Little House on the Prairie

"Girls, are you ready for an adventure?" With this irresistible challenge to his wife and young daughters, Charles Ingalls leaves Wisconsin for the Kansas prairie in this 2005 miniseries—originally broadcast on The Wonderful World of Disney—that is grittier and more faithful to Laura Ingalls Wilder's cherished YA novel than the long-running 1974-83 TV series starring Michael Landon. Cameron Bancroft stars as Charles, with Erin Cottrell as his wife Caroline, a former schoolteacher, while newcomers Kyle Chavarria as the feisty Laura, and Danielle Ryan Chuchran as the more fretful Mary, are at the center of the story's dramatic arc, coming of age in frontier America in the post-Civil War era. Over the course of four-and-a-half hours, we follow the Ingalls family as they make their tortuous way West and battle the elements, while accepting the kindness of strangers, before putting down stakes on their new home, where frontier dangers, ranging from wild animals to potentially hostile Indians, test the family's pioneer spirit. While Bancroft is not as gloriously coiffed as was his predecessor Landon, the character has the same admirable work ethic and devotion to family. The one disappointment here is the out-of-place new age/world music soundtrack. Of course, devoted readers of the books will likely have other nitpicks, but this is a welcome addition to the Little House on the Prairie universe, and could be the foundation for more offerings in the future. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)