Paddle-to-the-Sea

January 12, 2004
Holling's Caldecott Honor book, first published in 1941, finds a new life in Bregy's reading. With a voice that ranges from smooth and lilting to excited and energetic, Bregy helps listeners follow the informative and sometimes dramatic adventures of a toy-sized Indian figure and canoe carved by an Indian boy in Canada. Wishing he could make a grand journey himself, the Canadian boy carves the figure he names "Paddle-to-the-Sea" and sets him on the snow near a river that will eventually carry him to the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. The trip is not easy—Paddle faces peril in the form of wild animals, the elements, saw mills, fishing nets and a shipwreck among other things. But luckily, anytime Paddle happens to go off-course, someone reads the message carved on his canoe ("Put me back in water. I am Paddle-to-the-Sea") and helps him continue his travels. Younger listeners will be inspired by the image of a toy embarking on such a fascinating and dangerous voyage; many adults will appreciate the tribute paid to nature and the geographical tidbits included here. A top-notch family listen. Ages 7-up.