Ketoko E-Book

Tobias Emonts-Holley

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 70

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Ketoko is a beautifully illustrated children's book, written to stimulate a sense of adventure and love for the great outdoors in kids. Ketoko is the story of a young Native American boy, who is going on an epic adventure to find his spirit animal. He is joined on this journey by his best friend, Nina, a girl from his tribe and his faithful dog, Snow. The friends set off on a journey, which tests them both physically and mentally and they learn how to work together as a team to overcome big challenges. The book is for children at the age of 6 and older. The story encourages children to think outside the box and to be confident to break new ground.

Leseprobe

Special thanks to everyone

who helped and contributed

to our crowdfunding project

making this book a fabulous

success!

Author:

Tobias Emonts-Holley

Illustration:

Kevin Kiwus

The bent grass leading to the bubbling stream holds the impression of the thirsty deer’s hoofs. Ketoko kneels touching the tracks, letting his eyes follow the deer’s path into the surrounding woodland. Nina his good friend catches up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder, she nods, acknowledging the tracks Ketoko has found. The two friends had been following this deer since first light. They follow the tracks to the edge of a clearing and decide to climb up a tree to get a better view of the meadow and wait for their prey to appear. After a while, the deer slowly emerges from the woods eating some of the flowers amongst the long grass. The animal does not notice the friends, who are observing it through the cover of the leaves. Ketoko is in the perfect position to take the shot, but it is Nina’s right to take down the deer. She was accepted into their tribe as a warrior several moons ago. Ketoko is still waiting for his rite of passage to take place. Nina takes aim and shoots her arrow. Ketoko and Nina climb down from their trees and make their way into the meadow. The two friends kneel down next to the deer and give thanks as is tradition in their tribe.

They return to their village with Nina carrying the deer over her shoulders. Ketoko stows their hunting gear while watching the entire village celebrate and congratulate Nina on the successful hunt. Ketoko observes how Nina presents the deer to the chieftain. He is happy for his friend, but wishes that he could have taken the shot and been the one to present their kill to the chieftain. Lost in his thoughts, Ketoko doesn’t notice his dog, Snow, running to him and only when the dog rubs his head against Ketoko’s leg does the boy notice his companion. Ketoko strokes Snows neck.

“Hey buddy, did you miss me?”

Snow always knows when Ketoko needs him the most.

After Nina gives the deer to her mum for preparation, she and

some of the other children in the village come by Ketoko’s tent. Nina congratulates her friend.

“Great tracking Ketoko, I would have not seen those tracks leading out of the water.”

“But what good is tracking animals when you cannot release your bow?” one of the other children sniggers.

“Hey! Cut it out” Nina replies fiercely.

Ketoko bows his head, scowling at the ground. He is both sad and angry. He desperately wants to earn his spirit animal, which symbolises that a child has been accepted as a warrior. The other kids, including Nina, all proudly wear their spirit animal amulets around their necks.

“If only there was a spirit animal that just tracks the prey and then leaves it for others to kill. This would be perfect for Ketoko” another child jokes.

Just then Ketoko’s father, Nanuk, comes out of the tent and the kids get on their way.

He tries to comfort his son.

“Don’t let these silly words get to you Ketoko. I know you will find your spirit animal very soon.” Ketoko appreciates his father’s kind words, but he knows his father is as desperate to see his son find his spirit animal as Ketoko is himself. His son is the right age to be a warrior and he is the oldest of four. For Ketoko, he wants to be the first of his siblings to carry on the warrior tradition of his family.

Nanuk takes Ketoko to the village centre, where the tribe’s totem pole stands. The totem pole is made up of four animals: a falcon, a wolf, a bear and a trout.

Every warrior of the tribe has been bestowed with one of these as their spirit animal. Each animal symbolises the dominant character trait of that warrior. The falcon stands for someone who seeks the initiative and who can focus; the wolf is the symbol for a team player and for endurance; the bear stands for a protector and for strength; the trout symbolises creativity and intuitive thinking. In order to become a warrior of the tribe and earn a spirit animal, a child needs to demonstrate that he or she is ready and worthy through a quest.

Nanuk re-tells his son the story of how he found his spirit animal.

“I was on a hunt with Nina’s uncle, Chayton, when we stumbled across a bear cub. Its mother was close by and we could hear her coming through the bushes. She saw us as a threat to her baby. Even as a boy Chayton was always more interested in fishing than hunting on land, so he started shouting to make her go away. But this was a grizzly bear and do you remember what to do when a grizzly bear attacks you?”

Ketoko knows the answer only too well, as he has heard this story many times.

“Of course dad, you play dead”.

“That’s right,” Nanuk replied not letting his sons attitude ruin his story. “I threw myself on Chayton and told him to keep quiet. The bear mum first came charging at us and even used her claws to check us out. But we stayed down and did not make a sound. She lost interest in us fairly quickly and apart from a few scratches we were good. Because of my actions that day my spirit animal was revealed to me; the bear. The tribe elders felt that I had shown not only great strength, but my protective nature.”

Even though Ketoko likes listening to the story as he is proud of his dad’s actions that day, it also makes him anxious, because he is a year older now than his dad was at the time that story took place. Snow grabs Ketoko’s ankle with his mouth.

“What’s up buddy?” Ketoko asks.

Snow turns his head to show him that the tribe’s council of elders has just finished and Ketoko’s granddad, Onawa, is just emerging from one of the teepees. Onawa had asked his grandson to report back to him after the hunt. Ketoko’s dad knows how keen Onawa is to know whether Ketoko was the one who was able to track down the deer, as he has spent many hours with the boy reading animal footprints in the village’s surrounding woodlands.

“There’s granddad!” Ketoko says to his dad.

“Sure, off you go,” Nanuk replies to his sons excited call.

Ketoko fetches some water for his granddad and meets him in front of their tent. Ketoko tells his granddad about the hunt and Onawa congratulates him.

“But it was Nina who took the shoot,” Ketoko says sadly.

“That may be, but I know who the best deer stalker in the village is, I have trained him,” his granddad says with a wink.

Ketoko starts to feel pride for his part in the morning’s hunt for the first time today. He loves how his granddad can make him feel. Ketoko really wants to make the people around him feel like that too.

Onawa turns to his grandson and looks him in the eyes.

“I can sense that your thoughts are focused on something else, which is finding your spirit animal, right?”

Nodding in agreement Ketoko says, “I have waited long enough, I know that I am ready to be a warrior of the tribe. I have always done what you and dad told me to do to prepare for this. I have learnt to read the tracks of all the animals in the area. I can survive in the woods with nothing but my knife for days and I practice my bow and arrow shooting daily.”

“So you think you are ready to be warrior?” his granddad replies, “Well, Ketoko, so do I”

“It is so frustrating,” Ketoko responds angrily, “that I need to wait just because of this annoying quest!”

“Do you remember the story of your dad finding out which his spirit animal is?” Onawa asks.

“Of course.” Ketoko says. “He just told me again. Grandad, I am out there every day, stalking animals, building traps, making weapons and training, but nothing ever happens, which could be considered a spirit animal quest!”.

His granddad reminds him, “I truly believe that you will find your spirit animal when the time is right. Maybe the great spirit has something special planned for you, which requires extra effort.”

Ketoko looks at his granddad puzzled.