Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic Little House books have been cherished by millions of readers around the world for their endearing portrayal of a little pioneer girl on the Americna frontier. Ever since the first Little House book was published, readers have been eager to know more about the writer whose stories they welcomed into their hearts and homes. Now, with "The World of Little House," readers and fans of all ages can step back in time and experience the wonders of Laura's pioneer life.
Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson grew up reading the Little House books. Hoping to answer some of their questions about Laura and Little House, they visited every Little House site and museum and did in-depth research on Laura and her family. The result is The World of Little House. Both authors live with their families in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area of Minnesota, about a four-hour drive from where Laura lived in On the Banks of Plum Creek. In addition to writing The World of Little House, they are also the authors of My Little House Crafts Book, The Anne of Green Gables Treasury, and The Little Women Treasury.
Garth Williams is the renowned illustrator of almost one hundred books for children, including the beloved Stuart Little by E. B. White, Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
He was born in 1912 in New York City but raised in England. He founded an art school near London and served with the British Red Cross Civilian Defense during World War II. Williams worked as a portrait sculptor, art director, and magazine artist before doing his first book Stuart Little, thus beginning a long and lustrous career illustrating some of the best known children's books.
In addition to illustrating works by White and Wilder, he also illustrated George Selden's The Cricket in Times Square and its sequels (Farrar Straus Giroux). He created the character and pictures for the first book in the Frances series by Russell Hoban (HarperCollins) and the first books in the Miss Bianca series by Margery Sharp (Little, Brown). He collaborated with Margaret Wise Brown on her Little Golden Books titles Home for a Bunny and Little Fur Family, among others, and with Jack Prelutsky on two poetry collections published by Greenwillow: Ride a Purple Pelican and Beneath a Blue Umbrella. He also wrote and illustrated seven books on his own, including Baby Farm Animals (Little Golden Books) and The Rabbits' Wedding (HarperCollins).
Deborah Maze is the illustrator of several picture books as well as a line of greeting cards. She is a lifelong reader of the Little House books and has fond memories of reading them to her children when they were young. She lives with her family in southern California.