Call it Courage
Chapter 1: “Flight”
1. How did people treat Mafatu, the boy who was afraid?
2. What was Mafatu’s fear?
3. When did Mafatu’s fear begin?
4. What did Mafatu see in his dreams?
5. Why did Mafatu’s father fear for him?
6. How was Mafatu treated by other children?
7. Why wouldn’t Mafatu go fishing with the other boys?
8. Who were Mafatu’s only real friends?
9. How did young boys of the island become important?
10. How did Kana try to get Mafatu to go fishing with him?
11. What was the feeling of the tribe toward Mafatu that Kana told everyone?
12. How would Mafatu plan to prove himself?
13. Why was Mafatu planning to leave the island?
14. Why didn’t Mafatu turn back to the island in his canoe?
15. How did Kivi, his albatross, help him?
Chapter 2: “The Sea”
1. Why didn’t Mafatu have to paddle the canoe in the open sea?
2. What sea animals did Mafatu see in the ocean?
3. How did Mafatu get food and water at sea?
4. How did Mafatu ride out the storm?
5. What did Mafatu loose in the storm?
6. Even when Mafatu thought Uri and he were going to die at sea, who appeared?
7. What was the shadow on the horizon?
8. How was the island Mafatu landed on different than Hikeuru?
9. How did Mafatu get to the island?
10. How could they survive on the island?
11. How would you survive alone on an island?
Chapter 3: “The Island”
1. Once Mafatu drank water on the island what did he need next?
2. Why didn’t he eat coconuts?
3. Why didn’t people on the island find Mafatu?
4. Why did Mafatu need lime juice and leaves?
5. If no people lived on the island, how do you think the trail got there?
6. Why wouldn’t Mafatu have to worry about food on the island?
7. Why was Mafatu hoping for and at the same time fearing people on the island?
8. Why did Mafatu think there might be people on the island 50 miles away?
9. How did Mafatu plan to kill the wild boar?
10. How would Mafatu ever get back home?
11. What was Mafatu’s vow?
12. How did the banana leaves get cut?
13. Who made this trail through the jungle?
14. Why do you think there were human bones around the statue?
15. Why did Mafatu touch the statue? What evil things do you think Mafatu thought might happen to him because he touched the statue?
16. Why did Mafatu celebrate touching the statue?
17. How did Mafatu make a fire?
18. How did Mafatu control his thoughts of loneliness?
19. How would Mafatu make a knife?
20. What was Mafatu’s greatest fear?
21. Why did food taste so food to Mafatu?
22. Why did Mafatu Sleep well?
23. How do you think the island was formed? Using classroom materials create the island landform as a collaborative group. Investigate and research this type of landform. As a group create a presentation to give to the class. You may create a Power Point, poster, tri-fold, …be creative. Use your landform creation during your presentation.
24. Think about Mafatu’s needs on the island: fire, people, water, and food. In the following chart, rank these needs from one to four and tell how you would satisfy each one of these needs if you were Mafatu.
How you would satisfy this need if you were Mafatu?
Need
Rank
1
2
3
4
Chapter 4: “Drums”
1. Why do you think this chapter is titled drums?
2. Why did Mafatu bank the fire?
3. What skills did Mafatu have that helped him survive on the island? What survival skills you have to survive on a deserted island?
