New Brunswick

Christine Linge MacDonald, a past director of the Toronto & District
Parent Co-operative Preschool Corporation and a freelance writer, is an
elementary school teacher in Whitby.

Weigl’s bright new series on the provinces and territories of Canada
is penned by several different authors, but all maintain an
uncomplicated, upbeat tone while delivering a plethora of facts about
Canada’s diverse regions. Available in both hard- and soft-cover
editions, these large, attractive volumes focus on individual provinces
and territories (13 in the series). Each follows an identical format
throughout its 32 pages.

A colorful photograph depicting a typical view of the given province
adorns the cover. Inside, the title page features a large color drawing
of the provincial coat of arms (a popular device used in school art
activities). Likewise the contents page teases the reader with three
more “typical” but unidentified images. The four-page introduction
is packed with information and includes a simple, colorful map of the
province or territory. One page each is given to “Land and Climate”
and “Natural Resources” (two areas of school curriculum focus).
“Quick Facts” sidebars appear on every page, serving both to break
up the monotony of printed text and summarize the chapter. In addition,
at least four high-quality photographs or historical images are featured
on each two-page spread. “Plants and Animals,” “Goods and
Services,” “Cultural Groups,” “Early Settlers,” “Arts and
Entertainment,” and “Sports” each receives two pages, while
“Tourism,” “Industry,” “First Nations,” “Explorers,”
“Population,” and “Politics and Government” each fill a single
page.

Concluding the volume is a two-page “Eye on Canada” map, with
essential provincial/territorial information presented in small boxes.
This, along with the amusing “Brain Teasers” page that follows,
could facilitate many exciting classroom activities, especially since 13
copies of the same “Eye on Canada” map could be distributed
throughout the classroom. Highly recommended.