The Painted Trunk and Other Stories: A Children's History of the United Church of Canada

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Young Janine and David find a locked trunk in Janine’s grandmother’s
attic. When they drag it downstairs, Gran tells them that she has owned
the trunk since she was a little girl. Inside the trunk they find many
mementoes, and each one has a story that somehow connects to the early
days of the United Church of Canada. A huge brass key reminds Gran about
the year 1925, when many of Canada’s Methodist, Congregationalist, and
Presbyterian congregations joined together to become one huge “united
church.” A First Nation’s dream catcher prompts Gran to tell Janine
and David about her friend, Susie, a young Ojibway woman who was forced
to leave her parents when she was six to attend a residential school run
by the United Church. In the trunk are other keepsakes that remind Gran
of strawberry socials, building a new church, Sunday school, and other
United Church traditions.

There are more than a dozen stories in this collection by Alyson
Huntly, a veteran writer/Sunday school teacher/diaconal minister. By
using Gran’s memory trunk as a springboard for telling “family”
stories, Huntly manages to turn dry historical information into a series
of engaging short stories that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. A
United Church historical-fact chapter and time line are included in the
back of the book. Beautiful illustrations by Yvonne Cathcart round out
the book very nicely. Highly recommended.