Bread-and-Butter Indian

Bread-and-Butter

by Anne Colver, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

A little girl named Barbara befriends a hungry Indian, offering him the bread and butter. Later she is kidnaped by a strange Indian. The story describes how the "bread-and-butter" Indian comes to her rescue.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Native American, Historical, Kids

95 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Polly Anne Colver Harris (1908-1991) is listed in the WorldCat author identification database variously as Polly Anne Colver Harris, Anne Colver, Polly Anne Colver Graff, Polly Anne Colver, and Colver Harris. According to the Gale Literature Resource Center, she wrote 18 children’s stories and biographies, some with her husband Stewart Graff, under the names Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff, three volumes of historical fiction for adults under the name Anne Colver, and three mysteries for adults under the name Colver Harris.

Anne Colver, whose father, William Byron, was one of the founders of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, almost followed in his footsteps by publishing her own newspaper, "The Weekly Bugle," at the age of 12. On May 16, 1929 she married Markham Harris. The marriage produced one son and the couple divorced in 1942. On March 3, 1945 Anne married S. Stewart Graff. This marriage produced one daughter and Anne remained married to Graff until her death in 1991. Besides family and writing, Anne Colver enjoyed gardening, cooking and reading.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm afraid to say this, but ... in my opinion, I think this story ranks higher than The Little House books in the children's early America/pioneering genre. I really enjoyed it! It's so well written and such an engaging story set in Pennsylvania. So if you like the Little House books, you'll most certainly enjoy these too! They even have the same illustrator: Garth Williams!

Barbara is a little girl that likes to have tea parties outside on a stump with her makeshift dollies. On days when she's been good helping with the chores, her mother gives her a treat of bread and butter (when she's been extra good she gets a little sugar too), which she uses at her tea party. One day while she's down at the stump, she's startled to see something hidden across the creek! And so begins little Barbara's adventure!

The book is actually based on a true account; that of the author's husband's great-great grandmother!

Ages: 5 - 13

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[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book on so many levels: the depiction on life in the PA wilderness, the friendship with an indian despite current hostilities, the understanding fostered, all the connections with the natural world, the loving family relationships. The realistic descriptions. This book is a winner for all ages.

[Betty Sabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite book when I was younger. I checked it out of my elementary-school library over, and over again. It is an honest story with strong characters.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true account based on the journal of the author's husband's great-great grandmother.

Barbara Baum was a little pioneer girl living in the settlement of Burnt Cabins, Pennsylvania. She was lonesome because there were no other children - especially no other little girls - her age in the tiny settlement. So she pretended with her doll whenever she had time away from chores. As a special treat, her mother would give her a piece of bread and butter, sprinkled with store-bought sugar, when Barbara went down by the creek to play tea party with her doll. One day she happened to glance up and saw an Indian watching her from across the creek. He looked so hungrily at her bread and butter, that in a burst of generosity, she gave it to him. He came again occasionally, and Barbara saved her treats for him, but she kept her Indian a secret because she felt that her parents wouldn't understand.

Sure enough, Indian trouble came to the settlements around Burnt Cabins. And Barbara was not exempt - she was kidnapped by an Indian warrior from the path by her home. But rescue came in the form of her bread-and-butter Indian, who helped her find her way back home.

Garth Williams does a wonderful job of illustrating the story, with pictures reminiscent of the Little House books.

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this as a non-fiction read-aloud in third grade. It provides a great insight into what life was like for early pioneers as they began to settle in north America.
Read this to several 2nd grade classes in 2023. Sadly it is out of print and hard to find but I have a good print copy.

[Marita Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud for fun + first grade PA history. Just as good as the Little House series and shares the same illustrator.
Hope to read the prequel soon!

