Jimmy-Why and Noel Polchies

'Jimmy-Why & Noël Polchies: Their Adventures in the Great Woods', is a one-volume compilation of George Frederick Clarke’s Jimmy-Why stories for children. Originally published in two volumes as 'The Adventures of Jimmy-Why' and 'Noël and Jimmy-Why', these books recount the experience of a young boy as he learns the ways of the great woods and woodland living in New Brunswick, Canada. While written as fiction, we know that one of the main characters, Noël Polchies, was a real First Nation person who appears in the stories in his own name. We also know that in real life Noël was a mentor to a young Fred Clarke. This is, perhaps, why the stories ring so true.