TOS Review- The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Today I am reviewing The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder from Dean Butler of Legacy Documentaries.

You may remember Dean Butler from his days portraying Almanzo Wilder on "Little House on the Prairie."  The role so impacted his life that he has developed, narrated and directed this documentary and others.  In fact, included in the bonus featuresis the "Director's Diary" where he discusses behind the scenes facts and how the documentary was made.  There are also trailers of two other documentaries entitled "Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura" and "Pa's Fiddle."

We loved this documentary!  The 55 minutes goes by so quickly!  I am delighted that my children were as interested as I was watching the film.  I grew up with "Little House on the Prairie" every week on TV.  My children loved all of the books that we have read so far.  The Ingalls family, their struggles and triumphs continue to inspire and encourage a new generation of boys and girls alike.

"The Legacy of Laura" uses a combination of life reenactments and illustrations from the books to separate the fact from fiction of the Ingalls and Wilder families' lives.  Beyond the scope of the TV series or even the books, the documentary tells of Laura's writing and how she came to write the books in addition to what the early years of Laura and Almanzo's marriage were like.  All of it was filmed on location and was visually stunning.  It was wonderful to see the real places where Laura and her family lived and worked, as well as where Almanzo and Laura had their long married life together. (and what a sweet and touching love story I learned it was!)

Documentaries can be dry or boring, but this one kept all of my kiddos' attention.  I think this was due in part to the references made to the books.  I heard "I remember that one," or "I liked that part" many times!  :-)

I learned SO much, not only about unknown facts from Laura's life and writing, but of the impact of her writing.  I had no idea that "The Long Winter" was translated into Japanese so they could better understand our values and culture after WWII or that their only child, a daughter Rose, became an accomplished writer herself.

I was brought to tears many times during the documentary, not only from memories of a story that was such an important part of my childhood and now part of my children's lives, but one of love, dedication and hard-work.  This story is one of a family facing adversity with optimism, promise and an unwavering faith.  These are the morals and values that helped make our country great; it is wonderful that we can continue to pass down Laura's memories for generations to come. Her words and legacy can inspire us to strive to always be honest, caring, hard-working people who value family, friends and faith.  This is truly a part of our history, that if learned well, we should be proud to repeat.

The film is available for $24.95 and is intended for the entire family.

You can see a preview here.  I know your family will love it as much as mine did!  :-)