Tag Archives: Little House on the Prairie

Adoption in the Little House TV series, Season 9 and Final Movie

This is the last in a series of blogs dealing with adoption in the popular, still-airing-in-reruns show Little House on the Prairie. In season nine’s two-part opener, “Times are Changing”, Almanzo’s brother dies. Their niece Jenny will now live with them. They are perplexed at how to help her deal with her grief and with the changes in her life. Also in season 9 is “The Wild Boy”. A deaf boy has been kept in a circus show and drugged to act as “the Wild Boy”. Jenny Wilder, Dr. Baker and Mr. Edwards discover his true nature. Although the judge … Continue reading →

Adoption in the Little House TV Series, Season 8

Although this blog (one of a series on adoption storylines in the Little House on the Prairie television show) focuses on season eight, the two episodes (“Growing Pains” and “Uncle Jed”) which continue the story of the new Ingalls family members James and Cassandra were discussed in the season seven blog. In the season eight opening two-parter, “The Reincarnation of Nellie”, Mrs. Oleson is devastated when Nellie and Percival move to New York. Dr. Baker suggests adopting a ten-year-old girl to cheer her up! Nels and Harriet visit an orphanage and look the children over. Harriet falls for one who … Continue reading →

Adoption in the Little House TV Series, Season Seven

My last blogs have talked about adoption storylines in “Little House on the Prairie”, the 1970s TV series that still airs in reruns several times a day. You can access the first blog in the series by clicking here. In season seven’s “Silent Cry”, a couple considers adopting two brothers, but they are concerned that the younger son’s refusal to speak means more than they can handle, so the orphanage agrees to allow only the older one to be adopted. The two boys run away to the School for the Blind which the Ingalls’ friends and family run. Their new … Continue reading →

Adoption in the Little House TV series, seasons 4, 5 and 6

This is a series of blogs on adoption references in well-known TV shows or books that our children will likely come across. The last few blogs have focused on the TV show Little House on the Prairie. You can find the first blog in the series by clicking here. In the fourth season episode “Be My Friend”, Laura finds messages in a bottle from a desperate girl who is isolated in the woods with her fanatical father, from whom she has concealed her pregnancy. Charles and Laura find the baby, whom Laura cares for while Charles inquires of the minister … Continue reading →

Adoption in TV’s Little House on the Prairie, Season Two

My last blogs have talked about adoption storylines in the Little House on the Prairie book series and television series. This blog and the next will mention specific episodes containing adoption-related issues, so that parents can be aware of them and be prepared to discuss them with their children. In the second season, the two-part episode “Remember Me” is about a dying widow who is trying to find a new family for her children to join after her death. The children are stood at the front of the church while the widow simply explains her situation and that people should … Continue reading →

Adoption on Little House on the Prairie, the TV series–Part One

As I mentioned in my last blog, my girls are really into Little House on the Prairie lately. That blog talks about a mixed message about adoption in one of the books. The “Little House on the Prairie” television show was based on the characters in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, but it veers from the books on several major plot issues. For example, in the show, Mary gets married, the Ingalls family returns from Dakota to Plum Creek, more emphasis is given to the town characters such as the schoolteacher, minister, shopkeepers. Among these major plot departures are the adoption … Continue reading →

Joy in the Heart

This week Mick and I saw ‘Little House on the Prairie’ DVDs advertised on sale. What I always loved about this show was the way Christian faith was lived out in daily lives in a simple and honest way. ‘Little House on the Prairie’ also brings back memories as it was a show we watched regularly with our family. Some time back we’d bought series 1 and 2 but not the rest. This week we could only buy series 3. The others were sold out. Obviously we’re not the only ones who like it. As we watched, I said to … Continue reading →

Television Actor Keeps Legacy Alive

Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo Wilder on the popular television series “Little House on the Prairie,” became deeply interested in the real Laura Ingalls Wilder and her history. Even though the television show has been off the air for more than twenty years, Dean works diligently to pass the story on to others. Dean came on to the “Little House on the Prairie” set at the age of twenty-three and was cast as the love interest to the fifteen-year-old actress playing Laura, Melissa Gilbert. He was caught up in the story and spent time reading the book that features their … Continue reading →

“Little House on the Prairie–The Musical”

I don’t know if a more dedicated “Little House on the Prairie” fan exists… If my friend Kristine’s husband had consented, my pal would have changed her name to Laura Ingalls Wilder long ago. This is a woman who would rearrange her daily schedule (mind you she has two kids) to watch “Little House” reruns when they aired on local TV up until about a year ago. She has all the books, the books on tape, walls lined with videos she recorded when the show used to air on TBS… no doubt about it; Kristine is a die-hard “Little House” … Continue reading →