Blog Tour and Review: Hey Canada! by Vivien Bower

SUMMARY FROM TUNDRABOOKS.COM:

Gran has decided that she is taking nine-year-old Alice and eight-year-old Cal on a road trip across Canada “before she’s old and creaky.” With a sparkling combination of poems, silly songs, tweets and blogs, the trio records the trip for readers everywhere to share. Starting in St. John’s Newfoundland, where they have a “find-it” list that includes a moose and an iceberg and going all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the gang in Hey Canada! offers a delightful way to learn about vast, varied, and surprising Canada.

The book combines narrative, poems, photos, comics about historical events such as the battle at Fortress Louisburg, maps (including provincial flags, birds, and flowers), in a lively, easily accessible format. Not only great fun to read, this is a valuable resource for young Canadians and for visitors across the country.

MY TAKE:


I have an aunt and uncle who live in Canada but I've never really gotten a good grasp of their locations as I keep mixing up Canadian geography.


Hey Canada! is the perfect book for kids and adults who want to learn more about Canada. The book is narrated by Alice, who is going on a cross-country trip with her grandmother and her brother Cal. You learn about the tourist attractions in each Canadian province, as well as assorted trivia about the place. The pictures and illustrations are nice. I didn't like the layout, however. Basically, it's two columns of text interspersed with pictures. drawings, and features like Cal's Tweet. It would be better if it was more scrapbook-like or magazine-like.

What makes this book great is the fact that it combines history, geography and general knowledge in one creative, easy-to-digest package. Kids will find this a non-boring way to learn a lot about Canada. I know that I learned a whole lot of new things about Canada in this book. In fact, I saw so many enticing attractions  that I'm already considering going to Canada.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the ARC. 


THE GOOD:

1. You learn a lot of stuff about Canada.
2. Alice, Cal and Gran are lovable characters.
3. The book makes learning interesting.

THE BAD:

1. The two-column layout takes a little bit away from the niceness of the book's concept.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

First stop: Cinnamon Bun Strip. It's famous for cinnamon buns.

READ IT IF:

1. You want to learn more about Canada.
2. You are looking for a Lonely Planet book for kids.
3. Your child wants to learn about other countries.

RATING:
 


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