My Manitoba Friends, A-Z

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

This alphabet book, writes the author, “is designed for the young
reader to identify both the alphabet and Manitoba geography.” Each
letter is presented on a single page, with the text and colorful
cartoonlike illustration overlaid on a map of Manitoba. The text
consists of a single alliterative sentence, which begins with a
“Manitoba friend’s” name and concludes by introducing the next
letter. For example, the “J” page says, “JENNIFER’S JOGGING
JELLYFISH JOINED JENPEG’S KOALA KITE.” Given that Reid is both
author and illustrator, the occasional dissonance between text and
illustrations is unjustifiable. For example, in the illustration
accompanying “RANDY’S RAPID RABBIT RETURNED RUSSELL’S SILVER
SNAKE,” the snake is clearly purple.

With one exception, Quesnel Lake, the remaining place names belong to
communities, from large cities like Winnipeg to such tiny hamlets as
Zhoda and Ukraina. At the book’s mid-point is a double-page map of
Manitoba in which the letters representing the place names are
positioned in their approximate locations. Because of the map’s
limited scale, some communities seem slightly misplaced. Hecla, for
instance, appears to be on Lake Winnipeg’s east, rather than west,
shore. Recommended (for library or home use) with reservations.