Book Preview for Earth Day- The Legend of Skunny Wundy

In honor of Earth Day, The Legend of Skunny Wundy

Long ago, there lived a young boy named Skunny Wundy, his name meant "Cross The Creek." He wasn't particularly large and he wasn't particularly strong, but Skunny Wundy was very clever. The one particular talent that he possessed was skipping stones across the water. Skunny Wundy could make a stone skip more times across the river that cut through his village than anyone else in his tribe.

Now, the people of Skunny Wundy's village had always traveled along this river. But they only traveled South. Children were always cautioned to never go North, because to the North was the land of the Stone Giants, large fierce monsters who loved the taste of human flesh. Luckily, Stone Giants weren't very bright, so as long as they didn't see people, they usually forgot they existed. Which is why the people of Skunny Wundy's village always traveled South and never traveled North.

One day, Skunny Wundy was walking along the river skipping stones and paying no attention to the direction he was going. He walked and walked and walked until suddenly he was startled by a Crow. He stopped, looked around and realized that he was very far from his village and traveling North!

Just as he was about to turn and run home, a thunderous voice boomed down from above him:

"A PEO-PLE! MY FAVORITE SNACK!"

Skunny Wundy looked up, terrified, it was a Stone Giant! He was huge and he was mean and, as the name suggested, his skin looked as solid as granite. Skunny Wundy knew that if he tried to run, the Giant would surely catch him, so he took a deep breath and decided to reason with him:

"You don't want to eat me, I'm nothing more than a bite to you!"

Reasoning wasn't going to work...

"THAT'S OKAY, I HAVEN'T HAD A BITE ALL DAY!" said the Stone Giant, licking his lips.

Skunny Wundy knew his only chance was to out smart the Giant.

"How about a contest?" he said hopefully. The Stone Giant looked interested, so Skunny Wundy pressed on.

"I challenge you to a stone skipping contest! We'll each skip a stone across the river and whoever gets theirs to skip the most times wins. If you win, you can...eat me. But if I win, you have to let me go free."

The Stone Giant thought about it for a moment, scooped up a boulder and said:

"OKAY, LET'S GO!!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Skunny Wundy said motioning with both hands for the Giant to hold up.

"That boulder may work fine for you. But there's not a stone here that I can even lift, let alone skip. How about I come back tomorrow with a stone more my size and then we'll have our contest?" said Skunny.

The Stone Giant looked down at him and thought and thought and thought. Skunny Wundy began to worry this trick might not work.

But, finally, the Giant agreed:

"SOUNDS GOOD!" he rumbled. "I SEE YOU TOMORROW!"

Skunny Wundy jumped up, clicked his heals, turned south and ran; laughing the whole way home.

But when he got home, he realized something- Yes, he had out smarted the Giant, but he had also made a promise. He had promised the Stone Giant that he would return.

If he didn't show up for the contest tomorrow the Giant might come looking for him. What if the Giant decided to come looking for him, headed south down the river path, and in the process found his people's village and ate up all Skunny's friends and relatives? It would be tragic and it all would be his fault. Skunny Wundy knew that he couldn't do that to his people and decided that despite the personal risk he would return the next day and compete in the stone skipping contest he had agreed to.

At daybreak the next morning, Skunny Wundy set off towards the land of Giants, checking the ground for good stones the whole way. Unfortunately, there were none and when he finally reached the spot where the Giant was waiting for him, he knew the stone he had in hand wouldn't skip enough to beat a Giant's throw; it was too light to travel any great distance.

"WELCOME BACK, SNACK!" the Giant laughed as he picked up his boulder again.

Skunny Wundy watched dejectedly as the boulder skipped out across the water once, twice, three times...gaining speed as it went, by the time it splashed into the water for the final time, the Giant's stone had skipped fifteen times!

"HA!! AGH-HA-HA! BEAT THAT, SNACK!" the Giant roared pounding his chest.

Skunny Wundy knew his throw would be hard to beat.

"Skunny Wundy!" a soft voice suddenly whispered.

Skunny Wundy looked all around, but could not find the source of the voice.

He heard it again: "Skunny Wundy, down here, down here! Pick me up and use me!"

