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The Reluctant Deckhand. Written by Jan Padgett. Illustrated by Amanda Forbis.
Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press/National Film Board, 1995. 122pp, paper, 8.95
Grades 5 - 6 / Ages 10 -12.
***1/2 /4
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excerpt:
As one whale sank below the surface of the water, another whale would rise up, the sun glistening off its white and black body. A puff of vapour rose in the still air. Then two whales surfaced together, a mother with her baby close at her side. As they sank below the surface, yet another huge body exploded out of the water, flinging spray high into the air.
JAN PADGETT IS A WRITER and film-maker who lives in Powell River, B.C.
She wrote and directed the animated film The Reluctant
Deckhand, and wrote this companion novel as well (both the film and the accompanying teacher's guide
are also reviewed in this issue). Although she
has written several short stories, The Reluctant Deckhand
is her first novel.
The
Reluctant Deckhand is the account of a ten-year-old girl's summer
on a her mother's fishing boat, working the waters between Vancouver
Island and the mainland of British Columbia. At first, Tess is resentful
and reluctant to spend her summer on the Henry Bay, away from her
best friend Candice, from the beach, and from the Sea Fair, where the
basket she had made over the winter was going to be entered in a contest.
But Tess's mother, Sue, doesn't want to spend the summer away from her
daughter, and figures Tess is old enough to help out with the fishing.
Candice gives Tess a parting gift -- a kitten who becomes a comforting
companion.
At first, Tess is
afraid of storms, rough waters, and sinking, and afraid of something
happening to her mother. While on the boat, Tess experiences a great
variety in weather, beautiful geography, and close encounters with
dolphins and orca whales. But by the end of summer, Tess's skills
have grown -- she learns to fish and navigate, and her confidence in the
water has grown too.
Her new skills are
tested when she helps rescue a boat in distress. After this climactic
experience, it seems the ``bug" has caught hold of Tess. She is reluctant
to see the summer end, and is already looking forward to next summer on
the boat.
Padgett's prose
style is articulate and unsentimental. She describes the fishing and the
land and sea thoroughly. The language and metaphors used make this novel
suitable for grades five and six. The map of the route taken at the
beginning of books, and the glossary of nautical and fishing terms at the
end will be appreciated by teachers and students alike. The scattered
black-and-white illustrations by Amanda Forbis (who did the animation for
the film) are charming and expressive. Little filmstrip-like images
beneath the main pictures add extra detail.
Tess is a
likeable and intelligent ten-year-old. She and her mother make strong
female role models. And there are brief encounters with other women who
could be seen as role models: Anne the lighthouse keeper; Christine the
wildlife photographer; and Auntie Betty, a native elder.
The
Reluctant Deckhand is likely to be of interest to boating people,
or to those who have an interest in boating or live near the water. At
times the inspiration seems to flag, and drama is lacking -- either
between the characters and nature, or among the characters themselves.
Tess is so reasonable and mature, and the conflicts with her mother are
handled in such a civilized manner, that it's almost worth dissecting
their conflict resolution techniques to make a sort of ``how-to" guide.
Still, this
well-told tale has a kind of shimmering beauty. As Tess leaves her
carefree summers of berry-picking and playing on the behind, she enters
another, more mature stage of childhood. It is more self-aware stage, and
entails more self-reliance, responsibility, and work, but still is
fraught with possibilities for joy and beauty.
Highly recommended.
Leslie Millar is a substitute teacher and volunteer in Winnipeg schools.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cmeditor@mts.net.
Copyright © 1996 the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364