Laura and Mary go to school, help with the chores around the house, and fish in the creek. Pa’s fiddle lulls them all to sleep at the end of the day. But then disaster strikes-on top of a terrible blizzard, a grasshopper infestation devours their wheat crop. Now the family must work harder than ever to overcome these challenges. Soon Pa builds them a sturdier house, with real glass windows and a hinged door. They settle into a house made of sod on the banks of beautiful Plum Creek. The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they leave their little house on the prairie and travel in their covered wagon to Minnesota. Too soon, their life is threatened when prairie fires and other strange events jeopardize their crops.Immerse yourself in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House series, now featuring Garth Williams’ classic art in vibrant full-color! Based on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek is the Newbery Honor-winning fourth book in the Little House series, which has captivated generations of readers. Laura and her family find a new home in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, where the nearby creek and swimming hole lure Laura with dangerous, yet thrilling adventures. Laura is portrayed in this book as being from being seven to nine years old. The book ends with Pa returning safely to the house after being unaccounted for during a severe four day blizzard. The severe grasshopper plagues of the late 1870's and early 1880's - which ended in the 1890's as suddenly as they had begun - can be read about in depth in the Wikipedia article Rocky Mountain Locust. The family soon goes through hard times when a grasshopper plague destroys all the crops in that part of Minnesota. They invite all the girls (including Nellie) to a party at their house to reciprocate. Laura plays with her bulldog Jack when she is home, and she and Mary are invited to a party at the Oleson's home. They also meet the mean and snobby Nellie Oleson who makes fun of them for being 'country girls'. During this story, Laura and Mary go to school for the first time where they meet their teacher, Miss Eva Beadle. The house is near a town called Walnut Grove. Pa soon builds a fine, new house made of boards, which the family moves into. Pa trades his horses Pet and Patty to the property owner (a man named Hanson) for the land and crops, but later he gets two new ones at Christmas time, which Laura and her sister Mary name Sam and David. The Ingalls family moves from Kansas to Minnesota and settles in a dugout 'on the banks of Plum Creek' as in the book's title.

On the banks of plum creek