Laura Ingalls Wilder

One of the most popular reading series in the 1800s was the McGuffey Readers. Children were taught the sounds of each letter, sight words and values such as honesty, courage and good manners. When Mary and Laura went to school in Walnut Grove, Ma gave them three books she had when she was growing up. One was a reader, one was a speller and one was an arithmetic book. When Mary and Laura studied lessons in the same book, they had to hold the book open in two places. Mary did not attend school after she became blind, but Laura read all of her lessons aloud to Mary until each of them could answer every question.