Canada Moves West

Luke Lawson is a teacher and administrator in Vancouver, B.C.

Canada recently lost one of its greatest history storytellers, Pierre
Berton. Perhaps no other writer has been so successful at popularizing
Canadian history. Canada Moves West provides younger readers with a
delightful and riveting account of how the Canadian West was opened at
the end of the 19th century. The five narratives that make up the book
focus on settlement and the building of the railway. Although Berton
manages to thread the stories together, they should be read in the order
they are presented. Each of the narratives is filled with vivid accounts
from both ordinary and famous Canadians. Readers will almost feel that
they are meeting these individuals and hearing them speak.

The book’s only drawback is the paucity of photos, drawings, and
maps. Perhaps Berton saw these visual aids as a potential distraction
from his lively narratives and his goal of conjuring up images in the
reader’s mind. He does an admirable job of achieving that goal. Highly
recommended.