When a trio of friends sets out to canoe together one sunny day, their tendency towards frequent disagreements immediately threatens to ruin the outing. When moose wants to steer, bear and beaver realize they do too. But with all three animals in the back of the canoe, the uneven weight load causes it to capsize. One mishap follows another, and a rough ride through unexpected rapids nearly does them in. It's only when they decide to work as a team that they are able to reach shore safely at last. A traditional message of cooperation is boosted to humorous heights by illustrations, created in Photoshop, of the stubbornly opinionated woodland creatures on the verge of navigating the creek sans paddle. (Ages 3-6)

?There once was a bear, a moose and a beaver who were the best of friends, though they often disagreed.? So when the three friends go canoeing together one sunny day, it doesn't take long for them to start quarreling with one another. First, they can't decide who should get to steer the canoe. Later, they debate how best to get across a beaver dam that blocks their way. But when they can't agree on the proper course for maneuvering through the white-water rapids they suddenly find themselves in, the consequences become truly perilous. It takes a long, uncomfortable night spent stranded on a rock to remind the bear, the moose and the beaver what they often forget: everything turns out better when they work together as a team.

As with his other popular books in the Life in the Wild series, featuring these three lovable animal characters, author-illustrator Nicholas Oldland has created a funny romp of a picture book adventure for young children that will be a favorite choice in the classroom. Oldland's distinctive, simple and playful artwork tells much of the tale on its own, with lots of visual humor in the characters' facial expressions and the numerous asides throughout. At its core, this is a fun, contemporary fable that champions the importance of teamwork, cooperation and communication while also promoting the joys to be found in nature, specifically the wilder parts of the outdoors. This book could serve as an introduction to discussions on animals and their environments in the early grades as well.