September / October 2001 Vol. 33, no. 5

Read Up On It: The Nature of Words

Josiane Polidori, Research and Information Services

“The cover is symbolic; it combines nature, birds, and children reading and playing safely under a tree. It is important for a child to feel safe: his mind is free to dream, he can read, he can play; he can learn everything.” Excerpt from an interview with Ludmila Zeman, illustrator of the cover image for Read Up On It, 2001 edition (The First Red Maple Leaf, Tundra Books, 1997).

September and October are marked by the changing face of nature; days shorten, and leaves turn shades worthy of the loveliest paintings. Fall also signals the beginning of the school year, and in the worlds of literature and of publishing, it’s back to the books. For 13 years, the National Library of Canada has been publishing Read Up On It, a thematic kit prepared annually by the Canadian Children’s Literature Service to promote reading among children and to teach them about Canadian children’s authors and illustrators.

Over the years, themes as varied as music, humour, adventure and Aboriginal legends have been chosen. This year’s theme is nature and the environment, hence the title The Nature of Words. Many partners contribute to the content development and the production of Read Up On It. Again this year, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille are collaborating in the selection of alternate format titles.

The tree that appears on the cover of this year’s edition assumes a symbolic value for the illustrator, Ludmila Zeman; this maple tree with its gigantic leaves protects children and serves as a place of refuge. The illustration becomes a source of inspiration for young readers; it is a safe haven, a secret place to read and dream; it is a place where imagination takes root. The illustration portrays the vision of nature as presented in The Nature of Words.

Children’s writer Michel Noël has written a lovely introduction on his vision of nature. "Beauty, Poetry, Life" reflects his love and respect for nature and the way of life of his ancestors. It is easy to see why Michel Noël has set the majority of his children’s novels in the forest where his characters are at one with nature.

Several of the books selected will help young readers to appreciate the beauty of a walk in the forest or may lead to dreams about the adventures of characters who are lost in a snowstorm or on a mountain top during a storm. Children’s writers and illustrators whose works are included in Read Up On It: The Nature of Words offer stories that are full of life experiences and the discovery of nature.

The following general criteria were applied when selecting books for inclusion in the kit: books published in Canada or abroad whose author or illustrator is Canadian; books available from publishers, bookstores or a public library; books written in either official language, with due respect given to geographic, regional and cultural diversity; selection of fiction, non-fiction and picture books; age-appropriate books for categories covering ages 2 to 16; books that demonstrate quality of both text and illustrations, and how well the illustrations reflect the text.

For this year’s kit, the following additional criteria were applied to the selection process:

• books that help us discover the world of nature: wide-open spaces, natural events and importance of the environment: The Backyard Time Detectives, Castles in the Sea: All about Icebergs, Dead Water Zone, A Great Round Wonder: My Book of the World
• books that talk about nature and the environment as sources of inspiration for their characters: Ahmek, A Child’s Enchanted Garden, The First Red Maple Leaf, Miracle at Willowcreek
• books that depict nature and the environment as the story’s main character or its main event: The Killick: A Newfoundland Story, The Messenger of Spring: A Chippewa, Ojibwa Legend, A Mountain Alphabet, My Arctic 1, 2, 3

To celebrate the release of Read Up On It: The Nature of Words, the National Library of Canada organized an educational program for children who are going back to school. Authors and illustrators whose works are included in The Nature of Words met with groups of young students from September 18 to 21. Make way for stories and tales of nature at the National Library of Canada!

The Canadian Children’s Literature Service at the National Library of Canada responds to many requests for information on Canadian children’s authors and illustrators. Parents, young readers and teachers are always on the lookout for suggestions for suitable reading material for children.

Electronic copies of both this year’s Read Up On It and those from previous years are available on the National Library of Canada’s Web site at www.nlc-bnc.ca/read-up-on-it.