A stellar, thoughtful alternative to the Little House books, Prairie Lotus, is about Hanna, a 14 year old half-Chinese girl who dreams of being a dressmaker. (Note: covers and titles are affiliate links) Please note: this list is heavy with girl protagonists, but just like the Little House books, every single book on this list will also be enjoyed by boys. So read these books aloud to your kids and then discuss the similarities and differences with the Little House books. Once Little House has your kids hooked on reading, it's a great time to get them to branch out! I have also specifically chosen a number of books with alternatives to the standard Anglo-American narrative.

I curated this book list with the same goal I had in mind for my lists of books for kids who like Harry Potter, and books for kids who like Percy Jackson. The titles on this list are not necessarily books like Little House on the Prairie, although many of them have similar settings and pioneer themes. I just don't think its portrait of life as a pioneer should be as idealized as it has been. Seuss so clearly I cannot be trusted), but I do think the Little House books are examples of superior storytelling and its okay if you enjoy them. Now I realize this all sounds like blasphemy ( I also dislike Dr. As a kid I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's books and read them over and over, but then as I started to branch out, the overriding theme of rugged individualism and how 'hard work can win all', started to grate on me, especially as the books are touted as a fictionalized version of what happened, yet are far from the truth. I did start Farmer Boy one summer, but they were so disturbed by the whipping in the first chapter that we put it down and never returned to it. I have a confession: I have never read the Little House books to my sons.

Little house on the big woods audiobook