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    Call It Courage
    Call It Courage
    Call It Courage
    Ebook75 pages1 hour

    Call It Courage

    By Armstrong Sperry

    4/5

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    • Survival

    • Courage

    • Coming of Age

    • Polynesian Culture

    • Fear

    • Hero's Journey

    • Call to Adventure

    • Outsider

    • Man Vs. Nature

    • Wise Old Mentor

    • Power of Nature

    • Lost World

    • Lost Child

    • Loyal Pet

    • Survival Story

    • Adventure

    • Nature

    • Sea

    • Island

    • Mythology

    About this ebook

    Maftu was afraid of the sea. It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided tha sea, till everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes, he determined to conquer that fear or be conquered-- so he went off in his canoe, alone except for his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge. Then days on a desert island found him resourceful beyond his own expectation. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home. This is a legend. It happened many years ago, but even today the people of Hikueru sing this story and tell it over their evening fires.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateMar 20, 2012
    ISBN9781442460072
    Author

    Armstrong Sperry

    Armstrong Sperry (1897–1976) is the author of many books for young readers, including Call It Courage, All Sail Set, Lost Lagoon, and Hull-Down for Action.

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    Reviews for Call It Courage

    4/5

    26 ratings14 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a great story with a fast pace and maintained interest. The descriptive language creates a beautiful setting in the Polynesian atoll and Islands. The main character, Mafatu, is a great role model of self-sufficiency and determination. The book is picturable and easy to read, making it a good recommendation for readers.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      It is very interesting and great for people that like action!
    • 5/5
      I read this to my tween son and daughter. It was a great story fast paced from the outset and maintained interest until the end. The language is very descriptive, and it is a beautiful setting in the Polynesian atoll and Islands. Mafatu the main character is a great role model of self- sufficiency and determination as he overcomes his fears by taking on the challenge of the sea.
    • 5/5
      Loved it. It is very picturable and easy to read.
    • 5/5
      Good book to read. I reckon you read it. Go now
    • 4/5
      Mafatu is afraid of the ocean because he almost drowned when he was a boy. But in his culture, fear is scorned and laughed at. Mafatu feels that he must redeem his good name and prove that he is not afraid anymore. He climbs in a boat and goes on a voyage, but he soon finds himself shipwrecked on an apparently-deserted island. There, he keeps himself alive by making all of his own tools, weapons, and a new canoe. He battles a tiger shark, an octopus, and a boar. He defies the cannibals when they return to their island. But will he be able to return home? This was a cute book, and I enjoyed the adventure - though it's very short and all the adventure is packed in at a very unrealistic pace. Regardless, I really enjoyed the couple of hours I spent with it. I think a young reader might find this book fun. It's appropriate for someone reading at maybe the 3rd grade level.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Call it courage is a book about a boy made Mafatu who was afraid of the sea because when he was three,he almost drowned,and killed his mother. He was always call 'Mafatu:The boy who was afraid.' And his father was ashamed of him. So,Mafatu set off with his dog,Uri,and his bird,Kivi. They went to a island that he thought was deserted. He lived there for many weeks. When Mafatu finally got away,he returned home with his wild pig tusk necklace and knife and returned home. His father was no longer ashamed of him and Mafatu was never again called Mafatu:The Boy Who Was Afraid. Instead he was called Mafatu:Stout Heart.
    • 3/5
      Mafatu is afraid of the ocean, which is problematic considering he lives on an unnamed Polynesian island. Even more problematic is the fact that he is the son of the chief and his name means "Stout Heart". The time is coming when he should be learning to fish in open water, but his fear gets the better of him. One day, after hearing his friends mocking him in secret, he decides to prove them wrong, setting out alone on the open ocean, where he is thrashed by a great storm and shipwrecked on an island that may be inhabited by cannibals. Can Mafatu fend for himself and prove everyone wrong?The greatest advantage of Call it Courage, by Armstrong Sperry, is that it is a fascinating peek into Polynesian life. This is also the greatest disadvantage, when we are left wondering what certain words mean, or are unable to imagine what certain activities are without any frame of reference. The writing is somewhat lyrical at times, making ample use of metaphors. Students in Grade 6 and above, who are not quite ready for My Side of the Mountain or Hatchet, will definitely enjoy this short jaunt.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this one. I always think it is hard to pull off a story where there is only one character, but Sperry does this very well. There is lots of outer (as well as inner) conflict to keep the story going. There was a consistent ‘what happens next?’ feel to it that kept it going. As a younger person I would have wondered if he was going to make it, and that would have kept me reading on. As an adult, you know how it has to end, so you lose a bit of that element. Oddly, I kept trying to relate it to Steinbeck’s The Pearl in my mind. All in all, a quick enjoyable read. But one I am glad I read as an adult, not sure if I would have understood the ‘layers’ when I was younger.
