Your Guide to Seascapes of Prince Edward Island

Nora T. Corley is a librarian in Ottawa.

This handy, pocket-size guidebook to the Garden of the Gulf “covers
the Island like the dew.” It opens with a chapter on “Seascape
Sights,” which covers such things as the beaches, seashells, clam
digging, seaweeds, jellyfish, birds, dunes and cliffs, marine mammals,
the fishery and fishing boats, lobsters, oysters and mussels, and, of
course, lighthouses.

Each of P.E.I.’s three counties is discussed in two chapters. All
chapters provide detailed routes to follow, and descriptions of what to
see and do. There is information on beachcombing, on where to look for
local flora and fauna, on the parks and what they offer, and on museums,
historical sites, and lighthouses.

The book is well written, and is illustrated with numerous color
pictures. The outside margins are color-coded by chapter according to
the Island’s three scenic routes (the Lady Slipper Route, the Blue
Heron Route, and the King’s Byway). Although the author in her
introduction admits that a map is essential to the proper enjoyment of
this guide, none is provided (a map produced by the tourist office is
instead recommended). Nevertheless, this guidebook is highly recommended
for those visitors to Canada’s smallest province who are interested in
a little more than sitting or the beach or checking out the L.M.
Montgomery sites.