24 ~ Wednesday, July 15, 1992 - North Shore News M&M’s OR AGES 4 and up” is the ubiquitous advice of publishers that I- learned to disregard long In Review LOOKS AT BOOKS The four- year-olds on whom these catalogue books were tested ” must have been either child pro- digies or nailed to their chairs for storytime. - But; irrespective of whether there is any teensy white lying go- ing on (in order not to lose any potential market share), books keep. Of course they keep longer if you store them away from crayons and playdough until comprehension catches up to lan- guage, but eventually most books come into their own. To help me assess the likely popularity and appropriate age range of such a mixed bag of quai- ity literature | asked my son, Michael,.to help. : Michael is six and a half and just finishing his kindergarten year at school. He has had access to the storybooks for several months — much to my editor’s impatience. Two loca! west coast stories to Start. Grey Cat At Sea tells the story of of a kitten taken aboard a Polish fish ing trawler in Vancouver harbor. Brought back to land, the cat is unhappy until another seagoing home is found for him. Michael says he liked the story of the cat finding a happy home ‘and has asked for the story several times. His hopes for a pet may be a factor here. the occasional Vancouver and local references do not appear to affect his reaction to the book one ‘way or the other. “Co sponsors: — Lions Gate Hospital . =~ North Shore Health © - o picks to click for kids The use of technical fishing and nautical terms does not make Grey Cat At Sea an easy read yet and | often edit as | go, but Claudia Stewart's iHustrations hold Michael's interest on every page. A glossary of terms will help those parents and first-time readers (8-92) make clearer sense but, as usual, it is at the end of the story. Why not place this page at the beginning where it efongs? A Morning To Polish And Keep keeps us on the water, but takes . us to the coho runs around Sooke Basin and a family fishing expedi- tion. While Lawson’s writing is supe- tior to Skogan’s, the use of adjec- tive and simile to enhance imagi- nation did nat succeed with Michael. Once again his response was motivated purely by the basic story line: ‘‘I liked it when they got the fish back.” And despite his father’s en- thusiasm for the dreamy water- colors of Sheena Lott Mictiael did not appreciate or use them as ac- cess points to the story. However, older children, especially those with siblings, may find the magic that Michael miss- ed. 1am not convinced that a young child can plan to keep and then succeed in retaining a special memory as Lawson suggests, but the ending still triggered enough emotional empathy to bring a lump to my throat. Bailey The Big Bully is the clear winner in the six-year-old stakes. Michael almost knows Lizi Boyd’s story of the new boy standing up to the class bully by heart. Side benefits have included a willingness to talk about his own - playground activities to a greaier degree than the usual one word answer (“Fine’’) and an ongoing series of questions about ap- propriate use of force. : It also loaks as if I'll have to build a tree house this year al- though I’m not so sure this is a benefit. - Boyd's illustrations are bright, hard-edged and deliberately childlike and are never over- whelmed by the number of words ona page. A perfect little book to See Currie’s pege 28 “Health Care Rationing — can it be avoided? The public is invited to an open forum - at the Centennial Theatre 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver July 16, 1992 7 pm - 9:39 pm Moderator. Ms. Cecilia Walters, CBC Panelists: Dr. J. Blatherwick Vancouver Public Health Dr. Hedy Fry, Past President, BCMA Dr. Warren Mayo, North Shore Physician The Hon. David Schreck, NDP MLA Mr. Robert J. Smith, President & CEO Lions Gate Hospital Dr. Michael Walker, The Fraser Institute Grey Cat At Sea, by Joan Skogan and Illustrated by Claudia Stewart; Published by Polestar, Distributed by Raincoast Books; $14.95 cloth A Morning To Polish And Keep, by Julie Lawson, illustrations by Sheena Lott; Published by Red Deer College Press, Distributed by Raincoast Books; $14.95 cloth Bailey The Big Bully, by Lizi Boyd; A picture Puffin, Published by the Penguin Group; $5.99 softcover Kids To The Rescue! First Aid Techniques Fer Kids, by Maribeth & Darwin Boelts; Published by Parenting Press, Distributed by Raincoast Books; $9.95 paperback The Flying Dinosaurs, by Philip Currie, ilustrations: by jan Sovak; Published by Red Deer College Press, Distributed by Raincoast Books; 184 pp., 60 color, 55 b&w illus., $32.95 cleth FREE BOOKLET Onc often hears Canadians com- plaining about the high amountof 5 tax they pay. What many individu- J als do not realize is that simply by structuring their investments care- fully, they can pay far less tax. This guide will provide you with ideas for saving tax through your . investment program. Cail today to receive your com- a plimentary booklet. : - Mark Osachoff - 661-7433 | Bi: ScotieMeLeod stOd envesinent BhACE BCE 1979 NEw BRIDGE FOR ‘THE NORTH SHORE. This week, we're installing a temporary “Bailey” bridge for car traffic to the North Mall. It may not ease the load on the Lion’s Gate, but it will improve traffic flow. from the North ~ to the South Mall. In six to eight weeks it will be removed. and the permanent bridge will be in place. Also, the Automatic Teller (ATM) and night deposits, for He Canada Trust and the Royal Bank can be reached from the- second level of the North Mall parking deck. For your safety we have extended our security coverage in. this area. © Tenant “JULY booth. Relocations Wylde Images has moved to a. teniporary location opposite the North Mall | lottery What-A-Notion will be moving to their MID-JULY “North Mall. MID-JULY . new location opposite Eddie Bauer on the Debbie Mozelle Optical Design k has moved into their temporary location opposite The Book Company, North Mall. Even with ongoing changes, it’s still business as usual ‘at both the North and South Malls. And you can rest assured that at Park Royal, there’s one * on thing we won’t change: Our commitment to minimize the inconvenience during our renovations. And the promise from our merchants to offer you quality, value, and service. Alright, that’s four things. PARK ROYAL Becoming more like you every day. Located at Taylor Way and Marine Drive, West Vancouver STORE HOURS: 10:00am-6:00pm Monday-Wednesday, 10:00am-9:00pm Thursday/Friday, 9:30am-5:30pm Saturday, 12:00pm-5:00pm Sunday.