
See if you can find: ALMANZO, BLIND, BLIZZARD, BOOKS, DAKOTA,
FARM, HOUSE, INGALLS, IOWA, KANSAS, LAURA, LITTLE, MINNESOTA,
NEW YORK, OSAGE, PIONEER, PRAIRIE, ROSE, TEACHER, WILDER,
WISCONSIN, WOODS.D R A Z Z I L B S K A N S A S
TM
Pioneer
life was an
adventure!
Little House
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®
13-3 (10); release dates: March 27-April 2
Mini Spy . . .
TM
TM
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Double-Nut Brownies
Mini Spy and Basset Brown are taking their wagon
across the country. See if you can find:
• letter A
• kite
• banana • tooth
• frog
• bell
• scissors • pencil
• bird
• arrow
• cat
• sailboat
• word MINI • musical notes • letter Z • leaf
• light bulb • canoe
• envelope
You’ll need:
• 1 cup butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) package bittersweet
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
chocolate baking squares
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet • 1 cup flour
chocolate chips, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
What to do:
1. In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave butter, bittersweet chocolate and half
of chocolate chips for 2 to 3 minutes on high. Stir every 30 seconds until melted.
2. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla; mix well.
3. Blend flour and salt into mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix walnuts, pecans and remaining half-package of chocolate
chips. Add to batter.
5. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan. Pour batter in pan and spread evenly.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Meet Brian Henson
photo courtesy PBS
Brian Henson co-stars as the voice of Wilson in
“Wilson & Ditch: Digging America.” This online
program on PBSKIDSGO.org follows two gophers as
they explore America.
He is the chairman of the Jim Henson Company.
Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, was his father.
Brian has produced TV shows such as “It’s a Very
Merry Muppet Christmas Movie” and “The Muppets’
Wizard of Oz.” He not only produced but also co-wrote
and directed “Jim Henson’s Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story.” He
is the producer of the PBS preschool series “Sid the Science Kid.”
He has also worked on several movies, including “The Great Muppet
Caper,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Muppet Treasure Island.”
He works on puppet technology with the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Brian, 47, was born in New York City. He appeared in the first episode
of “Sesame Street” in a film about the number 3 that was directed by his
dad. He has three sisters and one brother.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
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from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
TM
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
Lisa: What are marshmallows filed under in a
library?
Larry: The Dewey Gooey Decimal System!
Lois: Why was the clock banned from the
library?
Lena: It tocked too much!
Lucy: What volume in the library tells
you everything about bicycles?
Lance: A bicyclopedia!
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13-4 (10); release dates: March 27-April 2
A Life in Books
Laura was in her 60s when
she decided to write about
her childhood. She was 68
when “Little House on the
Prairie” was published in
1935. Her daughter, Rose,
helped her with much of
the writing and editing. The
Mini Page provides a description of the
“Little House” books about her life.
The “Little House” Books
(in order of publication)
“Little House in the Big Woods”
“Farmer Boy”
“Little House on the Prairie”
“On the Banks of Plum Creek”
“By the Shores of Silver Lake”
“The Long Winter”
“Little Town on the Prairie”
“These Happy Golden Years”
“The First Four Years”
How many “Little House” books have
you read? In the box at right, make a
check mark beside each one, and circle
your favorite.
‘Little House in the Big Woods’
This book starts in
1871, when Laura’s
family moves back to
Wisconsin from Kansas.
all images courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers
‘Farmer Boy’
In this book, Laura
tells the story of her
husband, Almanzo
Wilder, as he grows up
on a farm in New York.
‘On the Banks of Plum Creek’
The Ingallses’
sod home and their
challenges in Minnesota
are part of this tale
of Laura’s time near
Walnut Grove, Minn.
The Mini Page thanks William Anderson,
author of “Prairie Girl: The Life of Laura
Ingalls Wilder” and “Pioneer Girl: The Story
of Laura Ingalls Wilder,” for help with this
issue.
‘By the Shores of Silver Lake’
In this book, Laura
takes her first train
ride into Dakota
Territory. The Ingalls
family finally settles in
the town of De Smet.
‘The Long Winter’
The Ingalls family’s
time in Dakota
Territory continues.
This book is about
the blizzards of 188081, when no food or
other supplies could be
brought in by train.
‘Little Town on the Prairie’
This book tells the
story of Laura’s first job
sewing shirts, and her
family’s effort to save
money to send Mary to
the College for the Blind
in Iowa.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
‘These Happy Golden Years’
In this book, Laura
begins her teaching job
12 miles outside of De
Smet. Soon Almanzo
Wilder is bringing her
home to see her family
at the end of each week
in his horse-drawn sleigh, and their
friendship grows into love.
‘The First Four Years’
Laura and Almanzo
marry and settle on the
South Dakota prairie.
This book tells the
story of the birth of
their daughter, Rose,
and the challenges the
young family faced as pioneers.
A letter from Laura
Sometime after Almanzo died,
Laura wrote a letter to children. We
share part of it here:
“The ‘Little House’ books are stories
of long ago. Today our way of living
and our schools are much different;
so many things have made living and
learning easier.
“But the real things haven’t changed.
It is still best to be honest and
truthful; to make the most of what
we have; to be happy with the simple
pleasures and to be cheerful and have
courage when things go wrong.”
Next week, The Mini Page is about those
mysterious water towers you see in every
town.
The Mini Page Staff
Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist
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in
image courtesy HarperCollins
Read
all about Laura
Ingalls Wilder
®
Distributed by Universal Uclick
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
­newspaper on ______.
from The Mini Page
© 2010 Universal Uclick
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-31/2-inch ad
promoting Issue 13.)
release dates: March 27-April 2
13-5 (10)
®
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Standards Spotlight:
A ‘Little House’ Anniversary
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we
­identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer activities that will help your
students reach them.
This week’s standard:
• Students use biographies and stories to understand the individuals who
are honored by the nation. (Social Studies: History)
Activities:
1. Draw pictures of five things you would take with you if you had to
move.
2. Find newspaper pictures that show three different kinds of houses
people live in today.
3. In the newspaper, find three jobs from Laura’s time that people still do
today. Find three jobs that did not exist when Laura was growing up.
4. List three jobs that Laura did in her lifetime. Now find items in the
newspaper that would have made her jobs easier.
5. Ask an older family member about growing up. Write a story about his/
her childhood and jobs he/she did.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 13.)
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
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Supersport: Tracy Porter
Height: 5-11
Weight: 186
Birthdate: 8-11-86
Hometown: Port Allen, La.
Peyton Manning’s pass was spiraling toward an Indianapolis
receiver. But then, New Orleans’ defensive back Tracy Porter
snagged the ball in mid-air and raced 74 yards for a touchdown.
That super play clinched a 31-17 Super Bowl win for New Orleans.
Two weeks earlier, in a conference championship game, Porter had a key
interception that helped the Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings.
Tracy has a knack for stealing the ball — and the spotlight. During a
standout career at Indiana University, he intercepted 16 passes and made
212 tackles. A second-round NFL draft pick in 2008, he cracked New
Orleans’ starting lineup as a rookie.
He also has suffered several injuries along the way. But these days
football life is downright heavenly for Porter, the Saints and their
celebrating fans.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 13, to be used in
place of ad if desired.)
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