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Call It Courage

by Armstrong Sperry

3.54 · rating details · 2,125 ratings · 228 reviews

This Newbery Award-winning classic children's story is now on audio! "Call It Courage" is the tale of Mafatu, a boy who must overcome his mother's death and conquer his fear of the churning sea that took her life. 2 cassettes.

Mass Market Paperback, 128 pages

Published January 29th 2008 by Simon Pulse (first published 1940)

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Jan 09, 2008

Donna rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: newbery, historical-fiction, children

A delightful adventure, and a most deserving winner of the Newbery Award. Ten-year-old Mafatu, a boy from a Polynesian Island tribe, doesn’t seem to measure up to the standards set for being a “man” in his tribe. Most troublesome at all is his fear of the water. How can he grow up to be a powerful, confident, courageous chief if he is afraid to paddle out to sea and go fishing with the other boys? A wonderful tale of overcoming challenges and reaching through barriers to achieve your goals. Ever...more

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Jun 26, 2009

Shanna Gonzalez rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: children-08-12

Mafatu, the ten-year-old son of a Polynesian chieftan, has always feared the sea because in his toddlerhood he and his mother were swept away by a storm in which his mother lost her life. As he approaches the edge of manhood, his fear prevents him from winning a place in his community. Realizing their indifference to him, he sets out to sea alone in his canoe, taking only his dog and a few tools. That night he is caught in a storm, in which he loses his paddle and all his tools, and he washes...moreMafatu, the ten-year-old son of a Polynesian chieftan, has always feared the sea because in his toddlerhood he and his mother were swept away by a storm in which his mother lost her life. As he approaches the edge of manhood, his fear prevents him from winning a place in his community. Realizing their indifference to him, he sets out to sea alone in his canoe, taking only his dog and a few tools. That night he is caught in a storm, in which he loses his paddle and all his tools, and he washes up on an island where cannibals are known to live. He builds a shelter and canoe and chooses to survive; while living there he kills an octopus, a boar, and a shark, and faces the human terror of ritualistic cannibals, barely escaping with his life. At the end of his journey he returns to his village having proved himself a man.

The story is set in a mythical Polynesia, but is written in a European voice: at one point the author describes a canoe caught in a current "like a millrace," a term which is decidedly foreign to this island culture. The great weakness of this book is that the tribal societies which provide a backdrop for the story are caricatured: The tribal fishermen represent noble savages, living so close to nature that they become "ill at ease, charged... with an almost animal awareness of impending storm" (3). Conversely, the cannibal tribe represent a class of wordless, brutal primitives -- dancing with oiled bodies, beating drums around fires and stone idols, wailing, and shouting with guttural voices. Mafatu appeals throughout the story to Maui, "god of the Fishermen," and repeatedly challenges his nemesis Moana, the Sea God. Sperry's Maui, however, hardly resembles the Polynesian trickster named Maui, and the Moana of the story is only a personification of the sea (In some of the languages "moana" does mean sea or ocean.)

No one having read this book should believe they have learned anything about the real Polynesia -- it is no more a story about Polynesia than Little Red Riding Hood is about the European forest. Notwithstanding this, if a reader can accept that Call it Courage is a lesson not in history but in moral courage, they may benefit from the moral example this hero represents. Although Mafatu is limited by his youth and inexperience, he faces great dangers and survives, facing down one fear after another. By making critical choices under pressure, and by refusing to succumb to the elemental, animal, spiritual and human forces arrayed against him, he finally wins his victory. This coming of age is an accomplishment any young boy can aspire to.(less)

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Jan 10, 2012

Jesse rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

"Call It Courage" was written several decades ago and to me is very primal because of the simplistic narrative it employs. I have read complaints from readers that it was simpleminded and that nothing happened between the beginning and the end. Obviously, I am generalizing what others have said.

As feebleminded as it may sound, the language is appropriate because it is near to the true voice of the character of Mafatu. However, I'm sure he wouldn't be speaking English, but t...more

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Dec 08, 2011

Connor added it · review of another edition

The genre of the book is fiction.
Setting is the element because he doesn't stay at the same island, he goes to a foreign island and takes a spear, kills a boar,goes underwater to kill a shark and bring it back to his home island. All to prove he has courage.

i was not interested in this book because it was slow i never understood it,he had to go to many different places in order to murder creatures that could kill the boy, Mafatu to bring back to the island dead to prove to peop...more

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Oct 29, 2011

Ensiform rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: newbery, fiction

This Newbery winner tells of the trials of Mafatu, a fifteen-year-old Polynesian boy, the son of a chief. Due to a tragedy that took his mother when he was a baby, Mafatu has a great distrust of the sea, so one day he takes a small boat and, accompanied by his dog, forces himself to face his fears. After a storm, he washes up on an island of cannibals. While building a shelter and another boat, he also faces predators and then the return of the cannibals.

