Small Wolf

I Can Read: Level 3

by Nathaniel Benchley, Nathaniel Benchley

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A young Native American boy sets out to hunt on Manhattan Island and discovers some strange people with white faces and very different ideas about land.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Native American, Childrens, Picture Books

64 pages, School & Library Binding

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley (1889-1945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City.

Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. Benchley dealt with diverse locales and topics such as "Bright Candles", which recounts the experiences of a 16-year-old Danish boy during the German occupation of his country in World War II; and "Small Wolf", a story about a Native American boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own peoples'.

Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.

Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.

His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. His younger son, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor who has portrayed his grandfather, Robert Benchley, in a one-man, semi-biographical stage show, "Benchley Despite Himself". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's best monologues, short films, radio rantings and pithy pieces as recalled, edited, and acted by his grandson Nat, and combined with family reminiscences and friends' perspectives."

Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.

Reviews

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It ends on a sad note, but this is an important fictional look at how the arrival of Europeans affected Native Americans, most notably in the way they perceived "ownership" of natural resources like land.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small Wolf (I Can Read: Level 3) by Nathaniel Benchley, Illustrator Joan Sandin- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story of a Native Red India boy named Small Wolf who lives in forest near a river in Manhattan, USA. His mother grew corn and maize, and cooked food for the family members. His father hunted bear, deer and stag for clothes. He hunted small animals for food. Small Wolf had a canoe and a woven net to catch fish. He caught eel and other fishes on a hook made of bone. Small wolf wishes to hunt like his father. He wants to wear feathers on his head and colour his face but he is too young for this. When he gets the opportunity he moves in his canoe to hunt in Manhattan. He plans to hunt wolf, deer, fox, vixen, wolf, eagle, wild cat, mongoose, beaver. He crosses the river and prepares a camp for the night. At night he finds strange sounds which are different from the sound of wild animals. Early morning, he moves out of the camp and finds that strange people, horses, cows, dogs and men with white faces who have constructed houses and have started farming on their land. Small Wolf reports to his father. Both of them try to meet white people and talk to them The White men chase them off and the whole Native Indian family are forced to move their home and settle in a new place but the White men are now everywhere. This book can be placed in the historical fiction category because the story is based on an actual event. This story takes place in Manhattan, but represents the many different American Indians that were displaced from their homes. This text could be used as a model text when discussing onomatopoeias. This story could also be used to share the Native American perspective on early America. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's almost non-existent to find a young reader's book that actually feels like you're reading a part of actual/factual history. The story of the early settlers and Native Americans has always been muddied, especially when presented to children. This whole, "we don't want to make anybody feel bad" bull has altered the truth. In Small Wolf (1972) by Nathaniel Benchley, with pictures by Joan Sandin, does an amazing job at actually showing the truth of how the Native Americans were basically tricked off their land. Tricked in the sense that they didn't know that they were selling the entire island of Manhattan in exchange for $20.

I recently visited NYC and went to the Museum of the Native American it was very eye-opening, and this story was highlighted. It's very sad, just like the ending of this book, which seems like there's a glimmer of hope for the Native Americans, but... we all know what happens after the story presented has ended... Really well done. I'd totally suggest this book to anyone young who's wanting to know the truth, but read it without your parents around who'll try to tell you otherwise. The pictures are done very respectfully, making the white men for once look like grotesques and cartoons, rather than the other way around. My rating - 5/5

[Matt Venneman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: A Native American boy wants to be a man and hunt like his father. When he gets the opportunity to show that he can hunt, he discovers strange new animals and men with white faces. His father and him try to talk to the people, but are chased off and are forced to move their home.

Characteristics That Support This Genre: This book can be placed in the historical fiction category because the story is based on an actual event. This story takes place in Manhattan, but represents the many different American Indians that were displaced from their homes.

Writing Traits:
Idea – The writer has narrowed a big issue to a reasonable story for children.
Voice – The reader can understand the emotions of the main character.

Classroom Integration: This text could be used as a model text when discussing onomatopoeias. This story could also be used to share the Native American perspective on early America.

Other Suggestions: This book is at a 2.9 reading level. This story could also be used when discussing the prediction strategy.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at manifest destiny through the eyes of a young Native American Boy as he hunts along the river near Manhattan Island. As he and his father soon discover that this land was sold to the Dutch, by the Canarsee tribe, and led to the continued encroachment on their lands by the European Settlers.

[Ranim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first time I found a book that is about history and stuff you know..and it’s for young kids. Nothing bad is about it I recommend for 7-10 somewhere around that age probably but not really my kind of books that I read.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tries to angle up to the grim history, skirting real stories.

[Shannon D · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning of the book Small Wolf, the reader is introduced to Small Wolf and his family. Small Wolf tells his father that he wants to be able to do the things that his father does, like hunthuntung. His father lets him go hunting by himself. He goes down stream for a bit and sets up his camp. The next day, Small Wolf goes out scout around and he comes to a village, which he had never encountered. He investigates the village, then becomes scared and goes home to tell his father. Small Wolf describes to his father what he had seen. They go back to the village, which they find out is named Manhattn, to ask about the animals that Small Wolf had seen. They asked a white man that had a gun. After talking to them for a bit, the man tells them to leave or he will shoot them. Small Wolf and his father leave to go back to their home. A while later, Small Wolf notices the changes in the land after the white men came to his home.Small Wolf and his father went to talk to the men about what they were doing to the land, but when they approached the white men shot at them because they were frightened. So they decided to move their camp farther away so as not to have to face the white men. A little while later, Small Wolf sees one of the white men's animals. In the end, Small Wolf and his family continue to keep moving to be able to keep away from the white men.
This book has a label stating that this book is for children in grades two to four. The vocabulary and the plot in this story is a little more complex, so many younger children probably would not understand the different concepts that are introduced. The art medium that is used is most likely pencil or colored pencil. The thickness of the lines are pretty exact and the pictures are very realistic. The colors that were used are not bright or eye catching. This book has a great plot and would probably be interesting to children, especially those interested in history or Indians and their way of life.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade 1-3

This . is a wonderful book that depicts Native American life, and the introduction of European settlers. It works to show what happened when the settlers began to colonize America, and the differing opinions between the two peoples. It demonstrates to children the conflicts seen between land ownership and life styles between the two cultures.

This book can easily be used for first grade, even though it is recommended for second, because there are few words on each page and they are at a level that can definitely accessible to first graders. This can be wonderful for a brief lesson on colonization and its effects and be a primer for an even bigger lesson on the subject. I would keep this in my class library and also have it for the students to keep in their reading bin.

Circle reading time, readers library, reading bins, history lesson

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to use in school.

[Horace Mann Family Reading Challenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.W.

[Jacob FLom · Rating 5 out of 5]

my dad love it