Caroline: Little House, Revisited

by Sarah Miller

The book Little House on the Prairie is part of a series of historical fiction books about the Ingalls family. Treasured by several generations of readers, it was written for children, but has also been enjoyed by adults and made into a television series. Caroline: Little House, Revisited tells the same story but from the perspective of the mother, Caroline. The original Little House on the Prairie book is written by one of the children in the story, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Both books are historical fiction with Little House on the Prairie based on Laura’s memory while Caroline is a combination of Wilder’s reminiscences, historical research, and Miller’s creativity. 

Because of the source material and the intended audiences, the books are similar in most of the basic events, but quite different in a few aspects. Intending to read the two books side by side, I soon found Caroline deviating. In the book for adults, Caroline makes the long journey in a covered wagon from Wisconsin to Kansas pregnant with her third child. In Little House on the Prairie, Baby Carrie is already a part of the family and makes the trip with Pa, Ma, Mary, and Laura. Miller attributes this difference, which readers may find rather jarring at first, to Wilder’s condensing events because she had not planned on writing a series. She later continued writing about the Ingalls family  because of her fans’ requests. As you might imagine, Caroline has a lot of focus on what it would be like to travel pregnant and give birth in very humble circumstances far from family support. Miller is a good writer who leads the reader to empathize with the protagonist even though her circumstances are outside the cultural norms of the twenty-first century. 

Some of the disparities occur because Laura Ingalls Wilder was three years old when the family began their journeys. What impacts a child and stays with them can be quite different than what is important to an adult. Things that happen to the animals in the story are important to Laura. For example, in Wilder’s book, when they are trying to negotiate crossing a rushing creek with the wagon and ponies, their dog Jack disappears. This loss is traumatic for Laura. She recounts frequently how she tries to be as good as her older sister Mary and that sitting still is hard for her.

On several occasions, Indians came uninvited into their home and took things. This tale was a part of both books but only in Little House on the Prairie was there a description of the horrible odor in the house. It seems that the Indians were wearing skunk pelts! That would definitely make an impression on a young child.

Caroline is historical fiction that can make you feel like you are there—experiencing the jolting wagon, the terror of being a woman alone for days at a time in Indian Territory, the pain of childbirth, and the agony of malaria. The story is not all disheartening, however. Christmas is memorable, and the girls’ happiness over what we would consider a meager celebration will pull at heartstrings. The main characters are all likable. Pa is hardworking and kind. With his fiddle and the twinkle in his eye, he manages to make light of hardships. Ma (Caroline) is a strong woman who loves her husband and ever tries to smooth things over. She attempts to absorb the bad times and disappointments to protect her husband’s feelings and model strength for her daughters. 

Caroline: Little House Revisited is a good work of historical fiction whether the reader is familiar with Little House on the Prairie or not. I also recommend Laura Ingalls Wilder’s original book for children. I enjoyed a reread as an adult, especially the version I chose with illustrations by Garth Williams.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Historical Fiction

Notes: The story of Little House on the Prairie told from the mother’s perspective.

Publication:   2017—Harper Collins

Memorable Lines:

“You’ll need two hands to fire it—hold your arms out straight ahead and lace your fingers around the stock, the way you do to pray.” Caroline’s tongue rose to object to the juxtaposition, then halted. If ever she had cause to fire this gun, there would indeed be a prayer behind it.

She sat down close beside Charles, too full for words, and looked out into the wide open night. It was to hard to imagine that darkness stretching all the way back across the long way they had come. And the fiddle sang, low and rich now, its melodies swaying in an easy back-and-forth rhythm until the home they had left and the home they would make seemed within reach of each other.

They would never, never forget this Christmas. None of them. Already Caroline could feel the morning embedding itself in her own memory. Her mind was a bottling it whole, so that it would remain fresh and glistening as a jar of preserves.