Call It Courage (Mass Market Paperback)

by Armstrong Sperry (Author) "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..." (more)
Key Phrases: steering paddle, Sea God, Boy Who Was Afraid, God of the Fishermen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
New York Herald Tribune "A boy's character at ten years old is more often influenced by emotion than by reasoning. Something in the conduct of a hero leaps like a spark to light his own spirit. A book with a hero can sometimes bring this about. This is such a book.... It is related with unusual skill, carrying along a reader so rapidly he scarecely realizes how well it is being told... The story is wild enough to be remembered, and it cannot be remembered without doing good." -- Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
The New York Times"Whether this author is telling of clipper ships, of the days of the covered wagon, of the South Sea Islands, he writes always with imagination and integrity. Like all hero legends Mafatu's story has a strength and simplicity that appeals to a wide range in age and it is beautifully told. Mr. Sperry's fine drawings have the same spirit of adventure as the story and enhance the feeling of tropical seas and jungle given in the text. The story reads aloud well and will be useful to storytellers."

New York Herald Tribune"A boy's character at ten years old is more often influenced by emotion than by reasoning. Something in the conduct of a hero leaps like a spark to light his own spirit. A book with a hero can sometimes bring this about. This is such a book.... It is related with unusual skill, carrying along a reader so rapidly he scarecely realizes how well it is being told... The story is wild enough to be remembered, and it cannot be remembered without doing good." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (March 1, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0020452705
• ISBN-13: 978-0020452706
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #447,865 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finding courage within oneself., June 2, 1999

By	R. D. Allison ([e-mail]) (Gainesville, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Call It Courage (Paperback)

This short book by Sperry (1897-1976) won the 1941 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature. Mafatu, a Polynesian boy of 15 years old, has an intense fear of the ocean. At the age of three he was nearly killed when his mother drowned. Now he must conquer his fears. He goes off on his own and finds the courage within him. The story (probably for ages 9 to 13) starts off on the island of Hikueru in the Tuamotu Archipelago east of Tahiti at a time before European ships and missionaries had arrived. Apparently, Sperry, who had traveled throughout the South Pacific, based his story on an old and true Polynesian tale.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventure!, November 10, 2004

By	J. Brian Watkins (San Dimas, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Call It Courage (Paperback)

The story of Mafatu's adventure on the isle of the eaters of men is unforgettable. Some 30 years ago I first encountered this book in my elementary school library and it remains vivid in my memory. It is the story of a young boy, Mafatu, who lives on an island yet fears the sea that killed his mother years ago. Mafatu decides to face his greatest and deepest fear--the sea--and sets off on an adventure, ending up not only conquering his fear of the sea but successfully confronting such life-threatening challenges as a hammerhead shark, a sharp-tusked wild boar and, finally, angry man-eating islanders. It is the kind of story where just when you think things can't get worse, they do. But Mafatu finds out that he is able to overcome every challenge and returns to his home island in triumph.

Mafatu's story should be required reading for children preparing to face a world every bit as dangerous as the open ocean and filled with hazards no less serious than sharks and cannibals.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars call it courage, March 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Call It Courage (Paperback)

call it courage is one of the best books for any person who likes a good short book.The book is about a young boy named Mafatu his name maens stout heart. Everyone in the village he lives in thinks he is scaredbut he fces his fears and proves his courage in the end. When he battles feirce storms and wild man eating people on a strange island.If you are interested in this book you will have to read it yourself.