- B4 terrace Review — Wednesday, February 14, 1990

- Books for Young —
Readers —

by Andrea Deakin

With the children midway through the school year, it is time to
look at some informational books for young readers. Truly
outstanding are the Eyewitness Books, published in Canada by
. Stoddart at $15.95 each. They are suitable for a keen eight-year-
old and up.

The books combine accuracy, a great deal of information and
a superb use of photography with an enthusiasm and delight in
their subject that cannot fail to entice the reader. Of the 16
books available so far, six have already been designated as Out-
standing Science Trade Books for Children in the U.S. Originally
published in Britain, they have drawn on expert advice, Con-
sultants for the ‘‘Plant’? volume are the staff of the Natural _
History Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The
titles range the natural and made world from “‘Skeleton’”’ to
“Arms and Armour’’.

Bonnie Shemie is an artist who has specialized in architectural
painting. Her skill, plus an ability to explain complex ideas clear-
ly and effectively, makes the first volume in Tundra’s new series
of architecture books for children, ‘‘Houses of Snow, Skin and
Bones”, a worthy new addition to Canadian non-fiction writing
for children. Ms. Shemie examines the snow house, the Alaska
sod house, shelters of stone, skin and whalebone, and the tents
which provide summer shelter.

The illustrations not only present each type of dwelling clearly,
but suggest the season and the type of living possible within
each shelter. ‘‘Houses of Snow, Skin and Bone’’ is published by
Tundra at $12.95. °

Much of the charm of E. Nesbit’s stories lies in the way she
combines the down-to-earth and the fantastic so skillfully. Her
magic has rules, her spells have considered results, and if you do
or say the wrong thing — watch out! Mixed with this is a touch
of gentle satire, the whole an engaging mixture.

‘*Melisande’’ is one of her magic stories. The King and Queen,
afraid of what comes of having fairies at christenings, invite none
of their daughter’s. That turns out to be every bit as bad a deci-
sion as leaving one fairy out, They are a// upset. The poor infant
is cursed with baldness.

’ However, the King remembers that he has an unused wish in

his wedding gifts, so-when his daughter grows-up, good and. -:, +

beautiful, he t*ansfers his wish. Poor Melisande is so excited she
does not think quite carefully enough before she wishes. She
finds herself with hair that grows like lightening. How the situa-
tion is resolved makes for very amusing reading. ‘‘Melisande’’,
published by Groundwood at $19.95, has been beautifully il-
lustrated by Mother Goose award winner P.J. Lunch.

The story of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is well-known
and loved. A notable new edition from Prentice Hall has a simple
and elegant text by Walter McVitty, but the beauty of the edition
lies in the superb illustrations and decorative borders by
Australian artist Margaret Early. The work is done in the style of
Persian miniatures contemporary with the Arabian Nights (Tenth
Century A.D.) and the result is a version to delight artistic child
and aduit collector alike. ‘‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’? is
published at $19.95.

This week’s best
sellers in B. C.

Fiction
(Figures in brackets indicate last week’s position)

Kinsella
Richler
Steele
King
Eddings
Eco

_ Clancy
Mitchell
Jong
Deighton

.( 4) The Miss Hobbema Pageant
.( 7) Solomon Gursky Was Here
.( 6)Daddy
.( 1) The Dark Half
.( 9) Sorceress of Darshiva
.( -) Foucaults Pendulum.
.( 5) Clear and Present Danger
. (10) According to Jake and the Kid
.( -)Any Woman Blues ©
(

Non fiction

Canadian Green Consumers Guide Troyer/Moss
Birds of Vancouver Bovey/Campbell
-) Co-Dependent No More Beatty
-) Toxic Parents Forward
-) Wonderful Life Gould
8) Diet fora New America Robbins
-) Dance of Anger Lerner
3) Canadian World Almanac Filion
7)Carmanah Western Canada Wilderness Cmte.
§) Home Game Dryden/MacGregor

—

Compiled by United Communications Research Inc.

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cal writers

-won’t publish

The Terrace Writers’ Guild
will not be publishing their
Northwest Sketches this year.

