Little Ben had learned from his Native American neighbors how to build and navigate canoes, and how to fish.

One day, Ben decides that his canoe is too small. Reluctantly, his dad puts aside his fiddle to help him build a bigger one. But first, Ben must express his gratitude to the tree that will be cut down and used to make his new canoe.

In his big canoe, Ben paddles down the Potomac River with the firm intention of catching « a million fish ». Nearing the half million mark however, he meets a bear who decides that there's no more need to try to catch fish, as Ben's canoe already has plenty of them.

The bear climbs aboard, has a hearty lunch, and decides to stay since, after all, it is a big canoe.

Ben's canoe soon fills to overflowing with another 2 bears, a racoon and 2 otters. Even a moose tries to join the crowd!

In the end, Ben realises that : « we don't need a million fish! »