Heartland: A Prairie Sampler

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

There have been many celebrations of Canada’s Western provinces or
“Big Sky” country, but Heartland achieves a fresh look. Both author
and artist were born and grew up in the West, and have celebrated its
beauties and pleasures in numerous books, paintings, and prints. They
dedicate the book to their fathers, who were pioneers.

Bannatyne-Cugnet begins by comparing the prairies to the quilts made by
early settlers. Both were “repeated patterns of land and color
embroidered with details of life and history—forming the fabric of
this unique place.” It is one she is proud to call home.

Topics include the land, climate, people and their history,
agriculture, mining, arts and crafts, local recipes, and wildlife such
as the ubiquitous prairie dogs or gophers. Crafts include those of the
Native people such as birchbark biting, an art form that teaches
patience. Readers may wish to try recipes such as “Saskatoon Pie” or
“Campfire Bannock.”

Heartland is indeed a prairie sampler of history and life in the
Canadian West. Yvette Moore’s colorful and detailed paintings are both
realistic and imaginative. Highly recommended.