Back in the home school classroom ... "My Side of the Mountain"

During the 16 years I educated my children at home, we read countless books ... too many to even try and remember. It was one of my favorite parts of teaching and being a mom, spending that time with my children.

In nice weather we would take a blanket outdoors and, as they sat back in the warm sunshine, I would read aloud the characters and places that made up our childhoods. Or we would travel to the mountains and read around a picnic table ... or beside a pond ... or on a sandy beach at the Outer Banks or while driving out West. During the winter we would gather around the woodstove and let our imaginations take us to the places we read about. Reading was part of our lives.

One of the books my kids enjoyed was called "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George, the story of a young boy who left home and lived alone in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.

Sunday's Washington Post presents an article by Post journalist Steve Hendrix in which he traced the footsteps of that story into the deepest darkest woods:

As a child, he read the celebrated book "My Side of the Mountain" over and over. Now, 50 years after its publication, he was finally ready to walk in the footsteps of the main character.

Monday's Post Magazine will feature Recreating "My Side of the Mountain" and Into the Woods has photos from the adventure.

Mr. Hendrix hunted down his 83-year-old fourth grade teacher who first read the story to his school class. She remembered fondly the book and that many youngsters loved its tale. He also found the 91-year-old Ms. George who authored the book, a woman still as into the wilderness as she was when younger and while writing the book 50 years ago.

Mr. Hendrix noted:

"My Side of the Mountain" has been in print constantly since it was published in 1959 and took Newbery honors in 1960. It has sold nearly 9 million copies, inspired two sequels and been made into a movie. Earlier this year, Penguin published a 50th-anniversary "Pocket Guide to the Outdoors" based on the novel with new sketches by the author. I am far from the only child to be captivated by the tale of the 13-year-old who swapped a tumultuous home life for the solitude of wilderness survival. In thousands of us, Sam's mastery of nature planted the seeds of a lifelong love of camping, an appreciation for the Zen-like satisfaction of feeling at home in Earth's wild places. Many a campmate and I, over lingering coals, have traced our backcountry heritage to the common root of Sam's tidy woodcraft.

It's an interesting read ... a dive into something non-political for a change ... and a familiar story for millions.