This slim story is, unfortun...more

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Jul 25, 2011

Jeannie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-we-own, children-s-literature

My 13 year-old son brought this book to me two days ago and said that it is one of his all time favorites. So I put it next to the computer to read when I finish "Toward the Gleam." He mentioned it again yesterday, so last night I took it with me to read at bedtime. He saw that I had it on my bedtime stack and picked it up and began telling me again how much he enjoyed this book. You could see the story play across his face as he held it almost reverently. So I put my novel away, and...moreMy 13 year-old son brought this book to me two days ago and said that it is one of his all time favorites. So I put it next to the computer to read when I finish "Toward the Gleam." He mentioned it again yesterday, so last night I took it with me to read at bedtime. He saw that I had it on my bedtime stack and picked it up and began telling me again how much he enjoyed this book. You could see the story play across his face as he held it almost reverently. So I put my novel away, and took the time to read something that my child cares about. Now I know why he enjoyed it so much.

This youngest son of mine is the original intelligent caveman and this gripping adventure goes right to the heart of such a boy. It also goes right to the heart of a mom who was so much like him as a child. I couldn't put it down. I don't know why I never read "Call it Courage," but I remember reading adventure stories similar to this one and wishing that such exciting things would happen to me. I am amazed at how quickly those old feelings came back as I read this book.

Occasionally 21st Century Mom kicked in (This book was published in 1940.)and I was distressed at some of the old stereotypes that our society has now abandoned, but I finally told her to be quiet and just settled in for a great read that transported me back to my childhood. I was lost in a world where anyone can have a seemingly impossible adventure and rise to victory. Maybe I needed a reminder that this really is the case if we just give it our best.

I love Mafatu's determination to overcome the label he has been given. And I absolutely love that once he is resolved to this he never turns back. He gives it his best; and although he is war-torn and weary, he overcomes the challenges and trials that he faces--one step at a time. None of it is easy, but his confidence in his own abilities grows with each challenge that he overcomes.This too was a real-life-here-and-now reminder for me.

My son is going to read the book again, and with it fresh in both of our memories, we are going to have a great book discussion.(less)

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Oct 27, 2010

Jill rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: 10+

Shelves: newbery-medal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 22, 2009

Josiah rated it

· review of another edition

The best thing about this book (or at least tied for the best thing), in my view, is the breathtakingly expressive imagery that Armstrong Sperry SO creatively paints with throughout the story. It is like a literary fireworks show from beginning to end, as Armstrong Sperry takes the reader through the narrative and includes an awesome display of vocabulary and glittering superlative, to boot. His extraordinary use of language does for me the same thing that Holling C. Holling's illustrations acc...more

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Dec 04, 2011

Judah rated it

· review of another edition

This is my review of call it courage. I thought that the genre action. The reason why is that mafatu had to kill a lot of things. He had to kill an octopus, boar, shark, he even almost drowned when he was years old! That's why I think the genre is action. My summary of this book would be, "A boy in that's in a native american tribe has almost drowned when he was five years old but his mother did not make it but he's back to prove that he's strong and that he's got courage. I would say that ...moreThis is my review of call it courage. I thought that the genre action. The reason why is that mafatu had to kill a lot of things. He had to kill an octopus, boar, shark, he even almost drowned when he was years old! That's why I think the genre is action. My summary of this book would be, "A boy in that's in a native american tribe has almost drowned when he was five years old but his mother did not make it but he's back to prove that he's strong and that he's got courage. I would say that the compelling literary element is the characters. The reason why I think that is because a boy named "Mafatu" had the "Courage" to go to an island (that he didn't even know existed) kill a boar and make it's tooth a necklace. Now that that takes courage. Also another example of why the compelling literary element is the characters, is when all the kids that was about Mafatu's age were making fun of him because he was afraid of the water. He was the one who chose to go to an island and do that. No one told him that. he chose to do that. The last way I have an example of why the compelling literary element is the characters, is when his mother refused to take mafatu back from the lake but she only decided to take him back when she saw the hurricane. The things that interested me was that he stole something from that sculpture. That could have been a deathtrap or something. Another thing that interested me is that he burned down the tree instead of cutting down with his spear.... interesting.... The last thing that interested me was that the author didn't explain what the other boys said after he came back like that. Those are the things that interested me. The things that I have questions on are... Well the first thing that I have a question about me was that mafatu jumped into the lake or ocean because of a dog. Who does that?!?! Who cares about their dog so much? I mean he could have goat eaten by a shark. His life for his dog?!?! REALLY??!!?!?!?!?! Anyway another thing that I have a question about is that that the author made the octopus attack mafatu. Why would you want an octopus to be a scary character?? That's just dumb to me so I wonder why the author did that. The last thing that interested me was that why would his father name his son a name that means strong and strength when his son is a wimp? Another thing that I have a question about is that why would his mother feed that cocoanut to mafatu and not herself? I would care more about myself than my kid. The last thing I have a question about is that how would mafatu know that the sculpture belonged to cannibals. What gave him that idea. That was my questions about the book. A way this book can relate to the real world is that you have to be careful where you travel and you can't be sure about what's safe when you are traveling alone. That's one way that I can relate to the real world. Another way I can relate to the real world of myself is because I got picked on a lot in the 3rd grade and I can kind of relate to how Mafatu's feeling but for different reasons. The last reason I can relate to this book is when my brother went to a wilderness in utah and he had to do the stuff mafatu did when he was in that camp. That's how I can relate or the world can relate to this book.(less)

