Canada: The Land. (The Lands, Peoples and Culture, Series). Rev. Ed. Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (hc.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9652-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9282-6 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Canada-Description and travel-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-8 / Ages 8-13. Review by Sherry Faller. **** /4

	Canada: The People. (The Lands, Peoples and Culture, Series). Rev. Ed. Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (hc.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9653-4 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9283-3 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Canada-Social conditions-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-8 / Ages 8-13. Review by Sherry Faller. **** /4

Canada: The Culture. (The Lands, Peoples and Culture, Series). Rev. Ed. Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (hc.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9654-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9284-0 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Canada-Social life and customs-Juvenile literature. Canada-Civilization-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-8 / Ages 8-13. Review by Sherry Faller. **** /4

excerpt:

Some rural areas of Canada have small communities of Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites. These Christian groups maintain traditional religious beliefs in the midst of a modern world. These people live primarily on farms and manage without automobiles and most machinery, and dress simply in dark colors. The Amish do not even have buttons on their clothes. Mennonites are known for their beautiful bed quilts, their simple, well-made furniture, and their commitment to charity. (From Canada: The Culture.)

These new second-revised editions are up-dated to include more Aboriginal content and a more multicultural portrayal of Canada as it is today. Each book includes a contents page, a glossary and an index. While some of the photos from the past editions are included, many more vibrant photos have been added. Recognizable celebrities, such as Celine Dion and Jim Carrey, help to lure young readers to explore the books more closely. All three books have the same format in layout, and the text is fluent and interesting.

     In Canada: The Land, the map of Canada has been updated to include Nunavut. The natural resources chapter now has information about renewable and nonrenewable resources as well as energy-efficient buildings. Concepts, such as Free Trade, are explained in simple, easily understood language. Fewer changes have been made in this volume as compared to the other two in this series.

     In Canada: The People, the new edition has an excellent section on the First Peoples, the European influences, residential schools and First Nations self-government. The historical chapter summarizes the French-English beginnings and includes the many ways in which people came to live in Canada. The Chinese, Métis and Japanese groups are featured, and there is a poignant section on racism and apologies. The Canadian cuisine chapter includes the flavors of many cultures and elaborates on the Maple Syrup Festival and blueberry pancakes.

     In Canada: The Culture, a strong chapter on Stories, Literature and Languages features a comparison of words in English, French and Cree. The nation’s many religions are recognized as well as the heritage festivals, holidays, dance and theatre that our newest Canadians have brought with them.

     This series is a must for any school library in Canada. In fact, the older and newer editions could be used together to compare and contrast the way Canada has changed in just a few short years. Kalman and her team of writers have done an excellent job in representing Canada by including the many faces of our country.

Highly Recommended.

Sherry Faller is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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