The Red Canoe

K-Gr 2–A red canoe recalls the many adventures it had with a boy with blond hair and large eyes, who grew up and went away, and only from the pictures will adults know that this boy soldier fought and likely died in the first World War. Still, the summer days they spent together sustain the old canoe, who is home to wildlife, and shelter for others, and ages in the old red boathouse until it is discovered anew and restored to the waters by another child, with brown skin and a determined look. The book lingers for pages over the first owner, and then the lost years, but devotes a mere page turn or two to the red canoe’s next life. This is abrupt, yet it’s enough of a signal, whether this is used in units on time, death, recycling, seasons, or loss. It gives readers hope that the story is not over, even if they are not there to witness it. Gilbert’s art has the charm of an old and well-loved barn, with an affectionate patina covering each scene, and sunlight dappled across forest glades.