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Feb 15, 2011

emily rated it

· review of another edition

I remember absolutely LOVING this book as a kid - the adventure and the suspense of Mafatu's plight. The book did not hold up to my memories of it. I found Sperry's descriptions rather flat and unengaging this time round, and found it difficult to keep up with the rapid changes in Mafatu's courage.

Another thing that bothered me about the book was that the two main conflicts were at the beginning and the end (the storm, and the arrival of the eaters-of-men). Both can be argued as...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Jenee rated it

· review of another edition

This was my moms favorite book when she was young and so she told me to read it. I loved it. It's an amazing adventure story. It draws you in and you get lost in the context, the atmosphere, and the adventure. It's deffinitly one of those books that you never want to end.

It keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and it makes you feel like you are there running for your life from bloodthirsty cannibals.

Not only is it a great adventure story but it's a leason of getting over your fear...more

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Oct 26, 2010

Wid Covey rated it

· review of another edition

I loved Call It Courage because these are the kind of books that I like. It did not have a lot of drama and it had good amounts of intense action (if you could call it that). I also have read other books that one of the main characters has to somehow survive. This book kept me involved and did not ever leave me bored. If you do not like stories that take a long time to build up and get to the big suspense then this book is not for you.
This book was about a boy that was afraid of...more

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Dec 13, 2011

Vicki rated it

· review of another edition

This is the story of a fifteen-year-old boy named Mafatu, an islander, who is afraid of the sea. When he was very young he and his mother were caught out in a hurricane on the sea which took his mother's life and spared his. Ever since he is afraid of the sea and shames his father and is called a coward even by his best friend. So Mafatu goes out to prove himself one night just at the hurricane season is about to begin and goes to sea with his dog, Uri, and followed by an Albatross that he ha...more

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Jan 13, 2010

John rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I read this with my class. I loved it. It is about a boy whose mother dies when he is little and people insult him and call him a coward because he is afraid of the sea, which killed his mother. He can't stand hearing that anymore, so he leaves Hikueru and seeks out to prove his courage by himself. I think they can call that courage

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Dec 24, 2009

Jonathan rated it

· review of another edition

A few weeks back Elliot brought Call It Courage (1941) by Armstrong Sperry home from school to read. From Wikipedia:

"Call It Courage is a coming of age story set in the Pacific Islands. It chronicles the journey of Mafatu, the son of the chief of Hikueru Island. Mafatu is afraid of the sea due to witnessing his mother drown as a young child, which makes him a shame to his father, and a coward among his tribe. One night Mafatu takes a dugout canoe and sets sail into the ocean wi...more

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Sep 28, 2008

Tal rated it

· review of another edition

i was glad when this book was over ... sad. it had some good and interesting parts, but then there was a lot of dragging going on. then - suddenly something would happen. the book just wasn't laid out very well. i don't think any of my students will read this book, let alone enjoy it. i could be wrong though.

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Nov 29, 2010

krym rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: newberry-winner

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 15, 2008

Wendy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: newbery

Meh. This is pretty much everything I dislike about what I thought of as "boy" books when I was a kid. It's like something that'd be published in BOY'S LIFE (the Boy Scout magazine). Definitely not better than THE LONG WINTER, which won an Honor that year.

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Jun 17, 2008

Kevin rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-fiction

This is my favorite survival book, it's in the same vein as Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, but shorter and packed with interesting details of early Polynesian culture. Sperry is a real master of the simile, it's a great and quick read.

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Oct 01, 2008

Amber rated it

I was glad when this book was over sad , but true. it had some good and interesting parts, but then there was a lot of dragging going on. Then suddenly something would happen. the book just wasn't laid out very well.

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Feb 23, 2011

Andy Lee rated it

Shelves: young-fiction

Call It Courage is a good book about a boy who faces his fears in the form of his peers, family, and nature.

The hero of the book lost his mother in a stormy wave out at sea and ever since has feared the sea as if it was wanting to take him as well.

