The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare

(hb; 1983)

From the inside flap:

"Although he faced his responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt was more than a little apprehensive when his father left him alone to guard their newly built cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger stole his gun, Matt knew he had no way to shoot game and no way to protect himself. It was only after meeting the proud, resourceful Indian boy that Matt began to discover new ways to survive in the forest. And in getting to know his friend, Matt also began to understand the heritage and way of life of the Beaver clan and their growing problem in adapting to the white man and the changing frontier..."

Review:

Empathetic, informative, engrossing, waste-no-words children's-book read, this -- worth checking out.

The television film version, retitled Keeping the Promise, aired stateside on January 5, 1997.

Brendan Fletcher played Matt Hallowell. Keith Carradine played William "Will" Hallowell. Annette O'Toole played Anne Hallowell. Gordon Tootoosis played Sakniss. William Lightning played Attean. Allegra Denton played Sarah Hallowell. Maury Chaykin played Hunter Ben Loomis.

Sheldon Larry directed the film, from a script by Gerald Di Pego.