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With Pipe, Paddle, and Song: A Story of the French-Canadian Voyageurs
A sixteen-year-old lad, who can paddle, sing, and swim, signs a three-year contract as a voyageur and joins an expedition to north-west Canada in 1750 to search for furs and his future.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 18, 2019
Usually I love books by Elizabeth Yates, but this one . . . Not so much.
I found the information about the Voyageurs fascinating as I really hadn't even heard about them. The story was well told, and I liked the characters.
The things I didn't like:
1. The words and even sentences in French. With no translation. I don't read or speak French. I was able to catch words and phrases now and then. Enough to know that there was at least one swearing in French. Usually it was just mentioned that they swore. The whole French words and phrases distracted from the story as I couldn't understand them and had to just skip them. (No, I didn't even try to read them.)
2. Talk about the voyageurs sleeping with Indian women on their trip, or women offering to sleep with them.
3. Guillaume (main character) goes swimming with an Indian girl, both without clothes on.
4. Several mentions of parts of Guillaume's body that weren't covered.
Overall, I enjoyed learning about a part of history that I didn't know about, but was disturbed by the things mentioned. I won't be recommending this to my niece or nephews.
I found the information about the Voyageurs fascinating as I really hadn't even heard about them. The story was well told, and I liked the characters.
The things I didn't like:
1. The words and even sentences in French. With no translation. I don't read or speak French. I was able to catch words and phrases now and then. Enough to know that there was at least one swearing in French. Usually it was just mentioned that they swore. The whole French words and phrases distracted from the story as I couldn't understand them and had to just skip them. (No, I didn't even try to read them.)
2. Talk about the voyageurs sleeping with Indian women on their trip, or women offering to sleep with them.
3. Guillaume (main character) goes swimming with an Indian girl, both without clothes on.
4. Several mentions of parts of Guillaume's body that weren't covered.
Overall, I enjoyed learning about a part of history that I didn't know about, but was disturbed by the things mentioned. I won't be recommending this to my niece or nephews.
October 17, 2016
Age :
Read Aloud
12 yrs +
Independent Reader
14 yrs +
Setting:
Location - Montreal, New France, The Great Trace
Time Period -1750
Review
Guillaume is a “mixed breed” boy on the cusp of manhood, who spent his early summers with his mother in their Chippewa tribe, until she left him permanently with his French father in Montreal. When his father returns to France, Guillaume signs up with a crew of voyageurs, who make their yearly journey through the great lakes to bring back furs.
This coming of age story portrays the protagonist accepting his mixed blood and determining what kind of man he will grow to be.
There are many snip-its of the French language and the culture is well represented and believable in this book. It is not a fast paced story, the author meanders through the tale at a measured, even pace. Perhaps this was intentionally done to match steady, even rhythm of the voyageurs as they paddle along the rivers. This might cause a younger reader to lose interest, so I would not recommend this for a child younger than grade seven.
It is important to note that there is some sexual innuendo in this book. Most is subtle enough that it is doubtful that most children would even notice it. The main character is a young man who is longing to find a girl to love. Guillaume meets an aboriginal girl and thinks he is in love with her. Being from two different cultures they struggles to understand one another. She will not commit to him alone and he is unwilling to share with another man. When he tries to explain love to her there is a discussion about nature ending in a reference to deer rutting which might make some parents uncomfortable (p. 125). Although this scene raised some concerns in my mind, it did not strike me as vulgar in any way. I would suggest pre-reading chapter 8 and possibly chapter 9 to ensure you feel comfortable with the content prior to reading aloud with your children. From this scene the protagonist realizes that he wants to be faithful to the woman he will someday love, and will accept no less from her. There is a beautiful quote later on which sums up where the author is going with this story line:
“I am old, mon ami, more than twice your age, and I may not have many more voyages to make to the pays d’en haut, but this I say because I have not only loved but love: He who will not settle for second best but waits for the best will find it waiting for him.” p. 167
Although chastity is not, perhaps, the intent of this passage, the idea of waiting to commit to one person is certainly there and seems to be an underlying theme throughout the story.
Included in the book is an extensive collection of voyageur songs, with music and lyrics.
Each song is presented in French, but has been translated into English as well.
There is a map of the great lakes region at the front of the book. It does not include a line to show Guillaume’s journey, however it is clear and easy to read. At this reading level it should be easy for students to trace his path themselves.
