Canada’s Natural Resources. (Canada Close Up series). Carrie Gleason. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2012. 60 pp., pbk., $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4431-0795-2. Subject Heading: Natural resources-Canada-Juvenile literature. Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9. Review by Erin Walker. *** /4

This short volume, written by Carrie Gleason, explores Canada’s diverse environments and the rich natural resources they provide. The book is divided into the following five chapters: forests; oceans, rivers and lakes; land and soil; rocks and minerals; and energy resources. Gleason examines both Canada’s raw materials as well as how those materials are used or processed to make other products. The importance of each natural resource within Canada’s economy is also examined along with their historical significance. For example, in the chapter on forestry, readers learn that industries related to forests provide jobs for about 600,000 Canadians. In chapter two, which looks at oceans, rivers, and lakes, Gleason describes the overfishing of Newfoundland’s Grand Banks.

“For five hundred years, fishing boats came to the Grand Banks. By the 1950s, huge trawlers and factory ships were also working these waters, scooping up many tonnes of fish. But no one realized that the cod that were being removed from these waters faster than the fish could reproduce. By the 1990s, there were no more cod left.”

     A running thread throughout the book is the issue of conservation and environmental protection. In each chapter, Gleason discusses threats to Canada’s natural resources, such as overuse or pollution, as well as measures which have been taken to protect them. Gleason also asks readers to consider their own impact on the natural resources they use on a daily basis.

     Gleason’s simple text is appropriate and accessible to the book’s intended audience. Important terms are bolded and defined in the book’s glossary. Sidebars throughout complement the main text and highlight interesting facts and statistics. For example, in the chapter on Rocks and Minerals, a sidebar explains how ice roads are used to access Canada’s diamond mines. The book’s visuals are excellent, including numerous full-colour photographs; however, additional maps would have been appreciated. Overall, Canada’s Natural Resources is a strong addition to the “Canada Up Close” series.

Recommended.

Erin Walker is the Children's Services Librarian with the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library in Bradford, ON.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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