Paddle-to-the-Sea facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Holling C. Holling |
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| Published | 1941 |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Paddle-to-the-Sea is a famous children's book from 1941. It was written and illustrated by an American artist named Holling C. Holling. The book tells an exciting story about a small wooden canoe and its journey. It was even recognized as a special book, called a Caldecott Honor Book, in 1942.
A film based on this book, also called Paddle to the Sea, was made in 1966 by the National Film Board of Canada. This movie was so good that it was nominated for an Oscar award!
In 2016, a fun water park opened in the town of Nipigon, Canada. This park is inspired by the book, as Nipigon is where Paddle-to-the-Sea's adventure begins.
Contents
The Amazing Journey of Paddle-to-the-Sea
The story begins in Lake Nipigon, which is in Ontario, Canada. A young boy from a First Nation group carves a small wooden model. It looks like an "Indian" person sitting in a canoe.
Setting Sail
On the side of the little wooden canoe, the boy carves a special message: "Please put me back in the water. I am Paddle-to-the-Sea." He then sets his creation free. His hope is that it will travel all the way through the Great Lakes and reach the huge Atlantic Ocean.
Adventures on the Water
The book follows the incredible journey of this little wooden canoe and its paddler. First, it travels down the Nipigon River. At one point, it gets stuck inside a log that is heading for a sawmill. Luckily, a French-Canadian lumberjack rescues it just before it goes under the saw! He reads the message and puts Paddle-to-the-Sea back into the water.
Throughout its long trip, the canoe is found by many different people. Each time, they read the carved message and kindly return it to the water. At one point, the original carving becomes very worn. A kind person finds the canoe and adds a metal plate to it. This plate has the same important words. As the canoe continues its journey, people who send it on its way scratch their locations onto this metal plate.
Reaching the Ocean
Paddle-to-the-Sea travels through all five of the Great Lakes. It even goes over the mighty Niagara Falls! After the Great Lakes, it continues down the St. Lawrence River. Finally, after many years, the little canoe reaches the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland.
Its journey isn't over yet! It is found one last time in the fishing nets of a French trawler. This happens on the Grand Banks, a famous fishing area. The fishermen take Paddle-to-the-Sea all the way to France.
The amazing long journey of Paddle-to-the-Sea is written about in a French newspaper. A copy of this newspaper eventually arrives at the sawmill back on the Nipigon River. It was sent by the cousin of the lumberjack who first rescued the canoe.
By chance, the original boy who carved Paddle-to-the-Sea is now a grown man. He works at that very sawmill as a local guide. He sees the newspaper and immediately recognizes his own handiwork! He feels a great sense of pride, but he doesn't tell anyone. The book ends with his quiet, proud thoughts to himself.
How the Book is Told
Each part of the canoe's journey is a short chapter. These chapters are perfect for reading aloud. The book is filled with beautiful black-and-white sketches and colorful full-page watercolor paintings, all done by the author. The sketches also tell their own small stories. For example, one drawing shows exactly how a sawmill works, explaining how a log moves towards the saw.
See also
In Spanish: Remando hacia el mar para niños
