In Pioneer Girl, the original manuscript that would eventually evolve into the beloved Little House book series, Laura Ingalls Wilder mentions receiving a book titled The Floweret, a collection of verses, as a gift for her fifth birthday. This small detail offers a glimpse into the cherished items of Laura’s early life, reflecting both the simplicity and the sentimental value of gifts during her childhood on the American frontier.
The book The Floweret: A Gift of Love was authored by Anna Maria Wells and first published in 1842 in Boston. It was a collection of poems specifically written for young children, intended to be both entertaining and educational. The book featured short verses, many accompanied by small illustrations, making it a delightful and engaging read for a child like Laura. The original edition of The Floweret contained a total of twenty verses spread across 71 pages, each offering a small moral lesson or an observation of nature, which would have resonated with the experiences and environment of a young pioneer girl.
One of the verses from the book is titled “The Butterfly,” which was accompanied by an illustration. This poem, like many others in the collection, likely captured the imagination of young Laura, providing her with a connection to the natural world around her, even in the confined and often challenging circumstances of frontier life.
However, there is some confusion regarding the exact timing of when Laura received this book. In Pioneer Girl, Laura notes that she received The Floweret for her fifth birthday, but the timelines in the Little House books were adjusted for narrative purposes, leading to some inconsistencies. In reality, the Ingalls family’s movements and the events of Laura’s early life did not always align perfectly with the chronology presented in the Little House series. For instance, some events depicted in Little House in the Big Woods actually occurred after the family had left Kansas, contradicting the timeline implied by the series where the Ingalls family moved directly from Wisconsin to Minnesota.
Despite these discrepancies, The Floweret remains an important artifact of Laura’s childhood, representing the type of literature that was accessible and valued by her family. Books like The Floweret were not merely for entertainment; they were treasured possessions that provided education, moral guidance, and a sense of connection to a wider world. For a child growing up in the isolation of the frontier, a book of verses would have been a window into the broader cultural and literary traditions of the time.
The exact edition of The Floweret that Laura received is uncertain, as the book was republished several times after its original 1842 release. Given the popularity of the book and the many editions that followed, it is difficult to determine which specific version Laura might have owned. Nonetheless, the essence of the book’s content—its gentle verses and illustrations—would have been consistent across editions, offering Laura the same joy and comfort, regardless of the print date.
Today, The Floweret: A Gift of Love can be viewed online, allowing modern readers to explore the very verses that once captivated young Laura. The book is available for download in PDF or ePub format, giving fans of the Little House series and historians alike the opportunity to connect with this small but meaningful piece of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s early life.
This connection to The Floweret not only enriches our understanding of Laura’s childhood but also serves as a reminder of the profound impact that books and stories have on young minds, especially in environments where other forms of entertainment and education might be scarce. For Laura, The Floweret was more than just a birthday gift; it was a source of imagination, learning, and joy—qualities that would later inspire her own writing and storytelling as she grew up to become one of America’s most cherished authors.
This book was republished many times after its original publication, so it is not sure which print Laura received as a gift.
You can view the book here, or download it as PDF or ePub.
