Reviews

"Superlative....Moore's intricate, realistic style - calling to mind a cross between Andrew Wyeth and Norman Rockwell - lets readers appreciate details usually found only in a photograph."
-Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

K-Gr 8-- An alphabet book to be enjoyed by those who live on the Canadian prairies or the U. S. plains. Moore's artwork is delightful. Through a realistic style reminiscent of William Kurelek's, she re-creates the rhythms of day-to-day rural life in minutely detailed paintings. The way in which she captures wildlife and livestock and the changing seasons and skies is particularly noteworthy. In contrast, Bannatyne-Cugnet's alliterative text is lame and labored. She seems to have struggled to find words beginning with the appropriate letters, and to place them in comprehensible sentences. By far the weakest part of the book is the list of words for objects that appear in the illustrations and that begin with the given letter. Suggestions range from the expected (``ducks'' for the letter ``D'') to the nearly incomprehensible (``university shirt'' for the letter ``U'' and ``foot mark'' for the letter ``M''). Explanations for each of the scenes follow; information about living and farming in this region is explained in clear prose. These tidbits are interesting and useful to researchers in the higher grades. --Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC