Island of the Blue Dolphins; Call it Courage

Originally posted September 5, 2003

Island of the Blue Dophins by Scott O'Dell, Newbery Medal 1961

Call it Courage by Armstrong Perry, Newbery Medal 1941

It makes sense to review these two together as they are both stories of young people who survive on an island alone. I think of it as the "boy version and the girl version!"

Call it Courage is the story of a Polynesian boy who has a deep fear of the sea as the result of a traumatic incident he experienced when he was very young. In his culture this fear leaves him actually unable to lead a normal life. His father is the leader of the village and ashamed of his son, and the boy feels this shame acutely . The boy decides to face his fears and sets out on the sea alone . . . but not really alone. . . he has his dear dog as a companion and a bird who is also his friend who travel with him on this adventure. He lives on a neighboring island for a time and then returns triumphantly to his village.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is a true story of a native american girl who is accidently left on her people's island (in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast) as they are fleeing the island. They are unable to return for her and she waits many years. The story tells of the life she creates for herself there, her occasional encounters with other people, her spirit and artistry. I get a kind of beautiful, lonely, sad feeling remembering the book.

Both stories have detailed descriptions of the technologies these young people invented and employed in order to survive. (I always like that kind of thing.) Both young people have many dangers and challenges they manage to overcome.

I liked Island of the Blue Dolphins a lot. The story is especially intriguing in the "trueness" of it and it's more complex emotionally than Call it Courage (or maybe I'm just a girl and go for the girl story?). Call it Courage had some somewhat troubling (to me at least) descriptions of "man eating" tribes of neighboring islands and some other stuff that I just wondered about the cultural context and accuracy or datedness there of . Island of the Blue Dophins stands more in the "classic" category.

If you or your young readers like stories of survival or are interested in native technologies/way of life, these would both be good reads. I'd recommend them for ages 10 and up.

Love, Louise