British Columbia (Hello Canada Series) FROM THE PUBLISHER
British Columbia is an insightful and entertaining introduction to its people, culture, geography, history, and economy. The easy-to-read text -- by British Columbia resident Vivien Bowers -- is complimented with beautiful colour photography, taking readers on a fascinating tour of Canada's "Pacific Province."
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Catherine Campbell Wright
There is much to learn about Canada, and this inviting series " Hello Canada" from Lerner provides readers with rich resources about this country's exciting provinces. Each attractive and colorful book is laid out in the same format, beginning with a few pages of Fun Facts, then subsequent chapters exploring the land, history, economy and the people of the featured province. The final pages of each book showcase famous sons and daughters of Canadian provinces, from hockey players and movie stars to human rights activists and educators. In addition, a page of Fast Facts gives young researchers quick information such as landmarks, statistics, and provincial signs and symbols. New words throughout the book are shown in bold type, and later included in the handy glossary and pronunciation guide at the end.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-7Two flawed series entries. Too much data is crammed into a few pages, and the tone is light and uncritical. Early Europeans and other, predominantly white, immigrants treated natives, the poor, and non-white immigrants horribly in both Ontario and British Columbia, but these aspects of their histories are not discussed. There is an overemphasis on the nonurban regions of these two provinces, especially the north. Most residents of these provinces live in densely populated, urban areas along the American border. Yet maps and text refer frequently to northern and interior communities. There are also some errors. A photograph of the federal parliament buildings in Ottawa is identified as Ontario's parliament buildings. The caption for a photograph of Vancouver's annual Sun Run identifies the 10K event as a marathon. In both books, the rail lines on the political maps are drawn and labeled incorrectly. Major cities and villages have dots of the same size. The economic maps contain symbols that are intended to indicate major activities, yet there are no communities or other geographical features on the maps, as if people are farming or mining in the middle of a vast, empty area. The timelines are essentially useless, and the pronunciation guide is downright hilarious. Student researchers would be better off referring to any encyclopedia or an annual publication such as the Canada Yearbook. They don't contain inane sentences such as, ``Many people in northern B.C. live in one of several communities.''Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC
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