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The Story of Canada: New Revised Edition    by Janet Lunn, Christopher Moore & Alan Daniel Amazon.com order for
Story of Canada
by Janet Lunn
Order:  USA  Can
Key Porter, 2007 (2007)
Softcover
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

The Story of Canada, which won Mr. Christie's Book Award and the Information Book Award, offers a lively presentation of Canadian history by Janet Lunn and historian Christopher Moore, accompanied by Alan Daniels' bright, action- and people-packed illustrations as well as maps, posters, period photographs, and the occasional cartoon.

Chapters cover: A Hundred Centuries; Strangers on the Coast; Habitants and Voyageurs, The Colonists; The Great Northwest; Mountains and Oceans; Confederation Days; Sunny Ways; Stormy Times; and The Flying Years. The book ends on an overview of Northern Voyagers and a Chronology. A two page illustration opens each chapter, stimulating the reader's imagination for what's ahead - the first shows hunters trapping a woolly mammoth at the edge of a glacier. Colored sidebars cover topics such as Alberta Medicine Wheels, the underground railroad, Dr. Norman Bethune, and Expo 67.

Canadian history begins here with First Peoples crossing from Asia in dug-out boats or over a land bridge between continents. After reading about early heroes like Dekanahwideh, we learn about a Norse settlement in Newfoundland, followed by incursions of Europeans (and the Rats, Weeds, and Viruses that came with them). A fascinating map of Travel and Trade up to 1650 shows trade of items from fish oil and wild rice to copper and arrowhead flints. Many stories of individuals humanize the history, and I was fascinated to learn details like the fact that Berlin, Ontario had its name changed to Kitchener during World War I.

Though it's intended for young readers - and would certainly make their required study of Canadian history more palatable - those of us who are older will also find much of interest in this very accessible and engagingly illustrated Story of Canada.

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