They went on adventures with Laura on the prairie, and perhaps fell in love with the simple lifestyle she depicts, one where people made their own straw hats or made candy by pouring hot maple syrup in the snow. Many people have fond memories of reading the Little House books while growing up. I suspect that if the librarians who want to remove the books looked at their statistics, they would see that the circulation numbers are still strong. When considering the pushback against Little House from industry and educational professionals, however, I think we also have to remember that much of the general public still loves Little House. As the publishing industry and librarians reckon with the lack of diversity in books, I have seen some librarians say they are considering removing the books from the shelves, or that they have moved the books to the adult section, so they are not readily available to children. The argument is that even though the books give a historically accurate depiction of white setters in the late nineteenth century, children could be harmed by reading them. Others take offense at the ways in which the books depict the white character’s views of Native Americans. Some argue that the books should no longer be taught in schools because they focus on a white family unrepentantly moving west onto the lands of Native Americans. In recent years, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s perennially popular series, Little House on the Prairie, has received increased scrutiny.
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