A Walk in Wascana

A Walk in Wascana, a beautifully illustrated picture book, takes young readers on a walk through Wascana Park in Regina, Saskatchewan. As the young child in the story searches for wildlife found in and around Wascana Park, he happens upon some of the landmarks and important sites situated in the park. The illustrations portray the important buildings and edifices. However, in the text of the story, only one of the important structures is specifically mentioned. Told in rhyming phrases, the story is sure to keep the young reader’s attention. This is Stephanie Vance’s first book while the artist, Wendi Nordell. has illustrated other books such as I Tumble Through the Dust by Edward Willett, Lena’s Story: The D-Day Landings by Patricia Sinclair and Murphy Mondays by Jane Smith – all prairie writers.

The illustrations, painted by northern Albertan artist Wendi Nordell, are colourful and cheerful. They realistically depict such things as the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, fountains, totem poles and monuments found in the park. The realistic paintings make the structures easily identifiable if the reader happens to visit Wascana Park. At the end of the story, there is a brief note about the history of the area as well as a map showing and labelling the structures seen on previous pages. For this reader, it would have been nice to have a small text box on each page giving the name and perhaps a note of significance about the structure in the picture. However, that may have taken away from the beauty of the illustrations.

A Walk in Wascana is a good local read-aloud for parents and teachers. It could also be used with younger students to introduce a unit of study on Regina or Saskatchewan. It would introduce the readers to the area and give them some ideas of things on which to base an inquiry or research. It can also be used after a trip to the area as a reminder of what the children have seen.