A Newbery Honor Book An ALA Notable Book Six-year-old Ben is very small for his age, and gets along better with animals than people. One June day in 1870, Ben wanders away from his home on Hawk's Hill and disappears into the waving prairie grass. This is the story of how a shy, lonely boy survives for months in the wilds and forges a bond with a female badger.  Allan W. Eckert is an historian, naturalist, novelist, poet, screenwriter and playwright. He is the author of thirty-nine published books, and has been nominated on seven separate occasions for the Pulitzer Prize in literature.