Skunny Wundy looked down to see a tiny turtle at his feet. He picked the turtle up and again the turtle said: "You can you use me!" Then the animal tucked its head, feet and tail into its shell. And as simple as that, the turtle had become a perfect skipping stone.

Skunny Wundy smiled and whispered quietly to the turtle:

"My life is in your hands, little friend. But we can do this. Together we can do this, together we are one, we will beat this Giant."

Then he reared back his arm, took a deep breath and sent the shell skipping out across the water. Once, twice, three times it skipped, he thought with plenty of speed, but on the thirteenth skip, it turned sideways and it appeared that skip would be his last. But as the corner of the shell was about to crash into the water, suddenly the turtle kicked out his legs. The shell flattened and bounced off the water's surface, skipping again and again again!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" bellowed the Stone Giant, FURIOUS that he had lost.

He spun and slashed a large pine tree, shattering it like a twig.

Then he roared: "AGHHHHHHHHHH!" and Skunny was very frightened, the Giant could not seem to contain his rage.

But then the Giant stopped abruptly, looked down at Skunny and said:

"GO! LEAVE HERE THIS INSTANT! BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!"

Skunny Wundy wasn't taking any chances. He quickly blurted: "Thank You!!" and turned and ran as fast as he could until he reached his home.

Over the years, Skunny Wundy had many more encounters with the Stone Giants, but that is how he survived his first...with the help of the Turtle Clan.

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The above is an Indian legend that I reworked to fit into a historical fiction novel I'm working on about Redding and the Revolutionary War. The storyteller is Tom Warrups, a local Native American Indian that is teaching his neighbor (a 13 year old boy named Jonas) about how his people interacted with the Earth. Below is a little from their discussion after Tom tells Jonas this story:

When Tom was finished, I asked him if the story had any special meaning. He nodded and explained that his people had lived on these lands for tens of thousands of years and how they had done this had a lot to do with how they interacted with the Earth and all its creatures. Indians did not work the lands, they worked with the lands and sought harmony with its creatures. The Turtle in the story symbolizes the Earth. The Turtle helps Skunny Wundy which is symbolic of the Earth helping Man.

My people believe we are a part of the earth and it is a part of us, we are brothers working together. Skunny acknowledges this relationship when he says: "Together we are one."

"What does the Giant symbolize?" I asked.

"The Giant's ways are egotistical and wasteful, he gets his way using force. He takes from the land whatever he needs and when he has what he needs he moves on. The Earth is not his brother. That is why it was important that Skunny Wundy and the Turtle won the contest . It is a story used to teach our children that the Earth is our brother, and we must treat the Earth and its creatures with kindness."

Happy Earth Day!

p.s. Parents or Teachers that wish to receive chapters of "The War comes to Redding" as I finish them can contact me at: bcolley@colleyweb.com.

Summary & Analysis of My Brother Sam is Dead

Chapter by Chapter Summary & Analysis of the historical fiction novel: My Brother Sam is Dead- 

Includes classroom discussion ideas and sample questions for each and every chapter of the novel. 

Example text- 

Classroom Discussion
What do we learn about in Chapter 13?

We learn that General Putnam is focused on ending the disorderly behavior undermining both the safety and reputation of his army. Despite the efforts of both Tim and Susannah, it is clear that Putnam intends to see that Sam’s sentence is carried into effect. We also learn what the encampment looks like via Tim’s meeting with General Putnam.
What’s Important?

The importance of this chapter is the recognition that in 1778-79 Putnam and his officers were dealing with:

·        Desertions, which thinned their ranks.

·        Spies, who provided important information to the British.

·        Theft, which angered local farmers and residents.

Classroom Conversations:
There was disaffection and insubordination in the army within this time frame. Desertions were frequent, and spying by the Tories was almost openly practiced. To put a stop to these practices it was vitally necessary for General Putnam to see that these sentences were carried into effect.


Bonus Material-

Backgrounds on each of the families and individuals fictionalized by the authors in the novel. Tim Meeker, William Heron, John Read, Jerry Sanford, Tom Warrup, and many, many more. 

This Chapter by Chapter Summary & Analysis of the historical fiction novel: My Brother Sam is Dead is the most complete summary & analysis of the novel that you will find anywhere.

