I picked up this book at a book fair at my job. "Call it Courage" is a children's book that was published back in 1940. This book takes place in the Pacific Islands and tells the story of a young boy named Mafatu who witnessed his mother die at the fury of the sea. Sucha traumatic event would cause anyone to be fearful of the sea. The people of his native land worship courage and bravery, however. This puts shame on Mafatu's father and Mafatu himself as he struggles to overcome his fear of the ocean. I am currently reading where Mafatu is conflicted on whether or not he should go out to the reefs for work. I see a sense of humiliation as he does not want to confront his fears nor does he want to be the laughing stock of his tribe and shame to his father.
"Call it Courage" could be a great text for students to teach them what it is to overcome fears and face what they are afraid of. I can also see it as a way to teach man versus self, man versus man, man versus society, etc.
This is a great book thus far. The pacific island language and names may be difficult to pronounce but the story itself is riveting and will surely be something everyone can enjoy.
I liked your thoughts on possibilities with this book. One I thought of while reading your summary was maybe you could use diversity here and teach kids about how different cultures view certain situations such as this one. Good post, Hayden!
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