Center for Children's Literature and Culture

“For generations of readers in the US and around the world, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s ‘Little House’ books have epitomized the American pioneer experience.  Over time, dedicated readers have sought out the places where Wilder and her family actually lived; today, these locations feature restored buildings, replica structures, and outdoor pageants enacting scenes from the book.  Thousands of fans–affectionately known as ‘bonnetheads’–visit them annually.  What complex connections among fiction, history, and landscape do fans encounter when they go ‘looking for Laura’?” — Michelle McClellan, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Michigan.