All Alone

Author: Claire Huchet Bishop
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 1953
Number of Pages: 95
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary: A young  shepherd-boy named Marcel was sent by his father to the Little Giant which is a field in the French Alps of Saucie. He is to spend the entire summer up there alone to care for the cows. The town that he is from is a town that believes that you need to mind your own business so that you don't get yourself into trouble. Marcel is warned by his father that there is another boy in the Alps on the Big Giant and that Marcel should not talk to or acknowledge the boy. When both boys are alone at night they yodel to each other as a way of saying goodnight. One day Marcel awakes from a brief unexpected nap to realize that he has twice as many cows as he had  before he fell asleep! When he looks at the bells on the cows he realizes that three of the other boys cows had wandered onto his land. He assumed that the other boy had fallen asleep also and so his cows hand wandered away. At first Marcel remembers his fathers words and thinks of shooing the cows off of his land but he realizes that if he does this the other boy's cows will surely fall to their deaths. Instead of shooing them away he cares for the cows and brings them down to drink from the river all by himself. The other boy is at the river and they fight at first but then a great storm comes and they realize that they need to stay until the storm passes. However, a great tidal wave from higher up the stream comes from the storm and the boys have to flee to safety, the only option is to go to the Big Giant with the other boy.  When the storm passes they realize that they are stranded on the mountain as both paths to the Little Giant or the village are blocked. The boys stay on the mountain together for a whole week before they are rescued. The town had worked together to clear the path the Big Giant. The Little Giant had been destroyed in the storm and if Marcel had been there he and his cows would have been killed. In the end a great festival is thrown in honor of the resurrection of the town and their ability to work together. The town will work together from then on and everyone is joyful.

Personal Response: I really liked this book and I thought the meaning was wonderful. It teaches about working together and the value of friendship. It was well-written and the story flowed very smoothly.

Potential Problems: I couldn't find any potential problems in this book.

Recommended To: I would recommend this book to any child that needs to learn how to work with others. This would be a great tool to use to talk about how working together leads to a better world.