The Lost Child

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kingsley, Henry, 1830-1876

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Lost Child" by Henry Kingsley is a novel written in the late 19th century. This work delves into the themes of childhood innocence and the longing for adventure, set against the backdrop of the Australian wilderness. The story reflects the experiences of a young boy who becomes lost in the bush, emphasizing the contrasts between civilization and nature, as well as the challenges faced by a child when separated from the safety of home. In the narrative, a young, adventurous bush child, filled with wonder and curiosity about the world beyond his home near the river, is drawn to explore the forbidden forest across the water. Ignoring his mother's warnings about crossing the river to play with mythical creatures, he finds himself lost after bravely venturing into the dense wilderness. The search for him unfolds as two young men, Sam and Cecil, embark on a mission to find the boy, believing he may have drowned or become overtaken by the vast landscape. Tragically, their search concludes when they discover the boy's lifeless body on a remote cliff, clutching the flowers gathered during his final hours of innocent exploration. This poignant story highlights the perils of childhood freedom and the inevitable encounter with mortality and loss. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was made using scans of public domain works in the International Children's Digital Library.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 77.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2008-05-09