His tribe mates make fun of him, his father is somewhat ashamed of him, and he his only friends are a dog and a bird he nursed as a baby.

When all boys in the tribe go out to the sea, Mafatu builds up the courage to j...more

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Jan 27, 2010

Avaladez1 rated it

· review of another edition

This book was a very emotional book where a boy has a bad past with the sea. His tribe in the carribean islands constantly mocks him for fearing the sea and not fishing like the rest of the tribes boys. One day he couldnt take any more of the insults and went out to sea by himself. He had a lot of trouble facing his fear and got lost at sea. But in the end he returnes to his island with a fresh SHARK!
The reason I chese this book was becaus it was given to me at a celebration.This boo...more

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Oct 16, 2009

Cindi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-survival, listened-to-with-kids, 2009

I liked this book pretty well, but my main complaint was there wasn't enough detail. I like adventure/survival books with lots of detail. This book made you feel like Mafatu was only on his island for three or four days and then he says something about being there for weeks and weeks. My 12 year old was captivated, but he was sorry to hear that it was only two hours (two CD's) long. Call it Courage does give some insight into the Polynesian islands and life on them "before explorers and...more

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Jan 02, 2010

Jonathan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-and-young-people, fiction

One of the better books my students have been assigned. Pretty good, actually, is how I would describe it, especially the illustrations (though they did find the — quite discrete actually — picture of the naked shipwrecked boy overwhelmingly distracting. The story of Mafatu, a fearful Polynesian lad who sets out to conquer the sea and himself, is gripping, especially if you can picture the adventure. I was a bit put off by the constant line drawn between Mafatu’s people and the “black” eaters-of...more

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Mar 24, 2009

Angie rated it

· review of another edition

I have to be honest... I'm not sure I would have been so taken with this book if I hadn't been living on an island for the last 9 months and facing my own issues with the ocean. But because of that, I was totally captivated with the main character's fears and challenges and experiences that shaped him. I loved reading about his time on the island. I loved his companionship with Uri. I think the writing was beautiful and simple. I found a few of the non-English words to be difficult to figur...more

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Jul 22, 2011

J. Kennedy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, childrens-fiction

Mufatu is a young boy in a Polynesian tribe. He lost his mother to the sea and has feared it since. The boys in the tribe tease and bully him for his lack of courage. Determined to overcome his fear he takes off in a canoe. The book is a short and easy read for younger children with vivid descriptions and insight into what drives him. Mufatu learns fear only keeps him from being courageous if he does not face his fears. By the end of the novel he can no longer be called a coward. He has earned h...more

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Nov 04, 2009

Saskia Marijke Niehorster-Cook rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Unique manner of facing one's worst fear and vanquishing it, plus much more... A well paced "Coming of age" story that makes me wish I was there right along. Or that it was me in one of my past lives. Sometimes confronting one's fears means to just take the plunge on the deep side and hope to float not sink... It made me thirst for a visit to the Polynesian Islands. I Read the 1956 Edition with the original Illustrations made by the author. Brilliant artist as well as writer. The illu...more

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Jan 03, 2011

Antof9 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, fathers, kidlit, read-the-newberys, travel

I liked this one! I like how Mafatu lives up to his name of "Stout Heart", I like how all the work he used to do (instead of going out into the water) serves him in good stead on his lonely, scary island, and I like how he conquers his fears - first to protect his dog, and later for himself.

The descriptions of how hard he worked on the island were well done too, I thought. Not that I know if they are accurate or not, but they certainly sounded believable.

I also lik...more

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Jul 29, 2009

Heidi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-book-challenge, audio, award-winners, fiction, historical, ya-12-19, children-0-12, juv-6-12, tween-10-13

While the story was very intriguing, it's a shame there wasn't more written for the various events in the book. Things went by so fast (especially with audio) that I think I missed about a third of the book. But what I did get of it was very good, and probably excellent for the 8-12 age range. Why this is in our YA section I do not know. But I would have loved to read this when I was enchanted by "Island of the Blue Dolphins." Definitely along that same kind of adventure. Only much sho...more

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Sep 12, 2008

Madeline rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anybody who likes excitement and adventure nearer to the 2nd chapter

This book is about a boy made Mafatu who was afraid of the sea because when he was three,he almost drowned,and killed his mother. He was always call 'Mafatu:The boy who was afraid.' And his father was ashamed of him. So,Mafatu set off with his dog,Uri,and his bird,Kivi. They went to a island that he thought was deserted. He lived there for many weeks. He made a fish trap,and found a whale skeleton an made a perfect knife,axes,and a lot more weapons he needed to live. He killed a hammerhead shark...more

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About Armstrong Sperry

Author and illustrator, he won the Newbery Award in 1941 for Call It Courage.

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