Indians on the Bonnet
Written by Elizabeth Ladd
Illustrated by Richard Cuffari
Reviewed by student in Ms. A's 6th Grade Class
This story begins by telling about the Indians and their struggle to keep their houses. The main characters in the story are Jesse, Cory, Mr. Raven, Grandmother, and Mr, Barnes. Cory and Mr. Raven are Indians. Mr. Raven cannot find a job because no one will hire an Indian to work for him. Jesse is a white boy who befriends Cory, the Indian girl, and her father. Jesse helps Cory and her dad. Mr. Barnes is related to Jesse and he hires Mr. Raven to work for him at the bonnet. Cory also helps out. At the bonnet they clean and maintain the garden. Jesse helped these Indians when no one else would. There are lessons to be learned about this story. The Indians were not trusted or helped. The lesson as I see it is not to be prejudiced, but to trust others and help one another. I think the author wanted to show how we must trust and not judge others by ethnicity or religion or race. I felt part of the story because the author explained all the little details, such as how Mr. Raven lived and what he wore. The character Jesse reminded me of myself because he liked to help people and liked to play with his dog, just like I do. I thought the book was amazing with the scuba diving story and the ships. It actually makes me want to go there and scuba dive. This is unlike any book I have read before because it has a lot of details. I liked Jesse and how he shot a gun to call his dog, Tatters. I would recommend this book to people. I liked the ending. It was very surprising. I was drawn to the scuba diving experience and enjoyed the information about the Indians and how they lived back then.