A CANADIAN ABC Lyn Cook. Illustrated by Thoreau MacDonald. Waterloo, ON: Penumbra Press, 1990. 60pp., paper, $8.95. ISBN 0-921254-24-5. CIP. Subject Headings: English language-Alphabet-Juvenile poetry. Canada-History-Juvenile poetry. Children's poetry, Canadian (English). Kindergarten-grade 3 / Ages 5-8 Reviewed by Rebecca Raven. Volume 19 Number 4 1991 September Just when you think you have seen every possible variation on the theme of alphabet books, a new one comes along that is fresh and exciting. Lyn Cook's A Canadian ABC is just such a book. Cook has composed verse to accompany Thoreau MacDonald's illustrations, which originally appeared in 1931 in A Canadian Child's ABC. A publisher's introduction explains that two sets of Cook's verse are included: the first, quatrains with overt rhymes; the second, free verse with internal rhymes and varying rhythmic patterns. In both cases, Cook's work is the perfect complement to MacDonald's black-and-white drawings, with words and pictures combining to create a wonderful mood and spirit of Canadian history. As well as being a beautiful alphabet book, A Canadian ABC would be enjoyed by students of Canadian history, creative writing or art history. I highly recommend this title for all age groups. Rebecca Raven, Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton, ON.