My Brother Sam is Dead Summary

My Brother Sam is Dead Short Summary & Topics

My Brother Sam is Dead is told in the first person by Tim Meeker. When Tim's older brother Sam joins the rebel forces, it impacts the rest of his family who wish to remain neutral and/or avoid war with England. Tim's family is Anglican and thus loyal to the Church of England; as a split with England would greatly affect them.
Tim Meeker is a metaphoric symbol of one third of the American population during the war. He portrays the American that is uncertain which side is right and does not wish to choose a side until forced to, sometimes referred to as a "fence-sitter". Sam and Life are examples of the other two thirds: the Rebel/Patriot and the Tory/Loyalist.

Through Tim Meeker we learn of the issues, the concerns and the conflicts of the rebellion on a personal level. Each chapter touches on a number of topics and issues that provide readers with a better understanding of the affects the American Revolution had on individuals, their families, their churches, their towns, their neighbors...in short, it allows readers to see the war from the position of those that lived through it. This is one of the greatest strengths of the novel; it quietly weaves all of the topics and issues of the early years of the American Revolution into a tragic story of a 10 year old boy’s role in a war he doesn't understand.

My Brother Sam is Dead begins in April 1775 and ends in February 1779...a very volatile period of the American Revolution as it was not clear which side would win the war. Many were either still confused about the issues or unwilling to solidify a position on the issues. As the story unfolds the consequences of the war prove devastating to the Meeker family as the rebelliousness of Tim’s brother, Sam, and the pacifist position taken by Tim’s father, Life, result in the ironic deaths of both, symbolizing the atrocities and unfairness of war.

The novel highlights many of the problems and events that impacted towns like Redding, CT. Several of these topics are:

* Trying to stay neutral while living in a town that everyone assumes is a loyalist settlement. Redding's Anglican Church leader and its members preferred not to rebel from England. This was well known across the State and resulted in Redding Ridge being labeled as an area heavily settled with loyalists/tories.

* Currency Issues-The Meeker's own a tavern/store, and keeping it running is hard work. Even prior to the Revolution, to make money, each year Tim's Father and brother Sam would travel to New York State to sell cattle they received from people who owed them money. During the war it becomes even more difficult as paper money and commissionary notes destroy local economies and businesses.

* Sacrifices- Since Sam has sided with the rebels and wasn't there, Tim's responsibilities have increased ten-fold. Jobs Tim and Sam used to share all now fall on Tim's shoulders. Father (Life) takes Tim on his yearly cattle run to New York. They have to travel without a Brown Bess (musket/gun used for protection), which Sam had recently stolen. Life is captured on their return trip, leaving Tim to take care of his mother and himself for the rest of the novel. Tim is forced to grow up over night seeing he is now the man of the house, with his father in prison and Sam fighting with the patriots.

* Committees of Safety- These committees were formed early in the war to disarm people who could potentially give aid to the British. Life is an Anglican and thus seen as a Loyalist/Tory, by the local Committee of Safety which comes to the Meeker Tavern to disarm him. When Life tells them his son has sided with the Patriots and taken his gun, they initially don't believe him and rough him up.

* Cowboys and Skinners- Life is captured on their way back to Redding on their cattle run by cowboys. Cowboys and skinners were groups of raiders who harassed and plundered the rural districts of the boundary between American and British forces in Westchester County, New York. Westchester County, was the so-called "Neutral Ground" seeing the British were in the Bronx and the Americans in Peekskill, New York.

* The British march though Redding and capture several Patriots there on their way to Danbury, CT to destroy the rebels/Patriot's provisions of war which were being stored there. The Patriot soldiers arrive in Redding in pursuit of the British and Sam is with them so he gets to see his mother and Tim again.

* Winter Encampments- General Israel Putnam's division of the Continental Army encamped at Redding in the winter of 1778-1779 and Sam Meeker is a soldier in one of Putnam’s camps. One evening, Sam slips away from camp and returns home to spend time with his family. While they discuss the war and related topics, Sam hears commotion outside…Patriot soldiers are attempting to steal their cattle! When Sam intervenes he is out numbered and beaten. Back at camp he is falsely accused of and court-martialed for deserting camp and stealing cattle. General Putnam having long dealt with ill-equipped troops, deserters and traitors, feels he needs to set an example in order to maintain discipline amongst his army. Sam, unfortunately, becomes one of the two examples that winter, and is executed.

