The Last Chance Dance and Other Adventures

E. Jane Philipps is head of the Biology Library at Queen’s University
in Kingston.

In her second delightful collection of poems for young children,
Oakville writer Candace McNaughton-Stuart celebrates the world of
childhood. The 17 tales in verse evoke those experiences, both
commonplace and extra-ordinary, from which family lore and special
memories originate. Diverse in subject, mostly humorous, and
occasionally moving, the adventures and misadventures include tea
parties, stitches, all-day rambles, scary stories, commando raids, and
riding the school bus with “underpants stuck to my back.” Gifted
with the ability to speak with a child’s voice and from a child’s
perspective, the author chooses vocabulary, rhyme, and rhythm that draw
older readers back in time, inspire chuckles and outright laughter, and
appeal enormously to the young. Page layout and font choice enhance the
content and make the work accessible to beginning readers. With the
exception of two small pen-and-ink landscapes, the illustrations appear
to be the work of youthful artists; as such, they perfectly complement
the text and the collection as a whole. Highly recommended.