Janet Skirving, illustrated by Odell Archibald,
P is for Puffin: A Newfoundland and Labrador Alphabet
Sleeping Bear Press, 2006

Rating: G

"It’s a funny little seabird -
Puffin begins with P.
Coloured orange, yellow and blue,
and called the Clown of the Sea."

This is one of the four line rhymes which accompany the letters of the alphabet describing various aspects of Newfoundland and Labrador in this latest addition to the Sleeping Bear Press alphabet books about Canadian provinces. As is the format of preceding books in this series, each letter of the alphabet has a rhyme and an illustration concerning some object related to the culture of the province - eg. A- accordion; B-Beothuks; C-capelin; G-Gros Morne; I-Iceberg; K-Komatik; M-Mummers; O-Outport; R-Rpyal Regatta. Sidebars provide further explanations of the items as well as adding other items beginning with the same letter.

It is great to see that Sleeping Bear Press seeks our people with a first-hand knowledge of the province to author and illustrate these books. This one is no exception. Janet Skirving was born and grew up in St. John’s, the capital city of the province. She has provided the rhymes as well as the additional descriptive text for each page. Odell (Trask) Archibald who grew up in the small town of Stephenville Crossing, provides the wonderful illustrations which bring the text to life. It was wonderful to see all the original paintings at the book launch recently in St. John’s.

While the text of this book may be somewhat difficult for beginning readers, they will enjoy it as a read-aloud. For older readers, in additional to being an enjoyable read, it can be a springboard into a deeper study of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. A teacher’s guide is available at the Sleeping Bear Press website at www. sleepingbearpress.com

I would certainly recommend this book as a purchase for school and public libraries and also as an addition to the personal library of local children.

Thematic Links: Newfoundland and Labrador; Alphabet Books

Victoria Pennell
Vol. 12, number 1
October 2006

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.