Gerry has written 100 books for young readers. He is a poet who combines the wonder of a child’s mind and the gritty wisdom of an adult. “The Red Canoe” is one of my favorites for a number of reasons. One, because I spent time on Lake Buel, canoed in the swamp and swam in the clear water; two, because I knew his wonderful parents; and three, because this is a brave coming-of-age story that does not shy from painful topics of prejudice and unkindness. It is a good book for you to read as an adult, to give to a young reader, or, even better, to sit with and read aloud to that young reader, so that you can share together the complexities of growing up and the beauty of seeing a flying squirrel glide from one pine tree to another.
If you like to write, have a story you want to tell, a book to publish, come to Santa Fe in October, spend time with Gerry and Lorry and me at our Thirteenth Annual Green River Writers Workshop.
