Emily Carr's Attic.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Emily Carr’s Attic is an imaginative tribute to famous Canadian artist and writer Emily Carr and her winsome, eccentric ways. The book’s author, Diane Carmel Léger, once lived in Emily Carr’s old house in Victoria, British Columbia—the house Carr immortalized in the book, The House of All Sorts.

Drawing from that personal experience, Léger places her protagonist, young Paul, in Carr’s old house. Encouraged by an elderly neighbour, Paul begins to draw the menagerie of pets he encounters in Carr’s attic. Léger’s brother, Michael, provided the book’s illustrations. Both text and illustrations work together to carry the story forward in a pleasing, engaging manner. The soft-palette watercolour and pencil illustrations add humour and detail that will please young readers. The text is focused and constrained, saying a lot with few words. Teachers might find that this pleasing sibling collaboration could serve as an interesting introduction to Emily Carr for some young children. Recommended.