Rating: 
Summary: One of the best children's books ever!
Review: Although this book is quite old, I had never read it before. What a wonderful book I've missed out on! This is a timeless book that encompasses a great story, history, geography, and the good will of people. There were a few lines that made me a bit uncomfortable that referred to Indians, but they really did seem to blend well with the story, and by the end of the book I had a deep appreciation for them. It's quite complicated, short chapter book with some very advanced vocabulary that would be hard for younger children. I think young kids would like it because of the great story. Older kids would like it because of the huge amount of geography involved, and they could really get into looking at all the maps and follow the path the canoe takes on the way to the ocean. I also think kids in the upper Midwest would learn a lot about their area and maybe a little bit about the Indians who have been in this area for a lot longer than any of us. I really liked the way the author incorporated the different ports the canoe came upon and mentioned things about the town. For example, Duluth was described as "a city on a hill" with iron ore as its export. There were also really nice parts about the wildlife, the storms, and the general scenery that the canoe encounters. Besides the wonderful story, the drawings and illustrations are exceptional. There are illustrations of the route that the canoe took along with an arrow pointing where paddle-to-the-sea is now. There are illustrations showing a sawmill, a canal lock, a breeches buoy, and a lake freighter. I believe this book would be great to study as a class by bringing out the history of the great lakes region, the history of Native Americans in the region, geography of the great lakes region, and the biology of the region.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best children's books ever!
Review: Although this book is quite old, I had never read it before. What a wonderful book I've missed out on! This is a timeless book that encompasses a great story, history, geography, and the good will of people. There were a few lines that made me a bit uncomfortable that referred to Indians, but they really did seem to blend well with the story, and by the end of the book I had a deep appreciation for them. It's quite complicated, short chapter book with some very advanced vocabulary that would be hard for younger children. I think young kids would like it because of the great story. Older kids would like it because of the huge amount of geography involved, and they could really get into looking at all the maps and follow the path the canoe takes on the way to the ocean. I also think kids in the upper Midwest would learn a lot about their area and maybe a little bit about the Indians who have been in this area for a lot longer than any of us. I really liked the way the author incorporated the different ports the canoe came upon and mentioned things about the town. For example, Duluth was described as "a city on a hill" with iron ore as its export. There were also really nice parts about the wildlife, the storms, and the general scenery that the canoe encounters. Besides the wonderful story, the drawings and illustrations are exceptional. There are illustrations of the route that the canoe took along with an arrow pointing where paddle-to-the-sea is now. There are illustrations showing a sawmill, a canal lock, a breeches buoy, and a lake freighter. I believe this book would be great to study as a class by bringing out the history of the great lakes region, the history of Native Americans in the region, geography of the great lakes region, and the biology of the region.
Rating:
Summary: A classic book
Review: I first came across this book while looking through my father's collection of childhood books, and started reading it because he recommended it so enthusiastically. I've read it many times since -- some books are richer the more you return to them -- and even now, I think of Lake Superior as a wolf's head and Lake Huron as a fur trapper. When, as an adult, a business trip took me to Detroit (my first time in the Great Lakes region), I drove eight hours at night after my meetings to see Sault Ste. Marie, because my impressions of "The Soo" were so vivid from having read Paddle-to-the-Sea twenty years before. This is a terrific book that stays with you.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book For All Ages
Review: I loved Paddle-to-the Sea. Absolutely charming in the best sense of that word. It had a very strong sense of an uncomplicated America as well, which was a nice respite from the terribly complicated world we live in now. Most of all, it is about all the things we hold dear in our youth...adventure, goodness, helping one another, the country, the animals, the forests, ships, triumph and most of all the grand things one small individual can set in motion.
Rating:
Summary: A true childhood classic
Review: I read my husband's worn copy of Paddle-To-The-Sea to my children, then to grandchildren. It's faded, dog-eared, worn at the edges and a little tattered, but it'll survive another generation of loving use, I'm sure. One of the true childhood classics, Paddle-To-The-Sea is a rare entity: a cross genre book for kids. The story of the little carved Native American canoe's trip from the North Country to the Sea is an adventure story, a geography lesson, a history lesson, and in some ways, it's even a romance. There are wonderful drawings, accurate maps - and an utterly engaging story. It's worth finding a copy in hardcover to buy, because you're going to want it to last as long as my husband's copy has, for sure, for sure.
Rating:
Summary: So happy to find this after 35 years
Review: I read this book when I was a boy. I don't even know how I came to have it, but I was facinated by the drawings and story. It was one of the few books I really read from cover to cover. Now that I have 5 children of my own I thought I would look to see if I could find a used copy and was so happy to see it back in print. My children love it just as much as I did at their age.
Rating:
Summary: A Must for Every Child's Library
Review: I remember reading this book many times as a child. I bought the book for my own children who also enjoyed it. I've just purchased a copy for my granddaughter. A marvelous introduction to the geography and culture of the Great Lakes. Many of the pictures from this book are still green in my memory.
Rating:
Summary: Reading this great book made me happy.
Review: If you want to read a good book, Paddle-to-the-Sea would be the best one. It's got loads of excitement. The story is about a little wooden Indian figure in a canoe that travels through the 5 Great Lakes. The Indian boy who carved him wanted him to go to the sea. To find out if he really gets to the sea or not get this great book that I think you would love.
Rating:
Summary: Paddle To The Store And Get A Copy Of This Book!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Paddle To The Store And Get A Copy Of This Book!
Review: 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.
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