Running Owl the Hunter

by Nathaniel Benchley

Running Owl, unsuccessful in his first hunt, decides he needs an eagle's feather to bring him luck.

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley (1889-1945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City.

Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. Benchley dealt with diverse locales and topics such as "Bright Candles", which recounts the experiences of a 16-year-old Danish boy during the German occupation of his country in World War II; and "Small Wolf", a story about a Native American boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own peoples'.

Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.

Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.

His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. His younger son, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor who has portrayed his grandfather, Robert Benchley, in a one-man, semi-biographical stage show, "Benchley Despite Himself". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's best monologues, short films, radio rantings and pithy pieces as recalled, edited, and acted by his grandson Nat, and combined with family reminiscences and friends' perspectives."

Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.

Reviews

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running Owl, the Hunter by Nathaniel Benchley, Illustrator -Mamoru Funai- Hindi language translation by Arvind Gupta- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story of Red Indian Chief’s son Running Owl. The child is growing and learning Red Indian traditions and hunting in the forest. He is taught that hunting is done in groups. Only as many animals are killed as are necessary for food. Second, all parts of the animal’s body are used. If a wild buffalo is killed, his meat is used for food, his skin is used to erecting tents and for clothes. Buffalo’s head is placed facing east at a place where other buffalo’s head are placed. Running owl informs his father that he is now grown up and he should be permitted to participate in hunting team. His father informs him that he is too young to join them as there is fear that he may fall from his horse and come under the feet of running buffaloes. Running Owl decides to hunt independently and plans his journey. First, he is unsuccessful, therefore, he understands that he needs a lucky charm like an Eagle’s feather to bring him luck. Running owl packs his lunch and moves to the forest area. He digs a wooden branch in the open and places his piece of meat on it. He hides below in a shallow hole covered with branches of trees. Thus, he is hidden from animals and eagles. A fox views and smells the meat and is about to jump to pick it up. But Running owl shies him away. Next, the eagles flies over the meat. The eagle is about to pick the piece of meat when Running owl holds the feet of the Eagle. At first, the eagle wants to escape but Running owl has a strong grip on his feet. The eagle flies with Running owl and takes him to his large nest on a mountain. Eagle’s three sons are awaiting arrival of food. Running owl is able to talk to the eagle. He informs that eagle that he had laid the trap because he wanted an Eagle’s feather as a lucky charm for his hunting. The Eagle obliges the Running owl with his feather. Running owl walks beck to his father’s tent. He is sick and falls asleep soon. In the morning, he informs that he has an Eagle’s feather as his lucky charm to join their team for hunting. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.