Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832, in part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of a teacher. He and his wife helped children. Louisa was the second of four daughters. The family moved to Boston in 1834, where Alcott's father started a school and was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Louisa's father's opinions on education and hard views on teaching children shaped young Alcott's mind with a desire to do well in life. In 1840, after the school ended, the Alcott family moved to a small house on land next to a river in Concord, Massachusetts. They were happy there.[4] By 1843, the Alcott family moved with some friends to the an area where everyone believed in the same thing from 1843–1844. Louisa's mom had a lot of money and with some help from Ralph Waldo Emerson, they bought land in Concord, Massachusetts. They moved to a house on April 1, 1845. Louisa went to work at an early age. She taught, sewed, and did chores in houses. In 1848, her first book, "Flower Fables", was published.