4. How did Mafatu make a dug-out canoe?
5. Why did Mafatu need a raft more than a canoe?
6. Why was killing a boar as important as a canoe to Mafatu?
7. Tell how you know Kivi, the Albatross, and Uri, his dog, like the island.
8. How did Mafatu finally make clothes?
9. Why was Mafatu happy to find the whale skeleton?
10. Why didn’t Mafatu get anything out of his fish trap?
11. How did Mafatu treat his dog?
12. How did the hammer head shark get sea animals out of Mafatu’s fish trap?
13. Why was Mafatu forced to fight the shark?
14. How did Mafatu wound the shark?
15. Why did Mafatu climb the flat rock to his look out each day?
16. How did Mafatu defend himself against the charging wild boar?
17. How did Mafatu feel after killing the wild boar?
18. What did Mafatu do with the wild boar?
19. Now that Mafatu’s canoe was done, what must he do?
20. How did Mafatu’s canoe work in water?
21. How did Mafatu feel about the sea in his new canoe?
22. What didn’t Mafatu do that day that he did every other day? How could that be a problem for him?
23. What could Mafatu see in the clear reef water?
24. What was in his fish trap?
25. Did Mafatu have to fight for his life?
26. Why did Mafatu dive feet-first into the water?
27. What is the author talking about when he says “lay like a broken shadow”?
28. Who is the author talking about when he says, “felt like a man drowning in ice cold water”?
29. When would Mafatu Mafatu start home?
30. How did Mafatu pack for the trip home?
31. What was the thump-thump-thump, Mafatu heard?
Chapter 5: “Homeward”
1. Why did Mafatu climb back up to the flat rock lookout?
2. Draw the scene that forever burned in Mafatu’s memory on a sheet of white construction paper.
3. Why must Mafatu flee?
4. Why didn’t the savages get him?
5. Why did Mafatu still hear the thump, thump, thump?
6. How many savages followed him?
7. Why were the savages getting closer to Mafatu’s canoe?
8. What guided the canoe safely back to Hikueru?
9. Why was it finally safe to sleep at sea?
10. Why didn’t storms come, just endless days at sea?
11. Now, what dangerous creatures followed Mafatu at sea?
12. Alone at sea, how did Mafatu feel about the gods?
13. Who else was in the canoe with Mafatu?
14. How did Mafatu know Hikuru Island lay ahead?
15. What did Mafatu say to his father?
16. How did his father react?
17. How did you like the ending to the book?
After Reading the Book:
1. Write a different ending to the book.
2. Write List all the events in the book that could have happened in one column and those that could not have happened in another column.
3. Explain why this story is fiction and not fact.
4. How did the attitude of his tribe toward Mafatu change from the beginning of the book to the end of the book?
5. Why would Mafatu’s story be a good story to tell young boys in a Polynesian tribe?
Vocabulary words:
Indifference impending ominous
Haunches deference impaled
Tumult utmost pursuit
Premonition chants eternal
Despairing irresolute plateau
Shoaled
As you find these words during the readings, keep a record of them and their definition in your literature circle guide.
Chapter 1: “Flight”
1. How did people treat Mafatu, the boy who was afraid?
2. What was Mafatu’s fear?
3. When did Mafatu’s fear begin?
4. What did Mafatu see in his dreams?
5. Why did Mafatu’s father fear for him?
6. How was Mafatu treated by other children?
7. Why wouldn’t Mafatu go fishing with the other boys?
8. Who were Mafatu’s only real friends?
9. How did young boys of the island become important?
10. How did Kana try to get Mafatu to go fishing with him?
11. What was the feeling of the tribe toward Mafatu that Kana told everyone?
12. How would Mafatu plan to prove himself?
13. Why was Mafatu planning to leave the island?
14. Why didn’t Mafatu turn back to the island in his canoe?
15. How did Kivi, his albatross, help him?
Chapter 2: “The Sea”
1. Why didn’t Mafatu have to paddle the canoe in the open sea?
2. What sea animals did Mafatu see in the ocean?
3. How did Mafatu get food and water at sea?
4. How did Mafatu ride out the storm?
5. What did Mafatu loose in the storm?
6. Even when Mafatu thought Uri and he were going to die at sea, who appeared?
7. What was the shadow on the horizon?
8. How was the island Mafatu landed on different than Hikeuru?
9. How did Mafatu get to the island?
10. How could they survive on the island?
11. How would you survive alone on an island?
Chapter 3: “The Island”
1. Once Mafatu drank water on the island what did he need next?
2. Why didn’t he eat coconuts?
3. Why didn’t people on the island find Mafatu?
4. Why did Mafatu need lime juice and leaves?
5. If no people lived on the island, how do you think the trail got there?
6. Why wouldn’t Mafatu have to worry about food on the island?
7. Why was Mafatu hoping for and at the same time fearing people on the island?
8. Why did Mafatu think there might be people on the island 50 miles away?
9. How did Mafatu plan to kill the wild boar?
10. How would Mafatu ever get back home?
11. What was Mafatu’s vow?
12. How did the banana leaves get cut?
13. Who made this trail through the jungle?
14. Why do you think there were human bones around the statue?
15. Why did Mafatu touch the statue? What evil things do you think Mafatu thought might happen to him because he touched the statue?
