Sir John A. Macdonald: The Rascal Who Built Canada

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

According to the subtitle, this biography of John A. Macdonald is the
“warts and all” story of Canada’s first prime minister. Even with
this playful overall approach the book covers many serious issues (like
John A.’s alcoholism) with tact and respect. Occasional sidebars
featuring a cartoon beaver with attitude (he asks the hard questions:
“So what do you think would happen today if someone found out a
company gave a political party over $5 million and, say, they just
happened to get a big, fat contract in return?”) help maintain a
daring, on-the-edge feeling throughout the book. Suzanne Mogensen’s
colourful illustrations are light and playful in tone, but not childish.

Jacqueline Brown’s novel approach to history does not compromise the
value of the volume as a historical study. Full-page explorations of
important social issues such as the welfare of the First Nations, the
plight of the Chinese immigrants, and the disease of alcoholism provide
a balance that keeps the human consequences of historical events front
and centre. A four-page timeline chronicles Macdonald’s life in
parallel with Canadian and world events. This, along with a thorough
index and glossary, reinforces this volume as a work of historical
scholarship. Highly recommended.