Missouri museum denounces Laura Ingalls Wilder award change

MANSFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri museum dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder has expressed disappointment at a recent decision to remove the author’s name from a national literary award.

The Springfield News-Leader reports the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association in Mansfield has released a recent statement denouncing the action to rename the award.

The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, decided Saturday to rename the accolade to the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. The national association cited concerns about portrayals of blacks and Native Americans in Wilder’s works.

The museum says Wilder believed her books were historically accurate and reflected American life. The museum says it should be considered as a different time though it’s difficult to agree with the social mores of those years.

Wilder is best known for her “Little House on the Prairie” series.

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