Table of Contents
Book Reviews
Thora's Island Home.
- Sylvia Sigurdson.
- Review by Katherine Matthews.
- Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 13.
- A Kid's Guide to the Brain.
- Sylvia Funston and Jay Ingram. Illustrated by Gary Clement.
- Review by Bob Piper.
- Grades 3 and Up / Ages 9 and Up.
- Melanie Bluelake's Dream.
- Betty Dorion.
- Review by Maryleah Otto.
- Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 8 - 12.
- Behind the Story:
- The People who Create our
Best Children's Books . . .
- and How They Do It!
- General Editor: Barbara Greenwood.
- Review By Janie Wilkins.
- Grades 4 - 10 / Ages 8 - 14 / Professional Reference.
- Right Turn: How the Tories took Ontario.
- Christine Blizzard.
- Review by John Crawford.
- Grades 10 - University / Ages 14 - Adult.
-
CM
Editor
Duncan Thornton
e-mail: cmeditor@mts.net
-
CM
Executive Assistant
Peter Tittenberger
e-mail: cm@mts.net
Book Review
Thora's Island Home.
Sylvia Sigurdson.
White Rock, BC: Eyja Publishing.107pp, paper, .
ISBN 0-9699080-0-8.
Grades Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 13. BR>
Review by Katherine Matthews
excerpt:
Thora decided that she would have to tie the cow's tail. She took a rope
from the wall and tied it to a nail directly behind the cow, then
fastened the other end to the cow's tail, which now stood out like a
horizontal ramrod behind the cow. This time, when she resumed the
milking, not one drop came, and the cow stood defiant and still.
Then she heard Hannes' belligerent voice behind her saying accusingly,
"Cows hold back their milk when provoked. Your awkwardness is the cause
of the problem."
The year is 1931, and twelve-year-old Thora arrives on Hecla Island, in
Manitoba, from her home in Iceland. Thora has been sent to live with her
uncle, foul-tempered and irritable, and her aunt, sickly and bedridden.
Thora's life in Canada begins as a trial; rather than finding her a help,
her uncle considers her a nuisance. She makes a friend, Signy, but her
uncle won't let them see each other.
Sigurdson's earnest fondness for Thora and Hecla Island is evident
in the book. The story itself is set up as a series of events in Thora's
life, rather than having a cohesive plot structure. Dialogue is formal,
and reminiscent of a past time. Thora is the most developed of all the
characters, and her actions and thoughts often make her seem older than
her twelve years. Thora's Island Home may have some appeal to readers
familiar with Icelandic immigration to Manitoba, or a more limited
application in Manitoba heritage studies. It is, therefore, recommended
for these purposes with reservation.
Recommended with reservations
Katherine Matthews is a Teacher/Librarian at the Centre for Urban and
Community Studies, University of Toronto.
Book Review
A Kid's Guide to the Brain.
Sylvia Funston and Jay Ingram. Illustrated by Gary Clement.
Toronto: Greey de Pencier, 1994. 64pp, paper, $9.95.
ISBN 1-895688-819-1.
Grades 3 and Up / Ages 9 and Up.
Review by Bob Piper.
While doing some work on a creative problem-solving game show for OWL TV,
Sylvia Funston became quite interested in brain function and how things
happen in the brain. As former editor-in-chief of OWL and Chickadee
magazines, and as a recognized, award-winning science author and editor,
she has a strong background in producing science materials for
children.
Jay Ingram is best known for his thirteen-year stint as host of CBC
Radio's Quirks and Quarks, and, more recently, for Cranial
Pursuits. He has written some science books for children, notably
Twins: An Amazing Investigation and Real Live
Science.
Together, Funston and Ingram have created a fascinating compendium
of facts about the function of the human brain, and have made it most
appealing to children. The facts presented in the four major sections of
this book -- SENSES -- EMOTIONS -- MEMORY -- THINKING -- will fascinate
readers from grade three on up through adulthood.
Besides presenting the scientific details of the anatomy and
physiology of the brain, and relating theories about how the brain
functions, the authors have included a fascinating collection of Brain
Benders (thinking games) and Try This (experiments) which will
lead the reader to think about the practical implications of the
information. The variety of colourful and humorous illustrations by Gary
Clement, along with several excellent photographs, combine to create
strong visual appeal. The detailed index helps to make this a very useful
``research" book for children.
Highly recommended.
Bob Piper is a retired Teacher/Librarian living in Winnipeg.
Book Review
Melanie Bluelake's dream.
