Two Little Savages (Dover Children's Classics) Paperback – November 24, 2011

This is a lovely boy's coming of age type tale but appeals to girls (I've loved it since my own girlhood). It is packed with woodcraft and even some Indian lore. This was a first edition copy that has all of the original drawings - some later versions don't have these illustrations and they are a key part of the charm of this book. My grandfather read this to my dad as a boy. My dad read it to my brother and me when we were kids. I started reading it to my son this summer (we need to get back to it - other things intervened and, as mine is an antique copy as well, it went back into a covered book shelf). I purchased this copy for my brother to share with my niece. It was in pretty nice shape for an over 100 year old book and I was thrilled to find a first edition with all the wonderful drawings! I was always told by my dad that this was a precursor to the first Boy Scout Handbook (that Seton and Baden-Powell were friends). I know that, though my understanding in reading it as an adult is different from when I was a chid (I have a keener appreciation of the unpleasant home life the protagonist experienced early on, and more of an understanding of the history of the time and appreciate new insights when reading it anew), I still love the wood lore, and drawings and the tale itself. As a girl I practiced walking placing my toes carefully as the Indians did, to walk silently, and have, ever since my childhood reading of this, checked the mud banks to see what critters have left their "calling cards". It is "dated", in as much as a modern child may need some explanation of outmoded forms of transportation and household appliances or practices, and may seem very harsh at times (it was) in treatment of children but would be a good one to read with a child and discuss. There is a strong sense of justice/injustice in the protagonist and he learns much from the various situations he faces and evaluates how he wished he'd handled them differently. I think there's good room for discussion. It is a little slow to start but grows more interesting as the protagonist (Yan) leaves the city and starts to live out his wood crafting (making a teepee, learning to hunt/trap, study flora and fauna). It has had a lasting influence on me and I hope my son and niece can enjoy it as I have.

I was so happy to find this book in print. It was a favorite of mine when I was a child. I got it out of the library several times. It is full of backwoods lore and rough camping instruction presented in story form. Who knew that you don't want to burn elm in a cookfire inside your tee-pee because it throws lots of sparks? Has instructions for building the tee-pee, too. I loved re-reading it as an adult but it is probably targeted to late elementary-school-aged and middle-school-aged children.

my favorite book from childhood. Absolutely awesome story (and illustrations by author) that reads QUITE differently when you are an adult. When you are a kid it's all light-hearted adventures of two very imaginative and inventive boys, when you are an adult you notice subtly wrapped in the story the societal issues such as parental neglect or extinction of Native Americans.

Like most of the reviewers, I grew up with this book and count it as one of my all-time favorites. I just purchased 2 copies of the illustrated paperback (Cornell University) edition  Two Little Savages  for my two infant grandsons, and the hardcover IndyPublish edition for myself. The paperback is a good reproduction of the original, with all of the illustrations that give E. T. Seton's works much of their charm. The cover and binding leave a bit to be desired; I doubt it will hold up to the sustained use the book often experiences, but is well worth the $26 price.Do NOT buy the hardcover edition from IndyPublish  Two Little Savages . It is totally devoid of the illustrations that (again) provide Seton's works with much of their value and charm. As such it is definitely NOT worth the $45.99 price, no matter how well printed or bound. I've returned it, and will now search for a good used original edition.

I was given a copy of this book when I was 10 and read it repeatedly. It has a wealth of information about the North American natives as seen through eyes of boys who were a fascinated as I in Indian culture and lore.

Yeah...Lots of historical info and writing here by a man who was very instrumental in the Boy Scouts. I picked this up for the pen/ink renderings of the time when this book came out...Those too hold a fascination in part as the process of printing of the book back in early 1900's. This is tucked away in my library with other books regarding archery also...not one to keep at the bedside to read before I turn in.

No doubt the book is likely a good one but I'll be returning this copy - its huge like magazine sized with VERY small font - it almost seems like someone photocopied it and bound it.

My first copy of this book belonged to my Grandfather. He was born March 19, 1900 and bought the book when he was about 14. I was born in 1948 and the first time I read this book was when I was about eight or nine. I learned a lot about woodcraft and basic survival from this book and I have used this knowledge throughout my life. I bought this book so I could have it available to read to my two grandsons (present ages two and three) as soon as they can process the stories and practice the crafts. This is one of the finest books ever written for any youth with a love of the outdoors.

If you are outdoorsy and haven't read this amazing book, a precursor to the first handbook for the Boy Scouts movement, you have a treat in store. Chalk a block with indigenous lore and delightful illustrations this will be a family family read for generations to come or at least until they pave the rest of the world and the melting polar caps drown billions who are fighting each other for drinking water.

誰でも子供の頃、「無人島に漂着したつもり」「山の中で暮らしているつもり」「ネイティブアメリカンになったつもり」になって、茂みの中で小枝と石で小さなたきぎやかまどを作ってみたりしたことがあるのではないでしょうか。そんな心の中の冒険を、知識と技術を駆使して、実際にやってみた子供たちがいたら・・・？そんな夢のようなお話です。白人の少年たちが、ネイティブアメリカンの知恵を生かして、テント（ティーピー）や弓矢を作ります。図解もたくさんあり、憧れをかき立ててくれます。また、現代から、子どもの教育という観点で見ると、これもまた興味深いです。主人公のヤンは、成績は悪くない。でも本当は自然やそれとともにあるネイティブアメリカンの暮らしにあこがれていて、学校生活になじめない。しかし自然の中で暮らすチャンスを得て、生き生きとし始め、周りの大人たちの手も借りながら、本当にネイティブアメリカンの暮らしを実現してしまう。現実の12歳の少年ができることを考えれば、これはすごいことです。学校でちょいといい成績とるよりも、ずっとすごい。子どもが好きで熱心に取り組むことを応援することが、結局は、子どもの能力向上と幸せにつながるのだ、ということを教えてくれます。

The old master of wood-lore leads in easy narrative style through the discovery of the magic of outdoor life and the shaping of the young protagonists personality. Gave it to my ten years old nephew.

good book

読んだことがなかったので買ってみました。かなり細かく説明があるのでとてもいい。