I recently received a book/CD from the OkeeDokee Brothers called
Can You Canoe? and it's really great.
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| The Okee Dokee Brothers in their natural habitat. |
The Okee Dokee brothers aren't actually brothers, but they SOUND like brothers, and that's what's important. Two best friends Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, grew up together in Denver as adventurous kids- they were always rafting, and hiking, and exploring the great outdoors.
When they got older they started a bluegrass band together, and travelled some more, and after all their adventures they now live in Minneapolis. Each album they've done is based on an adventure that they went on together.
Can You Canoe? is their first album, and it's based on a month-long canoe trip they went on in 2011 that started at the headwaters of the Mississippi river and ended at the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
During this adventure, they camped, canoed, sang, danced, made films and videos, and wrote songs all about their experience. The album came out in 2012, and in 2013, the album won the Grammy Award for best Children's Album of the year.
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| Click the image to see on Amazon. |
They've since made a couple of more albums, one based on a month-long trek on the Appalachian Trail
THROUGH THE WOODS and another on a horseback riding trip along the Continental Divide.
SADDLE UP
The book,
Can You Canoe? is a natural extension of their work. It features the CD and the lyrics to 12 of the songs on their
first album of the same name as well as their two other albums,
Saddle Up and
Through The Woods. The illustrations by Brandon Reese are fine, and capture the Okee Dokee's in all their slightly goofy and earnest outdoor glory
It's an Okee Dokee sampler of sorts. It doesn't contain all of their songs, so if you want to listen to them all, you need to purchase everything! (But of course)
But if you don't know the Okee Dokee's work, or you are looking for a great gift to give to a kid who loves music and the outdoors, this is a perfect book for them!
They've made movies/videos of their work as well, each one called by the same name as the album. They are available on
Netflix, or available for sale on
Amazon or Itunes.
For more information about the Okee Dokee brothers, visit their website:
https://www.okeedokee.org/
You can also see their albums and book below (and if you purchase them from Amazon using these links, I get a slight commission! No pressure though! :O)
fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products or services that I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
They've since made a couple of more albums, one based on a month-long trek on the Appalachian Trail 
But if you don't know the Okee Dokee's work, or you are looking for a great gift to give to a kid who loves music and the outdoors, this is a perfect book for them!