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Man in Bearskin
The Man in Bearskin was first published in 1925. It is a delightful combinatin of legend and fact abut the early settlers of Holland, Michigan. Long a favorite of area children, it has been rewritten to appeal to a wider audience. Ther story of Dutch immigrants in 1840, Michigan. Who was the secret benefactor to the Kolk family during the epidemic? Young Gerrit Kolk finds out after he is able to rescue the self-isolated "Man in Bearskin." A story of hardships, peril, faith and reconciliation.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 23, 2024
One time I missed a movie that other folks in the family saw. All I remembered was that it had "Bearskin" in its title, and I thought this was the book that went with it. Can't find a movie for this book, so it must have been something else. (Possibly an adaptation of the Bearskin fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.)
Even though I was mistaken about what it was, I still enjoyed this book. It's about Dutch settlers in the 1840s who founded the city of Holland on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan. Follows the family of Gerrit Kolf and their experiences of being among the first immigrants to call the area their home. Helping them get settled in is the mysterious "Man in Bearskin," known only to residents by his choice of garments instead of by a name, who lives by himself in the forest with his pet Wolf.
Description on the back describes this as a "combination of legend and fact." I found the real-life counterpart of at least one character: Dominie A. C. Van Raalt, leader and pastor of the migrants. The Christian imagery, especially in the last few chapters, is in line with some of the other books I've read recently like ...And Now Miguel with similar references to Jacob and Esau, as well as Heidi and the parable of the Prodigal Son. I felt the book ended a little quickly, but the buildup leading up to the climax was great!
The cover says author J. Keuning's work was rewritten by Cobie Bos. I have been unable to ascertain what this means. The edition I read is a 1982 entry in the Voyager Series from Baker Book House. It may have been a modernization, because the text mentions present-day... when talking about the name of the Black Lake/River, as I recall. (Although at the time of my reading the two bodies of water are known by the name Macatawa.) I came across a couple examples of word choice or sentence construction that made me wonder if "rewritten" meant translation or other editing; they weren't distracting or incorrect at all but actually made the reading more interesting and engaging, I thought.
The way the characters handle their trials and tribulations is inspirational. This book really drove home for me how far immigration can push one "out of one's comfort zone," leaving behind all that's familiar and even a way of life in search of something better. It didn't sound like the Dutch settlers were used to living in forests as dense as those in Michigan; some were injured and even killed chopping down trees to make shelters durable enough to withstand the harsher winters! (One part says they were looking for clay deposits, which may have been a building material they were more accustomed to.) Rivers, if they were going in the direction you wanted to go, seemed to be good transportation -- "natural infrastructure," almost -- once you made it past the snags and shoals. Nearby towns like Zeeland and Friesland (or Vriesland?) probably had to be traveled to on foot at the time. Which wasn't good, when disease struck suddenly, and the assistance of a doctor was required. Adult clothes (like socks) were remade into children's, so the settlers may not have known how to work with the skins of local animals, either. Unlike the nearby tribe of Native Americans. (Anishinaabe, I think -- would like to learn more about the people and time and place.)
So, not what I thought it was, but still a very good book. I liked learning more about Michigan and the Netherlands.
Even though I was mistaken about what it was, I still enjoyed this book. It's about Dutch settlers in the 1840s who founded the city of Holland on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan. Follows the family of Gerrit Kolf and their experiences of being among the first immigrants to call the area their home. Helping them get settled in is the mysterious "Man in Bearskin," known only to residents by his choice of garments instead of by a name, who lives by himself in the forest with his pet Wolf.
Description on the back describes this as a "combination of legend and fact." I found the real-life counterpart of at least one character: Dominie A. C. Van Raalt, leader and pastor of the migrants. The Christian imagery, especially in the last few chapters, is in line with some of the other books I've read recently like ...And Now Miguel with similar references to Jacob and Esau, as well as Heidi and the parable of the Prodigal Son. I felt the book ended a little quickly, but the buildup leading up to the climax was great!
The cover says author J. Keuning's work was rewritten by Cobie Bos. I have been unable to ascertain what this means. The edition I read is a 1982 entry in the Voyager Series from Baker Book House. It may have been a modernization, because the text mentions present-day... when talking about the name of the Black Lake/River, as I recall. (Although at the time of my reading the two bodies of water are known by the name Macatawa.) I came across a couple examples of word choice or sentence construction that made me wonder if "rewritten" meant translation or other editing; they weren't distracting or incorrect at all but actually made the reading more interesting and engaging, I thought.
The way the characters handle their trials and tribulations is inspirational. This book really drove home for me how far immigration can push one "out of one's comfort zone," leaving behind all that's familiar and even a way of life in search of something better. It didn't sound like the Dutch settlers were used to living in forests as dense as those in Michigan; some were injured and even killed chopping down trees to make shelters durable enough to withstand the harsher winters! (One part says they were looking for clay deposits, which may have been a building material they were more accustomed to.) Rivers, if they were going in the direction you wanted to go, seemed to be good transportation -- "natural infrastructure," almost -- once you made it past the snags and shoals. Nearby towns like Zeeland and Friesland (or Vriesland?) probably had to be traveled to on foot at the time. Which wasn't good, when disease struck suddenly, and the assistance of a doctor was required. Adult clothes (like socks) were remade into children's, so the settlers may not have known how to work with the skins of local animals, either. Unlike the nearby tribe of Native Americans. (Anishinaabe, I think -- would like to learn more about the people and time and place.)
