Author: Roy Naquin
ISBN: 9781432766276
Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

I enjoyed reading this book.  I think the target reader age should probably be about 8-12, but even as an adult I was enthralled by the adventure stories contained within this little book.  The author definitely has a talent for telling stories and making the characters come to life.  The tales in this book were told to the author by his father and grandfather.  The author is of Native American Indian heritage and this book looks at life on an island inhabited by a tribe of Indians back in the early 1900s.  By reading this book, the reader can learn some of the history and traditions associated with this particular time in history and the American Indian way of life.

The book is written in the first person, narrated by the character Little Bear, a child of about 10 years old.  There are four chapters and each one is a different adventure.  The first one involves Little Bear and his cousin, Little Buffalo, attempting to catch a large Alligator; the second tells of how the two boys look for a tree big enough to make into boats; the third relates Little Bear’s sister’s special gift of healing, which helps keep the family safe.  Finally, the fourth story is a ghost story about a certain island close by said to be inhabited only by the dead.  All the stories are fun to read, and in my opinion, are the types of stories older children would enjoy reading.  I think the stories would appeal to a child’s imagination and sense of curiosity.

The author does well in this book to encapsulate within the tales many different aspects of American Indian culture.  It is a bit of a history book in a way, as it refers to how the tribe lived, their beliefs, and the types of problems they faced.

A quick and entertaining read.