Author Jim Kjelgaard connected kids with nature

("Goodreads" image)

How does a writer discover he has a gift for reaching the age level of about fifth grade? Does the writer consciously set out on this course? Or does the writer just like storytelling in a way that has minimum "clutter?" Use the most basic language to get across the story. There is no reason an adult could not enjoy these books as much as kids.
I feel joy as I once again see the book cover for "Fire-Hunter." It's a book by the kind of writer just described. He has been gone from us for quite a while, having died too soon at age 49 due to suicide. We cannot readily explain such decisions. Jim Kjelgaard left a legacy with his writing that makes his presence among us still seem real. His forte is described as "young adult" literature. Like all adults I was a "young adult" once. Thankfully I got steered toward the works of Kjelgaard. The late Laura Carrington refreshed me on the pronunciation of the name: KEL-gard.
Outside of my own mother, Kjelgaard was probably most responsible in helping me climb the ladder of literacy. I remember his books to be true page-turners.
We have all wondered, I'm sure, if we might create a book for really young kids, the kind of books with large pictures and not much text. We probably think it would be easy. We probably think it's easy like the creation of a base country-western song. Successful art on any level is never easy. There is craftsmanship to master, rules to learn. I suspect few of us think about creating "young adult" literature where the audience would be about the fifth or sixth grade. Whatever caused Mr. Kjelgaard to gravitate toward this, it was a blessing for all who would come to consume his work.
Some of my friends liked the Hardy Boys or Tom Swift books. Those works were terrific I'm sure. I personally got attracted to the Jim Kjelgaard books that had animals and the wild world at the forefront. I wonder if I liked the sense of peace that comes with contemplating the wild world.
I remember reading some pages of a Kjelgaard book using a flashlight when I was under the covers in bed!
Sometimes his books are categorized as "juvenile." His first such book was "Forest Patrol," issued in 1941. He won praise not just for sheer storytelling but for educational value. Librarians and teachers grew attached. Kjelgaard told the story of a Canadian husky in "Snow Dog." The book "Fire-Hunter" was a flirtation with sci-fi making it even more appealing for me. It was sci-fi in the sense it was set in prehistoric times and he had to speculate on the nature of daily life and the struggles of primitive man.
 
In awe of his own audience
As with all successful commercial artists, Kjelgaard had overwhelming respect for his audience, never mind they were just "kids." The kid status seemed to call that much more for respect, as reflected in this quote from the author: "You can't write down to kids. Kids spot weaknesses in a juvenile book that would get by in a book for adults. You have to struggle to get up to the kids' level." 
This isn't hyperbole - I'm sure he meant it. Kjelgaard authored more than 40 novels. He wrote "Big Red" which was made into a Walt Disney movie. As an adult I bought the VHS tape of the movie, wanting to enjoy it for old time's sake, and found I didn't like it as much. I eventually found this feeling of letdown happening with watching all the old Walt Disney fare from my youth (early '60s).

This is not a commentary on the book "Big Red" which I may not have actually read - I'm sure it was up to the standards of all Kjelgaard's books.

I do remember reading "Fire-Hunter" in its entirety and loving it. The theme was much like one of my favorite comic books of the time: "Turok, Son of Stone."
"Fire-Hunter" is set in the days of saber-tooth tigers and woolly mammoths. In it we become familiar with "Hawk," the chief spear-maker of his tribe who is abandoned by his people and has to confront a foreboding wilderness, employing new ideas and weapons. There is a heroine too, "Willow." They learn how to store water and smoke meat. The man develops the bow and arrow through trials. Animals are menacing, along with a hostile tribe. Kids can read this book and learn about the process of trial and error. The leading characters tame a wild puppy who comes to assist in hunting.
Kjelgaard probably loved dogs more than anything in life. His wonderful book "Snow Dog" tells us about "Chiri," a husky who as a pup watched a black wolf kill his mother and two brothers. Chiri must be intrepid in order to care for himself and mature, in the snow-covered land. He reaches adulthood. He's willing to trust human friend and trapper Link Stevens. Looming over the story is the knowledge that our hero dog will need to confront the black wolf. There's an understanding that only one of them will survive. Such is the suspense the author could weave into his wilderness-based storytelling.
We quickly feel for the characters. We are drawn into their world, even as I lay in bed holding my flashlight! I'm glad I consumed a fair amount of fiction at that stage in my life. As an adult I'm not inclined to read fiction, unfortunately. I write reality-based journalism, these days online and from my life experience as a 63-year-old person. I guess I have seen a fair amount. I'm old enough to have spent considerable time writing on manual typewriters. It's not as remote in time as the "Fire-Hunter" world but it almost seems like it!
I really hope the young adults or juveniles of today still get exposed to Kjelgaard's works. As an adult you'll find a guilty pleasure in reading this material, to be sure. Don't pass up an opportunity. Jim Kjelgaard left us in 1959. How much more he could have shared with us.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com