Cover design created by Olivia Francey and Tessa Alguire, 9th-grade students at Canton High School; and Greg Kiah.
“Children, Children, What do you see? We see a brown bear, a red bird, a yellow duck, a blue horse, a green frog, a purple cat, a white dog, a black sheep, a goldfish, and a teacher looking at us. That’s what we see. ”
Bill Martin Jr.,
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
What is the Brown Bear Ramble?
The Brown Bear Ramble is a sculpture scavenger hunt inspired by the classic children’s book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Eric Carle and Bill Martin, Jr.
Visitors use rhyming clues and a map to search for eleven small bronze sculptures hidden in downtown Canton. The statues represent all the animals in the book, ending with a teacher and a group of children observing all the animals. The statues will be permanently mounted in hidden spots on Canton landmarks, and the route will take scavengers past lots of downtown businesses.
Our project is modeled on the “Caterpillar Crawl” in Bristol, VA, which is based on Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Library trustee Doreen Radway discovered the Crawl while visiting her young grandson, and when she saw how much he loved it and what a beloved fixture it was in Bristol, she knew Canton would be the perfect place for a similar trail! With the support of library and Village leadership, St. Lawrence County, and many local businesses, we’re working hard to make our own Brown Bear Ramble a reality.
The library is thrilled to be the lead agency for this project that combines so many values we support– engaging young kids in reading, supporting physical activity, and sustaining a strong downtown.
We’re Almost There!
Though we’ve had many outstanding contributions, we still need almost $10,000 to meet our goal of $25,970 to make this great community project a reality for the Canton Free Library and Canton. So far, we’ve been able to have the Brown Bear Ramble conceptualized by artist Michael Wells of WellSculpt Foundry. Stay tuned for what’s to come.
Courtesy of WellSculpt Foundry
To Our Donors: THANK YOU!
| North Country Savings Bank | St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union |
| Anonymous | Community Bank, NA |
| KMH Remediation & Cleaning Services | Nash & Palm |
| Smile Associates | The Stadium Sports Bar |
| Grasse River Outfitters | Remington Avenue Associates |
| Owl’s Nest Fund | A.W. Collins Corp |
| James Brock | Canton Rotary Club |
| Kelly Toni Lapoint | McFadden Dier Insurance |
| Stretton Enterprises | Allison Wheeler |
| County Seat Realty | Edward C. Seymour Post 1231 |
| Grasse River Real Estate | LeBerge & Curtis, Inc. |
| Linden Law Firm | Mackay Service Inc. |
| Linda & Matthew Randi | Niles Asset Management |
| Nature’s Storehouse | C2AE |
| Deborah Whitmarsh | |
Donations
Feel free to donate online today or make cash/check contributions to:
Canton Free Library
Attn: The Brown Bear Ramble
8 Park Street
Canton, NY
13617
