Come to the Fair

Barbara Robertson is the author of Wilfrid Laurier: The Great
Conciliator and the co-author of The Well-Filled Cupboard.

This book takes us along with the Martin family to the country fair. We
sample its various pleasures—the introductory parade, the
merry-go-rounds, the food tent, the crafts, the races, the judging of
the animals, and, finally, the fireworks. In the end, the Martins are
awarded ribbons for their pumpkin and a heifer.

The story, such as it is, is almost completely overwhelmed by Gilles
Pelletier’s painfully bright and overly busy illustrations, described
on the dust jacket as “wonderful naive art.” Janet Lunn’s
undoubted talents should have been drawn on to provide a more
substantial accompaniment to the artwork. Further, the illustrations
convey a sentimental picture of fairs, absent the crowds, confusion, and
garbage. (E.B. White’s Templeton the rat would have starved.) Fairs
are places of activity, but the artist’s stylized presentation
suggests stasis rather than motion.

Despite its promising subject matter, Come to the Fair is a
disappointment. Not a first-choice purchase.