Historical setting by Margot Patterson Doss. 'West from Home' contains Wilder's 1915 letters to Almanzo while on a visit to her daughter Rose; 'On the Way Home' is her 1894 journal chronicling the Wilders' journey to their new home in Missouri as a young married couple. Both are interesting sidelights to the Little House books, as well as unusual bits of Americana from a beloved author.

Discovered after her death, these letters--written by Wilder to her husband when she left the Midwest to visit San Francisco--convey a vivid sense of the period, and a similar charm to that found in her classic series. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)