Arriving as travel plans might be restricted to the extent of our front porches, and informative to boot, this trio of books are full of bright colours and perky, pertinent information. The first is organized geographically, and the latter two alphabetically, and each wraps with fun facts and glossaries.
“Are We There Yet?” embarks on a cross-country trek from St. John’s, where Gabbie, aged nine, lives with her parents, younger sister Lizzy, older brother Sam, and dog, Chili. Their careful preplanning includes buying a trailer (and a small separate tent for Sam) that “would be our home for the next few months, and then we would sell it in the Northwest Territories before coming home.” In addition to downloading e-maps, they’ve also focused on the best gas mileage, and how to recycle en route.
Crossing the island, they see puffins and icebergs, and stop for a moose in the middle of the Northern peninsula highway. (They also “passed many little fishing villages,” a term actually quite rare in Newfoundland — outports of course being the correct depiction.)
On they continue, dancing at a ceilidh in Cape Breton, ziplining at Grand Falls Gorge in New Brunswick, kayaking in the Muskokas, attending a First Nations Powwow in Saskatoon’s Wanuskewin Heritage Park. From Nunavut they fly home to a big welcoming barbeque. There’s a nice balance of text and imagery, with an appealing scrapbooky format
“Canada: Our Road to Democracy,” by Alister Mathieson and Marianne Ilass, illustrated by Derek Douglas; Blossom Books; 36 pages; $22.95.
“Road to Democracy” is a travelogue of a different sort, tracking the political movement that produced our bi-lingual democracy. Starting with “A is for Aboriginal People” and ending with “Z is for Zeal,” “Freedoms,” “Loonie,” “Mountie,” “Taxes,” and “Unity” fall in between. The material is narrated by several cartoon icons (a beaver, a Canada goose, a moose, and a bison) and for increased visual play “in every illustration on each alphabet page we’ve hidden a red or white maple leaf — some have several.”
There are lists of Canadian Prime Ministers as well as “British Monarchs since Confederation.” A red, green, and orange chart outlines the Federal branches of Government. A two-page Glossary explains “Constitutional Monarchy” as “The system of government in which the British king or queen (the monarch) is head of the country but must conform to the laws and rules of the Canadian Constitution,” and “Riding” as “The geographical district within a city, town or region that is represented by a member of federal or provincial parliament.”
“Canada … Our Home and Native Land,” by Alister Mathieson & Marianne Ilass, illustrated by Derek Douglas; Blossom Books; 36 pages; $22.95.
“Canada … Our Home and Native Land” reintroduces our quartet of animal hosts, and opens with a quote from two-term Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau: “Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.” Here “A is for Anne of Green Gables,” and “Z is for Zinc.” “H” naturally is for “Hockey,” although this sections also notes that lacrosse is the second of Canada’s official sports, and “Canadians are also known for inventing ringette [and] five-pin bowling.” Other entries define concepts, like “D is for Diversity” which explains the “three main waves of immigration” including “mostly Germans, Eastern Europeans and Scandinavians” in the early 20th century, pre-WWI, followed by post-WWII Europeans, and, since the 1970s, arrivals from “Southeast Asia, India and China. Today, nearly twenty percent of the Canadian population is made up of immigrants.” (I didn’t notice any particular standout N.L.-related content – it would have been appropriate to see the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and Beaumont Hamel noted under “J is for July 1st alongside an exploration of celebrations of Canada’s birthday.”)
This glossary includes, amongst other selections, that “William Lyon Mackenzie King” was “Canada’s longest serving Prime Minister, governing for almost 22 years intermittently between 1921 and 1948. He led Canada through industrialization, the Great Depression and the Second World War.”
Even more enlightening is “Made in Canada,” an alphabetical list of Canadian inventions, including, of course, basketball, the space shuttle Canadarm, and the Stanley Cup. But there’s also Ginger Ale: “1907, John McLaughlin, Perfected the formula for ‘dry’ ginger ale and patented it as ‘Canada Dry Ginger Ale’”; Pictionary: “1985, Robert Angel (graphic design by Gary Everson), Published this popular game where teams try to identify specific words from their teammate’s drawings”; and Superman.
Hopes and dreams indeed!
Joan Sullivan is editor of Newfoundland Quarterly magazine. She reviews both fiction and non-fiction for The Telegram.
