Woodsong :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

IN TUNE WITH HIS TEAM AND THE ARCTIC

2007-11-25
Paulsen's choice of the word, SONG--see WOODSONG and DOGSONG--goes beyond the expected audible and musical implications, for it embodies man and animals' in-touch-ness with static and living aspects of the natural world. Less a cohesive story with a clearly defined plot and anticipated character development this book reveals the author's reflective observations of his own maturation--as a musher and as a human being. With gritty honesty Paulsen chronicles the painful and often humiliating earning curve which he experienced, thanks to his faithful team of huskies over decades in the Minnesota wilderness.

Part I consists of the author's memories-fond and painful--of his cumulative years with dozens of dogs, the canine wisdom which he learned about their amazing personalities and dog sledding, not to mention lessons about Life itself. Part 2 relates in excruciating detail his actual 17-day ordeal (trial by Snow and Ice) running the famous arctic marathon: the Iditarod. Just to finish this endurance trail is a victory for both human and animal nature; they struggle for a thousand miles against extreme weather conditions and brutal terrain across which man and dogs are pitted against the harsh reality of Nature. Written in first-person narrative WOODSONG shares the author's intensely personal feelings with readers, as Paulsen combats the limitations of the body while celebrating the limitless urge of the spirit toward maturity and positive appreciation for the total environment.

English Teacher Loves Gary Paulsen

2007-04-27
I have taught reading and writing to East Los Angeles - Hollenbeck Middle School - children of immigrants for the past three years. When I introduced "Woodsong" to my teens, I was worried that they would not be able to relate to a middle aged white guy in the snow. Not only do my "Americans of Mexican descent" love Paulsen but they love his dogs and other creatures he encounters: Scarhead, Hawk, Cookie, Columbia, Olaf, Obeah, the young dogs who discover fire, the doe that escapes into Paulsen's campsite, and especially Storm. The story of Storm and his stick brings tears to the eyes of even the most macho 14 year olds. Reading this book and others by Paulsen (Dirk the Protector and Older Run) have turned my kids onto reading other books by Paulsen, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, and Louis L'Amour. I love you Gary!!!!!!!

One of Paulsens best!

2007-03-08
Woodsong
By
Gary Paulsen

Woodsong is a story about the author's adventure in Alaska. He writes
about running dogs and racing in the Iditarod.
This story begins in Anchorage, Alaska in the 1980s. Paulsen runs the
dogs which means hitching a dog team to a sled and taking them for a
run.
One time while running the dogs, they saw a glowing light in the
woods. It seemed to be person walking in the dark with a lantern.
Paulsen also thought it was a ghost. It turned out to be a dead tree
with a glowing mushroom on it. He walked up to it and hit his head on
the dead tree. He felt the glowing light and realized it was a glowing
mushroom.
On another adventure, he was running his dogs in a snow storm. Paulsen
was headed for the edge of a cliff. He told the dog team to go straight
and straight would take them off the edge of the cliff. Paulsen did not
know because he was in a snow storm and he could not see. The dogs
knew they were about to go off the cliff. They tried to turn away but
Paulsen told them to go off the edge. They flew right off the edge of
the cliff. The sled and some of the dogs fell on him. He had a broken
rib. He got the dogs and the sled off of him and got the sled in to
shape. He got on the sled and the dogs knew the way and pulled him home.
The last part of the book is about the Iditarod race. The Iditarod
is an annual dog sled race in Alaska, where mushers and teams of dogs
cover about 1,150 miles in eight to fifteen days. Paulsen had a long
and hard race but he finished in about thirteen days.
I would recommend this book to someone who is a adventure seeker.
I liked it because it was a true story.

Magical ride

2007-01-23
I bought this book for my son who had trouble reading. We set out to listen to it on a long trip. We loved it, both of us. In fact, it spurred us on to buying more audio books, especially by Gary Paulsen. Later, we took it on another long trip and had the whole family listen. Great job Gary. We have now finished the Audio book, HATCHET and are about to start the RIVER.

Good book!!!! but too easy!!!!

2006-12-21
This was a very enjoyible book about gary paulson and his dogs but it suffers from a few problems. the first ploblem is that it is too short, i went through the book in a few hours. that may not actully be a bad thing if you are looking for an easy read. The biggining starts with a scene of killing and gore but don't be discouraged it gets better. therefore i don't think this is a must read but if you are looking for a enjoyible adventure (or just a book about the iditorod) then this is your book.
livon, jimmy and bruce.
students from minnisota.

