Little House in the Big Woods begins like a fairy tale. Within a few lines, the narrator reveals a strong sense of her audience as youngsters in a different world from that of the little house. The storyteller is the older Laura—the grandmother speaking to grandchildren. But once little Laura appears, everything is viewed through her eyes and understood through her consciousness. The point of view is consistent and believable.

Other stories, usually told by Pa, punctuate the story of the Ingalls family and their year in the Big Woods. Some of these stories are about "the old days" when Laura's grandfather was young; thus the reader sees a pattern of storytelling being handed down. Pa often tells stories about animals and sometimes about the dangers out in the Big Woods. Full of detail, they move to a climax and then end quickly. The...