More than 100 years after the events depicted in the narrative, Little House in the Big Woods reads like a light-hearted, fairy tale-like primer of a land from long ago, with a major focus on describing daily chores in a way understandable to children. Much of the text in this book is devoted to the kind of hard work necessary to survive in rural places in the late 19th century, and the daily existence of the Ingalls family is defined by the chores they do to keep their homestead running. Everything the family eats and uses must be farmed, gathered, or hunted by the family, so life in this location during this era required much devoted physical labor. It also required hardiness, planning, and perseverance, dealing with natural problems such as the weather and living among wild animals. At the beginning of the story, the family focuses on storing away food for the winter, when it will be hard to find outside: “In the bitter cold weather Pa could not be sure of finding any wild game to shoot for meat” (Page 5).

Even the young girls have their duties, such as helping Ma with cooking and gardening or helping Pa with bullets and loading his gun.