Up North at the Cabin: A Magical Story About Summer Adventures in the Woods for Children

by Marsha Wilson Chall

Up north ath the cabin,
I am a great gray dolphin.
The lake is my ocean...


Up north at the cabin,
I am a fearless voyageur,
guiding our canoe through the wilderness...
Up north at the cabin
I am always brave --
even in the dark woods,
when blood thumps through my head
like old Ojiway drums.
The magic of summer, the call of the north woods, and the exuberance of childhood imagination combine here to create a book that will be treasured long after the last autumn leaf has fallen.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Summer, Nature, Poetry, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spectacular book - especially if you happen to be a Minnesotan!

"Up North at the Cabin" brought me back six months ago to a cabin trip I took with some friends - at first - and then it brought me back much further to many childhood trips I took Up North. In fact, some of the references, particularly the "big walleye statue" near Lake Mille Lacs (page 1) resonated profoundly with me; for I've been past that very same fish statue - located in Garrison, Minn. - many times throughout childhood.

This book is basic to its core. In fact, it so brilliantly basic that there are no page numbers listed. My page reference above refers to the first page of written story text. The text is very calming and descriptive and the illustration and color use are spectacular. The paintings - illustrated wonderfully throughout the book - are contributed by Steve Johnson. Both Johnson and the book's author (Marsha Wilson Chall) drew from their own personal experiences in Minnesota as inspiration for the book.

Some other details I noticed include:

* The colors used in "Up North at the Cabin" are very soft and distinct. The color used for the background to the text is warm and inviting - and meshes well with the paintings.

* The personal memories this book invoked are spectacular. Memories of my grandma preparing the "sunnies" (sunfish) we caught is one of many memories this book stirred for me. The neat thing is, I'm guessing there are tons of people who can relate their own personal experiences to the ones written about in this book.

[Dehlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing verse for teaching writing (metaphors, similes, juicy adjectives!) and very sentimental for lovers of northeastern Minnesota lakes!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever gone somewhere for the summer- away from your home and stayed in a cabin away from everyone else? This book is very sentimental- a family that goes to a cabin and stays for awhile. This story is told from the child's view and she tells how she sees things, feels things, etc. The book uses some great figurative language. I especially like the page where she looks at her stuff when they are getting ready to leave, like taking a photograph with her mind of all the special things there.

[Nhi Nguyễn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book that reflect the author's childhood through the summers spent at the cabin up north with her family, especially her grandparents. Who doesn't want spending days outdoors, canoeing down the river, going swimming in the lake, immersing themselves in the beauty of nature, and having delicious home-made meals with loved ones, right? Gosh, I want that life so much; I want to spend those days in the summer far from the busy, crowded city, and truly live a fulfilling, relaxing life closed to where we should actually call home...

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book out loud to a class of 4th graders as part of our week of talking about summer plans. They were excited to see mentions of places in Minnesota and were able to connect to activities the main character does that they have also done. This book could be used as a mentor text when teaching metaphor, as many of the pages begin with "I am a _____". The illustrations were beautiful and I was able to connect many of the experiences of the main character to my childhood summers.

[Maren Prestegaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much my life growing up minus the fishing.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely story told in a way that makes the reader feel as if she/he is there. The illustrations are remarkable.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a poetic story that will still resonate with children. It speaks to me because it is set in Minnesota.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good read.

[Breanna Maughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this poem and all the adjectives and how they make you actually feel like you are there.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

In some ways, very similar to our own vacation house.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you grew up vacationing at Huddles Resort, you must read this book!

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson Chall definitely captures summertime up north.

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up North at the Cabin would be an excellent choice when teaching children, early elementary K-5, about metaphors. This book is about a girl who travels from the city to the cabin up north and through luscious paintings and poetry through her narration, you feel as though you are there...you feel the anticipation through experiences of times past. Even if your students have never been to a cabin on a lake, this would be a good choice when explaining that words create images in your mind. Highly recommend.

