Laura: A Childhood Tale of Laura Secord

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.

Maxine Trottier’s picture book, Storm at Batoche (2000), utilized the
concept of historical fiction in which a real Canadian figure from the
past is involved in an imagined event that reveals something about the
individual’s character. Having used an adult Louis Riel in the first
book, Trottier now presents a fictional episode from the childhood of
another celebrated Canadian figure, Laura Secord.

Laura’s farm chores include taking care of Peg, a pregnant cow Laura
very much likes. One day, when Laura cannot find Peg in her usual place
in the field, she goes in search of the animal, eventually venturing
deep into the forest. As night begins to fall, Laura’s fears
intensify, but she finally finds Peg, lifeless in a swamp. With Peg
having died during calving, Laura decides to lead the motherless calf
home to safety, a place she is not certain she can find in the dark. In
the noise-filled night forest, Laura encounters her worried father and a
party of Mohicans who are searching for the “lost” girl. At home,
Laura assumes her new task—being a surrogate mother to the orphaned
calf.

Trottier’s gentle story is accompanied by Karen Reczuch’s lovely
watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, which nicely capture the rural
period setting as well as Laura’s changing emotions throughout her
journey. Laura: A Childhood Tale of Laura Secord is a worthy companion
read to Connie Brummel Crook’s Laura Secord’s Brave Walk (2000).
Recommended.