[Aimee Fuhrman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the third read-aloud this year for our homeschooling. It filled the category of historical fiction. The story, based loosely on the life of the author's ancestor, centers around a young settler in Pennsylvania in the 1700's. Her family and community despise the surrounding Indians, mostly because they are scared of them. But Barbara secretly befriends an Indian by giving away her cherished bread and butter. The Indian deepens the friendship by setting the wing of an injured crow that Barbara and her brother have rescued. Later, when Barbara is kidnapped by another Indian, her bread-and-butter friend comes to her rescue.
The story, which is perfect for 5-10 year olds, is full of historical details. There is sufficient action and suspense to make it interesting, but it remains gentle enough for this young age group. My seven-year-old son never wanted me to stop reading and declared it to be a winner!

[Kristiinthedark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly out-of-print. Woe. But I have such clear memories of this book, and if ever I were to come across it again, I'd grab it up in a second.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet pioneer and Indian adventure.

[Karen Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This childhood favorite becomes more favorite every year that I read it to my class. When I finished reading it aloud to my class, they begged me to read it again.

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very light and heartwarming story! Very safe for children and children at heart, the crow they took care of was such a cute touch. I really wanted to read this book in particular because I couldn’t find it anywhere so that stirred my interest, I found it on internet archive and I borrowed it for an hour. So if anybody wants to know if you’re a fast reader then you can get a cute lighthearted story in just 1 hour!

[Two Readers in Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating tale based on a true story; would be especially thrilling for children, but enjoyable for readers young and old.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to learn that this is based on a true story! It seems such an unlikely coincidence. A great story for kids.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bread and-and-Butter Indian by Anne Colver is an illsutrated chapter book which tells the story about a young girl Barbara, and her new-found Indiana friend. The problem is, the village in which Barbara lives looks very negatively upon Indians, because in the past, Indiana tribes came and burnt down several houses within Barbara's village. The village, Burnt Cabins, got its name the past incident involving the Indians. Although Barbara has been warned against making any contact with any Indianas she may cross, she dares to share her special treat of bread, butter, and sugar with an Indian across the river. The Indian graciously accepts her offer, and the Indiana and Barbara continue to meet on a regular basis, all the while making sure their visits remain a secret. When Barbara comes across other Indians who are not friendly, she is taken from her home and scared and alone. However, because she made an Indian friend and treated him with respect, her Indian friend comes to her rescue. I like this book because it is set in western pa, which if I continue to teach in this area, the students can relate to.I would also use this story when teaching about the French and Indian war, because it provides good examples of how the Indians were viewed by others during this time period. This book also incorporates how members of the village fought in the revolutionary war, and can be used when introducing George Washington and his impact on America. This book also discusses how Pennsylvania was once a colony, and became a state, so this book can be used when talking about the thirteen colonies.This story illustrates how friendship and bonds can be made when stereotypes are overlooked. It teachers students about events in history and how they affected society, as well as many generalizations and beliefs that were held of certain villages and Indiana groups in the late 1700's.

[Omdog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books that I had not read myself for a very long time after the story was first told to me. There were things I had forgotten, and there must have been parts of the story that I dreamed after finishing a chapter, because it seemed much shorter and tamer than I remembered. Says more about me than the book, but I still enjoyed reading it.

I loved the innocence of this book, particularly how it is protected and the scary parts can seem not quite as scary when you're six and unaware of how dangerous the world can be. My adult self, reading this, jumped to the worst case scenario for what could happen to a kidnapped little girl on the early American frontier. My six year-old self never even considered what those dark possibilities could be, just trusting that there would be a happy ending.

Things I learned from this book;

Bread and butter with a little sugar is a Great snack.

Barn-Raising's are big fun.

Tame crows make good guides when you're lost in the woods.

[Debrarian]

1783, western Pennsylvania. In the tiny settlement of Burnt Cabins, a girl named Barbara secretly makes friends with an Indian by sharing her snack of bread-and-butter with him down by the creek. When a strange Indian kidnaps her (as part of ongoing fighting and kidnapping going on between the white settlers and the Indians), Barbara is rescued by her “bread-and-butter” Indian friend. Based on the true story of the author’s husband’s great-great-grandmother.

[Lo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This tale is inspired by the experience of the author's mother-in-law. I found some plot elements unbelievable and would have appreciated an author's note explaining which parts were actually real events. Overall, unimpressive.

[WSL Library]

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