I watched the first episode of the Little House on The Prairie reboot. As a big fan of the books, I was excited by their promise that it would follow the book more closely. Episode one... didn't quite reach my expectations. So, here is an overview of all the plot points that they messed up.

*WARNING: This post contains spoilers. If you haven't watched yet, and want to be surprised, do not read this blog post!*

 Crossing the creek and losing Jack:

Those who have read the story are familiar with the tale of the river crossing.

In the book, Laura wishes that Jack could join them on the wagon, but Caroline says he can swim on his own. Jack gets washed away, and when they cross over, Charles goes searching for him to no avail. That night, Jack returns under the cover of darkness. At first he is mistaken for a wolf.

 In the TV show, Charles agrees to let Jack join them in the wagon. Halfway through the creek, Jack jumps off to "help" Charles, and gets swept away. When they cross the creek, the girls go looking for him. Charles does not. Jack does not find them until they're already settled at their homestead. Laura does mistake him for a wolf, but it happens in the middle of the day.

 After crossing the creek, Dr. Tam also appears to treat's Ma's hands, which were wounded from holding the reins so tightly, and give advice. He does not appear at this stage of the book.

Pa goes out hunting:

In the book, Pa leaves Ma and the girls alone and heads out hunting. They do laundry and explore. He returns late in the evening with a bunch of game.

 In the TV show, Pa leaves to go check out a homestead. He leaves his gun behind for Caroline. She and the girls do laundry. Pa does not return that night, and Laura gets surrounded by wolves. Charles returns in the morning, saying he lost track of time. Caroline is mad at him for leaving them when it was dangerous.

Ma's foot:

While building the cabin, a log slips and breaks Ma's foot. Pa bandages it.

In the show, the building of the cabin and site is quite accurate! However, after Ma's foot is broken, Pa leaves and goes to Independence to fetch Doctor Tam. He treat's Ma's foot and discusses her pregnancy. Once again, he had never appeared at this stage of the book.

Independence:

In the books, only Pa visits Independence. It is 40 miles from their claim.

In the first episode, the Ingalls stop in Independence on the way to their claim. They purchase food, and Mary meets a boy at the store. Pa meets Mr. Edwards in the saloon, where he is inquiring about land claims. Pa also travels back and forth to get the doctor.

 Mr. Edwards:

In the books, Mr. Edwards is stated to be a bachelor. Historical records hint that he was based on a 35 yr old a bachelor who lived nearby the Ingalls.

In the show, he faces Pa down at gunpoint, because of an emotional reaction to a discussion about his family. He had two daughters and a wife who passed away.

The Native Americans:

In the books, Native Americans play a big role. The series introduces them a lot sooner, having a girl Laura's age interact with her several times. There is a dual POV between the Ingalls and an Indigenous family. This is not book accurate, but so far it does fit the references in the book—including Laura's fascination with them and questioning why her mother wouldn't want to see "Indians" when they've come to "Indian territory".

Music:

The family does sing and Pa plays his fiddle a lot in both the book and the series. 

Carrie:

In the book, Carrie is already born when they leave the big woods. In the TV show (and real life), Caroline is only pregnant with her. I'll be honest, I don't have a big problem with this change.

Leaving the big woods:

One thing that I noticed was that there were frequent mentions in the show to there not being a goodbye before they left the big woods. Laura and Mary question why none of their family came to say goodbye. It's clearly setting the story up for a reveal.

In the books, there is a big going away.

But in the east the sky was pale and through the gray
woods came lanterns with wagons and horses,
bringing Grandpa and Grandma and aunts and
uncles and cousins.
Mary and Laura clung tight to their rag dolls
and did not say anything. The cousins stood
around and looked at them. Grandma and all the
aunts hugged and kissed them and hugged and
kissed them again, saying good-by. 

 So far, I am not impressed with the book accuracy. It seems like a mix between the book, history, new fictional narrative, and things pulled from the old TV show (for example, Mr. Edward's family.)