Paddle-to-the-Sea: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner (Sandpiper Books)

by Holling Clancy Holling

Book Overview

A young Indian boy carves a little canoe with a figure inside and names him Paddle-to-the-Sea. Paddle's journey, in text and pictures, through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean provides an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395292034
• Release Date: February 1980
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.2" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A Journey Down the Great Lakes and Beyond

I remember encountering Paddle to the Sea as a second grader in Oregon. It's one of those books that was shared during library day, and I still haven't forgotten it. It was significant to me as a child, and it's still significant today. It's the wonder and amazement of how a wooden carved canoe with its lone Indian paddler referred to as "Paddle" could journey from his origins, Nipigon Country, to the Sea towards the Grand Bank and France, could confront eye-popping experiences. Paddle sees the serene sounds of the cool Canadian waters, and the bewilderment of man's progress with a sawmill and its smoke-pipe buildings, which author, Holling Clancy Holling, ferociously describes as a monster eating away nature's domain -- tearing down trees and running an assembly line of log jams. Despite that scene, Paddle to the Sea contains imagery and imagination, which makes the book memorable. The artwork is great, and Holling's very descriptive language and familiarity of geography makes this book a learning experience. I found chapter 24 to be quite interesting because of its short snippet of history -- the discovery of the Great Lakes region, Champlain "the Father of New France" and the Iroquois. Every chapter in the book, all twenty seven, covers each different region that Paddle flows through, and bears significance to how the free-flowing waters, be it Lake Superior or the crashing waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, cannot stop a wooden canoe and its Indian paddler from riding through. Every child should read Paddle to the Sea, or have it read to them. And as for older children or adults that still want to revisit their curiosity of imagination, they will definitely find it unforgettable. You never forget about the books that touch you in some way.

Paddle To The Store And Get A Copy Of This Book!

Paddle-To-The-Sea was one of the first long books my mother read to me [early 60's] and one of the first long books I read on my own. Many elements make this a fantastic book for elementary school-age children: it is an excellent geography lesson, teaching the reader about the Great Lakes region; it shows a character being creative and sending his creation out into the world without knowing if there will be a return for his actions; the payoff for the carver of Paddle-To-The-Sea comes only after a long period of time. When I spent the summer of 1966 in Minnesota with my family, we visited many of the places in the book including Lake Superior. I remember how much the book informed that summer. Several years ago I revisited Lake Superior for the first time since '66 and the images of a small carved Native American in a canoe were still on my mind. Give this book to a young person so they can take its literary journey and have it leave them with a lasting impression.

A work of art for children ... and grownups who love them

I grew up in Oregon. My grandmother, who lived in Alaska and Oregon, gave me a copy of this book when I was about 8, many decades ago. I have never forgotten it and have been delighted to find another copy of late.An Indian boy, landlocked in central Canada, carves of wood a small Indian man in a canoe, and places him on a snowy hillside, with a message on the bottom of his canoe identifying him as "Paddle-To-The-Sea" and pleading with anyone who finds him to put him back in the water so he can complete his long journey -- a journey the boy cannot make himself.At the spring thaw, the wooden canoe slides down the mountain and into streams, ponds, and eventually the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence River. Paddle encounters boats, animals, ships' locks, a forest fire, a sawmill, and many other threats and adventures. Many pairs of hands discover and help him along his mighty journey. One even repaints him after a year or more of bad weathering.Each chapter-page of the book has a facing full-page painting in rich colors, as well as small marginal illustrations. The book is a great adventure story, but it's also an effective geography lesson for folks who don't live in or know that part of the country. Like someone else wrote, I will never forget that Lake Superior is shaped like a wolf's head and Lake Huron like a fur trapper with a pack on his back. (Can't remember which lake is the carrot and which the piece of coal, though!)This is a beautiful, classic book for older children, which should remain in print for generations to come. I can't wait until my niece is old enough to be ready for a copy.

a once in a lifetime adventure

I read "Paddle to the Sea" as a young girl and havebeen in love with the story ever since. Rich in information about theGreat Lakes and beautifully illustrated it should be a must read forall grade school children in and around the Great Lakes. I have felt that for over 40 yrs. People will ask me how I know so much about the Great Lakes. I just smile and think of "Paddle".