Laura Ingall Wilder books in order ~ All 32 Little House books

I spent a lot of time as a kid in our local library. I devoured books and read everything I could get my hands on.

I don’t know about you, but I grew up on The Little House on the Prairie books. And, I’m pretty sure I read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order more than once.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Series

Some of the books that were in competition with the Laura Ingalls Wilder series in our local library included The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, and The Borrowers.

But, there was something special about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series. These were real people, and life on the prairie was so different from the life I knew that I was absolutely fascinated by the whole series.

Anne of Green Gables Books in Order

Harry Potter Books in Order

Little House on the Prairie Complete series

It was right about the time that I had finished reading the complete series of Little House on the Prairie books that the television show began. It ran from 1974-1984 and was very popular.

It is still in reruns on different venues and still one of the most popular shows.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Books in Order

You might be wondering What order are the Laura Ingalls Wilder books? So, let’s go through the list of Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order.

I’m going to go through them in chronological order, which is a little bit different than published order.

1. Little House in the Big Woods (Pub. 1932)

Regardless of how you order the books, Little House in the Big Woods is the first when reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order.

In this first book, we meet the Ingalls family—Laura, Ma, Pa, Mary, and baby Carrie, who all live in a cozy log cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin in the 1870s. Though many of their neighbors are wolves and panthers and bears, the woods feel like home, thanks to Ma’s homemade cheese and butter and the joyful sounds of Pa’s fiddle.

2. Little House on the Prairie (Pub. 1935)

This second book of the Little House series was actually the third book published. But if you are reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order, you’ll want to read this one second.

In this book, life on the prairie actually begins. Pa has decided to sell the log house in the woods. So, the family packs up and moves from Wisconsin to Kansas, where Pa builds them their little house on the prairie!

Living on the farm is different from living in the woods, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.

3. Farmer Boy (Pub. 1933)

While this was the second book published, if reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books in chronological order, you’ll want to read this one third.

In this third book, Farmer Boy, we are introduced to Almanzo. And while he isn’t part of the Ingalls family life yet, he will be coming into the story later.

So, as Laura is growing up in their little house in Kansas, Almanzo Wilder lives on a big farm in New York. He and his brothers and sisters work hard from dawn to supper to help keep their family farm running.

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—but he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

4. On the Banks of Plum Creek (Pub. 1937)

This fourth book in the Little House on the Prairie books find the Ingalls family back in Minnesota. The Ingalls family lives in a sod house beside Plum Creek in Minnesota until Pa builds them a new house made of sawed lumber.

The money for the lumber will come from their first wheat crop. But then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm, and by the end of a week, there is no wheat crop left.

5. By the Shores of Silver Lake (Pub. 1939)

This fifth book of the Little House on the Prairie books finds the Ingalls family on the move again. Pa heads west to the unsettled wilderness of the Dakota Territory.

When Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace join him, they become the first settlers in the town of De Smet. Pa starts work on the first building of the brand new town, located on the shores of Silver Lake.

6. The Long Winter (Pub. 1940)

Continuing through Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order, we come to the sixth book, The Long Winter. You might be wondering What book does Laura meet Almanzo? Well, they meet each other in this sixth book when Amanzo settles in their town, De Smet.

Living in the Dakota territories is hard. The first terrible storm comes to the barren prairie in October. Then it snows almost without stopping until April.

With snow piled as high as the rooftops, it’s impossible for trains to deliver supplies, and the townspeople, including Laura and her family, are starving. Young Almanzo Wilder, who has settled in the town, risks his life to save the town.

7. Little Town on the Prairie (Pub. 1941)

As we continue on through Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order, we come to the seventh book, Little Town on the Prairie. The long, hard winter is done, so now De Smet is rejuvenated with the beginning of spring.

But in addition to the parties, socials, and “literaries,” work must continue. Laura spends many hours sewing shirts to help Ma and Pa get enough money to send Mary to a college for the blind.

But in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almanzo Wilder.