    • 4/5
      I particularly enjoyed reading this because my parents spent part of their teenage years in Tonga and Hawaii. I grew up hearing stories of their adventures and seeing examples of the various handicrafts my grandparents had brought home from their stay. This short telling of a Hikueru legend is appealing to all those of us who have struggled with fear and who have desired to be brave. In addition, the descriptions of how Mafatu survives his adventures are exciting and interesting.
    • 4/5
      Mafatu is afraid. His mother died in the sea and now he fears it. All his people know of his fear. His father is saddened by his fear.At last, Mafatu decides to face his fears. He sails off into the sea and ends up on a remote island. He must confront sharks, dangerous man-eating people, lack of food and water, an octopus, and a lack of a ship to return home.
    • 4/5
      This book was so quick and enjoyable - exactly what an adventure story should be. The action was paced just right and the descriptions were clear. I'm amazed how well this has stood the test of time - kids today could easily read this and love it. The only thing that was missing for me was a takeaway message or thought - a theme.
    • 5/5
      When I was in elementary school, a librarian did a book talk on Call it Courage, and after all these years I finally picked it up and read it.It is a compelling read about a boy afraid of the sea, and his efforts to conquer the fear and make his village -- and his father -- proud. So he sets off on a perilous adventure to prove himself, along with his dog and, occasionally, an albatross.Call it Courage is a Newberry award winner, and it is easy to see why it was chosen. The writing is concise, and immediately captured my attention. I had to finish it in one sitting to find out what happened to Mafatu (the protagonist) and his companions.Survival stories have often been popular choices for boys and girls alike, and reading Call it Courage has reminded me of other survival stories I have read throughout the years: Island of the Blue Dolphins, Hatchet, and My Side of the Mountain immediately come to mind. These stories demonstrate courage and resourcefulness, and it is fun to read them from the safety of one's home, with ample food, water, and safety!
    • 4/5
      Mafatu is a young boy whose mother died at sea when he was a toddler while saving him during a hurricane. Mafatu is deeply afraid of the ocean as he grows older the fear does not subside. Even though his father is the Chief and Mafatu’s name means brave heart other tribesmen heckle him for being afraid and without courage. Mafatu decides he is going to concur his fears and make his father proud of him. He leaves his island of Hikueru and gets caught in a hurricane. He eventually makes it to an unoccupied island. Mafatu gets to work making a shelter, canoe, and knives. He catches fish, kills a shark, wild pig, and an octopus while at the island. He discovers that there is an idol on the island that the man-eaters come and worship every so often. On his last night on the island he is awakened by a drumming. He realizes it is the men-eaters and they try to capture him. He narrowly escapes back out to see and heads home to the island of Hikueru in hopes of making his father and tribesmen proud of him. He wants them all to know that he is no longer without courage. This story is all about conflict and perseverance. Many times throughout life we encounter struggles against nature, others, and ourselves. I love the way this book is encouraging you to keep on trying and like Mafatu you can over come.I would have my students discuss different ways Mafatu helped himself to survive. I would ask a person in the community to come into the classroom and show the students different ways they could help themselves in nature.I would have my students divide a poster board in to halves. On one half I would have my students draw pictures of items they may come across in nature that could be harmful to them. On the other half I would ask them to draw pictures of items they could use to help them to survive in nature.
    • 4/5
      It is about a indian boy who lives with a tribe on a island. He runs away his home town. He survives with his and then they finally go home. The boy is afraid of Moana, The sea god. This is a good Book!

    Book preview

    Call It Courage - Armstrong Sperry

    CHAPTER ONE

    FLIGHT

    It happened many years ago, before the traders and missionaries first came into the South Seas, while the Polynesians were still great in numbers and fierce of heart. But even today the people of Hikueru sing this story in their chants and tell it over the evening fires. It is the story of Mafatu, the Boy Who Was Afraid.

