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The Courage of Sarah Noble was written by Alice Dalgliesh and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers in 1954. It is a Newberry Honor Book — historical fiction for ages 6 and up. Illustrations by Leonard Weisgard.

Dalgliesh based the story upon true facts. Eight-year-old Sarah Noble travels with her father in 1707 to the Connecticut wilderness to cook for him while he builds their new house. Faced with meeting wild animals and Indians, Sarah must keep up her courage.

When Father leaves to bring the rest of the family to their new home, Sarah remains behind in the home of Native American Tall John and his family. They care for her, even making her deerskin clothes and moccasins, and Sarah learns they are a loving and kind people. When her father returns with the family, Sarah can hang up her cloak and relax a little about keeping up her courage.

I did not have any issues with this book and how it presented the need for this child to have courage. I pictured her as growing up prior in a colonial town, sheltered in a fairly settled community, without the experience of being exposed to the wilderness and the animals that live there. Some of it may be a stretch on the author’s part but the fear of Indians would not be.

As for both Sarah and Father worrying about leaving her with Tall John, that felt right and normal to me irregardless of Tall John’s ethnicity or race or his prior behavior. I worry whenever I leave my children, even when I know the people. Things go on behind closed doors and have for all of mankind’s history.

Indians did battle between tribes and some Indian tribes were cruel to their captured prisoners. Sarah worries about the Northern tribe coming down to Tall John’s place. Ignornance amongst white people as to the nature of the Native Americans was the norm. How would Sarah know anything other than to be afraid, as her mother has raised her to be so? What the book shows is how our stereotypes are so often wrong. Sarah worries when the Indian children come to visit her, only to find out they mean no harm.

How many people are afraid of what will happen if Obama becomes President simply because of the color of his skin?

A more interesting note would be to find out how Sarah Noble viewed the Indians the rest of her life and what she taught her children and grandchildren about them.

I did wonder where the rest of Tall John’s people were and who they were – I don’t remember hearing what tribe they are.  It seemed unsual for them to be there all alone. But the general gist of the book, that we can befriend each other despite our differences is a valuable one.

Overall, this is a delightful and easy to read book of 55 pages in 11 chapters. The dangers of the wilderness are explored but never brought forth in a frightening manner for the reader. Sarah’s Christianity and Tall John’s differences are treated with respect and dignity.  Despite having been written 54 years ago, my ten-year-old enjoyed reading it aloud to me.