So, not what I thought it was, but still a very good book. I liked learning more about Michigan and the Netherlands.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2016
My edition of The Man In Bearskin is 168 pages long and was published in Saylorsburg, PA, by the Pinebrook Book Club in 1944. Since the story deals with West Michigan history and Dutch colonists seeking religious freedom, it makes sense that a Christian publisher in Grand Rapids (Baker) would reprint it (1982).
Gerrit Kolf, his wife, and four children arrive at the Van Raalte colony in June, soon after the first colonists of 1847. Their group has been left on the beach a few miles from the gathering of crude dwellings that will become Holland, Michigan. It is an area of natural beauty: sandy shores on the big lake, a small lake, a river, big trees, plentiful game, and plenty of room for farms and settlers. Gerrit is excited about their new life, but also aware of the struggle it will be to get started.
It does not surprise me that the settlers were excited to be there. I have spent many a wonderful summer day on the beach at Holland, MI. The state park there was the place to be when I was a kid. Inland, between Holland and Zeeland, former wetlands left rich, black dirt to grow celery and other crops in abundance, even tulips. The Dutch town became prosperous, but it was not always so.
This is the story of the first year. A prowler stalks them on their first night on the beach--a spooky beginning. There are Indians in the area, but he is not one of them, even though he wears a bearskin, because he speaks Dutch! Is he a thief? His behavior is very strange. Yet, he leaves game for them to eat. His woodsmanship could be a boon to the colony, but his behavior could be a threat. Both Gerrit and the Man In the Bearskin have challenges to face. There are no roads. No doctors. No medicine. Little food. Crops to plant. Shelters, then cabins to build... before winter. Who will survive?
I was fascinated by people who uprooted themselves from the Netherlands, which had been civilized for a thousand years, and then suffered a long and miserable journey to get to the edge of nowhere. This was the frontier! What were they thinking? They didn't even know how to chop down trees! And boy did they have a lot of trees to clear. Rev. Van Raalte had the vision, bought the land, and convinced people to come to where they could worship God as they pleased. Their hopes, and dreams, and hardships, and prayers are all in this story. I admired the goodhearted Gerrit Kolf who trusted that God would be with them. I adventured in the forests with his 14-year-old son. I ached with the internal turmoil of the Man In the Bearskin. My heart was with them all.
Gerrit Kolf, his wife, and four children arrive at the Van Raalte colony in June, soon after the first colonists of 1847. Their group has been left on the beach a few miles from the gathering of crude dwellings that will become Holland, Michigan. It is an area of natural beauty: sandy shores on the big lake, a small lake, a river, big trees, plentiful game, and plenty of room for farms and settlers. Gerrit is excited about their new life, but also aware of the struggle it will be to get started.
It does not surprise me that the settlers were excited to be there. I have spent many a wonderful summer day on the beach at Holland, MI. The state park there was the place to be when I was a kid. Inland, between Holland and Zeeland, former wetlands left rich, black dirt to grow celery and other crops in abundance, even tulips. The Dutch town became prosperous, but it was not always so.
This is the story of the first year. A prowler stalks them on their first night on the beach--a spooky beginning. There are Indians in the area, but he is not one of them, even though he wears a bearskin, because he speaks Dutch! Is he a thief? His behavior is very strange. Yet, he leaves game for them to eat. His woodsmanship could be a boon to the colony, but his behavior could be a threat. Both Gerrit and the Man In the Bearskin have challenges to face. There are no roads. No doctors. No medicine. Little food. Crops to plant. Shelters, then cabins to build... before winter. Who will survive?
I was fascinated by people who uprooted themselves from the Netherlands, which had been civilized for a thousand years, and then suffered a long and miserable journey to get to the edge of nowhere. This was the frontier! What were they thinking? They didn't even know how to chop down trees! And boy did they have a lot of trees to clear. Rev. Van Raalte had the vision, bought the land, and convinced people to come to where they could worship God as they pleased. Their hopes, and dreams, and hardships, and prayers are all in this story. I admired the goodhearted Gerrit Kolf who trusted that God would be with them. I adventured in the forests with his 14-year-old son. I ached with the internal turmoil of the Man In the Bearskin. My heart was with them all.
July 19, 2018
I remember enjoying this book as a child. This edition was published in 1946; the original was in 1925. Apparently there is a rewriting in 1982. I assume it is less prejudicial to the local Indian population. Maybe not.
The book makes real the hardship of the first Holland, Michigan settlers. They were unprepared to deal with cutting down forests, living through harsh winters, and terrible illnesses. It is very pietistic in its theme and probably pretty predictable in its plot but it was a good read again today nevertheless.
The book makes real the hardship of the first Holland, Michigan settlers. They were unprepared to deal with cutting down forests, living through harsh winters, and terrible illnesses. It is very pietistic in its theme and probably pretty predictable in its plot but it was a good read again today nevertheless.
February 25, 2024
this book touched me in particular because of it's connection to west michigan history and I was initially impressed by the auth's riveting descriptions of the woodlands rivers, forests, and great lakes I grew up mucking through. but in the end it's a fairly white bread allegory of christian guilt and salvation in god. which I should have expected from a book pertaining to early west michigan. this coupled with some racist depictions of native americans spoiled what was for the first 130 pages a rather exciting and thoughtful narrative.
May 9, 2018
The Man in Bearskin is meant to be an emotional story of redemption with some adventure set in frontier days. Instead it ends up being a fairly obvious Christian lit book. The story hinges on a big secret that was fairly easy to intuit, though the children it was read aloud to struggled to see it coming. They also seemed to enjoy the book much more. Seems like it fills a really weird niche.
August 19, 2009
Local history of where I grew up, thus the high rating!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews