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From: Ken Setterington <ksetterington>
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 17:52:09 -0400
I am very pleased to be part of this discussion. It is quite exciting to know that so many people are discovering the treasured authors of Canada. I am sure that those readers who have been enjoying the works of Brian Doyle will be pleased to discover that this season, Groundwood Books will be publishing a 'bind-up" of his earlier books. The title is " The Low Life: 5 great tales from up and down the river". I know that I will be giving it to lots of people this year. His characters make me laugh out loud, but the issues he deals with always make me think and hence the books stay with me for years. I loved Uncle Ronald
I am new to this discussion, but I just wanted to quickly respond to Tana Elias. First of all, if you are still reading short stories be sure to read Travelling On Into the Light by Martha Brooks. I think her short stories match the other writers that you mentioned. One of the stories has become the basis for a new novel (Living with Henry) that will be released in December. The other writer that I would recommend is Gillian Chan (Kids Can Press). She wrote two hard hitting collections of stories, Golden Girl and Glory Days. Both of the titles are YA and reflect the reality of life in high school. To add my thoughts on the issue of group rather than solitary problem solving, I would have to say that I would never have thought of that. It may indeed be true, but that hasn't struck me as a difference between Canadian and American children's books. I wonder if Canadian children's literature has grown out of a literature of weather. Harsh winters etc. building a literature which was based on harsh reality. Building on Sarah's idea of group problem solving I would agree that in order to survive one must work with others. This is just a thought that came to me when I began to wonder about the differences in our literatures. I will be thinking about this issue for a while I am sure. Ken Setterington Children and Youth Advocate for Library Services Toronto Public Libary 789 Yonge St. Toronto M4W 2G8
(416) 393p37 fax: (416) 393p83
Received on Thu 16 Sep 1999 04:52:09 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 17:52:09 -0400
I am very pleased to be part of this discussion. It is quite exciting to know that so many people are discovering the treasured authors of Canada. I am sure that those readers who have been enjoying the works of Brian Doyle will be pleased to discover that this season, Groundwood Books will be publishing a 'bind-up" of his earlier books. The title is " The Low Life: 5 great tales from up and down the river". I know that I will be giving it to lots of people this year. His characters make me laugh out loud, but the issues he deals with always make me think and hence the books stay with me for years. I loved Uncle Ronald
I am new to this discussion, but I just wanted to quickly respond to Tana Elias. First of all, if you are still reading short stories be sure to read Travelling On Into the Light by Martha Brooks. I think her short stories match the other writers that you mentioned. One of the stories has become the basis for a new novel (Living with Henry) that will be released in December. The other writer that I would recommend is Gillian Chan (Kids Can Press). She wrote two hard hitting collections of stories, Golden Girl and Glory Days. Both of the titles are YA and reflect the reality of life in high school. To add my thoughts on the issue of group rather than solitary problem solving, I would have to say that I would never have thought of that. It may indeed be true, but that hasn't struck me as a difference between Canadian and American children's books. I wonder if Canadian children's literature has grown out of a literature of weather. Harsh winters etc. building a literature which was based on harsh reality. Building on Sarah's idea of group problem solving I would agree that in order to survive one must work with others. This is just a thought that came to me when I began to wonder about the differences in our literatures. I will be thinking about this issue for a while I am sure. Ken Setterington Children and Youth Advocate for Library Services Toronto Public Libary 789 Yonge St. Toronto M4W 2G8
(416) 393p37 fax: (416) 393p83
Received on Thu 16 Sep 1999 04:52:09 PM CDT
