ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS

ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS by Scott O' Dell

We recently completed Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell in my younger elementary lit group. This book is a powerful read on subjects like survival, loss of loved ones, loneliness, and the companionship of animals. Interestingly, it is based on a true story.

From 1835-1853 a young woman lived alone on the island of La Isla de San Nicolas not far off the coast of California. Little was ever known about her due to communication barriers. When she was found no one knew the language she spoke and could only communicate with her through signs. O'Dell took what was learned and in 1960 published a book about the woman's time , who he named Karana, on what he called The Island of the Blue Dolphins. This book went on to win the Newberry Medal in 1961.

One thing my lit students really enjoyed with this book was a Read-Aloud Poster by Ruby Reads . I found these at our homeschool convention last year. (I receive no compensation for this! I am only sharing products that I appreciate on our lit journey!) You can see a small portion of the poster in the picture below.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is a book that becomes an amazing launching pad for offshoot discussions/research on topics such as geography, plants, wildlife, nationalites, etc. You can truly decide to spend a significant amount of time on all the trails that appear from the chapters.

HEADS UP-There is one situation to be aware of. SPOILER ALERT Karana's brother is killed by wild dogs. She finds his body, and it is a gruesome moment.