* Hardships of War- Both Life and Sam Meeker die in the novel. Tim's Mother goes a little crazy due to the stress of losing her husband and son to a war she doesn't support. Tim survives the novel and lives to be very old. He had a wife, children, even grandchildren. But his mother never recovers from Life and Sam's deaths.


For more information, analysis and online quizzes:
The My Brother Sam is Dead Study Guide is available via Amazon.com's Kindle edition.

Or visit my website: http://mybrothersamisdead.historyofredding.com/

Vocabulary Used in My Brother Sam is Dead

My Brother Sam is Dead Vocabulary-


Period Slang: Used in Camp or in the Field

Adjutant: an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

Beetle-Headed: Dull, Stupid.

Brown Bess: A soldier's fire-lock (musket). "To hug Brown Bess" is to carry a fire-lock, or serve as a private soldier.

Chicken-Hearted: Fearful, cowardly.

Cur: A cut or curtailed dog, disabled from chasing game. Figuratively used to signify a surly fellow.

English Burgundy: Porter (wine).

Flip: Small beer, brandy, and sugar.

Fusillade: A discharge from a number of firearms, fired simultaneously or in rapid succession. A rapid outburst or barrage: a fusillade of insults.

Gill: One gill is equal to 1/2 cup of liquid. Soldiers were allowed a gill of Rum per day when on fatigue, and at no other time.

Grog: Rum and water. "Groggy" or "Groggified" is to be drunk.

Ground Arms: To stack firearms on the ground.

Hook: To steal. "My shirt was worn so I headed out of camp to hook one."

Huzza: Said to have been originally the cry of the huzzars or Hungarian light horse; but now the national shout of the English, both civil and military; to give three cheers being to huzza thrice.

Jack Tar: A sailor.

Lobster(Back): A British soldier, from the color of his clothes (Red).

Loggerhead: A blockhead or stupid fellow, also a double-headed, or bar-shot of iron.

Neck Weed: Hemp. Used as rope in the time period.

Pottage: A thick soup. Rod: A measurement of width, 16.5 feet is a rod.

Sallied: Usually means to breakout or depart.

Scaly: Mean, sordid.

Surly: Unfriendly, crabby, grumpy. Used to describe someone of that nature: "Major Williams was a surly fellow."

Sutler: A sutler or victualer is a civilian who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters.

Tattoo: A beat of the drum, or signal for soldiers to go to their quarters, and a direction to the *sutlers to close the tap. * A sutler or victualer is a civilian who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters.

Trainband: Local Militia. Volunteer soldiers formed to protect townships.

Vanguard: The foremost position in an army or fleet advancing into battle.

Period Slang: Used in Everyday Life

Anvil: A heavy steel faced iron block.

Breeches: Trousers ending above the knee.

Ciphering: Transforming a message into secret code via math.
18-21-14 = R-U-N

Cholera: An acute infectious disease of the small intestine, caused by the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae.

Commissary Notes: A Commissary is a store or market for military personnel, so a Commissary Note is a certificate given in lieu of currency for use in the store.

Drover: One that drives cattle or sheep to market.

Forage: The act of looking or searching for food or provisions.

Fusillade: A rapid outburst or barrage: a fusillade of insults.

Hardtack: A hard biscuit or bread made with only flour and water.

Hogshead: Any of various units of volume or capacity ranging from 63 to 140 gallons.

Hundredweight: 100 pounds.

Jerked Beef: Long slices or strips of beef dried in the sun or near a fire.

Johnny Cake: Cornmeal bread usually shaped into a flat cake and baked or fried on a griddle.

Leggings: Tight, form-fitting trousers that extend from the waist to the ankles.

Loft: Unpartitioned room overlooking another room.

Pallet: 1. A fire shovel; 2. A bed of straw

Papist: A Roman Catholic

Plowshare: The cutting blade of a plow.

Populace: The general public; the masses. A population.

Pound: Unit of money- equivalent to twenty shillings sterling

Powder Horn: Where you kept your gun powder

Scrip: A piece of paper representing or acknowledging value, such as a receipt or certificate, given in lieu of currency.

Seining: To catch or fish with a net.

Sloth: Aversion to work or exertion; laziness.

Shilling: A coin worth one twentieth of a pound.

Thatch: A house roof made with a plant material (such as straw).


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