From Ben Loman to the Sea: A Poem. Lance Woolaver. Illustrated by Maud Lewis. Halifax, NS: Nimbus, 2013. 32 pp., hardcover, $17.95. ISBN 978-1-77108-101-6. Subject Headings: Children’s poetry, Canadian (English). Voyages and travels-Juvenile poetry. Grades 3 and up / Ages 8 and up. Review by Jane Whittingham. *** /4

excerpt:

And he ran me hard this captain
For I laboured day and night
He was cool and cruel and heartless
Though I tried to do things right
And a tattoo of Ben Loman
I had inked upon my arm
How I longed for mother’s kitchen
And I dreamed of my father’s farm.

From Ben Loman to the Sea uses rhyming verse to tell the story of a young man who runs away from his home on Ben Loman mountain, his heart set on a life at sea, far away from his father’s farm. Maud Lewis’ rustic, folk art illustrations, with their bold lines and primary colours, perfectly match the old-fashioned language and feel of the poem, with its Model T, blacksmiths, peddlers and horse-drawn plows.

     While the illustrations are likely to delight young readers, the poem, itself, bittersweet and sad, is perhaps more likely to appeal to older readers who can more fully grasp the protagonist’s growing sense of longing and regret. Children may also have some difficulty interpreting some of the more old-fashioned vocabulary independently.

      From Ben Loman to the Sea is a book to share with children, either in the classroom or in the home, and the rhythm and rhyme of the text make it ideal for reading aloud. It might also be a valuable tool for introducing children a renowned Canadian artist, Nova Scotia’s Maud Lewis.

Recommended.

Jane Whittingham is a student in the Masters of Library and Information Sciences program at the University of British Columbia, and a Student Librarian with the Vancouver Public Library in Vancouver, BC.

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

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - March 7, 2014.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME