“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.
“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.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Aug 1, 2017 |
| Specifications | 32 pages | 8.75 in x 8.75 in |
| Keywords | sibling relationships; adventure; canoeing; natural world; great outdoors; wildlife; poetry for children; camping; lake; fishing; respect for environment; cooperation; pride; child as narrator; second person narration; imagery; figurative language; personification; summarizing; visualizing; imagining; Common Core aligned; grade 1; CC Literature Craft and Structure; School Library Journal starred review; Kirkus starred review; picture book; poetry; acrylic painting; |
| Written By |
JEAN E. PENDZIWOL’S highly acclaimed picture books include When I Listen to Silence, illustrated by Carmen Mok; I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, illustrated by Nathalie Dion; 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). She lives in Northwestern Ontario on the shores of Lake Superior. |
| Illustrated by |
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. |
| Written By |
|
JEAN E. PENDZIWOL’S highly acclaimed picture books include When I Listen to Silence, illustrated by Carmen Mok; I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, illustrated by Nathalie Dion; 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). She lives in Northwestern Ontario on the shores of Lake Superior. |
| Illustrated by |
|
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. |
| Audience | ages 5 and up / grades K and up |
| Reading Levels |
Lexile AD820L
Fountas & Pinnel Text Level N Guided Reading N |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 |
Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books, 2017
“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
“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. … Evocative, lyrical, perfect.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The calm, distempered pictures and cool prose of Me and You and the Red Canoe seem to distill the essence of lakeside summertime.” —Wall Street Journal