Very Good

2006-08-18

A LIFE AS EXCITING AS FICTION

Gary Paulsen, three-time Newbery Honor author, is no stranger to adventure. He has flown off the back of a dogsled and down a frozen waterfall to near disaster, and waited for a giant bear to seal his fate with one slap of a claw. He has led a team of sled dogs toward the Alaskan Mountain Range in an Iditarod -- the grueling, 1,180-mile dogsled race -- hallucinating from lack of sleep, but he determined to finish.

Here, in vivid detail, Paulsen recounts several of the remarkable experiences that shaped his life and inspired his award-winning writing.

A School Library Journal Best Book

A Booklist Editors' Choice

Wilderness Adventures 2006-04-10
Gary Paulsen. "Paulsen is the best man-against-nature adventures writing today" according to Publisher Weekly. He lives with his wife Ruth in Minnesota. In "Wood Song" Gary talks about his like in the woods with his dogs. The book is about how unforgiving the wild can be and how he had to learn to deal with death in a hole new way. In just the first few chapters he talks about how on one of his first runs with a sled team he encounters a pack of wolfs chasing a deer. Also he learns that he knows very little about running a dog sled team in the begging, but once he starts running with the team more and more he starts to understand them and why they like to run. The book talks about how close Gary gets to his first led dog Storm. The book then talks about when he ran the Iditarod in Alaska. How he had to survive against the elements with only his dogs as company. In the book Gary talks about where he has been and what he has done.
Basically the book is all about action and adventure. Which is why I like Gary's books so much. One of the reasons I like his books so much is because there is not that many dry spots in the book. There isn't any really low parts, there is always something going on in the story. The great thing is that he makes you feel like you are right where he is.
I think that if you enjoy the wilderness then you will love this book or any of Gary Paulsen's books.

This is VERY informational 2006-04-05
I really enjoyed this book because it talks alot about his life. The book is a little gorey in the first few chapters but it really talks about Gary Paulsen's life. Some quotes that I thought that were meaningful were the parts where he talked about The Doe, I thought that part was interesting to me becuase it talked about life or death which was always a mystery to me.

My favorite theme from the book is the sense of survival. I think this was a good book overall but for some people it is a little to adavanced. If you're a young adult and would like to know about Gary Paulsen I would highly recommend this book.

-Evan E.
4/4/06

Woodsong 2006-03-30
Synopsis: The book is divided into two parts. Woodsong is Gary Paulsen's adventure with training sled dogs and completing the Iditarod in Alaska. The first half of the book is his orientation with sled dogs and nature. Chapter one starts with an eyewitness account of the slaughter of a deer by a wolf pack. Throughout various chapters he describes his encounters with training his dogs and Mother Nature at her best. He recalls incidents of not trusting his dog's instincts. They survived but his dogs weren't too happy. He describes his run in with a bear that he threw a stick at and angered. Paulsen stated that he learned to appreciate and respect nature in it's' entirety.

Part two is all about the Iditarod race, he gives daily accounts of the race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. This 17 day journey which focuses on his personal battles with hallucinations, the conditions of the terrain, his own personal weariness and sometimes unwise decisions; that put him and his dogs in precarious situations.

Evaluation: This book is a narrative about a man following his dream despite the obstacles before him. This is Paulsen personal story of lessons learn, some the hard way. His images are clear and graphic, while others are humorous. This is a tale of determination and will. Students will enjoy the action which starts immediately in chapter one detailing the conquest of predators vs. prey. There is a map of the Iditarod with a listing of the checkpoints, which gives the reader a visual sense of the race. This book has a real sense of escapism. Who wouldn't want to shuck the daily grind of everyday life and be free to experience nature at another level? It is something that everyone has probably thought of at one time or another, only Paulsen acted on his. This book will be enjoyed by all who live vicariously through others.

WORST BOOK EVER!!!! 2006-03-02
I did not like this book at all! It was gross and sooo not worth taking the time to read! It was ridiculous. Our teacher read this to us and we did nt like it at all. We all groaned when he said to take it out and read it. I hated it! I do not like Gary Paulsens writing at all!