In the Pacific, there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea birds abound. Karana is the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.
Island of the Blue Dolphins ANNOTATION Records the courage and self-reliance of an Indian girl who lived alone for eighteen years on an isolated island off the California coast.
FROM THE PUBLISHER This newly illustrated edition of Island of the Blue Dolphins, a Newbery Award-winning novel published in 1960, includes fourteen full-color paintings by a master watercolorist. SYNOPSIS Island of the Blue Dolphins is the remarkable story of a strange and beautiful Indian girl who lives a serene and courageous life as the solitary survivor on a rocky island off the California coast. The island looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters frolic in the surf, and sea elephants and birds abound. Once, many Indians lived on the island, too. But when the Russian arrived to prey on the wildlife surrounding the island, a war broke out, and many perished. The few that were left fled the island and sailed to the island of Santa Catalina in the east, but Karana, The Girl wih the Long Black Hair, and Ramo, her brother, were left behind. FROM THE CRITICS "O'Dell tells the miraculous story of how Karana forages on land and in the ocean, clothes herself (in a green-cormorant skirt and an otter cape on special occasions), and secures shelter. Perhaps even more startlingly, she finds strength and serenity living alone on the island. This beautiful edition of Island of the Blue Dolphins is enriched with 12 full-page watercolor paintings by Ted Lewin, illustrator of more than 100 children's books, including Ali, Child of the Desert. A gripping story of battling wild dogs and sea elephants, this simply told, suspenseful tale of survival is also an uplifting adventure of the spirit." Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1961, this story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for eighteen years on an island off the coast of California, still fascinates young readers. Her survival story-fighting the wild dogs and loneliness, hunting for food, and hoping to be rescued-is spellbinding. 1996 (orig.
AudioFile - Susan G. Baird Narrator Tantoo Cardinal more than succeeds in delivering a lovely listening experience. Her accent and pronunciation are first rate. The music adds to the story with an ethnic sound. When the Russians invaded the island, many islanders were killed or fled. Some, like the young girl, Karana, were accidentally left behind. Karana¿¿¿s survival in remote isolation is moving and unforgettable. Both the text and Cardinal¿¿¿s style make the listener feel he¿¿¿s part of Karana¿¿¿s isolation and maturation. S.G.B. ¿¿¿AudioFile, Portland, Maine
AudioFile Christina Moore¿¿¿s reading does full justice to this historical novel about the courage and ingenuity of Karana. The young Indian girl lived alone for eighteen years on an island off the coast of California in harmony with the world around her. Moore delivers the first-person narration with a quiet, nearly uninflected voice, creating the sense of Karana¿¿¿s youth and peril. Moore measures out her words, making the space between them speak for the desperate care with which Karana builds and provisions her home. Even Karana¿¿¿s moments of triumph, taming Rontu the wild dog and killing the giant octopus, have a feeling of patience, solitude and dignity when read with this sensitive control. L.S. ¿¿¿AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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