Little House on the Prairie

When the mill closes due to bankruptcy, Charles loses out on two months' worth of crucial wages that would have officially cleared his account at the Mercantile. With a large bill left unpaid, Charles takes on several odd jobs at once. Mary quits school temporarily to work overtime with seamstress Mrs. Whipple, while Laura does all the chores and assists Caroline with the crops.

Mary is excited to receive a pair of brand-new glasses, but her excitement fades when the other students relentlessly tease her, even after Miss Beadle points out her own pair of glasses. Mary decides to "lose" her glasses, until Miss Beadle unwittingly shows her that she does not need to worry about her glasses making her look unattractive.

When Walnut Grove builds its very first bank, the cold and heartless Mr. Sprague settles in to run it. Charles tries to get on the man's good side right off the bat, but Mr. Sprague has been in the banking business long enough to sniff out these kinds of things, and after refusing to take the bait, he proceeds to turn Charles down flat when he requests an important loan.

It's time to play ball in Walnut Grove! After losing badly the previous year, the team players know that they need to find a more reliable pitcher, and Mr. Mumfort's golden arm seems to be heaven-sent. Everything is going beautifully until bets are made, prompting Mr. Mumfort's no-nonsense wife to forbid him to play amidst such silly gambling.

Laura goes into a haunted house when Nellie dares her to do it. She becomes a friend of the old man that lives there, Mr. Pike. She finds out that he is waiting for his wife to return. After Laura learns that Mrs. Pike died years ago, she helps Mr. Pike cope with his wife's death.

Laura and Grace Snider are both in low spirits when they are left without dates for the spring dance. Feeling that Grace is under-appreciated by Isaiah Edwards, Caroline uses memories of her courtship with Charles to provide her friend with strategies to make Isaiah jealous. Laura overhears their conversation and applies it to her own situation.
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A widowed mother named Julia Sanderson learns she has a terminal illness and has no close relatives to care for her three children, John Jr., Carl, and Alicia. Charles promises Mrs. Sanderson the children will find a new home. Meanwhile, the relationship between Mr. Edwards and Grace Snider begins to really blossom.

A widowed mother named Julia Sanderson learns she has a terminal illness and has no close relatives to care for her three children, John Jr., Carl, and Alicia. Charles promises Mrs. Sanderson the children will find a new home. Meanwhile, the relationship between Mr. Edwards and Grace Snider begins to really blossom.

Fun Fact!

Michael Landon (Charles ‘Pa' Ingalls) wrote the poem "Remember Me" that is read at Julia's funeral. Melissa Gilbert went on to read this poem at Landon's funeral years later.

When Ms. Beadle assigns a leaf-gathering project to her students, Mary and Laura are excited to find unique leaves on an upcoming camping trip with the family. Harriet convinces her husband to let their family go with the Ingalls. Although the two families have a difficult time adjusting to this extended period of time together, they gradually come to have a deeper respect for one another.

While fishing in a stream, Laura and a friend discover something shiny in the water. Believing that it is gold, Laura and Jonah take many secret trips to this spot to gather it all. Laura fantasizes about all the wonderful things she can afford for her family, but when she and Jonah haul their findings to the bank, they are both heartbroken and humiliated to learn that it is only Fool's Gold.

Reverend Alden's birthday is coming up, and the Sunday School children have raised enough money to purchase a gift. School treasurer Mary is elected to order the gift and present it to the Reverend, but with only $1.67 to spend, it's obvious that they can't afford anything fancy…until Laura coaxes Mary into taking a dangerous gamble to double the money.

Isaiah and Grace Edwards are both delighted with their new family, but trouble soon begins between Isaiah and his older adopted son, John. Isaiah does not understand the boy's interest in books and poetry, and he would much prefer a son with whom he could farm and hunt. That clearly is not the kind of life John enjoys, but Isaiah keeps pushing it.

Nellie and Laura both begin clamoring for the affections of a boy at school. Angered when Jason indicates a preference for Laura over her, Nellie attempts to sabotage their relationship by using her brand-new talking machine as a malicious tool for blackmail.

Mary is thrilled to learn that she has qualified for a state-wide mathematics competition, but the excitement is halted when Charles cannot afford the expenses for the trip. When Mary silently forfeits, the school board recognizes the problem and agrees to finance the whole thing. Caroline accompanies Mary on the trip, while Laura steps in at home to care for Charles and Carrie.

Caroline decides to stay home while Charles takes the girls on a trip, but this rare alone time is aggravated when a minor scratch on her leg flares into a major infection. Caroline is close to death when Charles finally returns home, and in the wake of this terrifying event, the family realizes – more than ever – the invaluable role of this beloved wife and mother in their lives.

Mary, Laura, and Mr. Edwards' adopted son, Carl, long to get a first-hand look at the kinds of trains they learn about in school. The kids eventually con their parents into letting them go on a business trip with them. While messing around on a caboose at the train station, the children are in for the ride of their lives when it detaches from the train and runs loose.

Despite Miss Beadle's continued kindness and effective teaching, the school board calls an emergency meeting because her deteriorating classroom management hits an all-time low. It is agreed that a male teacher will be hired in her place, but the mean-spirited Mr. Applewood immediately clashes with Laura, blaming her unfairly for several incidents in his classroom.

Charles, Mr. Edwards, and two other men take a job that involves handling and transporting explosives. They must deal with many things along the road, including prejudice.

When Charles agrees to do some handy work for Widow Thurman, he forfeits any monetary compensation and works instead for Thurman's old china set – a gift that he knows Caroline would love. This does require some sneakiness on Charles' part, and as he spends increasing amounts of time at the Widow Thurman's house, Caroline struggles to maintain her trust in her husband.

Everyone in Walnut Grove is excited about the upcoming 100th birthday of the United States of America, and to commemorate the occasion, the town is planning a community picnic, complete with games, fireworks, and a brand-new flagpole. Unfortunately, everyone's spirits plummet in the wake of a drastic tax increase, which creates problems for hard-working families like the Ingalls.

Mrs. Whipple is beside herself with excitement when her only son returns home after fighting in the Civil War. Granville does his best to re-adjust to the outside world, but with so much emotional trauma to deal with, he tries to avoid it, which affects more than just him.

Feeling pleased and hopeful about the success of his current crop, Charles and his family must confront serious devastation when it is completely destroyed by a tornado. Never one to get discouraged and throw in the towel after facing adversity, Charles stuns his wife and children with his reaction to this loss, and he makes a life-changing decision without consulting them first.