I find it curious that many Canadians can tell stories, legends, tall tales, recite poems, and sing songs from other countries (especially our neighbours to the south) and yet we don't often celebrate our own creative spirit. The Spirit of Canada brings together some of Canada's best storytellers, song-writers, poets and illustrators to express our history, culture and our unique identity. This is a book that every Canadian household should have, these are stories, poems and songs that we all should know and be able to share.
From the book jacket:
As vast in scope asx Canada itself, this outstanding anthology is a book that children and their families will treasure for years to come. From Bonavista to Vancouver Island, from Native creation myths to the history being made in our own time, The Spirit of Canada celebrates our country and the people, places, and events that have made it unique.
More than one hundred selections are brought together with some 150 original illustrations by fifteen of Canada's most accomplished children's artists. Arranged both chronologically and thematically, the pieces deal with subjects as diverse as First Contact, pioneering in the West, exploration in the North, the Great Depression, and Canada's centennial.
The Spirit of Canada includes old favourites like "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee," new classics like Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and Roch Carrier's "Hockey Sweater," and lesser-known treasures such as Mona Gould's "This Was My Brother" and Duke Redbird's "I Am a Canadian."
Each selection is enhanced by a cultural or historical note. Capsule biographies of the authors and illustrators, as well as a useful index, round off this essential collection.
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