A red squirrel stows away on a canoe to fulfill his dream of joining a
group of voyageurs--men who paddle canoes filled with goods to a trading
post thousands of miles away.
**A Finalist for the Minnesota Book Award
**
It is 1792 and unbeknownst to a group of voyageurs traveling from
Montreal to Grand Portage, an intrepid squirrel, Jean Pierre Petit Le
Rouge, sneaks onto their canoe. Le Rouge is soon discovered because he
can't contain his excitement--mon dieu he is so enthusiastic. The
smells! The vistas! The comradery!
The voyageurs are not particularly happy to have him, especially because
Le Rouge rides, but he does not paddle. He eats, but he does not cook.
He doesn't even carry anything on portages--sometimes it is he who has
to be carried. He also has a terrible singing voice. What kind of
voyageur is that?
When they finally arrive at the trading post Le Rouge is in for a
terrible shock--the voyageurs have traveled all those miles to collect
beaver pelts. With the help of Monique, a smart and sweet flying
squirrel, Le Rouge organizes his fur-bearing friends of the forest to
ambush the men and try and convince them to quit being voyageurs.
Written by a Newbery honor author, the book has over 20 black-and-white
illustrations.
A Junior Library Guild Selection