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Reading Order

Little House On The Prairieseries.seoTitleShort

Start with Little House in the Big Woods and continue through all 9 books in the listed reading order.

9 books
Published 1932 to 1953
Status: Likely complete

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Little House in the Big Woods

Start with Little House in the Big Woods

Book 1 by Laura Ingalls Wilder • Published 1932

Laura Ingalls is a small girl in the Wisconsin woods, learning to help with chores, listen to Pa's fiddle, and enjoy sugaring time and cozy winter nights. This opening book shows everyday frontier life through a child...

Complete List

Little House On The Prairie reading order

Ends with The First Four Years

  1. 1
    Little House in the Big Woods

    Book 1:Little House in the Big Woods

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1932 • 1 recommendation

    Laura Ingalls is a small girl in the Wisconsin woods, learning to help with chores, listen to Pa's fiddle, and enjoy sugaring time and cozy winter nights. This opening book shows everyday frontier life through a child...

  2. 2
    Farmer Boy

    Book 2:Farmer Boy

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1933

    Set on a prosperous New York farm, this story follows young Almanzo Wilder through a year of early mornings, heavy chores, and secret dreams of owning his own horses. Rich farm details make this a feast of nineteenth...

  3. 3
    Little House on the Prairie

    Book 3:Little House on the Prairie

    Laura Ingalls Wilder

    Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.

  4. 4
    On the Banks of Plum Creek

    Book 4:On the Banks of Plum Creek

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1937

    In Minnesota the Ingalls family moves into a dugout home by a creek, starts school in town, and meets spoiled Nellie Oleson. Hopes for a wheat harvest crumble under locust swarms and blizzards, testing the family's re...

  5. 5
    By the Shores of Silver Lake

    Book 5:By the Shores of Silver Lake

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1939

    After illness leaves Mary blind, the Ingalls family heads to Dakota Territory, where Pa works for the railroad and stakes a homestead near a new town. Laura rides ponies, helps her sister, and watches the empty prairi...

  6. 6
    The Long Winter

    Book 6:The Long Winter

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1940

    In 1880 a string of brutal blizzards shuts down the railroad and traps De Smet under snow for months. With food and fuel running out, Laura's family twists hay for heat while Almanzo Wilder risks his life to bring whe...

  7. 7
    Little Town on the Prairie

    Book 7:Little Town on the Prairie

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1941

    With the worst winter past, Laura enjoys small town life in De Smet, from school programs and socials to her first paid sewing job. She studies hard to help send Mary to college and begins noticing a quiet young farme...

  8. 8
    These Happy Golden Years

    Book 8:These Happy Golden Years

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1943

    As a teenager, Laura takes on distant teaching jobs to support her family, riding home on weekends behind Almanzo's fast horses. Lessons, sleigh rides, and growing affection lead to a simple prairie wedding and the st...

  9. 9
    The First Four Years

    Book 9:The First Four Years

    Laura Ingalls Wilder • 1953

    This final book covers Laura and Almanzo's early marriage on their Dakota claim, where they gamble on wheat, face illness, drought, and heartbreaking loss, and see their new home destroyed. The tone is starker, but th...

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Quick Answers

Little House On The Prairie FAQ

What is the best order to read the Little House On The Prairie series?

The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with Little House in the Big Woods.

How many books are in the Little House On The Prairie series?

There are 9 books currently listed in the Little House On The Prairie series on GurusReads.

Where should I start with the Little House On The Prairie series?

New readers should start with Little House in the Big Woods, the first book in the reading order.

Is the Little House On The Prairie series complete?

Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1932 to 1953.