Teacher Application
This a wonderful and thorough book to use as a basis for a study on the voyageurs and the fur trade in New France. It is also an opportunity to look at the geography of the great lakes region.
A canoe trip or white water rafting outing would be a wonderful edition to this unit. It would also be fun to have children attempt to carry a pack or bundle of the same weight that Guillaume would have carried on each portage on his journey.
Catholicism has been misrepresented in this book and grossly misunderstood in our culture. This is an important discussion to have while reading this book as the author of the book has written about a belief system that she clearly does not understand.
Catholics define prayer as conversation.
Protestants define prayer as speaking to God. They consider prayer a form of worship.
A Catholic person may praise or worship God through prayer, but they would never praise or worship a saint, although they would pray to them. To praise a saint would be idolatry.(Worshiping anyone other than God) Instead they would ask the saint to intercede to God on their behalf. In essence they are asking the saint to pray for them, just as a one might ask a friend to pray for them. The main confusion appears to come from the word pray. A protestant definition of prayer is more than to simply speak, it is used to mean worship, praise and show reverence. By redefining prayer to a catholic’s definition, meaning to speak or converse, it is easy to see how the author has misrepresented the catholic faith in this book. By overcoming the language barrier between the churches, we can begin to see how similar the beliefs actually are.
“If a [Catholic person] were to pray [speak] to St. Anne, [as in the passage in With a Pipe, Paddle and a Song, on pg. 151] it would not be for her protection but for her intercession. He would be asking her to ask our Lord for His protection. The same for the prayers to Mary…intercession. And St. Anne would not get praise. Praise and worship is for God alone. She may be honored, even respected but never praised.” Kim Werhle (Practicing Catholic)
The Difference Between the Voyageurs and the Coureur de Bois
Coureur de Bois
The coureur de bois, or runners of the woods were independent men, privately financed who traveled the rivers in pursuit of furs for trade. Often they travelled together in small groups, each man investing his share and each man receiving a cut of the profit. The licensing requirements imposed on the fur trade by King Louis XIV of France made it increasingly difficult for the coureur de bois, leading to the birth of the voyageurs.
Voyageurs
The voyageurs were under the employ of a larger company, not normally receiving a cut of the profit, but an agreed upon wage. They were outfitted by the company they worked for and often forced to sign agreements to work for no one else. The fur trade by this time was heavily regulated so several merchants would hold a monopoly in the fur trade in each city.
Parental Warning
Catholicism has been very misrepresented in this book please see teacher application.
There is some sexual innuendo in the book. Please see review.
Read Aloud
12 yrs +
Independent Reader
14 yrs +
Setting:
Location - Montreal, New France, The Great Trace
Time Period -1750
Review
Guillaume is a “mixed breed” boy on the cusp of manhood, who spent his early summers with his mother in their Chippewa tribe, until she left him permanently with his French father in Montreal. When his father returns to France, Guillaume signs up with a crew of voyageurs, who make their yearly journey through the great lakes to bring back furs.
This coming of age story portrays the protagonist accepting his mixed blood and determining what kind of man he will grow to be.
There are many snip-its of the French language and the culture is well represented and believable in this book. It is not a fast paced story, the author meanders through the tale at a measured, even pace. Perhaps this was intentionally done to match steady, even rhythm of the voyageurs as they paddle along the rivers. This might cause a younger reader to lose interest, so I would not recommend this for a child younger than grade seven.
It is important to note that there is some sexual innuendo in this book. Most is subtle enough that it is doubtful that most children would even notice it. The main character is a young man who is longing to find a girl to love. Guillaume meets an aboriginal girl and thinks he is in love with her. Being from two different cultures they struggles to understand one another. She will not commit to him alone and he is unwilling to share with another man. When he tries to explain love to her there is a discussion about nature ending in a reference to deer rutting which might make some parents uncomfortable (p. 125). Although this scene raised some concerns in my mind, it did not strike me as vulgar in any way. I would suggest pre-reading chapter 8 and possibly chapter 9 to ensure you feel comfortable with the content prior to reading aloud with your children. From this scene the protagonist realizes that he wants to be faithful to the woman he will someday love, and will accept no less from her. There is a beautiful quote later on which sums up where the author is going with this story line:
“I am old, mon ami, more than twice your age, and I may not have many more voyages to make to the pays d’en haut, but this I say because I have not only loved but love: He who will not settle for second best but waits for the best will find it waiting for him.” p. 167
Although chastity is not, perhaps, the intent of this passage, the idea of waiting to commit to one person is certainly there and seems to be an underlying theme throughout the story.
