A Viking Ship for Brendan

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

L’anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, where a historic Viking settlement
is located, is the setting for this picture-book fantasy. Brendan’s
heart’s desire is to own a real Viking ship. When he discovers a
miniature ship on the beach and attempts to rub it dry, he is
transported back to Viking times, where he takes Leif the Lucky’s
challenge to retrieve a hair from the blue-haired mermaid. The quest
takes him past an icicle-toothed bear, a fire giant, and a speckled
squid, all of whom trade one of their hairs for his. These hairs are
then presented to the mermaid in exchange for one of hers. When he
returns to Leif triumphant, Brendan is granted his wish for a miniature
Viking ship. As soon as he touches it, he returns to his own time, still
clutching the ship, which, appropriately, is named Heart’s Desire.

This fantasy adventure, while quite imaginative, is also quite tame. It
lacks suspense or suggestion of peril as Brendan encounters the
creatures, who all roar with laughter and offer helpful advice. Joanne
Snook-Hann’s large, colorful illustrations are attractive, but also
rather flat and lacking in detail. Unfortunately, she depicts
Brendan’s hair as light brown, even though it’s the gold in his hair
that charms the creatures. However, her visual inclusion of the
mermaid’s blue hair still tied around Brendan’s sleeve after he
returns home is a nice touch that reinforces the fantasy. In all, this
gentle time-travel book should appeal to adventurous children.
Recommended with reservations.