Thought I'd start a thread to list books reflecting outdoor adventures for little ones.

One of my all time favorites is:

Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B Williams. Not only does it have kids paddling and portaging, the trip leads are moms!

Betsy Bowen books:

Antler, Bear, Canoe (alphabet with block prints from up north)
The Gathering (numbers with block prints from up north)
Tracks in the Wild (bit older age bracket target, animal track block prints)

Native American stories for kids:

- Shingebiss: An Ojibwe Legend (Van Laan, Bowen)
- The Good Path: Ojibwe Learning and Activity Book for Kids (Peacock and Wisuri)
- Old Meshikee and the Little Crabs: An Ojibwe Story (Spooner)
- Aseban: The Ojibwe word for raccoon : a story from the Ojibwe people of Aseban (LeGarde)
- The Legend of the Lady Slipper (Lise Lunge-Larsen)
- The Ojibwe (Native American Histories) by Michelle Levine
- The Legend of the Snowshoes: An Ojibwe Story by Michael Spooner

Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night (Ready-to-Read, Level 2) by Cynthia Rylant and Suçie Stevenson

They backpack in and camp on a lake. I like that the camper is the mom and the musician is the dad ;-)

MUSIC - Antler Bear Kazoo by Michael Monroe. Love it. Songs all about the Minnesota North Shore and Isle Royale. Old pines, etc. Includes native american tunes/rhythms as well.

Those Betsy Bowen books are great. My 5 year old loves them. She also loves Curious George Goes Camping.

quote ducks: "Those Betsy Bowen books are great. My 5 year old loves them. She also loves Curious George Goes Camping."

Good one! My youngest bought that with her own money at a national park last summer and still enjoys reading it. Good addition, thanks.

Colorful book for kids, but detailed enough that you'll likely read it with your child. Gives recipes and games and descriptions of equipment and kinds of camping - sprinkled with good camping practices like leave no trace, etc.

Sleeping in a Sack by Linda White

Haven't read the others in the series, but look like they'd be good too:

Cooking on a Stick by Linda White
Trekking on a Trail by Linda White
Hiding in a Fort by Lawson Drinkard
Fishing in a Brook by Lawson Drinkard
Wishing on a Star by Fran Lee (who also illustrated everything else in the series)

Consie Powell is a writer from Ely who writes some great Children's books. Many of her stories are based from BWCA trips that she has taken with her family.

"Wolf Song" and "Leave only Ripples" are two of my favorites. Website

They look great Soledad, never seen them before. Thanks!

Great ideas everyone.

Books:

Holling C Holling
"Paddle-to-the-Sea"

Jean Craighead George
"My Side of the Mountain"

Jane B Mason
"River Day"

Gary Paulsen
"Canoe Days"

I was reading a book tonight while putting my kids to bed that I bought at Canoecopia two years ago called Becoming a Boundary Waters Family and thought I would add it to the list.

This book can be found
Here: I wish I would have read it before my last trip, it would have helped with some of the things that I forgot.

"The Red Sash" by Jean Pendziwol
Beautifully illustrated book about a Metis boy who helps land a badly damaged canoe onto a sheltered island. The craft is full of voyageurs on their way to a rendezvous at Ft William. He realizes that he's the one who can help get them back to safety. Great, accurate, historical images. Older kids will enjoy as well.

For the wee ones:


Good Night Minnesota Good Night Lake

One Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova should be added to the list- it is also fun to read!

Didn't see it above so I thought I would add...
Big Belching Bog
by Phyllis Root and Illustrated by Betsy Bowen.
Picked it up yesterday. I enjoyed it! I hope my niece does as well.

new one: Twelve Owls - Illustrated by Betsy Bowen.

quote Soledad: " One Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova should be added to the list- it is also fun to read!"

Agree, got this one and love it! I also found both Wolf Song and Leave only Ripples last summer at a Barefoot Bookstore in northern Michigan.

Two others I've added recently:

Fearless John (Legend of John Beargrease) by Kelly Rauzi
Moonbear's Canoe by Frank Asch (board book)

Wolf Camp - by Katie McKy

Cute story about a girl who heads to wolf camp for the summer and comes back with some strange habits... I love that the parents don't panic, but indulge her canine tendencies. Cute book my kids loved too!

quote Soledad: " One Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova should be added to the list- it is also fun to read!"

Just got that one last weekend for the kids. Got it at Duluth Pack along with their new Twig Paddles. They love it. Reminds me so much of each of my girls and our dog.

This thread is one of my favorite treasures from this site! I have learned so many cool things here- but as I am getting 4 grandchildren ready to head to the BWCA for their first trip this summer I was so excited to have this list of great books to get them excited with! I think I spent about $50 in books from BWCA- but so worth the fun in reading with the kids all winter and spring as we get them excited.

Music


The Okee Dokee Brothers "Can you canoe" is the album.

5 stars!!! My whole family loves it.

Every time I play it our daughter grabs her teddy bear and dances.

We love the Okee Dokee Brothers too! Not only is it great music for kids, but for adults too!

quote Soledad: " One Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova should be added to the list- it is also fun to read!"

My Son loves this book, and we too bought this at Duluth Pack last summer!