The Talking Earth

Author: Jean Craighead George

Characters: Billie Wind, Petang, and Coootchobee

This was a wonderful story about a young Indian girl. She was doubtful of the things that her tribe believed in. She was sent on a journey to find the animal gods that talked. Along the way she showed great knowledge and perseverance. She became one with the earth and the animals to fight her way to the Gulf of Mexico on her mission to find the truth. She befriends a panther cub which eventually finds his family again and in turn helps her in a great time of need. She meets another Indian boy who is on a quest and together they find the answers they sought. The descriptions of the land in this book are terrific and fully support any Earth science program. This is on our reading list for the literature-science connection. I highly recommend if for middle school aged students to read.