Quebec City: A City of History. (Canadian Cities). Robb Johnstone. Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 2001. 32 pp., cloth, $23.95. ISBN 1-896990-59-2. Subject Heading: Quebec (Quebec)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Joan Marshall. Victoria: City of Gardens. (Canadian Cities). Elma Schemenauer. Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 2001. 32 pp., cloth, $23.95. ISBN 1-896990-53-3. Subject Heading: Victoria (BC)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Joan Marshall. Calgary: Heart of the New West. (Canadian Cities). Elma Schemenauer. Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 2001. 32 pp., cloth, $23.95. ISBN 1-896990-51-7. Subject Heading: Calgary (Alta.)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Joan Marshall. Charlottetown: Canada's Birthplace. (Canadian Cities). Robb Johnstone. Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 2001. 32 pp., cloth, $23.95. ISBN 1-896990-57-6. Subject Heading: Charlottetown (P.E.I.)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Joan Marshall. Ottawa: The Nation's Capital. (Canadian Cities). Elma Schemenauer. Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 2001. 32 pp., cloth, $23.95. ISBN 1-896990-49-5. Subject Heading: Ottawa (Ont.)-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Joan Marshall. Iqaluit: Gateway to the Arctic. (Canadian Cities). Jared Keen. Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 2001. 32 pp., cloth, $23.95. ISBN 1-896990-55-X. Subject Heading: Iqaluit (Nunavut)-Juvenile literature Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11. Review by Joan Marshall. *** / 4

These six inviting books that comprise the "Canadian Cities" series are lavishly illustrated and clearly written. They will attract upper elementary students who have been assigned to complete a project on a Canadian city. Simple and accessible enough for weaker students, the books will also prove to be a useful beginning to stronger students who need specific facts. Headings used consistently through the series are: "The Past," "Famous People," "Culture," "The Economy," "Sport and Recreation," "Tourism" and "Architecture." Each book also opens with an "Introduction" and closes with a few pages that include "Fascinating Facts," classroom activities, other resources, web sites, and an adequate glossary and index.

     The books are well designed. Each heading is colour coded and labeled along the top of its pages. The font is plain, clear and large. The fascinating archival and vibrant present day photos break the text up well and often overlap each other to produce a more informal, accessible look. The closing pages are designed to look like tabbed index cards. The shadow of famous local buildings is superimposed on the headings in each book.

     The facts in these books are accurate. The books are, however, overviews, and the reader should not expect the kind of detail available in an encyclopedia article, for example. This series is a blend of history and present day. The contributions of native people are carefully mentioned in all of the books. The choices for the famous people section, present and past, are gender balanced, and the people come from sports, government, the arts, science and business. Each book has a distinct flavor of the city it represents. Ottawa, for example, clearly shows the city's strong connection with government. In Iqaluit, the land and the culture clearly identify this Arctic city.

     The "Key Event" time line in the section titled "The Past" in each book contains some photos without captions that will prove confusing for the reader. In its enthusiasm for all things French, the Quebec City book only briefly mentions the defeat of the French and does not mention the language laws that call for French only on signs. From a Manitoban's point of view, it is also interesting to see Gabrielle Roy, one of Manitoba's famous writers, described as a famous person from Quebec. Surely, too, there are other cultural groups in Quebec City, not just English and French, as new immigrants come to our cities from all over the world (as mentioned in the other books in the series). There are no prairie cities in this series yet. Valuable additions to the series would be information about Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax.

     This series will be useful to the elementary students who study Canada's regions and their representative cities.

Recommended.

Joan Marshall, now the teacher-librarian at Ft. Richmond Collegiate, was the teacher-librarian at Henry G. Izatt Middle School in Winnipeg when she penned this review.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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