Island of the Blue Dolphins is based loosely on the story of "The Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island," who survived alone for eighteen years on an island off the coast of California. While main character Karana's story doesn't last eighteen years, she proves plenty tough enough to survive that long on her own. Between memories of what the adults of her tribe did and her own process of trial and error, she figures out everything she needs to stay alive. Her self-reliance makes her a great model for the primer, and the fact that a real woman actually did this in the mid-1800's makes it even more awesome.
There is a sequel to this - Zia - which follows Karana's niece, but, while enjoyable, it didn't leave as much of an impression on me. I'd recommend the Little House on the Prairie series, which has great descriptions of how tomboy Laura and her family do things like building a cabin and getting food. Even more like Island of the Blue Dolphins, though, are My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George, and Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. Like Island of the Blue Dolphins, these both feature the protagonist surviving on his own in the wild. I also enjoyed the Boxcar Children series, by Gertrude Chandler Warner, which has a similar premise.
