Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face

"Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face" by Mildred A. Wirt is a children's adventure novel written in the early 1950s. The story follows Dan Carter and his friends, who are members of a Cub Scout den, as they embark on an exciting journey filled with mystery and exploration involving a strange carved face and the disappearance of one of their comrades. At the start of the book, the Cub Scouts gather for a meeting around a campfire, where they learn about the Navajo people and their traditions. Tension builds when one of the members, Red Suell, goes missing after going to collect firewood, raising concern among the Cubs and their leaders. When he finally reappears, he shares a fantastical story about a fire and a giant face he saw in the woods, igniting curiosity and skepticism among the boys. As the group sets out to investigate Red's claim, they uncover more than they bargained for, including suspicious characters and hints of something larger at play within their forest setting.