Sees Behind Trees

by Michael Dorris

Book Overview

This beautiful coming-of-age story captures one young Powhatan boy's road to truly finding himself.

No matter how hard he tries, nearsighted Walnut just can't earn his adult name the way other boys do, by hitting a target with a bow and arrow. With his highly developed other senses, however, he shows he can "see what can't be seen" and earns a new name: Sees Behind Trees. But his special skill proves to be more important than he'd ever...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786813571
• ISBN13: 9780786813575
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A Great Book About a Young Indian's Life by NK

This book is about a young native American boy coming of age. It tells the reader about the different ceremonies native American kids go through on their way to becoming young adults. I liked how the boy who started as Walnut learns to accept his nearsightedness and is helped by adults in his life to develop his hidden talent for "seeing" things around him with his other senses. When he passes the test that makes him become a young man he is given a really cool name for having his special ability. That name is "Sees Behind Trees". One thing I wish the book had more of is details about what it was like to be a young girl growing up in the native American world. Overall I very much liked this book. I would recommend it to readers who like to learn about other cultures and how they live.

An adventue that bring's you hope! KC

This book is about an Indian boy named Walnut who is nearsighted. He can not see well enough to shoot arrows. He is scared because there is a test at the end of the summer when the boys need to prove that they are ready for manhood. Walnut does not want to do the test because he cannot shoot arrows. The Weroance, is described as the most important person, expert on hunting. She changes the task and Walnut is able to pass the test and gets a new name. His new name is Sees Behind Trees. The Weroance's brother, Gray Fire wants to know how Sees Behind Trees passed the test. Gray Fire takes Sees Behind Trees with him in the forest for five days. Gray Fire and Sees Behind Trees meet a family. There names are Pitew ,Karna ,and there son Checha. But then something terrible happens! After reading this story this made me think that this book is so good that there should be a movie about it!

beautiful story

This book was required reading for a college children's lit class and I was incredibly pleased with it. It is an absolutely beautiful story of a young native american boy. The book is written in lovely, lyrical language using incredible imagery. It is a book children can relate to, as it is told in first person by a child and includes all the mixed up feelings of a child, but it also addresses some very deep and meaningful issues that adults will find rather poignent. I was captivated throughout.

Excellent!!!

Loved this book. What a wonderful world that is depicted by the author. I think it would be a wonderful read for children of all ages. Excellent.

A great story for anyone who is less than perfect

Walnut, a Powhatan boy in pre-Colonial Virginia, is approaching the age when he will have to take a test to prove himself ready for manhood. Because he is very near-sighted in a world without glasses, he is afraid he will not be able to pass the test, which involves hitting a moving target with an arrow. His mother teaches him to use his other senses, so Walnut is ready when the village matriarch announces a special test, which involves "seeing" something hidden behind a clump of trees. Walnut is able to use his other senses to detect Gray Fire walking towards the village, and earns his adult status as well as his adult name, Sees Behind Trees. Because of his skill, Sees Behind Trees is asked to aid Gray Fire in his quest for a hidden land. Avoiding dangers along the way, the two reach the end of Gray Fire's quest, but this proves to be only the beginning of a new quest for Sees Behind Trees. Sees Behind Trees is an beautifully written coming-of-age tale that meets the needs of readers in several ways. The tale is told in the first person with a skill that strongly connects the reader with the tale, and will allow young readers to place themselves inside the story. The characters are realistic, particularly Sees Behind Trees (nee Walnut), with whose emotions and anxieties the reader can readily identify. A young audience will quickly recognize similarities between events in the book and their own experiences in growing up, despite the differences in time and culture. This makes this book an excellent choice for students in or going into middle school, as they are faced with similar changes in their own rights and responsibilities, and with changing expectations from those around them. The story is also clearly described, allowing the reader to "see" Sees Behind Trees' world better than he can, as well as providing vivid portrayals of sounds, scents and sensations often lacking in other books. The quest that Gray Fire and Sees Behind Trees pursue is a quasi-mystical adventure with which the reader is nevertheless able to identify. Dorris' research of the Powhatan Indians (he cites his references in his acknowledgements) is thorough, lending further credibility and detail to the story. This story will be of particular interest to students with one or more disabilities, correctable or not, including but not limited to those with vision problems. The fact that Sees Behind Trees is able to overcome his problems purely through adaptation and perseverance makes this tale all the more insightful, meaningful and inspirational.