Do you think the idea of a self-sufficient farmer is a myth?

This prompt helps readers think about whether the ideal put forth in the Little House books is reality or a myth and to think about the ways in which Laura Ingalls Wilder changed her history when writing her books.

If the self-sufficient farmer is a myth, why is it still so popular in America?

This prompt encourages students to think about why Americans enjoy this myth and how it serves our understanding of our identity.

Why do you think Laura Ingalls Wilder changed aspects of her family's past in her writing?

In discussing this prompt, students can think about the motivations Laura Ingalls Wilder had in creating fiction that at times glossed over her family's hardships. These revisions might have made it easier for her to confront the past.

How did Mary's blindness affect Laura? Could it have made Laura a better writer?