Barbara Hehner describes our Canadian literary heritage as a kaleidoscope, in which "each little piece of glass keeps its shape and colour, but together they constantly shift and overlap to form something new. At times, some of the pieces are hidden in the larger design, but just a slight shift in viewpoint and they leap out again, plain to see. And the beauty and symmetry of a kaleidoscopic image is, of course, fragile." The Arrogant Worms maintain that Canada is basically rocks and trees, rocks and trees, rocks and trees, and w a t e r. We'll investigate what such an environment translates into when represented on paper from a variety of human perspectives, eh?

    Issues to be considered include nation and region, the aspirations of and challenges to children's literature (read: censorship), and the foundations it provides. The assigned readings explore an array of recent and contemporary Canadian works for younger and older children (1970s onward). The course's central objectives are to explore the possibilities and variety inherent in children's literature and its contribution to our understanding of Canadian places, stories, and identities.

Books for the course will be available at The Box of Delights Bookstore, 466 Main St, Wolfville.

REQUIRED:

Maria Campbell: Stories of the Road Allowance People. (Gabriel Dumont Institute) 978-0-920915-99-8 $30

Kevin Major: Hold Fast (Groundwood) 9780888995803 $9.95

Kevin Major: Eh to Zed  (Red Deer Press) 9780889952720  $9.95

Budge Wilson: Oliver’s Wars (Fitzhenry Whiteside) 9780773674165 $3.95

Sheree Fitch: Pluto’s Ghost  (Doubleday) 9780385665902 $14.95

Charlotte Gingras: Pieces of Me (KidsCanPress) 9781554534326 $8.95

Brian Doyle: Mary Ann Alice (Groundwood) 9780888995513 $5.95

Pamela Porter: The Crazy Man (Groundwood) 9780888996954 $9.95

Philip Dinn: Peg Bearskin (Running the Goat)  9780968871270 $14.95

RECOMMENDED

Andrea Schwenke Wyile & Teya Rosenberg: Considering Children’s Literature (Broadview)  $39.95