00008749

This story was about a Seminole girl who is sent out into the Florida wild to learn how to believe again. She survives through violent fires, encounters with powerful predators, and finally a hurricane. She survives this all while discovering how to exist with her peoples beliefs and comes out with so much more than she could have imagined at the start.

This story was powerful for me, the message that we should listen to and respect nature was a message that resonates with me. I love the naturalist nature of the writing, I could get lost in the details about the land and all the little bits of information that Billie Wind used to help her survive over the weeks and weeks of her journey. My last thought however, is wondering how the Seminole people view the work, especially since the author was not Seminole or Native American herself.

I read this book as my traditional reading assignment book. I was hesitant about reading this book because I had never heard of it before and I didn't know what expect. This book is about a girl in a Seminole tribe and she is questioning her beliefs and traditions that she has been taught. Therefore, she goes on a coming of age journey through the Everglades in order to know what she truly believes in. She ends up finding herself and finding who she is meant to be through this journey. I enjoyed this book because I got to see into a different culture and different traditions and beliefs that I am not super familiar with. It brought up questions for me about this culture and if this is something that young people in this culture go though. Even though I was hesitant about reading this book I ended up really enjoying this book. ( )

George wrote My Side of the Mountain, a favorite book. Besides that, this story takes place is the Everglades. As a native Floridian, that enjoy reading about my home state and the place I grew up. This was an excellent book. Billie's journey, both emotional and physical, are well written, as is the description of the Everglades. She also wove in the culture and history of Florida and the Seminole Indians. ( )

Billie Wind ventures out alone into the Florida Everglades to test the legends of her Indian ancestors and learns the importance of listening to the earth's vital messages. "Billie Wind is disciplined for doubting the beliefs of her Seminole tribe. She chooses her punishment -- to journey into the Florida Everglades until she hears the animal gods who talk. The conservation message grows naturally out of the excitement of the survival adventure story". "You are a doubter,"say the men of the Seminole Council and so Billie goes out into the Everglades alone, to stay until she can believe. In the wilderness, she discovers that she must listen to the land and animals in order to survive. With an otter, a panther cub, and a turtle as companions and guides, she begins to understand that the world of her people can give her the answers she seeks.