From the inside dust jacket: "In 1872 much of New Zealand was still covered with the dense tangle of rain forest that the early settlers called bush. In the bush of the Manawatu Plain a few pioneers, most of them Scandinavian had just begun to clear a little ground and build their makeshift houses around the cluster of wooden shacks that was to become the city of Palmerston North. It is towards the Manawatu that four orphaned children set off with their few possessions fastened to the back of their little red cow Rosie, in search of their aunt and uncle. Will, at seventeen the head of the family, motherly Ellen, Sarah Jane and Sam face many dangers and strange encounters on their journey along the desolate coast and through the bush. At last, they reach their destination only to find that Aunt Kate and Uncle Daniel are no longer there and neither the Maoris in a nearby village nor their only other neighbour, the solitary Mr Stonecroft, know where they have gone. How will Will and his family cope with the hardships of the journey and resourcefully set about making a living from the remote bush clearing makes for compelling reading. Anne de Roo brings vividly to life the frightening grandeur of the bush and all the discomforts and rewards of pioneering life in late nineteenth-century New Zealand."
Date: 1980
By: De Roo, Anne.
Identifier: ISBN 0434959723
Publisher: London : Heinemann, 1980.
Format: 147 p. ; 23 cm
The setting for this novel begins in Wellington. The children walk out of Wellington up through Naugranga Gorge, along the hills to Porirua harbour, over Paekākāriki hill, and along the beaches till they reach Manawatu River. Then they follow the river to their destination of Tokapohewa.
Once again I am not disappointed by another book by master storyteller Anne de Roo. Nothing is predictable or contrived and the characters have depth and realism.
What I loved about this book...
It is written about the area I grew up in. There is nothing like reading a book where you are familiar with the place names and descriptions. I grew up on the lower east coast of New Zealand, so I could picture the children's journey out of Wellington like the back of my hand. When the children stood on the Paekākāriki hill I knew exactly what they were looking at. It was wonderful.
There is a cow! I enjoy stories about farm animals and how humans relate to them. The children save Rosie and take her with them. Even though Rosie is not a major character, the whole story is actually all because of her.
The children. Will is the eldest and he decides to be the head of the family. He is hardworking and headstrong. Ellen is next and she is anxious and fearful but discovers she has a talent for nursing. Sam and Sarah Jane are the younger siblings. Sam is a friendly boy who is good at farming and Sarah Jane is intelligent and brave. There are disagreements, but considering the circumstances, they look after each other very well.
I enjoyed the differences between the two characters Mr Stonecroft and Uncle Prendergast. The Uncle is a self-righteous, moralistic guardian who sees it his duty to look after the children, but has no love in heart for them (or doesn't show it). While Mr Stonecroft warms to the children over time and comes to care for their welfare, but has become so separate from the world, can he be any help to them?
"A fine lad," said Mr Stonecroft as Will disappeared among the trees. "Come now, Mr Prendergast, were you never seventeen? Did you never make an ass of yourself trying to prove yourself a man?" "I never let a drop of strong drink pass my lips," said Uncle Prendergast. "I congratulate you, sir," said Mr Stonecroft with a slight bow. "Perhaps also you were not left with the responsibility of feeding and housing and clothing your younger brother and sisters while the one member of your family who knew your plight did not even trouble to write to ask if you have safely reached the end of a long and hazardous journey. Perhaps, sir, you never worked as a labourer six days a week and as a farmer on the seventh. But I detain you, Mr Prendergast. We can continue this interesting conversation at Foxton one week from tomorrow." "Rest assured that I shall do my duty by these unfortunate children should their other relations fail them," said Uncle Prendergast. Nils had quietly saddled Uncle Prendergast's horse and strapped his carpetbag behind the saddle. Panting at the effort, Uncle Prendergast hauled himself into the saddle and rode off, without a word of farewell.
The children end up living in Tokapohewa which is in fact a Maori village. They live in a clearing near the village. This frightens the children at first, but watching the children learn and develop their understanding of the Maori is great to read. They grow from fear and patronising acquaintance to deep respect and friendship. There is a beautiful moment in the book when Sarah Jane and Hoani are caught in a storm on a bush track and they take cover. They are near an important ancestral tree called Te Upoko o Tipua te Rakau. Hoani shares the story of the tree and links to their iwi. It really explains in a beautiful way why nature and the land are important to the Maori. Wonderful living book reading.
The children are nearly completely uneducated. Sarah Jane and Sam can read, but the older two children have no education at all. Mr Stonecroft takes Sarah Jane under his wing when he recognises her curiosity to learn and there's mention of literature like Greek Mythology, Pied Piper, and The Pickwick Papers. Classical and Charlotte Mason homeschoolers will enjoy these references.
Without spoiling the ending, there are some wonderful twists and the book concludes beautifully. If you can find a copy of this book, please purchase it and get it back into New Zealand homeschool libraries so New Zealand children can read it again. Too many of these books are overseas.
I do recommend this book for 10+. The only language concern is the one above "ass". Will does get drunk and I'm not really sure why. It's not really explained, but he is caught out by Uncle Predergast and brought home in shame to his family. There is disrespect shown to their Uncle on a number of occasions, but he is a hard, obstinate man whose idea of care for the children is bordering on a form of "imprisonment".
Lastly an example page from the book...
I must read this book! I want to know the ending now, do they perhaps end up with Mr Stonecroft!