Lost in the Wilds of Canada

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

The Scottish poet Robbie Burns once declared, “If only we could see
ourselves as others see us.” Canadians need look no further than this
book, in which Trinidad-born John Cadiz, who has lived in Canada for
more than two decades, pokes fun at our national idiosyncrasies. What
else but a Canadian newspaper would proudly proclaim “We’re Number
Three!” after a Canadian athlete wins a bronze medal? Who else but a
Canadian would apologize for stumbling on someone else’s sidewalk? Who
else but a Canadian would observe a no-smoking sign on the top of an
isolated mountain peak?

Cadiz, a graphic artist, began his cartooning career by creating funny
greeting cards that foreign tourists might use to tell the folks back
home about Canada and its people. He has since branched out into other
products, all featuring his distinctive designs, which usually include a
Mountie, a moose, a polar bear, or a beaver. When his themes are not
gently mocking Canadians in particular, Cadiz targets modern society.
One cartoon, for example, shows a trio of polar bears using the Internet
to sucker a lonely harp seal into a blind date; another has a motorist
handing out dollar bills to stop squeegee-bears from scraping his car
windshield with their claws.

Those in the mood for a few good laughs can’t go wrong with this
book.