Canoe Days By Gary Paulsen. Opening this book is like sitting down in a canoe, taking up the paddle, and gliding out into the summer beauty of a hidden lake. In a picture book as refreshing and inviting as a perfect canoe day, a fawn peeks out from the trees as ducklings fan out behind their mother. Butterflies pause, and fish laze beneath the lily pads. Ruth Wright Paulsen's sunlit paintings and Gary Paulsen's poetic text depict all the peace and pleasure of a day when water and sky are one. Paperback, 13 pages.