[Brooke Metten · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire time i read this book i felt myself in my own lake cabin experiencing life just like this girl did. The illustrations of this book were phenomenal, so well detailed and keep me interested throughout. I would recommend this book as long as every single student can see the illustrations. The expressive language the author uses is wonderful, it is a very well written piece and could get students thinking about creative writing and grabbing the readers attention.

[Kallie Krammes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would be a great book for kids who are familiar with lakes and forests because they could relate to the experiences of the character. It would also be great for kids who have never experienced either of those because this would give them insight into something very new to them. It's a light hearted and descriptive story. The words make the reader feel that they are on the trip with the character.

[Chandra Fleenor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The imagery was well drawn and the book was well written but reading it once is not enough. It needs to be read more than once, maybe even more than twice, to get a good grasp on the book. I did find the book enjoyable but I did not like it as much as I could have because I had no connection to the book. I will probably not use this book in my classroom but it is a good book to use in a classroom.

[Kaitlyn Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be read before a holiday weekend. The illustrations and expressive language may create mirror experiences for some students. This could help with a writing lesson to help students write about an experience they've had similar to the cabin trip or maybe the book sparked another experience they have had. This book is a perfect lesson opener for students to hear before they begin writing on their own.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are very vivid and lifelike. The language and tone of the book also encourage the reader to have a constant mental image of what is going on in the story. This book allows the reader to think back to experiences that they have had that are similar to the ones in the book. This would be a great book to do a read aloud with since the pictures are so important to the story.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, Up North at the Cabin, is about this young girl and what happens when she spends the weekend with her grandparents. The themes are nature, poetry, and adventure. The genres are contemporary realistic fiction, picture books, and poetry while the ages are kindergarten to eighth grade. I gave this a 4 out of 5 stars because it is a beautifully illustrated book on the memories this girl makes with her grandparents.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you live in Minnesota and have a cabin you will love this book. Even if you don't do the cabin thing, you can appreciate the descriptive details in this book.
I love the way the author paints the scenes with her use of descriptive words, comparisons, and similies. It's almost like reading poetry.

[Megan MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing to me because it perfectly put into words the things I would feel as a child. I used to do many of the same things as the character in this story did such as fish, spend time at a cabin in the woods, and water ski. The imagery created by the words is awesome and the pictures that go along are really beatiful too. I liked the emotion that this story had to share.

[Chelsea Kimmey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great to read during the beginning/end of school in order to start a lesson with something to do what your students did/want to do during the summer. I enjoyed reading this book because it was a very imaginable story, where I could picture myself at church camp, where I did activities just as the main character did.

[Amanda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book to read. Everyone feels the magic that summertime brings, whether it be down south, or up north. There are many experiences that can happen with family and these are some of the best times we'll ever have, and we'll never forget them. The illustrations are fabulous in this book. A great book to read to children to have them reminisce about their summer.

[Cortney Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up North at the Cabin was a window read for me but I very much enjoyed the illustrations and the story. It is very well written and with the imagery I could feel like I was there in that moment. I really liked this book a lot and definitely want to have it in my classroom library to share with my students.

[Jenna Arntz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story. I love the expressive language and the metaphors that the author uses. This would be a great book to read to students when teaching them about metaphors. This is also a story that many children could relate to or use as a window. When I was reading this story I felt as though I was actually at the cabin. I think children would be very engaged in this story.

[Tammy Hanchett]

Lothrop,Lee & Shepard Books, New York:New York:1992
ISBN# 0-688-09732-4

A summer vacation up North, at a cute cabin gives wonderful experiences around water and family.

Uses: Imagination, poetry, Vocabulary, Inferencing, ideas for writing.
Grade: K-3

[Ashley Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children to relate to. The book is about a summer vacation and the child's imagination, something every child experiences. This book would be great to read close to the summer.

[Kayla Whitlock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not able to make a connection with the book. It was well written and the pictures were beautiful. I will read this book to my class for those who need imagination about a cabin and living up north.

[Katie Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a fantastic book that I would use with all children in elementary school. The illustrations are wonderful, and I really felt connected to the story. It is a great nature book which talks about family in a cabin up in Minnesota.