Perspective

This tale is told from the point of view of an omniscient narrator who subtly inserts his own opinions into the biography. This author knows the full story of Thoreau's life, so he is able to move backwards and forward in time in order to link and emphasize various events which he considers important. In addition, North uses words and sentence structure he hopes will be easy for young readers to understand.

From time to time North "steps back" and tries to show Thoreau the way others in the village of Concord might have seen him, as quirky, odd and strange, but also strong and competent.

The book begins with a one page author's note, or prologue, in which North explains why he is interested in his subject.

Tone

The author takes an avuncular tone in the book, which means he speaks like a friendly nurturing way like...