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Noteworthy Books with Canadian Historical ThemesEnglish Titles
Cover reproduced by permission of Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
When the explorer Alexander Mackenzie traveled overland to the Pacific Ocean in 1793, he was accompanied and assisted by several Native guides and one big brown dog. This is the true story of the faithful dog who followed and befriended Mackenzie, through all kinds of weather, in the forests, across grasslands, and high up the mountainsides, on the westward journey. What a wonderful way to teach history to young children! Pictures and text lend an immediacy to the historical events and to the grandeur of Canada's geography. And the beguiling story of the dog touches the heartstrings.
Cover reproduced by permission of the National Gallery of Canada.
When Susan Merritt wrote her first book (Her Story: Women from Canada's Past, St. Catharines, Ont.: Vanwell, 1993), she found enough information to create a second. Both books celebrate 16 women, from many societies and all walks of life, who have made a contribution to Canadian history. Both books follow the same format: 16 chapters arranged chronologically; each chapter beginning with a pithy quotation, followed by a short fictionalized reconstruction of a moment in the woman's life, and ending with approximately 10 pages of biographical information. There are many photographs, maps, suggested readings, a time-line and an index. While the language and style are easy enough for an 11-year-old, older readers, including adults, will be drawn to the subject matter.
Cover reproduced by permission of Quarry Press Inc.
When the American War of Independence comes to an end, the loyalist Avery family must leave everything behind and flee north to find a new life in the wilds of Canada. It is a difficult transition but they learn much about pioneer life from their neighbours (another family and the Mississauga Indians). The children, Miles and Patience, revel in the new lifestyle. This is an appealing story of survival and resilience which incorporates many interesting characters and incidents, including a search for buried treasure and a missing sister, with fascinating bits of information about pioneer life.
Cover reproduced by permission of Key Porter Books Ltd., copyright Key Porter Books Ltd.
Amos, an 11-year-old Nigerian boy, encounters prejudice and friendship in the most unexpected places when he and his family move to a small town on the shores of Lake Ontario for a year. Dared to enter the local haunted house by two schoolyard bullies, Amos embarks on a fantastic adventure, through time and place, with the spirits of some fugitive slaves who had drowned in Lake Ontario en route to freedom so many years before. This is a complex and challenging story which incorporates African legends and an abundance of historical detail to explore the universal themes of racial intolerance and human rights.
Cover reproduced by permission of Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
Many children in war-torn England will not get Christmas presents, so each child in Sally's Sunday school class must bring a gift for White Gift Sunday. The gift must be wrapped in white paper and, to make the giving especially meaningful, it must be something that the giver really loves. Her brother cheats and wraps up a book he hates but Sally knows that she must give away Ann Marie, her prettiest doll. Her heart is torn in two. Will the little girl who receives Ann Marie cherish her as much as Sally does? Set in the 1940s, this beautifully illustrated story conveys the joy of giving to children of any period.
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