Betty Dorion.
Regina: Coteau Books, 1995. 214pp, paper, $4.95.
ISBN 1-55050-081-3.
Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 8 - 12.
Review by Maryleah Otto.
excerpt:
``Why don't you let us take Melanie until you get on your feet?" asked Doris, the lady from the Native Family Counselling Centre.
``She's not going anywhere." Frances' voice was shaking.
Melanie covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe what she was hearing. What had she done? She should never have talked to those women. Her heart pounded in her chest louder, it seemed, than the words she strained to hear
Doris went on. ``No, I don t mean that we take custody of her. She can stay at the residence until you can take care of her."
Ten-year-old Melanie Bluelake must leave Elk Crossing, the Cree community in northern Saskatchewan where she lives with her beloved grandmother and her mother, Frances. Her father has left the family to remarry, and Frances decides to return to high school in Prince Albert in the hope of preparing for a job.
In the city, Melanie misses her friends, her school, the countryside, and, most of alI, her loving grandmother. Although she makes a new friend in Prince Albert, she always dreams of returning to the reserve. Eventually her mother is accepted into an adult retraining program, but the financial strain of supporting both herself and her daughter proves too much, and so Melanie goes back to her grandmother until Frances can finish school and find work.
This is Betty Dorion's first novel. Her career as a teacher of Indian and Métis children in Saskatchewan has helped her to convey how it feels to be ``different" in an unfamiliar community. Melanie's longing for the security of home, her distrust of a new school, her tender love-hate relationship with her mother, her embarrassment over their poverty, and her resentment of a classmate who dislikes her are the strongest aspects of the novel.
Pre-adolescent girls will easily relate to these feelings. Non-native readers will glimpse the hardship of life for many people on a reserve as well as the difficulties they face when they enter a mainstream community.
The story is told in a straightforward, easy-to-read narrative without much stylistic enhancement apart from a few similes and metaphors. It's too bad that Dorion uses ``lay" when she means ``lie," and I'd have liked some male characters in the plot. Without them, boys aren't likely to read this book. Artistically, the novel doesn't score very high, but it deserves credit for juxtaposing native and non-native societies without distortion, and for emphasizing that it is our fears, hopes, and dreams that make us a global family. A glossary of Cree words is included.
Recommended for grades four to seven, and as background reading for the teaching of Family Studies and First Nations Societies.
Maryleah Otto is a former children's librarian with the Etobicoke
(Toronto) and London, Ontario, Public Libraries, the author of four
published books for children, and a member of CONSCRIPT. She has reviewed books regularly for the Ontario Library Association and the Canadian Library Association. She resides in St. Thomas, Ontario where she continues to write for children and adults.
Book Review
Behind the Story:
The People who Create our
Best Children's Books . . . and How They Do It!
CANSCAIP.
General Editor: Barbara Greenwood.
Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishers Limited, 1995. 86pp, paper, $14.95.
ISBN: 1-55138-055-7.
Grades 4 - 10 / Ages 8 - 14 / Professional Reference.
Review By Janie Wilkins.
excerpt:
When Paulette Bourgeois decided to write books for children she read
every picture book in the library, then sat at her desk, frustrated.
``What could I write? I had no ideas" she says now. ``I was afraid that
they had all been written." Then she heard Hawkeye Pierce, in a M*A*S*H
rerun, say he was so claustrophobic that if he were a turtle, he'd be
scared to go inside his shell. Thus was born Franklin in the Dark, the
now famous story of the little turtle so afraid of the dark that he
couldn't climb into his shell.
Today, more than 100,000 copies of Franklin's story are in
circulation in many languages, including French, Danish, Dutch, Finnish
and Japanese.
Paulette Bourgeois is but one of the twenty-two profiles featured in
Behind the Story, a collection of biographies compiled by the Canadian
Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP).
CANSCAIP members are published children's authors and illustrators or
performing artists who are ``active" in the front lines of the
profession. CANSCAIP began creating biographical records in 1979, and in
1990, thirty-seven of these biographies were published in
Presenting Authors, Illustrators and Performers. They have
also published two editions of the CANSCAIP Companion, in
1991 and 1994.
This work is a directory -- with brief biographies -- of all 260
members of the organization. Behind the Story is a welcome
addition to the works produced and published by CANSCAIP.
Promoting Canadian artists and their work is important, and it is
encouraging to see books such as this being produced.
The biographies contained in this volume are open, honest, and
enjoyable to read. They allow the reader to gain a better understanding
of the professional and personal lives of each artist being profiled.
