Annotation: A young Indian boy sends a small wooden canoe on a sailing adventure to the Atlantic Ocean.

Review: Paddle-To-The-Sea is the name of a carved wooden canoe, fitted with a rudder, ballast and Indian passenger, that is set out on a journey to the sea by its creator, A Canadian Indian boy. Paddle’s journey is long and involves surviving a forest fire, a rest at a saw mill and capture in a fishing net. Each step of Paddle’s journey is illustrated by a full page color illustration opposite the text as well as miniature drawings and factual notations found in the margins of the text. Through enjoying the story of Paddle’s journey, children can learn about geography, history and the ecosystem of the area surrounding The Great Lakes. Small maps throughout the book show the reader Paddle’s position and route taken. This would be a great book to accompany a lesson plan on the geography of rivers and lakes, or the geography around The Great Lakes in particular. Younger children may enjoy having this book read to them but its target audience is for older readers ages 8 to 11

Citation:

School Library Journal comments on the magic of the story of Paddle’s journey. I agree that the story is a nice way to illustrate the lessons in the book without making children feel they are reading a textbook. ( )