16. Why did Mafatu celebrate touching the statue?
17. How did Mafatu make a fire?
18. How did Mafatu control his thoughts of loneliness?
19. How would Mafatu make a knife?
20. What was Mafatu’s greatest fear?
21. Why did food taste so food to Mafatu?
22. Why did Mafatu Sleep well?
23. How do you think the island was formed? Using classroom materials create the island landform as a collaborative group. Investigate and research this type of landform. As a group create a presentation to give to the class. You may create a Power Point, poster, tri-fold, …be creative. Use your landform creation during your presentation.
24. Think about Mafatu’s needs on the island: fire, people, water, and food. In the following chart, rank these needs from one to four and tell how you would satisfy each one of these needs if you were Mafatu.
How you would satisfy this need if you were Mafatu?
Need
Rank
1
2
3
4
Chapter 4: “Drums”
1. Why do you think this chapter is titled drums?
2. Why did Mafatu bank the fire?
3. What skills did Mafatu have that helped him survive on the island? What survival skills you have to survive on a deserted island?
4. How did Mafatu make a dug-out canoe?
5. Why did Mafatu need a raft more than a canoe?
6. Why was killing a boar as important as a canoe to Mafatu?
7. Tell how you know Kivi, the Albatross, and Uri, his dog, like the island.
8. How did Mafatu finally make clothes?
9. Why was Mafatu happy to find the whale skeleton?
10. Why didn’t Mafatu get anything out of his fish trap?
11. How did Mafatu treat his dog?
12. How did the hammer head shark get sea animals out of Mafatu’s fish trap?
13. Why was Mafatu forced to fight the shark?
14. How did Mafatu wound the shark?
15. Why did Mafatu climb the flat rock to his look out each day?
16. How did Mafatu defend himself against the charging wild boar?
17. How did Mafatu feel after killing the wild boar?
18. What did Mafatu do with the wild boar?
19. Now that Mafatu’s canoe was done, what must he do?
20. How did Mafatu’s canoe work in water?
21. How did Mafatu feel about the sea in his new canoe?
22. What didn’t Mafatu do that day that he did every other day? How could that be a problem for him?
23. What could Mafatu see in the clear reef water?
24. What was in his fish trap?
25. Did Mafatu have to fight for his life?
26. Why did Mafatu dive feet-first into the water?
27. What is the author talking about when he says “lay like a broken shadow”?
28. Who is the author talking about when he says, “felt like a man drowning in ice cold water”?
29. When would Mafatu Mafatu start home?
30. How did Mafatu pack for the trip home?
31. What was the thump-thump-thump, Mafatu heard?
Chapter 5: “Homeward”
1. Why did Mafatu climb back up to the flat rock lookout?
2. Draw the scene that forever burned in Mafatu’s memory on a sheet of white construction paper.
3. Why must Mafatu flee?
4. Why didn’t the savages get him?
5. Why did Mafatu still hear the thump, thump, thump?
6. How many savages followed him?
7. Why were the savages getting closer to Mafatu’s canoe?
8. What guided the canoe safely back to Hikueru?
9. Why was it finally safe to sleep at sea?
10. Why didn’t storms come, just endless days at sea?
11. Now, what dangerous creatures followed Mafatu at sea?
12. Alone at sea, how did Mafatu feel about the gods?
13. Who else was in the canoe with Mafatu?
14. How did Mafatu know Hikuru Island lay ahead?
15. What did Mafatu say to his father?
16. How did his father react?
17. How did you like the ending to the book?
After Reading the Book:
1. Write a different ending to the book.
2. Write List all the events in the book that could have happened in one column and those that could not have happened in another column.
3. Explain why this story is fiction and not fact.
4. How did the attitude of his tribe toward Mafatu change from the beginning of the book to the end of the book?
5. Why would Mafatu’s story be a good story to tell young boys in a Polynesian tribe?
Vocabulary words:
Indifference impending ominous
Haunches deference impaled
Tumult utmost pursuit
Premonition chants eternal
Despairing irresolute plateau
Shoaled
As you find these words during the readings, keep a record of them and their definition in your literature circle guide.