Mickey, Taggy, Puppo and Cica Celebrate Toronto 200

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian in Pickering, Ontario.

It is 1993, and Mickey, Taggy, Puppo, and Cica plan to stay home in
Toronto to help celebrate the city’s 200th birthday. They begin a tour
of the city with a visit to present-day Fort York. They find Fort York
under construction and they meet the newly arrived Governor Simcoe, his
wife, and their children.

Mickey, Taggy, Puppo, and Cica are given a taste of the settlers’
life, as they help out at the fort, and then are escorted by the Simcoes
up the Don River to the site of the Simcoes’ future summer home,
Castle Frank. At this point the scene shifts to present-day Toronto, and
the heroes are given a chance to show the Simcoes the wonders of the
modern city.

Architecture, history, cultural attractions, and amusements are
artfully mixed with delightful interactions between the characters. The
adventurers mention not only all the main tourist attractions, but also
many lesser-known sites and interesting facts of history. Although the
book celebrates Toronto’s bicentennial, it is in no way limited by
that framework. It is an excellent guidebook for visitors and provides
interesting history for Torontonians. The book uses drawings, paintings,
photographs, and other graphics to good advantage throughout. If you are
not familiar with this series, you are in for a treat; and if you follow
the adventures of Mickey, Taggy, Puppo, and Cica, you will not be
disappointed with their decision to stay home this year. Highly
recommended.