I read this as a kid, and was entranced. I wanted to make my own raft and go traveling on it, although I didn't live near a river. I lived in the suburbs. As an adult, I'm rereading books I liked so much as a kid, and I'm realizing: I liked a lot of "traveling in the wilderness" "stuck in the wilderness but there's a happy ending" stories then. As an adult, I dislike them. I have changed a lot as a person. Stories like these now give me anxiety. This one did, while simultaneously just being...really boring. I have zero clue of whether it's historically accurate. The rocking chair is made of magical wood, since it barely ever tips over, the grandma stays in it the whole time, and there's no real difficulty with it. It even survives rapids. The dog doesn't act like dogs I've known. Why is there never any mention of feeding him? I'm glad I at least know now that as an adult, I dislike this book. ( )

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