Hello, Posse!
Happy Young Readers Day! I thought today would be a great time to cover the iconic young readers books turned into an even more iconic TV Show. Of course I'm talking about the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
If you have never checked out their website, you really should. You can go there by clicking the main photo on the top of this blog or click HERE. They have information on the original series and all of the other books this collection has spawned, including cookbooks (which I actually want myself), chapter books, and in their "extras" you can find puzzles and reading guides for the classroom.
Little House on the Prairie the American western TV show was based on these award-winning, best-selling Little House books. The TV show starred Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle, and Melissa Sue Anderson. The show depicted life in the western frontier in the 1870s-1890s
NBC Executive Ed Friendly bought the rights to the books in 1972 and hired Michael Landon to direct the pilot for TV. Landon agreed to direct if he was also allowed to play Charles Ingalls. The two-hour pilot movie, Little House on the Prairie aired in March 1974 and was followed by the series which aired in September of that same year. The original series ran until 1982 and was followed by a sequel, Little House: A New Beginning.
The book series is considered historical fiction but is based on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in Wisconsin. Not long after, her family moved to Missouri for about a year then headed west to the prairies of Kansas near Independence. Surprisingly, the family only lived in Kansas about two years before moving back to their former home in Wisconsin. From what I remember of the TV show, I would have thought they spent more time in Kansas. But I will admit, it has been a long time since I watched Little house on the Prairie.
This TV show and the books have become part of Americana and are even mentioned in other television shows. The first one that always comes to mind is the popular TV show The Big Bang Theory.
Little House on the Prairie was a favorite of character Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler played by Mayim Bialik. Some of the great episodes include when Sheldon Cooper, Amy's boyfriend played by Jim Parsons, tries to create an authentic Little House on the Prairie dinner for her birthday and gives them both food poisoning and in another episode when it is found out by her friends Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) that Amy writes Little House on the Prairie fanfiction about her and Seldon and posts it online.
This TV series can still be found on DVDs and in reruns on various outlets. If you have never watched Little House on the Prairie, now would be a good day to give it a try.
Movie Snack Recipe
It only seems fitting to use one of the recipes from the Little House Books website for this. What could be better than Popcorn Balls from the The Little House Treasury by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Erikson. (<--- click here for recipe)
This easy to make treat will be a great snack while catching up on this old classic TV show.
(Please note: The photo is not from the cookbook or from their website. They did not post a photo of this recipe. The photo is just a generic photo of popcorn balls for reference.)
Great Westerns
Remember, many great western movies and TV shows started out as great western books. If you haven't already, why not read my Into the West Saga Serial Collection (<---click to view books). Parts one through six are available now on Amazon.com and BN.com. I'm currently writing the final chapter of this saga, part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. It is currently set for a Christmas release.
Don't forget, you can join my mailing list and never miss out on news or upcoming release dates. Just go to our subscribers page (<--- click here) and give us your name and email address. When you join up, you get to read the first chapter of Into the West: The Orphan Train for free.
If you haven't read my books this is a great way to try them out with no risk to you or if you have Kindle Unlimited the entire Into the West Saga Serial is available to read free with your subscription. The mailing list is free to join, quit anytime, no strings attached . . . ever!
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You know what time it is now, posse! It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!
Enjoy!