    They worshiped courage, those early Polynesians. The spirit which had urged them across the Pacific in their sailing canoes, before the dawn of recorded history, not knowing where they were going nor caring what their fate might be, still sang its song of danger in their blood. There was only courage. A man who was afraid—what place had he in their midst? And the boy Mafatu—son of Tavana Nui, the Great Chief of Hikueru—always had been afraid. So the people drove him forth. Not by violence, but by indifference.

    Mafatu went out alone to face the thing he feared the most. And the people of Hikueru still sing his story in their chants and tell it over the evening fires.

    * * *

    It was the sea that Mafatu feared. He had been surrounded by it ever since he was born. The thunder of it filled his ears; the crash of it upon the reef, the mutter of it at sunset, the threat and fury of its storms—on every hand, wherever he turned—the sea.

    He could not remember when the fear of it first had taken hold of him. Perhaps it was during the great hurricane which swept Hikueru when he was a child of three. Even now, twelve years later, Mafatu could remember that terrible morning. His mother had taken him out to the barrier reef to search for sea urchins in the reef pools. There were other canoes scattered at wide intervals along the reef. With late afternoon the other fishermen began to turn back. They shouted warnings to Mafatu’s mother. It was the season of hurricane and the people of Hikueru were nervous and ill at ease, charged, it seemed, with an almost animal awareness of impending storm.

    But when at last Mafatu’s mother turned back toward shore, a swift current had set in around the shoulder of the reef passage: a meeting of tides that swept like a millrace out into the open sea. It seized the frail craft in its swift race. Despite all the woman’s skill, the canoe was carried on the crest of the churning tide, through the reef passage, into the outer ocean.

    Mafatu would never forget the sound of his mother’s despairing cry. He didn’t know then what it meant; but he felt that something was terribly wrong, and he set up a loud wailing. Night closed down upon them, swift as a frigate’s wing, darkening the known world. The wind of the open ocean rushed in at them, screaming. Waves lifted and struck at one another, their crests hissing with spray. The poles of the outrigger were torn from their thwarts. The woman sprang forward to seize her child as the canoe capsized. The little boy gasped when the cold water struck him. He clung to his mother’s neck. Moana, the Sea God, was reaching up for them, seeking to draw them down to his dark heart. …

    Off the tip of Hikueru, the uninhabited islet of Tekoto lay shrouded in darkness. It was scarcely more than a ledge of coral, almost awash. The swift current bore directly down upon the islet.

    Dawn found the woman still clinging to the purau pole and the little boy with his arms locked about his mother’s neck. The grim light revealed sharks circling, circling. … Little Mafatu buried his head against his mother’s cold neck. He was filled with terror. He even forgot the thirst that burned his throat. But the palms of Tekoto beckoned with their promise of life, and the woman fought on.

    When at last they were cast up on the pinnacle of coral, Mafatu’s mother crawled ashore with scarcely enough strength left to pull her child beyond reach of the sea’s hungry fingers. The little boy was too weak even to cry. At hand lay a cracked coconut; the woman managed to press the cool, sustaining meat to her child’s lips before she died.

    * * *

    Sometimes now, in the hush of night, when the moon was full and its light lay in silver bands across the pandanus mats, and all the village was sleeping, Mafatu awoke and sat upright. The sea muttered its eternal threat to the reef. The sea. … And a terrible trembling seized the boy’s limbs, while a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Mafatu seemed to see again the faces of the fishermen who had found the dead mother and her whimpering child. These pictures still colored his dreams. And so it was that he shuddered when the mighty seas, gathering far out, hurled themselves at the barrier reef of Hikueru and the whole island quivered under the assault.

    Perhaps that was the beginning of it. Mafatu, the boy who had been christened Stout Heart by his proud father, was afraid of the sea. What manner of fisherman would he grow up to be? How would he ever lead the men in battle against warriors of other islands? Mafatu’s father heard the whispers, and the man grew silent and grim.

    The older people were not unkind to the boy, for they believed that it was all the fault of the tupapau—the ghost-spirit which possesses every child at birth. But the girls laughed at him, and the boys failed to include him in their games. And the voice of the reef seemed pitched for his ears alone; it seemed to say: You cheated me once, Mafatu, but someday, someday I will claim you!

    Mafatu’s stepmother knew small sympathy for him, and his stepbrothers treated him

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