The four members of the
Guild who published last year’s
edition are finding it ‘‘just too
much’? — to select the works of
local writers, arrange for art

_ work, type the book and do all

the other administrative tasks
without added assistance.
Northwest Sketches has been
published for the past two years
as an avenue through which
local writers could collectively
have some of their best works
published. The ‘‘Magnetic
North’? edition was published in
the summer of 1988. It featured
some poems and short stories by
Terrace Guild members, with
sketches by area artists, The
1989 edition, ‘Signatures of the
North”, included contributions
from a collage of B.C. authors.
Sketches for that edition are by
Terrace and Kitimat artists.

The Terrace Writers’ Guild
began as a result of a creative
writing class at Northwest Com-
munity College taught by
George Stanley. The Guild
formed with the intention of
producing a booklet of works by
local authors. They also wanted
to workshop together to assist
one another in pursuit of literary
goals.

The Writers’ Guild has done
writing for a tourism guide
booklet. This summer, they
wrote the script for a CFTK
television documentary of
Skeena Junior Secondary
School’s play ‘‘Juice’”’. The play
was presented last year by the
students of Skeena to dramatize
the effects of drugs and alcohol.
The CFTK documentary and
video of the play will be shown
in June 1990.

This fall, in cooperation with
the Writers’ Guild, the B.C.
Federation of Writers sponsored

a program called ‘‘Writers
Bridging Cultures’, featuring.
two published B.C. authors.

Last Thursday evening, in rec-
ognition of Pull the Plug Week,
the Writers’ Guild presented a
few of their works to a small but
attentive audience in the Terrace
Art Gallery. The Guild will re-
main active in the Northwest,
and they definitely plan another
edition of Northwest Sketches
for 1991. Call Stephanie at
635-776! or Terri at 638-1522
for more information on the
Terrace Writers’ Guild.

Please
welcome
your Heart
Volunteer in
February.

B.C. Heart
Foundation

R.E.M. Lee Theatre —

Terrace Art Gallery —

Terrace Hotel —

Inn of the West —

celebration.

Feb. 16 and 17 —

-Festival Committee.

| Northwest arts and
entertainment calendar

Feb. 16, 8 p.m. — The Theatre Beyond Words presents “Potato
. People”, sponsored by the Concert. Society.
Feb. 24, 7 p.m. — Skeena Theatre Arts presents “Ghostbusters”.

Cindy Materi’s painting exhibition “Let There Be Light”, with weekend
demonstrations by students of the Northwest Academy of Performing
Arts. Saturday 12 noon to 3 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

Northern Motor inn —
George’s Pub, Tom Moore, country singer.

“Radio Zebra”, light top 40’s — Gigi's Pub.
Terrilyn Ryan, guitarist — Augie’s Lounge.

“‘Wine and dine your Valentine” dinner in Hector’s. Hanky’s Valentine’s

Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 13 —
“Slap Jack” Zahodnik.

Northwest Community Colege Students’ Association — |
Feb. 16, “Corky & the Juice Pigs”, Canada’s hottest comedy act,
NWGCC cafeteria at 8 p.m. $7 public admission, $5 NWCC students.

Terrace and District Multicultural Association —
Sixth annual International Potluck Dinner, Saturday, Feb. 24, 5 p.m.

Kitimat Mount Elizabeth Theatre —

Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 14 and 15, Theatre Beyond Words per-
forms for primary and elementary students.

Sunday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m., Multicultural Festival Committee presents
Kahurangi. — Maori Dancers of New Zealand. “No passports, visas or
airline tickets are required for this exciting glimpse of the South Pacific.”
Tickets at Mount Elizabeth Theatre or from members of Multicultural

Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 19 and 20, Kahurangi performs for elemen-
tary and secondary students. |

Prince Rupert Performing Arts Centre —
Saturday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m.
Tracy Masson. Tickets $10. A PAC production:
Sunday, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m.
Society. Admission $5.
Tuesday, Feb. 20, 4:30 and 7 p.m. — Fred Penner, presented by the
Family Support institute. Tickets $8.
Saturday, Feb. 24,8 p.m. — Fraser MacPherson Quartet. Presented by
the PAC Society. Tickets $12.

—}

— “An Evening with Janis Joplin” featuring

— ‘Makioka Sisters”, Prince Rupert Film

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