Author With MN Ties Removed From Children’s Book Award

A division of the Chicago-based American Library Association has stripped Laura Ingalls Wilder's name from a children's literary award due to "stereotypical attitudes" found in her novels.

The Association for Library Service to Children board Saturday voted to change the name of the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Award" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award."

"This decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder’s legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness," the group said in a statement.

Critics say Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" series, which documented the life of a 19th century pioneer family in the Great Plans, contained racist attitudes towards Native Americans and other people of color.

Examples cited include a line in her 1935 book in which Wilder describes a place where "there were no people. Only Indians lived there."

Some Wilder scholars rejected Saturday's decision, saying her books should be used as an opportunity to teach children about prejudice during that time period.

"We stand by our board's consensus position that the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder, though encumbered with the perspectives of racism that were representative of her time and place, also includes overwhelmingly positive contributions to children’s literature that have touched generations past and will reach into the future," the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association said.

"We believe it is not beneficial to the body of literature to sweep away her name as though the perspectives in her books never existed. Those perspectives are teaching moments to show generations to come how the past was and how we, as a society, must move forward with a more inclusive and diverse perspective."

Wilder traveled throughout the Midwest during her life. She lived in a dugout near Walnut Grove, Minnesota along Plum Creek from 1874 to 1876.

Museums documenting her time in the state are open in Walnut Grove, Sanborn, Spring Valley, and Tracy. The Wilder Pageant is held annually in Walnut Grove.

The Little House on the Prairie TV series, which was based on Wilder's novels, was set in Minnesota.

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