The West Is Calling: Imagining British Columbia

by Sarah N. Harvey, Leslie Buffam, Dianna Bonder

Haiku and illustrations evoke 150 years of British Columbia history, from pre-contact to the present day.

Genres: Canada

34 pages, ebook

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

An informational picture book written entirely in haiku with historical notes and a seek and find seems an unlikely combination. But in this gorgeous offering from Orca Book Publishers, these elements combine to create a wonderful addition to Canadian history books for children, published in the year of British Columbia’s 150th birthday celebrations. The text, though spare, is melodious and evocative, giving Dianna Bonder lots of space to create vivid visuals. Her lush illustrations and Group of Seven palette perfectly capture the wild, rugged landscape of BC. Following the text are two pages of short historical notes corresponding to each double-page spread, providing a general overview of the history of BC. On the final page is a list of objects for the reader to seek and find, ranging from general (butterfly) to very specific (Sitka spruce). It’s nice to see historical figures and Canadian flora on the list. This book can be enjoyed simply as a picture book by the very young or by school age children as a historical primer. At first I wondered if the book might flow better if the historical notes and seek and find were presented throughout the text in a side bar or a text box, which is a more typical presentation in informational books. There is a lot of page turning involved, which for some, may be laborious. But there is something lovely and evocative about the experience of reading through the haikus and letting Bonder’s illustrations wash over you. All that extra information would disrupt the atmosphere of the book.

Reviewed by Vikki VanSickle in Canadian Children's Book News
Spring 2009 VOL.31 NO.2

[Vandy]

lovely illustrations...low on text....gr 2-4