Listen to the River

Have you ever listened to a babbling brook? What did it say to you? While living among the Shawnee, Mary Draper Ingles worked hard to gain the respect of her captors, but she was not happy. Working beside the river one day, she thought she heard the water speak to her. Do you know what it said? Go home, Mary. Oh! If only the river could help her!

A historical fiction title for young children, Listen to the River recounts the journey of Mary Draper Ingles who was kidnapped from present day Blacksburg, Virginia by Shawnee warriors in 1755. She was taken to a village located at the mouth of the Big Scioto River in Ohio. While traveling with the Shawnee, Mary noted that they always followed the rivers. One day, while in captivity, Mary thought she heard the river encouraging her to go home. Trusting the river, Mary escaped her captors. She traveled through forests and wilderness following the same rivers that her Shawnee captors traveled and journeyed 850 miles in 42 days on foot to find her way back home.