The Voyageur's Paddle

By Kathy-jo Wargin

Book Overview

Voyageur is the French word for "traveler," but in the Great Lakes region during the seventeenth century it described those men who made their living trading furs and goods along water routes. Traveling by canoe, these voyageurs helped to establish north woods trading posts and settlements, opening up the West to future exploration. Young Jacques's father is such a voyageur. He works long hours in bitterly cold weather, absent from home for weeks at a time. As he awaits his father's return from a season of trading, Jacques dreams of the day he will hold the canoe paddle and join the ranks of voyageurs.Author Kathy-jo Wargin is known for her many stories celebrating Great Lakes lore and north woods history including the 2001 IRA Children's Choice Award winner, The Legend of the Loon. She lives with her family in Petoskey, Michigan. David Geister's body of work with Sleeping Bear Press continues to grow and includes The Legend of Minnesota, also written by Kathy-jo Wargin. He specializes in historic art and has a background in commercial art. David lives with his family in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585360074
• ISBN13: 9781585360079
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.5" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Illustrated

We purchased this book and met the illustrator, David Geister, at a signing in DePere, WI. He is a wonderfully animated man, and brought the book to life before our eyes. The story is well written, richly illustrated, and has become a "regular" with our seven year old son. This book is an excellent way to bring history and lore to your family.

The Voyageurs Paddle

I have enjoyed all the books written and illustrated by this duo, the story is so interesting that you keep wanting to keep reading it, but the artwork side tracks you because its so beautiful and interesting to look at. Highly recommended for anyone.

Illustrations that take you INTO the story.

David's knack for creating gorgeous illustrations that pull you deeply into the wonderfully-written story make all of his books a must-have for any personal library. This book is no exception!

Paddle Review

This is a beautiful book and another great story in the series. My kids love all of these books and Mr. Dave Geister's artwork really resonates with children's interest. They study the artwork and notice the details of all the images. I highly recommend this book if you value history and a quality story for all ages. It is very developmentally geared for preschoolers and young children. Very recommended as a parent. A+