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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSSeven-year-old Laura Ingalls lives with her Ma, Pa, older sister Mary, and baby sister Carrie in a small log house deep in the Wisconsin wilderness in the 1870s. The Big Woods are full of bears, wolves, and panthers, and the family is almost completely alone, miles from the nearest neighbor. As winter closes in, Pa hunts and traps, Ma smokes meat and churns butter, and the whole family works hard to fill the house with enough food to survive the cold months ahead. But life in the woods is not just hard work: Pa plays his fiddle by the fire each night, tells hair-raising stories about panthers and screech owls, and keeps the little log house warm and full of laughter no matter what waits outside in the dark.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Little House in the Big Woods
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Little House in the Big Woods. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book do two sisters roast a pig's tail over hot coals and burn their tongues tasting it?
✓ Answer
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
After butchering, Pa gives Laura and Mary the pig's tail on a sharpened stick. They take turns holding it over the coals in the hearth, watching it sizzle and drip fat. They can barely wait for it to cool before they start eating it and burn their tongues.
- First half
In what book is a Christmas rag doll given red cheeks made from pokeberry ink and curly black yarn hair?
✓ Answer
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura's most treasured Christmas gift is a beautiful rag doll with a white cloth face, black button eyes, and cheeks and mouth colored red with pokeberry ink. Her hair is black yarn that has been knit and raveled to make it curly. Laura names her Charlotte and can barely speak, she loves her so much.
- First half
In what book does a man club what he thinks is a bear, but it is a burned stump?
✓ Answer
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Walking home late through the dark woods without his gun, Pa sees what he thinks is a bear standing on its hind legs in the road. He yells, waves his arms, and finally grabs a club and hits it as hard as he can. It turns out to be a big, black, burned tree stump that he had walked past that very morning.
- Second half
In what book do children scoop up clean snow on plates so hot syrup can be poured over it?
✓ Answer
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
During the maple sugar dance at Grandpa's, Grandma boils maple syrup in a big brass kettle. When it's ready, all the children fill plates with snow from outside and Grandma pours the hot syrup over it, making soft maple candy.
- Second half
In what book does a girl's pocket full of pebbles rip right out of her dress?
✓ Answer
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura fills her pocket with beautiful polished pebbles from the lake shore. When Pa picks her up and tosses her into the wagon, the heavy pebbles tear the pocket right out of her dress and scatter everywhere. Ma tells her not to be so greedy.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy get stung so badly that he is plastered head to toe with mud?
✓ Answer
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Charley steps on a yellow jackets' nest in the ground and gets stung all over. Ma and Aunt Polly make a big pan of mud, cover him from head to toe, wrap him in an old sheet, and put him to bed. His face is so swollen his eyes are shut.
