I love the world of Little House, and I don't just mean the rich storytelling and personal history found in Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. I love the community built by the books including the different expertise that others bring to discussions, as well as questions from new and long-time fans. So, I'm thrilled to take part in a book discussion with two additional Wilder authorities, a museum director, and YOU! We'll discuss The Long Winter!
Please join us as Mary Jo Wertz, Director of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society in De Smet, South Dakota moderates this casual Q&A conversation with authors Barbara Boustead, Cindy Wilson, and Annette Whipple (me).
Please email your questions to the email address in the image below. (I don't want to include it here and have her get all sorts of spam.)
Be sure to register at tinyurl.com/TheLongWinter. After registering, you'll receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
I want to tell you more about Cindy, Barb, and me--the three authors taking part in this panel. (These are not formal bios...you can visit our websites for that!)
Barbara Boustead, author of Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish
It was back when I was still researching and writing my own book that I came across Dr. Barbara Boustead's research as a meteorologist related to the Little House books and her fascinating article about The Long Winter.
One very important detail I needed to understand for my book was if Laura Ingalls Wilder exaggerated the winter of 1880-1881 in her book. As a child, I thought Wilder must have embellished the story. I was wrong. The article confirmed the surprising accuracy of Wilder's memory based on historical records! (Little Annette was wise enough to know that winters could be worse than in her childhood home of northeastern Pennsylvania, but foolish enough to think six months of winter and blizzard after blizzard would be impossible in the lower 48 states.)
After following a rabbit trail of research, I reached out to Barb in 2018. She graciously answered a question about the tornado outbreak on August 28, 1884 in Dakota Territory. My research led to conflicting information. She set me straight and agreed to review my chapter about The Long Winter!
I met Barb for the first time at LauraPalooza. I remember my excitement when she shared she was, in fact, writing a Little House-related book about weather. And now I have it! (You can read all about my LauraPalooza conference experience. Yes, it's worth attending!)
Barb's expertise and passion shine in Wilder Weather! She makes weather accessible for all of us and explores all of our favorite Little House weather-related stories in her book. Thank you, Barn for helping us all to understand weather of long ago as well as today. Yes, join us for our talk to learn more, but also get Wilder Weather for yourself.
Cindy Wilson, author of The Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the Railroads, and the Hard Winter of 1880-81
Cindy and I quickly became cheerleaders for each others' books. We began talking more and more. We realized how much we enjoyed sharing ideas and information with one another, so we decided to host our first book discussion together--online in early 2021. We've done several book talks since then, and even shared a book discussion about Farmer Boy at LauraPalooza (see the link above).
Cindy's work goes beyond the history related to the Little House books. She dives deep into a variety of topics including Charles Wood Irish and Frank Lloyd Wright.
The depth of Cindy's research and writing sparkle in The Beautiful Snow. She uses information from regional newspapers as well as Wilder research to compliment Laura Ingalls Wilder's fictionalized version of The Long Winter. Be prepared to learn more than you ever expected! Learn more during our talk, but also get a copy of The Beautiful Snow for yourself.
And then there's me.
Annette Whipple, author of The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide
I had the idea to write a guide to the Little House books in August 2014. I had already taken a few writing classes and had a few magazine articles published, but until then, I had no desire to write a book. Once my idea struck, I had to pursue it. By then I had already researched a lot about Laura Ingalls Wilder for myself, including an unauthorized copy of her autobiography manuscript called Pioneer Girl. (It was later published as a book. You can read my book review here.)
(That's the short story. If you want to read the full story, there's a part 1 and a part 2. It's long because it almost didn't become a book.)
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide was my first book idea, but my seventh book published. Now I have more than 30 books with nine different publishers. A bit more about me: Last year I had the incredible honor to be named the 2025 Outstanding Pennsylvania Author by school librarians. You can learn more about my presentations and books at AnnetteWhipple.com.
Unlike Cindy and Barb, I write for children. I think children, especially, need context and discussion about the Little House books. So I wrote a book for fans who want to know more. More of the history. More of what was real and what was made up. I also included hundreds of defined pioneer terms and 75 activities to help kids "Live Like Laura" and Almanzo.
My book is truly a book to read side-by-side with the Little House books. I've loved hearing from parents how much their kids appreciate diving into the world of Little House with me. Though I wrote The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion for children, adults have loved it, too. (And don't think because I write for kids my research or writing is easy. Children's nonfiction is just as heavily researched as nonfiction for adults.) It's full of bite-size information, historic photographs, discussion questions, and activities.
Register for the Little House Book Talk
Obviously I value talking about the Little House books. We hope you'll join Mary Jo, Cindy, Barb, and me for our book discussion of The Long Winter. We'll cover the fictionalized book that many of us love as well as the truth of what the people in the area experienced during the winter of 1880-1881.
Register at tinyurl.com/TheLongWinter. Send your questions to the email address in the graphic. And then join us on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 1 p.m. Central. (I believe a recording will be available for those who register in advance.)
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Happy trails!
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