8. These Happy Golden Years (Pub. 1943)

In this eighth book of the Little House series, Laura is fifteen years old and must continue to earn money to keep Mary in her college for the blind, so she gets a job as a teacher.

While it’s not easy for Laura learning to be a teacher and living away from home, she grows in confidence and skill as time goes by. And, it gets a little better every Friday when Almanzo picks Laura up to take her back home for the weekend. Though Laura is still young, she and Almanzo are officially courting, and she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.

9. The First Four Years (Pub. 1971)

The final book of Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order is The First Four Years. Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder have just been married! They move to a small prairie homestead to start their lives together.

But each year brings new challenges—storms, sickness, fire, and unpaid debts. These first four years call for courage, strength, and a great deal of determination. And through it all, Laura and Almanzo still have their love, which only grows when baby Rose arrives.

Other Laura Ingalls Wilder Books

Because of the success and popularity of the Little House series, there are a few more books that aren’t necessarily part of the Little House series, but they go with them.

The Little House Cookbook

With this visually stunning cookbook, you can learn how to make classic frontier dishes like corn dodgers, mincemeat pie, cracklings, and pulled molasses candy in your own modern kitchen.

The book also includes excerpts from the beloved Little House series, fascinating and thoroughly researched historical context, and details about the cooking methods that pioneers like Ma Ingalls used, as well as illustrations by beloved artist Garth Williams and full-color photographs by Kathryn Elsesser. Food and prop styling by Ellen Jackson.

This is a chance to dive into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, American pioneer, women’s club member, and farm homesteader.

Little House Coloring Books

Join Laura Ingalls, her Ma and Pa, and her sisters, Mary, Carrie, and Grace, on their travels across the frontier as you color in your favorite pioneer characters and scenes and revisit this beloved series.

This 96-page coloring book offers hours of relaxing, stress-reducing pleasure.

My First Little House Books

For young children (ages 4-6) who you would like to read this series with, the My First Little House Books series is a great place to start.

1. Winter Days in the Big Woods

Winter has come to the Big Woods! Laura and Mary help Ma with chores around the house. When the frost comes, they draw pictures in their windows.

2. A Little House Birthday

Join the Ingalls family as they celebrate little Laura’s fifth birthday in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. There are special presents from everyone, and that night Laura falls asleep to the merry music of Pa’s fiddle. It’s a Little House birthday to remember!

3. County Fair

Adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy, it’s an exciting day for Almanzo as the Wilder family visits the county fair! There are contests, races, and good things to eat, and Almanzo can’t wait to see what the judges think of his special pumpkin.

4. A Farmer Boy Birthday

Long, long ago, a little boy named Almanzo Wilder lived on a farm in the New York countryside with his father, his mother, his big brother, Royal, and his big sisters, Eliza Jane and Alice. One special day is Almanzo’s birthday. He gets to stay home from school, and even better, Father gives him a yoke for his calves, Star and Bright, and a beautiful hand-sled. Almanzo spends the morning learning how to break the calves, and then he spends the afternoon flying down the hill in his brand-new sled.

5. Sugar Snow

Laura is delighted when a soft, thick snow falls in late spring in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. A late snow helps the trees make more sap for maple syrup, and maple syrup means sweet sugar cakes and sticky fingers for Laura!

6. Christmas in the Big Woods

Christmas has come to the Big Woods of Wisconsin! Laura and her family are excited to celebrate. When Laura’s cousins, aunt, and uncle arrive, they spend their time together eating sweets, playing in the snow, and reading. Their holiday celebrations are full of simple joys.

7. The Deer in the Wood

Laura and her sister Mary miss Pa when he goes into the woods to find food for their family. When he comes home, he tells them a very special story.

8. Summertime in the Big Woods

The winter is finally over, and now it is summertime. Laura and Mary are busy all day helping Ma in the garden and playing outside.

9. Going to Town

One spring day Pa has a wonderful surprise—he is taking the family on a trip into town! Laura is very excited, for she has never been to a town, and this special visit is everything she imagined and more.

