New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
The Huron Carol is a beautiful and unusual Christmas song with a rich history.
In the early 1600s, Father Jean de Brebeuf came to Canada from his native France as a Jesuit missionary. He settled among the Huron, or Ouendat, people near what is now Midland, Ontario. Despite his missionary zeal, Brebeuf was sensitive to the people with whom he lived. He learned their language and he wrote, in Huron, the original version of this famous Christmas carol.
Brebeuf's carol continued to be sung by successive generations of Hurons. Then in 1926, Toronto writer Jesse Edgar Middleton, inspired by Brebeuf, wrote his own version of the carol in English. His are the familiar words we sing today, describing the Huron landscape, flora and fauna in telling the Christmas story.
Contributor Notes
Ian Wallace has had a distinguished career as an author and illustrator of picture books, publishing such classics as Chin Chiang and the Dragon’s Dance, Boy of the Deeps, The Huron Carol, Canadian Railroad Trilogy by Gordon Lightfoot and Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. He has won the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. He has also been nominated for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Ian lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife, Deb.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 3 to 7
- Grade:
- p to 2
- Reading age:
- 4 to 18
Awards
- Commended, CCBC Our Choice
- Commended, Bank Street College Children's Library Best Children's Books of the Year
- Long-listed, CLA Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award
Editorial Reviews
...interesting and appealing...
— Quill & Quire
Illustrations in this version evoke the richness of the native landscape.
— Today's Parent
...the earth-toned watercolor illustrations are pleasant, depicting Canadian wildlife, spiritual scenes, and the Huron people...
— School Library Journal
In the well-composed watercolour paintings, the many night scenes gradually give way to a radiant day. A beautiful, moving interpretation.
— Booklist
ÖIan Wallace, drawing on our imaginings of how that special night might have looked, puts it all down so well on paper.
— Kitchener-Waterloo Record
...a worthy addition to Canadian Christmas book collections.
— CM Magazine
The elegant watercolor landscapes...blend the Huron culture and the Christmas carol perfectly.
— Multicultural Review
Out of print
This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.
