Gilbert is also asking fans for questions for a chapter on FAQs. She doesn’t say, but I think it is reasonable to assume she’s primarily looking for questions about the show (both on screen and behind the scenes) and ones that she can answer. I’ve heard her say in interviews she doesn’t remember the early years as clearly because she was so young. She tweeted “Okay bonnetheads, I’m including a Chapter called FAQs. If u have one email it to FAQ4halfpint@aol.com. Include ur name and city/state.”

I’m thinking of a question to send, so should you.

Here are links to the photos she tweeted:

• Her favorite photo from the show
• The Pilot Script
• Mr. Edward’s Shirt and Hat
• Mr. Edward’s Boots
• TV Pa’s fiddle
• Laura’s School Dress (early on)

For the rest of us, if you want to see memorabilia from the show in person, your best bet is the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, that features an entire room to the NBC series which includes fan made remembrances, things from the actors, and actual pieces that were used on the show including the fireplace mantle off the set (the one carved CI at each corner). Gilbert herself visited the room during the run of Little House on the Prairie: The Musical.

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube and Blog Talk Radio

But, as I do with any new publication having to do with Little House, I ordered it immediately upon its release… but happened to read others’ reviews before I had a chance to pick up the book myself. And those reviews — from diehard Little House fans, mind you, not from the general public — weren’t great, to be quite honest. Complaints of lengthy episode summaries and “no juicy tidbits” and overall disappoinment left me apathetic at best about digging in for myself, especially with a whole stack of really good books I was eager to devour in my “to-read” pile.

But at last, I sighed and picked up the book to see for myself just what I thought of it. So here’s my opinion — the good and the bad.

First, the good:

I personally really liked Melissa Gilbert’s Prairie Tale, but the language used and the behaviors described in the book were too much for some fans, and other fans protested that there wasn’t nearly enough about Little House in the book to suit them. Those people will LOVE The Way I See It. This autobiography is nearly as prim and proper as Mary Ingalls herself. It’s profanity-free and mentions of Hollywood corruption (and always about others, not Melissa herself) are few and far between. And if Melissa Gilbert didn’t have enough about Little House to suit you, Melissa Anderson is here to serve! Nearly the entire book is nothing but Little House — there are a few paragraphs here and there of other projects Melissa was involved in, but the book is definitely primarily about her life on Little House, as the subtitle indicates.

Now the bad — with still a bit of good mixed in:

There were two aspects of this book I personally did not like. The first is the way she occasionally describes incidents from real life written as a script. I can see, however, that as an actress from such an early age, she may look back at memories and see them in her mind as a script, whereas I, an avid reader from an early age, view memories in eloquent prose. It certainly was a unique approach, however, and novelty is always a pleasant added touch.

The second negative about this book was, as others had already pointed out, the episode play-by-plays. In some instances, it made sense — for example, to refresh the reader’s memory about a particular episode because she was then going to expound on something that occurred behind-the-scenes, or her feelings about some aspect of the episode. However, there were other episodes that I got frustrated after reading such descriptive paraphrases, only to reach the end of the episode description and that was it. No trivia. No additional information that anyone who watched the show on tv didn’t already know. No thoughts or feelings about the filming of that episode. Those left me wondering, “WHY did she just tell me all of this? What was its purpose? For anyone who has already watched it, we already know what happened — and for anyone who hasn’t, wouldn’t it be more enjoyable for them just to watch the episode than hear someone’s line by line retelling of it?”

That said, I was more pleased with the book than I expected to be. The “no juicy tidbits” wasn’t quite true — if trash talk on the other actors is what you’re looking for, this isn’t the place to find it. But for me, there were a lot of behind-the-scenes-of-Little-House juicy tidbits. Information about where certain episodes were filmed, about how special effects were performed, about how the filming and editing were done was plentiful and I found it quite interesting. I only wish there’d been even more of that, with fewer episode guides.

Overall, I think the average Little House fan will find it a pleasant and enjoyable read. Have you read the book? Do you agree? Let us know what you thought about it in the comments. (But no spoilers please!)

We told you about Melissa Gilbert’s Prairie Tale: A Memoir last year. Melissa played the part of “Laura” on the popular television series Little House on the Prairie.

Alison Arngrim, better known as Nellie Oleson, has written Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated. The book will be released next month, and Alison will be signing copies at Walnut Grove, Minnesota, on July 24, 2010.

And Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary) has just released her own autobiography, The Way I See It: A Look Back at my Life on Little House. Little House fans won’t want to miss her interview on the Today Show.

If the embedded video does not work, visit the Today Show website here, and scroll forward to 8:44 am.

