With Pipe, Paddle, and Song: A Story of the French-Canadian Voyageurs

Book is a recommended reading as part of our history curriculum. We are looking forward to reading it together as a family.

I read this to my children over eight years ago and to this day my son still remembers the spirit and strength of these voyageurs. At the time we were living in another country, experiencing a taste of what it is like to mix cultures. The book opened new windows of thought for us; shaping inclusive attitudes through a culture we never knew existed. Now at 16, this same son also has renewed appreciation for the physical stamina of these canoing men as he too is learning to ply a canoe in less challenging waters!

This book is one you'll want your teenage son to read and relate to. He'll learn such values as hard work, being dependable and cheerful, fortitude, and saving yourself for the right person. Two of my favorite quotes from this book are: "Each word must be distinct. It is a courtesy to speak so one can be understood; it is an art so to sing." (The father speaking to the protagonist.)"He who will not settle for second best but waits for the best will find it waiting for him... Love must be all or it is nothing."There is plenty of adventure and action in this uplifting book. How knows, it may even kindle a desire to learn French or to go canoeing!