From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7-This stunning picture book looks at various aspects of the prairies that stretch across North America. Descriptions of the land, the climate, the people, the crops, the wildlife, etc., are given in a casual, relaxed manner, with plenty of anecdotes to keep students reading. The author and illustrator both grew up on the Canadian prairies and bring their own personal stories to the narrative. Pronunciations and definitions are given for unfamiliar words, and measurements are given in both metric and U.S. equivalents. The vividly detailed paintings have a photo-real quality. They add immediacy and a touch of poetry to the book. A couple of regional recipes (saskatoon pie and campfire bannock) and crafts directions (straw Star of David) are also included. This lovely title brings the prairies to life for students across North America.
Susan Marie Pitard, formerly at Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Gr. 3-5. Like the sampler quilts referred to in the opening, this book comprises a number of individual parts, each focused on an aspect of life on the North American prairie, such as the land, the climate, the people, agriculture, mining, wildlife, and food. Similarly varied, Moore's striking paintings run the gamut from broad landscape scenes to pictures of cattle and trucks to close-ups of children and animals. Each picture is painted with great attention to detail, often with a hyperrealistic effect, as if its subjects were bathed in bright, white light and seen with the clarity of a new pair of glasses. The text strikes a good balance between history, information, and details of life on the prairies. Readers will learn, for example, that early aerial photographs, still to be found on many farmhouse walls, were taken by barnstormers who took pictures to sell as novelties and pay for their fuel. Though the writer and illustrator, who collaborated on
A Prairie Alphabet (1994), hail from Saskatchewan, and their national roots are reflected in the book, both the text and the artwork will resonate with Americans midwesterners as well as Canadians.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