Today Show Interview with Melissa Gilbert

The publicity hit the fan before the book was even published. Headlines flashed the secrets Melissa spilled in her book regarding her own life and that of other Hollywood stars. I had to just stop reading them. I wanted to read it from Melissa, in the way that she chose to tell it, not the media’s extracted bits of gossip. Why must they always spoil things for people?

I’ve seen reviews since publication, as well — seems to be a mixed bag. People have been very negative about Melissa’s comments about Michael Landon (I’m far more surprised by the people who are surprised than I was by anything Melissa said, and I thought she dealt with his issues tastefully and respectfully and only as his decisions affected her own life), and I’ve also seen disappointment expressed that more “behind the scenes of Little House” and talk of the other actors/actresses wasn’t included.

But this book wasn’t touted to be “Behind the Scenes of Little House on the Prairie.” It was supposed to be the story of Melissa’s life, her journey to her all-time low and how she rose from the ashes. And that’s exactly what it is.

I’m not going to spill any secrets or give away any stories, because I hate it when people do that to me. What I will say is that I was pleasantly surprised to learn about what Melissa’s childhood and adolescence were like, because just as I suspected, she was a girl I could easily have been friends with, had we grown up together and been the same age.

I was sad to read of the path she followed that took her away from the girl that she was — but apparently didn’t know herself to be — and I was thrilled that this story had a happy ending.

What I came away with was the impression that I had just sat down and had a nice long chat with Melissa Gilbert. I felt like I got to know her — the real Melissa — to some extent, at least.

The book was well-written and carefully crafted from beginning to end to bring Melissa’s life full-circle, from the little girl who played Laura to the grown woman who learned from the lessons taught by the real Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Laura and her Little House legacy has played a major role in my life from my earliest days to now. In a very different way, it has also played a major role in Melissa’s life.  Therein lies the common bond between a Hollywood television star and a little barefoot pigtailed girl growing up in the mountains of West Virginia.

It all comes back to Laura.

It always does.

With one exception.

I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie, and I mean that literally. The show began the year I was born, and my mother watched it, so from infancy, I’ve always watched it.

I felt like the little girls on the television show were my friends. And I especially identified with Melissa Gilbert.

I really don’t know how much my interest in the Little House television show intertwined with my interest in the Little House books as a child, but as long as I can remember, I viewed them as two distinctly different entities — after all, the show and the books had very little in common other than the names of some of the major characters. Laura (of the books) and Melissa were not one and the same to me, and when I played Little House with my cousin, I was role-playing the real Laura, not the Melissa Gilbert version.  But still, Melissa Gilbert always seemed like a friend to me somehow — again, Melissa, not Laura. I didn’t view her as Laura. I knew there was a real little girl playing Laura, much as I played her myself, and I just had a feeling that if I met that little girl in real life, we would be friends.

I was interested in Melissa beyond Little House, too. The movies she did during the Little House years, such as The Miracle Worker and The Diary of Anne Frank, were among my favorites.

And then she grew up, and I grew up, and I didn’t follow her life any longer. I never heard much, but what I heard told me that she and I were no longer much alike, and I lost interest in the grown Melissa Gilbert. I still loved the child Melissa, however, and just held onto that image of her, ignoring whatever happened to her after the Little House years.

And then I began to hear rumors about her involvement in the Little House on the Prairie musical. And my interest started to grow again. Was Melissa returning to her roots? Was the grown Melissa looking back to her childhood with fondness and remembering the little girl that she was, or at least that I thought her to be?

When the musical went to the Guthrie, I knew I had to see it, and I added Melissa on a social networking site to follow any updates she might post related to the musical. And then, out of the blue, I dashed off a quick note to her — a note I didn’t know if she’d ever even see. I certainly didn’t expect a response. After all, she’s Melissa Gilbert, and I’m just me. An ordinary girl from West Virginia that grew up watching her on tv, like millions of other girls.

Imagine my surprise when she not only wrote back, but said to come back and meet her after the show. Of course I did so, and was so pleased to find her so friendly and down-to-earth, just as I’d always thought she’d be when I was a little girl. I’ve wondered since that time about Melissa, and her journey from the Little House years to today. How did she get there, and what happened between then and now? What brought her back to her beginnings?

So when I heard that Melissa was coming out with an autobiography, I was thrilled. What a great chance to get to know the little girl I always thought I could be friends with if only we knew each other in real life, to find out what happened to her after the Little House years, and learn firsthand what drew her back…

To be continued…

Update: Read Part 2 here.

1. Several announcements to make.
2. Not a lot of time.
3. There’s just no way I could follow up that fantabulous post of Sandra’s yesterday.