Included in the book is an extensive collection of voyageur songs, with music and lyrics.
Each song is presented in French, but has been translated into English as well.
There is a map of the great lakes region at the front of the book. It does not include a line to show Guillaume’s journey, however it is clear and easy to read. At this reading level it should be easy for students to trace his path themselves.
Teacher Application
This a wonderful and thorough book to use as a basis for a study on the voyageurs and the fur trade in New France. It is also an opportunity to look at the geography of the great lakes region.
A canoe trip or white water rafting outing would be a wonderful edition to this unit. It would also be fun to have children attempt to carry a pack or bundle of the same weight that Guillaume would have carried on each portage on his journey.
Catholicism has been misrepresented in this book and grossly misunderstood in our culture. This is an important discussion to have while reading this book as the author of the book has written about a belief system that she clearly does not understand.
Catholics define prayer as conversation.
Protestants define prayer as speaking to God. They consider prayer a form of worship.
A Catholic person may praise or worship God through prayer, but they would never praise or worship a saint, although they would pray to them. To praise a saint would be idolatry.(Worshiping anyone other than God) Instead they would ask the saint to intercede to God on their behalf. In essence they are asking the saint to pray for them, just as a one might ask a friend to pray for them. The main confusion appears to come from the word pray. A protestant definition of prayer is more than to simply speak, it is used to mean worship, praise and show reverence. By redefining prayer to a catholic’s definition, meaning to speak or converse, it is easy to see how the author has misrepresented the catholic faith in this book. By overcoming the language barrier between the churches, we can begin to see how similar the beliefs actually are.
“If a [Catholic person] were to pray [speak] to St. Anne, [as in the passage in With a Pipe, Paddle and a Song, on pg. 151] it would not be for her protection but for her intercession. He would be asking her to ask our Lord for His protection. The same for the prayers to Mary…intercession. And St. Anne would not get praise. Praise and worship is for God alone. She may be honored, even respected but never praised.” Kim Werhle (Practicing Catholic)
The Difference Between the Voyageurs and the Coureur de Bois
Coureur de Bois
The coureur de bois, or runners of the woods were independent men, privately financed who traveled the rivers in pursuit of furs for trade. Often they travelled together in small groups, each man investing his share and each man receiving a cut of the profit. The licensing requirements imposed on the fur trade by King Louis XIV of France made it increasingly difficult for the coureur de bois, leading to the birth of the voyageurs.
Voyageurs
The voyageurs were under the employ of a larger company, not normally receiving a cut of the profit, but an agreed upon wage. They were outfitted by the company they worked for and often forced to sign agreements to work for no one else. The fur trade by this time was heavily regulated so several merchants would hold a monopoly in the fur trade in each city.
Parental Warning
Catholicism has been very misrepresented in this book please see teacher application.
There is some sexual innuendo in the book. Please see review.
July 25, 2018
Fine writing but too explicit for the intended age.
Also fairly slow paced for children and I think the constant use of French without translation would be hard to follow if one doesn't speak French.
See Dawn's review below.
Also fairly slow paced for children and I think the constant use of French without translation would be hard to follow if one doesn't speak French.
See Dawn's review below.
June 24, 2022
Beautifully written story, full of French lyrics the French-Canadian voyageurs sang while paddling or while portaging the canoe and the adventures in between.
Read
February 18, 2017lighthearted and adventurous story
January 5, 2017
This book was alright. It was part of my curriculum to read it. It was a bit overdramatic at some points though, and sometimes they would speak French without any sort of translation and that was confusing. I like how it included history though and had a pretty good theme to it, but I read it only because it was part of my curriculum. It was definitely not something I would have read by choice.
June 22, 2011
While vacationing in NH, I found this book on the cottage shelves. It's sweet and simple but a very enjoyable story.
August 19, 2012
2 1\2 stars. I found it, when I read several years ago, to be rather boring, it didn't hold my attention enough to enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews