June 2007
From Our Neighbors to the North
As I was in Toronto for IRA 2007, I found several beautiful books by Canadian authors or illustrators. Here is a selection of my favorites.
Enjoy!
Solomon’s Tree
Written by Andrea Spalding
Illustrated by Janet Wilson
Solomon’s Tree is about a First Nation boy’s relationship with a tree. Solomon is devastated after a storm knocks the giant maple tree in Solomon’s backyard. As a part of his grief, Solomon and his uncle, a Tsimpshian carver, make a mask from a log of the tree. The mask making process described in the book is based on the author’s experience during a mask making workshop and the artwork of Victor Reece. The other masks that the illustrator, Janet Wilson, uses in the book are also masks by Victor Reece. Solomon’s Tree is a beautiful book that melds seamlessly the expertise of Spalding, Wilson, and Reece.