Customer Reviews

Swift

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This hardback book is like others by the same author -- excellent writing in a high-quality book. The author does extensive research before writing, and it is clear when reading Blake's books and looking at the amazing illustrations. My five-year-old son is completely engaged by this author's stories and learns from them. We recommend the other books by him as well. It tells the story of a boy, his father and their dog on a hunting trip. Something goes wrong, and the dog plays a major role in helping the boy to rescue his father.

Ever since the boy was born his Ma said that he had wanted to go hunting with Pa and Swift. No doubt about it, he was born with hunting in his blood. As soon as he passed the gun course his Pa said to him, "Johnnie, get the dog. We're goin' huntin'." Swift wouldn't play any games that day because he was working and didn't have the time nor inclination to stray from his job. It was Alaska and bears seemed to be few and far between, but they needed one so they would have enough meat to last the winter.

The quiet was shattered when a grizzly unexpectedly "ran out of the brush. Pa pushed Johnnie down and yelled at him. "Tuck your head!" In the wild melee that followed his father was injured and unbeknownst to the boy so was Swift. His father's leg was badly broken, but now, if ever, was the time for the boy to become a man. Pa gave him a series of directions he had to follow carefully, then he sternly said, "Keep your wits about you and, Johnnie, Swift knows this route. Listen to the dog." He rushed and almost fell off a cliff. Frightened, Johnnie plodded his way through the forest. He took shelter under a tree, but he heard something coming through the trees. It was a bear . . . it was moving toward him. "I couldn't fire the gun . . . "

This amazing tale of survival in the wilds of Alaska is thrilling and the tension mounted with each turn of a page. The stunning art work brings the story to life in a unique and thrilling way. On the end pages is a map of the initial route of the hunt and Johnnie and Swift's long route back to get help. This heartwarming tale is one that you'll want to read time and time again if you dream of wilderness adventures in the wild of Alaska!

This boy-and-dog story of heroic courage is well written and well illustrated. It's a race against time to save the boy's father. The big, textured paintings make the book exciting to look at, as well as to read. I read it out loud to my family of boys - they were spellbound.

Your son will love it.

Johnnie tells of his first bear-hunting expedition in the Alaskan Wilderness with his dad and their "knowledgeable" dog, Swift. On the third day of their trip, a grizzly crashes out of the woods and attacks them. When Johnnie's father shoots and misses the bear and instead breaks his leg, he tells his son to take the dog and go for help. Wonderful adventure story of a boy and his dog in a short picture book format. Beautiful Pictures - Story very dramatic, but not really totally believable.