Paddle to the Sea in print and film

 Most of my book and/or film posts are about adult interests.  Initially it was a bit of a haul to adult literature for me, but children's literature (thanks to the R.S. McLaughlin Public Library in Oshawa with a separate children's department) helped pave the way.

 The author Holling Clancy Holling (originally Holling Allison Clancy) was born and raised in Michigan, United States around the Great Lakes.   He was a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago.  He worked in the taxidermy department at the Field Museum of of History in Chicago.  Aside from writing and illustrating numerous children's books he wrote and illustrated a Sunday comic strip that included that included a cutout that could be used in a 3-D format
 

It is possible my mother first read the book to me.  Probably not more than eight or nine when I first read.  Oshawa is on Lake Ontario, but this book expanded my awareness of the other Great Lakes and their connection to the Atlantic Ocean.  The whole idea of connections was gradually developing in my mind.  I took out the book several times.  

From school and my parents I understood that Lake Ontario was part of the Great Lakes.  Paddle-to-the-Sea starts with a young Indian (now called indigenous) boy in Lake Nipigon that feeds into Lake Superior.  He carves a canoe with an Indian paddler and a message to help keep the canoe on its way to the ocean.  It is not an easy journey, at different places being stuck in a beaver pond, or a heavy storm and of course it goes over Niagara Falls (one of the places my parents took me to as a child).  At times humans needed to intervene, but the message on the canoe encouraged people who picked it up to to put it back in the water.  On one occasion a rescuer cleaned it up, repainted it, made the message more readable and suggested add the names of some of the places the boat arrived at.  For some this might be one of their first geography lessons.

Holling is an illustrator and uses his talents to make the story more understandable.  On each of 27 chapters he has a full color page painting.  At the end he a two page color map of the route taken.  On the text pages he adds in a few sketches to help clarify some of the details. 

Paddle-to-the-Sea won a Caldecott Honor as well as the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1962. 

A 28 minute short film, nominated for an Oscar was filmed in 1966.  Bill Mason was director, cinematographer and editor.  In 1998 he was honored in postage stamp in Canada.  Filming was done starting in Lake Nipigon and moving through most of the book stops including Niagara Falls.  They used most of the original writing of Holling Clancy Holling, but some commentary was written and narrated by Stanley Jackson who also was an associate producer.  Louis Applebaum was the music composer. 

 

Reading was a key to better understanding the world and there were many other books that opened up my mind. My mother was the key to the process.  I was lucky to be in walking distance of R.S. McLaughlin library in Oshawa and to many supportive teachers. 

More recently read a comment by Parag Khanna, at first on tv. (Fareed Zakaria show) and later reading his book.  Talking about world climate conditions he claimed that the Great Lakes region was the safest which seemed amazing as he lived in Singapore.    See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/04/move.html