Paddle-to-the-Sea

Grade 3-5-Holling's Caldecott Honor book, originally published in 1941, will surely find a new audience with this dramatic reading. Narrator Terry Bregy delivers an exceptional performance. His cadence ranges from smooth and easy to energetic, and listeners are lead along on the story's journey. A young Indian boy from Nipigon country in the Canadian wilderness carves an Indian figure in a 12-inch canoe that he names Paddle-to-the-Sea. Wishing that he could undertake a journey to the Atlantic Ocean, the boy sends the toy carving instead. Paddle-to-the-Sea begins on a snow bank near a river that eventually leads him to the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and finally the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, Paddle's journey is fraught with danger including wild animals, saw mills, fishing nets, and a shipwreck. Paddle receives help staying on course from people who read the message carved on his canoe ("Put me back in the water. I am Paddle-to-the-Sea"). Four years later, Paddle has reached his destination, and listeners have experienced an incredible story complete with geography, nature, drama, and adventure. Original music accompanies the reading and adds to the mood.