________________ CM . . . . Volume V Number 19 . . . . May 21, 1999

cover Creating the Mosaic: A Celebration of Canadian Children's Culture.

Vancouver, BC: David See-Chai Lam Centre for International Communication, Simon Fraser University, 1997.
145 pp., pbk., $25.00.
ISBN 0-86491-169-6.

Subject Heading:
Children's literature, Canadian-Bibliography-Exhibitions.

Professional.
Review by Helen Norrie.

**** /4

Creating the Mosaic is an unusual combination: a resource book on Canadian children's literature, both past and present; an annotated catalogue of Canadian children's books and videos; and a picture gallery of several of the most colourful and artistic covers in contemporary Canadian children's books.

      This publication, with text in both English and Japanese, was produced to accompany an exhibition of Canadian children's books which toured Japan in 1997. Its purpose, according to Tadashi Matsui, a leading publisher of Japanese children's books, as quoted in the introduction, was to introduce Japanese people to the diversity and richness of Canadian children's literature: "What Japan needs most today is to live with more differences among people."

      The book contains a major essay by Judith Saltman, Associate Professor of Children's Literature at the University of British Columbia. In it, Prof. Saltman explores how children's books across Canada have both reflected and encouraged the multicultural nature of our country. Dividing Canada into regions, she gives specific examples of children's books which are characteristic of ethnic traditions or cultural mores of each area. This book is indeed a rich resource for any student of Canadian children's literature!

      Also included is an interesting essay by Japanese-Canadian artist and author Warabe Aska on how he came to incorporate his feelings about the life, the size, the freedom and the traditions of Canada, his adopted country, into his art. He comments on how he did the paintings for Who Goes to the Park? and Who Hides in the Park?

      The catalogue portion of Creating the Mosaic contains annotations and bibliographic information about 282 books plus 25 children's videos. The sections of the book are separated by colour reproductions of eight contemporary children's books, showcasing such artists as Ian Wallace (Chin Chiang and the Dragon's Dance); Murray Kimber (Josepha- A Prairie Boy's Story); Vladyana Krykorka (Baseball Bats for Christmas) and Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet (A Prairie Alphabet).

      This book is only available through the David See-Chai Lam Centre for International Communication at $31.75 (including GST and S&H), by fax at (604) 291-5112. Sample pages may also be viewed on the Internet at: http://hoshi.clc.sfu.ca/japanese/mosaic/Mosaic.html

Highly Recommended.

Helen Norrie writes the children's book review column for the Winnipeg Free Press and is a sessional lecturer in Children's Literature in the Faculty of Education, the University of Manitoba.

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - MAY 21, 1999.

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