Lovenia Gorman

On the whole, this is an attractive "ABC" picture-book tribute to some of Ontario's important people, geographical features, and historical events. Every letter has a short (sometimes clunky) rhyme to go with it, a painted illustration (sometimes spread wide over two pages), and a side-bar of relevant information. Some of the information is a bit suspect. For instance, I've lived in Ontario all my life, and I've never once heard the province called "the Heartland Province" as the author claims in the H section of the text! Likewise, the discussion of Henry Hudson could be pretty misleading to children, suggesting that New York's Hudson River is somehow connected geographically to Hudson Bay: "Hudson and his crew sailed up a river, now known as the Hudson River, named after the explorer. The river brought Hudson to a large body of water which he thought was the Pacific Ocean. In reality, Hudson and his crew had discovered the body of water known today as Hudson Bay."

While A IS FOR ALGONQUIN is valuable for its overview of important facts about Ontario, readers should approach the text with skepticism. The vocabulary employed is demanding for grade-school kids, and the diction is often awkward: "The shores of the lake [Ontario] have some large urban centres located along it, like Hamilton"; and finally, the tone is dry and mechanical (e.g "Some Mennonites still have strict values and use traditional farming methods today as they continue to live in rural, community-based environments.") As for the illustrations: some of the paintings are muddy looking.
Recommended with reservations.… (meer)