They are conversational in tone and liberally sprinkled with lively
anecdotes. Many of the sketches focus on the creative process required to
write, illustrate, or perform. If you have ever wondered where writers
get their ideas, then this volume will provide you with plenty of insight
and answers.
Each biography began as a personal interview, and was written by a
CANSCAIP member. Thus, the list of contributors is as impressive as the
list of those featured. For instance, Kit Pearson wrote the profile of
Ann Blades, and Kathy Stinson that of Margaret Buffie.
Barbara Greenwood, one of Canada's best known children's authors,
figures prominently. She is the editor of the project, wrote several of
the profiles, and is included herself. Each biographical sketch is
followed by appropriate lists, such as ``Published Works" and ``Awards,"
that summarize and highlight the subject's career or accomplishments.
Other authors and illustrators featured in this collection include:
Tololwa M. Mollell, Barbara Smucker, Kathy Stinson, Paul Kropp, Sarah
Ellis, and Michael Martchenko.
The profiles average three pages in length and can be read in
approximately twenty minutes. The easy readability and length of the
biographies make them perfect for classroom use. Teachers can share these
profiles with students to introduce novels and books, or as a way of
promoting Canadian literature and culture. Students in the upper junior
or intermediate grades will enjoy reading the profiles on their own.
Teachers and other professionals, such as librarians, will be able to use
Behind the Story as a reference source.
The book is well designed overall, with an especially bright and
appealing cover. It is, however, disappointing that the publishers chose
to use a heavy newsprint instead of a higher quality paper. And colour
photographs would have been a nice addition. There is no index, but the
Table of Contents is a sufficient guide to the information contained
in the volume.
Along with the twenty-two entertaining biographies is an Appendix
in three useful and informative sections. The first section is a two-page
guide on how to prepare for and host a visit from an author or performer.
The second section is a student handout entitled ``Writing Profiles"
which gives instructions on how to interview and write biographies.
(These two sections are copyright cleared for classroom use.) The last
section contains detailed descriptions of major Canadian book awards and
prizes -- a valuable reference source on its own. A bibliographical
listing of other sources of biographical information or works on
children's literature is also included.
This is a book with multiple uses and a wide audience appeal; a
worthwhile addition to a school classroom or public library collection.
Highly recommended.
Janie Wilkins is currently on leave from her position as an
elementary school teacher in Kingston, Ontario to earn a Masters of
Library and Information from the University of Western Ontario.
Book Review
Right Turn:
How the Tories took Ontario.
Christine Blizzard.
Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1995. 200pp, paper, $18.99.
ISBN 1-55002-254-7.
Grades 10 - University / Ages 14 - Adult.
Review by John Crawford.
excerpt:
Mike Harris's goal was to convince the public that his plan would
work, that the math involved in cutting taxes and balancing the budget
really did add up.
This is an account of the 1995 provincial election campaign in Ontario,
written by a journalist who followed the campaign closely. Largely drawn
from the author's press articles, Right Turn provides a
readable account of the ebb and flow of that campaign.
It is a truism that a week is a long time in politics. The 1995
campaign now seems well behind us, and any analysis will rely more on
hindsight than insight. Right now, public attention is focussed on how
the Tory government in Ontario will reach their goals, even how committed
they are to achieving them. Nevertheless, this book has value in its
presentation of a successful political campaign in an age of instant
communication.
With the increasing use of cellular phones, the Internet, and other
recent developments, political campaigns have acquired a new technical
aspect that threatens -- and this word is deliberately chosen -- to
change dramatically the means by which we elect our political masters.
Certainly the Tory superiority in the use of this technology was a
factor in their victory, but the whether that technology can be misused
is left open; the temptation to use misleading or deceptive messages to
capture the ``don't know" voters is likely to grow. The 1995 Ontario
campaign suggests that the media allied to modern communications
technology are becoming more significant players in politics.
By nature, books like Right Turn often have chapters
of compelling interest but fail to link them into a straightforward,
overall account. This is the case here. Still, the book has much to
recommend it: the illustrations are apt, the writing is well paced, and
for such a timely book, the editing and other technical aspects are
exemplary.
The subject of Right Turn is clearly of parochial
interest, which suggests that it will be most useful in libraries of
secondary and post-secondary institutions in Ontario. However, any
schools in other provinces with a strong political science program will
also find the book interesting.
Recommended with reservations.
John Crawford is a retired teacher/librarian living in Victoria, BC.
Copyright © 1996 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
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