| Booktalk
#1
Set in
the South Seas before the age of discovery. Mafatu, son of the great chief
of a small island didn't dare take on the ocean. The ocean had taken his
mother away and he was afraid the god of the sea wanted him too. After
much chiding from his family, he knew he would leave to go away from the
island. He had to save his family's honor. "Call It Courage" is the story
of the voyage Mafatu took and the dangers he met -- the great storm, the
wild pig, the shark, the giant octopus and finally, the tribe of drum-beating,
flesh eaters whose sacred island he had desecrated by living there.
Booktalk
#2
Mafatu’s name means “Stout
Heart” but his people consider him a coward. As a young boy, he experienced
a tragedy at sea that claimed his mother’s life. Since that time,
he has lived in fear. He brings shame to his tribe and to his father,
the Great Chief of Hikueru, but he can’t seem to overcome his terror.
He is not like the other boys from this seafaring tribe that thrive on
courage. He is afraid. Finally, when he is twelve years old,
he can stand it no longer. He knows that he must leave his home and
prove to himself and his tribe that he deserves to be called “Stout Heart.”
He must face the sea and his fears alone. He vows to not return home
until he has proven himself, even if he dies trying. Will the Sea
God claim Mafatu as he did his mother or will he conquer his fears
once and for all? Read Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry. (Lanora
Rogers, rogersl1961@yahoo.com,
Westview Elementary School Goose Creek, SC) |
