Because July 1st fell on Saturday, today is a statutory holiday for Canadians, giving most a long weekend, the first of summer.
Since today is an extension of Canada Day, I want to talk about my favorite Canadian picture book of 2017.
Publisher’s Summary: A young boy wakes up to the sound of the sea, visits his grandfather’s grave after lunch and comes home to a simple family dinner with his family, but all the while his mind strays to his father digging for coal deep down under the sea. Stunning illustrations by Sydney Smith, the award-winning illustrator of Sidewalk Flowers, show the striking contrast between a sparkling seaside day and the darkness underground where the miners dig.
With curriculum connections to communities and the history of mining, this beautifully understated and haunting story brings a piece of Canadian history to life. The ever-present ocean and inevitable pattern of life in a Cape Breton mining town will enthrall children and move adult readers.
Why do I love this book?
*Sydney Smith’s beautiful illustrations.
Good illustrations add a depth to the text and Smith’s do just that. The simplicity and openness of the young narrator’s life is contrasted beautifully with that of his father, a coal miner.
*Joanne Schwartz’s text is spare but evocative. The repetition of “it goes like this—” invites the reader along for the journey in the life of this boy, this family, this town.
Although young readers’ lives might be very different from the narrator’s, Town Is By The Sea invites its readers to reflect on the pace, rhythm and events of their daily lives.
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