The Willow Whistle

by Cornelia Meigs, Elmer Boyd Smith (Illustrator)

Little Mary Anne, a child of the American frontier, is the heroine of this tale of pioneer days in the Middle West. Mary Anne and her friend Eric Thorveg make friends with some of the Indians, notably Chief Gray Eagle, and this often stands them in good stead.

Genres: Childrens

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has something of the pioneer flavor of the Little House books, but not autobiographical and with girl and boy characters. I found the education thread that dominates the last chapter or so to be somewhat overbearing. Enjoyable read-aloud nonetheless.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Anne and her parents live on the prairie, where they farm and her father runs a trading post. Eric, a neighbor boy, is Mary Anne's only friend. The story focuses on the two children and their relationship with the friendly Lakota Sioux, especially Gray Eagle. Readers need to keep in mind that this book was originally written in 1931, when attitudes toward Native Americans were somewhat different. Overall, I felt the depiction of the Sioux was accurate, though the occasional biased or inaccurate remark stood out. Notably, in several places, it was remarked that the Indians were in some respects "more like children than grown people." Nevertheless, I enjoyed the tale, which was full of action and adventure and danger, and I recommend it for anyone interested in old historical novels. I must read more of her books!

[Quath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Mary Anne lives out on the frontier with her mother, father, neighbor and some friendly Sioux. If you've read one book from this time period, you've read them all, in a sense. There are no surprises here, just some good old fashioned adventures and plenty of non-PC language. The illustrations are cute, some aspects of the story original, and it's a fairly enjoyable, fast read. The lack of blood and violence will make it unappealing to most of today's young readers, which I find quite ironic given the main character's comment about her own boring school books and how much better the newer ones were (from her perspective).


(This is book 2 of the Invisible Inc. Library Rescue series. These books were rescued from a public school garbage bin and made available for further use and enjoyment by J.G.)

[Sheila]

This book has GOT to be the most paternalistic, condescending book I've ever read. I lost count of how many times the author stated how the "...red men were just like children..." If this book isn't on the Native American's hit list, it should be. However, it would be a GREAT example to read to kids to teach them how NOT to treat people or think of people. I think the "little yellow-maned pony" was smarter than ANY of the Indian characters in the book...and all he did was be a horse!

[Kendra Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

History Year Four. Big Cornelia Meigs fan.