So I leave you with a list of announcements, and a promise of something more substantial next time.

1. Congratulations to our co-contributor, Amy Mattson Lauters, on the release of her latest book, More Than a Farmer’s Wife: Voices of American Farm Women, 1910-1960. According to the product description, “This investigation of fifty years of farm life reveals that many women saw farming as an opportunity to be full partners with their husbands and considered themselves businesswomen central to the success of their farms.” Hmm… know any farm women of that time period who thought that way?   I’ll post a full review of the book soon!

2. After all these years, Nellie Oleson is still fighting to keep that “country girl” from showing her up. We’ve announced here before that Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura on the Little House on the Prairie television series, is preparing to go on national tour with the Little House on the Prairie musical playing the role of Ma Ingalls, and has an autobiography coming out next month. Well, leave it to Nellie — or Alison Arngrim, who played her role on the television series. Alison is also going on tour — a Hollywood bus tour, that is — and you can go with her. Alison will share stories about Hollywood celebrities, as well as tales from her own childhood, on this three-hour-tour running several days a week from May through August 2009. And the book? Alison just signed with a publisher to release her own autobiography, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.

3. Speaking of books, we mustn’t forget about Wendy McClure, who is currently writing The Wilder Life. She blogged this week that she’s looking for “intriguing or hilarious anecdotes about visiting any of the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites.” Have a tale for her? Drop her a line.

And then imagine, just for a moment, that you are reading about your own family.

That’s how it was for young Beth Ingalls, who was asked by her high school classmates if she was related to Laura Ingalls. Beth had never read the Little House books, but she went home and asked her grandfather. “Oh, sure,” he replied. “Laura is my cousin.”

Hiram Leroy Ingalls, Beth’s grandfather, was indeed Laura’s first cousin. His father Hiram Lemuel Ingalls was Charles’ (Pa’s) younger brother. That makes the Grandma and Grandpa of the Big Woods Beth’s great-great-grandparents.

Beth read the books after discovering the family connection, but it wasn’t until about fifteen years ago that she really began to devote herself to learning more about her family history. “My Great-Grandpa Hiram was in the Civil War and played the bugle,” Beth relates. “We had his Civil War rifle hanging on our wall for many years.” The rifle is now in the possession of one of Beth’s cousins.

“Waves of sadness came over me as I walked through the cemetery last summer because I wished I had known them personally, not just heard the stories about them,” reminisced Beth.

Click here to see the graves of many Ingalls family members, buried in the Orange Cemetery in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Beth’s uncle, Bill Ingalls, had the newer stones placed on the previously unmarked graves.

Beth Ingalls-Leisses and Dorothy Ebert

In recent years, Beth has diligently worked to share her family’s legacy with others. Clothed in prairie attire and accompanied by her able assistant Dorothy Ebert, Beth presents to schools and other groups and organizations, showing pictures of the Ingalls family, talking about pioneer life and demonstrating the use of period items, and also displaying her collection of autographs and photos from the stars of the “Little House on the Prairie” television series, the Disney miniseries, and the musical.

One of Beth’s most exciting moments occurred last October when she went to the Guthrie Theater to see the Little House musical, and was escorted backstage after the show to meet Melissa Gilbert and the rest of the cast, who reportedly were as eager and excited to meet with Beth as she was with them.

Beth does not charge for local presentations in the Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, area, and is even willing to travel within reason (reimbursement of travel expenses is appreciated). Beth explains, “I do this to keep children interested in her books and to know that there really was a Laura. I always explain to the children how I’m related and their eyes get big and the whole room grows silent… then I have their attention for the next hour.”

Beth enjoys asking the children at her presentations what they would do with this chamberpot. After giving answers such as bake beans in it, or use it as a gravy bowl, the children are horrified to learn its real purpose.

This June, Laura Ingalls Wilder will be inducted into the “Walk of Fame” in Shenandoah, Iowa; a plaque in her honor will be placed on the sidewalk alongside other famous Iowans. Beth Ingalls-Leisses has been invited to participate on Laura’s behalf. “I really feel honored to be doing this and hope that I represent the Ingalls family in the manner it deserves.”

Beth has come a long way from the young girl who had never read the Little House books and had no idea she was related to their author. There are many Ingalls descendants still living today, and there are many people spreading their love of Laura Ingalls Wilder to others around them. But Beth is unique in that she is both, making her a real treasure in the Little House world.

Sparser in posting but razor-sharp in wit is Gilbert’s TV nemesis, Alison Arngrim, who Twitters simply as @Arngrim. Check ‘em both out!

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.