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What do YOU think?
In the book, author Sharon Creech uses the proverb “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” What do you think it means? What does it apply to in the story?
How does Phoebe influence Sal? How do her grandparents influence her?
Where you surprised to find out what happened to Sal’s mother? For most of the book Sal talked as if she didn’t know what happened to her mother. Why?
Whose moccasins would you like to walk in? Why? What do you think their life might be like? Are there any downsides to living their life instead of yours?
Sal’s mother was a Seneca Indian. Describe some of the ways she and Sal honored their Native American heritage.
In chapter 21, Sal’s teacher has them draw their “souls.” Take 15 seconds right now to quickly draw your soul. Don’t think, just draw. What do you think of what you’ve drawn?
What part of the book did you like best?
Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book
Proverbs are short sayings that contain a little lesson or point out the truth. They tend to be catchy so they’re easy to remember. Author Sharon Creech used several in Walk Two Moons. The Famous Quotations website has hundreds of proverbs, categorized by the country they originate from. See if you can find proverbs from different countries that make the same point.
Sal and her grandparents explored the Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s home to several national parks and lots of historical landmarks. You can learn more about their history at the Wind Cave National Park website and the Mt. Rushmore National Park website. Take a look and see way the Black Hills are called the “Island in the Prairie.”
If you can’t get to Yellowstone National Park to see the “Old Faithful” geyser erupt in person, you can see it online with Yellowstone’s webcam!
Think the idea of carving 60-foot-high heads out of a mountain in the wilderness is a crazy idea? Well, some people did, but a lot of people didn’t, which is why Mt. Rushmore is a beloved shrine to democracy. Discover the monument’s bizarre and inspirational story of construction at the companion website to PBS American Experience’s program on Mt. Rushmore. But before you do, see if you can name the four presidents carved in stone.
Sal’s mother said her Seneca Indian heritage made her appreciate the gifts of nature. Learn more about the Seneca Indians of Ohio from Ohio History Central. In 1998, the American Indian Policy Center interviewed fifteen American Indian elders to discuss how life used to be, the changes they see happening in American Indian communities and the future of those communities. It’s interesting to compare your way of life to those of traditional American Indians.
Make a collage of some of the items Sal talks about in the book. You could start with pictures of blackberries, moccasins, slips of papers with proverbs printed on them, etc.
Get out a map and plot the road trip Sal took with her grandparents.
Remember Mary Lou Finney, one of Sal’s friends? Mary Lou first appeared as the main character in one of author Sharon Creech’s earlier books, Absolutely Normal Chaos. Creech carries other characters and locations into her other books too. Can you find them all? If you want some hints, go to Creech’s website.
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Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, thinks you’ll also enjoy:
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