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Children's Fiction Native Canadian

Voyage of Wood Duck

illustrated by Patsy MacAulay-MacKinnon

translated by Helen Syllioy

by (author) Maxine Trottier

Publisher
Cape Breton University Press
Initial publish date
Jun 1995
Category
Native Canadian
Recommended Age
8
Recommended Grade
3
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780920336700
    Publish Date
    Jun 1995
    List Price
    $11.95

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Description

Some people say that dreams are foolish. Some people say that you can search you whole life long and never find what it is you are looking for. But long ago when dreams were more real than they are today; there was a young boy who lived by the sea. He was called Wood Duck. His people had always lived beside the ocean. Its salty water flavoured their days. Its currents flowed through their nights. The power of the sea ran very strongly in Wood Duck. In his dreams, fish swam and sea birds flew.

About the authors

Patsy MacAulay-MacKinnon's profile page

Helen Syllioy's profile page

Maxine Trottier is a prolific writer of books for young people. Born in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan on May 3, 1950, she moved to Windsor, Ontario in Canada with her family ten years later. In 1974 she became a Canadian citizen. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario.Maxine spent 31 years working as an educator in elementary classrooms, guiding children toward literacy. The students in her class, who of course thought of her only as their teacher, saw each step in the creation of a new work. They heard the unillustrated story, saw the roughs, and were the first to view the finished book.Maxine lives with her husband William and their two Yorkies, Ceilidh and Moon. They divide their year between Port Stanley, Ontario on Lake Erie, and Newman s Cove, Newfoundland, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Both are wonderful places to write.

Maxine Trottier's profile page

Librarian Reviews

The Voyage of Wood Duck: Ta’n Teli Kaqasimiliala’sis Malsikws

This is a tale of a Mi’kmaq boy, Wood Duck, who loves the ocean and dreams of what might be beyond it. His people help him to build a huge canoe and sail it across the ocean to the other side, where they encounter tall people and animals grazing. Wood Duck stays with the new people until he becomes homesick. He has a dark, foreboding dream of them building their homes in his land, so he returns home to “watch and wait”. The story is written in both English and Mi’kmaq. The accompanying colour paintings convey the meaning and mood of the story well.

This book won the Federation of Women Teachers of Ontario Writers Award. Trottier’s other awards include the Mr. Christie’s Book Award.

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2008-2009.

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