That’s right, today is officially “Laura Ingalls Wilder Day” in the state of Wisconsin, as proclaimed by its governor, Jim Doyle. The proclamation was presented at 1 pm today by Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton at the Overture Center of the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin, where Little House on the Prairie: The Musical begins its six-day run. (Laura’s cousin Beth Ingalls-Leisses will be in attendance at one of these performances.)

For further reading viewing:

Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, celebrates LIW Day

Good Day Wisconsin showcases Wilder-related books

Wow. I felt like Aunt Lotty when Mary asked her which she liked better, brown hair or golden. I love Laura devotedly, of course… but I love Anne too! How could I ever choose between the two?

With a nervous fluttering in my stomach, I decided that my loyalties to Laura were stronger than my loyalties to Anne (I still cringe just thinking about the fact that to support my beloved Laura, I had to stab my dear Anne in the back), cast my vote, and promptly forgot about it.

Until tonight. Apparently the poll has waged all-out warfare between the Bonnet-Heads and the Islanders of cyberspace.

So what do you think? Who is “cooler” — Anne or Laura?  Check out Darren Garnick’s Culture Schlock to hear both sides, cast your vote, then come back and tell us what you think!

(I hate to tell you that as of this posting, Laura is lagging far behind! On the flip side, thought, it makes me feel a little less guilty for my betrayal of Anne.)

Read this heartwarming article in Guideposts magazine about a little girl who came to understand the meaning of family through a visit to the Little House sites.

Then page on over to O, The Oprah Magazine, to read of the influence the Ingalls family has had on a writer and her daughter during this past year of economic hardship.

So with my current lack of female interest in the Little House series on the female side of my family, I was especially gratified to come across this story about a mother and her sons traveling to Pepin, Walnut Grove, De Smet — and even Burr Oak. She weaves in boy-only commentary throughout her travelogue, which makes for an interesting twist.

The photo slideshow to the story is here on the website for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which is where the story first appeared this past weekend. The print version will appear online tomorrow.

Hmmm, maybe I’ll ask my daughter to read this story?

The autobiography chronicles Melissa’s years on the Little House set, including the personal struggles she faced during those years, and continues on to share her life after Little House.

“I am writing this book to share the story of my life,” Melissa says. “Simply put, I have been very blessed but I have also been through difficult struggles and painful tragedies. My hope is that people with similar life experiences will find comfort in my story by realizing they are not alone.”

The book is available now for pre-order, but please note that its intended audience is adults only.  Melissa comments that it “is pretty no holds barred” and is not suitable for readers under 18.

…For all that they are fiction, and children’s fiction at that, I admit that much of what I truly, deeply understand and love about American history and character comes from my early childhood reading and rereading of these books: frontier politics, American self-reliance, homesteading, the near-religious fervor for fairness and honesty … Everything I learned later about American history somehow fit into the context of my profound love of these books.

From a recent L.A. Times monthly column, Sonia Bolle’s “Word Play,” on the appeal of the Little House books. It’s a pretty decent read.