the sign of the beaver by elizabeth george speare

Over time, Matt discovers the reasons for Attean’s anger, and as they spend more time together and come to understand each other better, a friendship begins to emerge. In return for the favor of saving his life, Matt is challenged to teach the reluctant grandson, Attean, to read… using Robinson Crusoe as his textbook.Īttean has a hatred for the white man, and teaching him to read is a challenging aspect since his loathing seems to include Matt. As he awkwardly manages life alone, an accident brings the help of an elderly Indian and his grandson. Set in the year 1768, Matt’s only reading material is a Bible and Robinson Crusoe. Even now, it’s fun to follow the main character, Matt, who at age twelve, is left behind to guard the cabin he and his dad built, while his dad goes to fetch his mother and the rest of the family. Reading a book like The Sign of the Beaver would have sent my imagination soaring. When we played, we tended to favor Tonto, from The Lone Ranger TV show, and Mingo, from the Daniel Boone TV series.

The only part I’m sure of is the Indian part, since my Dad’s grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee. We liked to play as Indians because we had been told we were part, Dutch, German, and Indian. It’s a wonder we never set the woods on fire, because that was our favorite place to sneak away to.) I’m sure he would have been horrified if he had found out. We would crush leaves into the pipe and smoke that. My dad had made us corncob pipes for toys, but they would actually draw. Then we would roll up notebook paper with crushed leaves inside, lick the edges to stick it together, as we saw the cowboys do, light it and smoke. If we played cowboys and Indians, most likely we were the Indians, unless we wanted to try our hand at smoking like a cowboy. Great books and good television will spark imagination and encourage children to role play. Growing up, my brother and I watched cowboy and Indian series on TV and then we would go out and play as the characters when we weren’t playing as Tarzan, Jane, or Cheetah. It sparked so many memories for me and the time I spent playing outside with my older brother. I recently saw it as recommended reading for elementary and middle grades, so I decided to read it for the first time. I’m pretty sure he never read it, and neither did I.

I bought The Sign of the Beaver when my son was young, and we were homeschooling. Elizabeth George Speare not only wrote The Sign of the Beaver, but also another book that many girls, including me, have loved reading during elementary and middle grades, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

The sign of the beaver by elizabeth george speare