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Summary
Summary
"A true gem that invites contemplation and reflection in children, who are often too busy to notice the beauty of everyday life." -- School Library Journal , STARRED REVIEW
In the stillness of a summer dawn, two siblings leave their campsite with fishing rods, tackle and bait, and push a red canoe into the lake. A perfect morning on the water unfolds, with thrilling glimpses of wildlife along the way.
The narrator describes the experience vividly. Trailing a lure through the blue-green depths, the siblings paddle around a point, spotting a moose in the shallows, a beaver swimming towards its home and an eagle returning to its nest. Suddenly there is a sharp tug and the rod bends to meet the water. A few heart-stopping moments later, the pair pull a silvery trout from the water, then paddle back to the campsite to fry up a delicious breakfast.
The poetic text is accompanied by stunningly beautiful paintings rendered on wood panels that give a nostalgic feeling to the story.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
Author Notes
Jean E. Pendziwol has published several highly acclaimed picture books, including Me and You and the Red Canoe, illustrated by Phil; and Once Upon a Northern Night, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. Jean's debut adult novel, The Lightkeeper's Daughters, was published in more than ten languages. Jean finds inspiration in the rich history, culture and geography of Northwestern Ontario, where she lives with a view of Lake Superior.
Phil studied painting, printmaking, photography and design at the Alberta College of Art and the Ontario College of Art and Design. His paintings evoke memories as well as images and feelings from the past. This is his first picture book. He lives in Toronto.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Two siblings, a lush forest, a red canoe, and a love of adventure and exploration. These are the elements that Pendziwol weaves into this stunning book celebrating friendship across the backdrop of the Canadian landscape. Narrated by one of the boys, the story is structured into paragraphs arranged like poetry, with frequent use of rhymes and repetition that gives it an intriguing musical cadence. The text alternates between the pronouns "I," "you," and "we." This rhythm animates the text effectively. The artistic nature of the text is rivaled by the stunning illustrations on wooden panels. Fine acrylic details bring the forest and its animals to life. The artwork is so striking that it will attract even very young children who may not engage with the text. VERDICT A true gem that invites contemplation and reflection in children, who are often too busy to notice the beauty of everyday life. Best shared one-on-one.-Katherine Hickey, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Early morning on an unidentified northern lake, the narrator and another camper (presumably a sibling) wake before the others and go out in their canoe; they listen "to the laughter of a loon," spot "a moose on long gangly legs," and ultimately land a trout for the "best breakfast ever." Scratchy acrylic paintings on wood are perfectly matched to the quiet, descriptive free verse. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Free-verse poetry full of sensory details, evocative language, and repetition pair with scratchy illustrations in the greens, browns, and blues of the natural world to capture a morning of fishing from a red canoe. The first-person narrator and "you," an unidentified child-adult pair, crawl out of the tent to a purple morning and mist on the water. The paddle dips "in and out, / in and out, / in and out." They spy a moose, a beaver with a stick, and an eagle and its nest, and they hear the chittering of a squirrel. The sun comes up. All the while, the child has a line in the water: "You paddled. / We waited." Though the text builds up to the landing of a trout, it doesn't feel any more or less magical than the rest of the book, though the pace does increase to match the fight: "Then silver leapt from / water to sky, / soared from / sky to water / and landed with a splash / beside the red canoe." The fish, fried in butter over the fire, is the "best breakfast / ever." Pendziwol incorporates details for all five senses, inviting readers along. The verses and pictures are on facing pages, the former against a textured, painted-wood background, sometimes with a tiny supporting illustration. Illustrator Phil's red canoe stands out against the nature scenes, though readers never spy its occupants up-close. Facial expression may be absent, but the emotion and wonder of this morning are marvelously clear. Evocative, lyrical, perfect. (Picture book. 4-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
