Williams, V. B. (1981) Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe. New York, NY: Greenwillow books.

Brief annotation: When a little boy sees a red canoe for sale in his neighborhood, he convinces his mom to buy it. They head out with his cousin and Aunt on a canoe trip adventure through the woods. This story follows their trip down the river in their red canoe. While there is not really a conflict in the story, it’s a fun look at camping and canoe trips.
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction
Grade level: preK- 3
Readers who would like this book: Students who have recently been camping or canoeing. Students who like maps. Students who like pictures that look very homemade.
Response/rating: 3 This was a fun book, but did not really have any plot. I don’t think it would work very well for a large group read aloud, but may be good for a small guided reading group where children would each read the story on their own.
One question you would ask before read aloud: “Have you ever been in a canoe?” It might also be fun as an introduction to a writing unit on journaling, as the story is designed to look like it was done in a child's notebook as he went on the canoe trip.