Tuppence and Canoolicant

Joan Weller is head librarian at the West Branch of Ottawa Public
Library, and the children’s literature reviewer for the Ottawa
Citizen.

A tiny canoe-like creature with eight legs and a head at both ends who can’t do anything (hence the name Canoolicant) is helped to walk by Tuppence, a young crippled boy, in this slight tale. Lacking plot structure, characterization, and setting, this poorly illustrated book with its flimsy binding meets none of the standards established in the field of children’s literature.