10. Winter on the Farm

This My First Little House book introduces Almanzo Wilder, the young boy from Farmer Boy who would one day marry Laura Ingalls. Winter has come to the Wilder family farm in upstate New York. Almanzo goes through his afternoon barn chores, and then sits down to eat a hearty farm supper with his family.

11. Dance at Grandpa’s

Laura, Pa, Ma, Mary, and baby Carrie are going to a party at Grandpa and Grandma’s house! There’s music, dancing, yummy food, and great company. It’s the best party Laura’s ever been to!

12. Going West

It’s a fond good-bye to the Big Woods as Laura and her family pack up the covered wagon and begin their journey westward to the prairie.

13. Prairie Day

Laura and her family are journeying across the flat Kansas prairie to find a new home. There are gophers and rabbits to play with in the daytime, and a cozy camp awaits at night.

14. A Little Prairie House

Laura, Pa, Ma, Mary, and baby Carrie have traveled from the Big Woods to the prairie in their covered wagon, driving through tall grass until they found just the right spot for their new home. With the help of their kind neighbor, Mr. Edwards, Pa builds a snug little house for the family in the middle of the wide-open prairie.

Other My Little House Books

My Little House ABC

An alphabet book illustrating various aspects of pioneer life.

My Little House Craft Book

In her beloved Little House books, Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of her pioneer childhood growing up on the American frontier. Because their resources were limited, Laura and her family had to make most of their own household items, using whatever materials were available. Now, with My Little House Crafts Book, you can share in Laura’s pioneer days by learning how to make the same things that she and her family made for their little homes on the frontier. Inside this book are easy, step-by-step instructions for 18 crafts straight from the pages of Laura’s Little House books. With just a few simple supplies, you’ll be on your way to making fun and useful pioneer crafts that you’ll cherish forever.

My Little House Cookbook

With such Little House novel favorites as buttermilk cornbread and Laura’s little maple cakes.

More Laura Ingalls Wilder Books

On the Way Home

In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful—it was even called “the Land of the Big Red Apple.” With hopes of beginning a new life, the Wilders made their way to the Ozarks of Missouri.

During their journey, Laura kept a detailed diary of events: the cities they passed through, the travelers they encountered on the way, the changing countryside and the trials of an often difficult voyage. Laura’s words, preserved in this book, are a fascinating account of life and travel at the turn of the twentieth century, and reveal Laura’s inner thoughts as she traveled with her family in search of a new home in Mansfield, where Laura would write her Little House books.

Laura’s Album

A spectacular full-color scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and the Little House books featuring historic family photos, reproductions of original documents, and other special memorabilia.

Beloved by millions as the author of the classic Little House books, Laura Ingalls Wilder led a rich life that spanned almost a century of American history. She saved many mementos from her past, including early writings, letters, drawings, photographs, and more. Lovingly preserved in private and public collections across the country, these artifacts have been gathered together into this incredible album that will resonate with Little House fans everywhere.

My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from my Little House Days by Melissa Gilbert

Gilbert’s personal recollections and memorabilia, including behind-the-scenes stories, anecdotes, and more than 75 treasured scrapbook images, accompany the recipes. With answers to the most-asked questions from fans—on topics including the biggest bloopers, on-set romances, and what Michael Landon was really like—My Prairie Cookbook is a cherished memento for Little House fans and fans of simple prairie cooking alike.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook

An original collection of recipes by Laura Ingalls Wilder is adapted from her personal records at Rocky Ridge Farm and includes such farmhouse fare as chicken and dumplings, corn pudding, and strawberry pie.

All the Laura Ingalls Wilder Books

When I started writing this article, I had no idea there were so many books. In all, I was able to find 32 different books! And, so I’ve tried to put all these Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order for you so you can read through them.

If you’ve got a younger child, the My Little House books are great to read to them. I read several of these with my daughter and we really enjoyed them.

For older kids, probably fifth grade and up, the Little House on the Prairie chapter books are perfect.

And the extra books, the cookbooks, coloring books, and craft books can be enjoyed by all. So, enjoy yourself as you read through all of Laura Ingalls Wilder books in order.