The Sign of the Beaver Themes

Being alone in the wilderness ain't easy. Need some proof? Talk to Julie or Brian… or Matt, our main dude in The Sign of the Beaver. The thing is, it's not just a struggle with survival for each...

Humans have issues with prejudice—whether it takes the form of bullying, stereotyping, or blatant racism. The thing about prejudice, though, is that it usually melts away with a little quality ti...

Coming of age means more than just blowing out birthday candles or getting the key to your first car—it means growing up to see the world from an adult perspective. Needless to say, this isn't al...

In The Sign of the Beaver, Matt and Attean each have their own idea about what it means to be a real man. For Attean it involves hunting and skill, while for Matt it involves respect and survival....

A book about 18th-century Maine wilderness that didn't talk about survival would be like a book about birthday parties that left out cake and trick candles and Aunt Martha pinching your cheek and t...

Any kid knows that true forgiveness means more than just a mumbled, "I'm sorry." Forgiveness takes work, and sometimes it takes a long time to muster it up—and the same is true for compassion. Bo...

"You've got a friend in me," croons Randy Newman in the Toy Story theme song. In that movie, Buzz and Woody prove that being friends isn't always about being the same, and sometimes best friends sh...

Fear of the dark. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Familiar with any of those? We certainly are, and we're betting you are too. But how about, oh, let's say, fear of death by starvation or livin...

For some, family means tradition, crazy relatives, and quirky jokes. But for Matt and Attean in The Sign of the Beaver, family means belonging—and belonging implies loyalty. Attean hates white pe...

What is education? Homework, quizzes, tests, and… shudder… report cards. Except Matt and Attean do none of these things, and yet their relationship revolves around education. How? Matt teaches...