Ted Harrison (1)Critiques

Alphabet

A cute children’s book with a definite Canadian slant. Great illustrations for Alphabet words that will introduce new ideas to readers from further south, and celebrate northern culture and experiences. Fun for the toddles and those who read to them.

This edition of A Northern Alphabet is a board book. It’s a very nice size – 7″ wide, 9″ high (22.9 cm x 17.9 cm) – for little hands.

Ted Harrison (1926-2015) was born in England but when he came to Canada he fell in love with the northern part of the country and stayed for the rest of his life. His paintings changed to capture the beauty of the Yukon and its people, as shown in this book. He was famous for his remarkable bold coloured paintings and in later years he was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian culture through his paintings and books.

In A Northern Alphabet, for every letter of the alphabet Mr. Harrison illustrated with paintings from what he saw and experienced around him in the Yukon. His work is simplistic and full of colour, sophisticated and delightful.

Two examples: H h The husky is watching the boys play hockey. N n The northern lights shine in the sky at night. The art illustrating those letters gives readers an education in some of the culture of Canada, as it does throughout the book.

A Northern Alphabet by Ted Harrison is a beautiful book for young children to learn both the alphabet and something about the culture of the Canadian far north. They will love that the renowned artist chose to paint a moose a deep pink, a bear orange, and the sky always in bands of bold colour. They will even learn new words such as anorak, Inuit, muskeg. This is an excellent book to introduce children to art that looks as if it was made just for them, and for anyone who wants to know more about Canada’s north.

A Northern Alphabet by Ted Harrison is fun board book that not only teaches the alphabet, but also teaches about the culture in northern arctic area. It shows different seasons of the year in the Yukon and helps children see what life might be like there. The drawings are not extremely detailed (no facial features), but the pages have splashes of color. I love alphabet books and am happy to add this one to my collection.

A lovely and quintessentially Canadian board book - and definitely very northern, even if you're already living in Canada!½

Ted Harrison creates a piece of artwork which can be enjoyed by Canadians of all ages. He combines beautiful scenery and simplistic words to reveal iconic images from nature. The large colourful images create visual interest for young readers, which lends itself well to the board book format. A piece of Canadian heritage which should be shared and treasured.

In 1982 this book was published as a stapled paperback. Now it has been reissued in board book format for a new generation. I'm so happy, because it's such a beautiful book, quintessentially Canadian, and the new format makes it much more accessible to preschoolers just learning the alphabet -- not to mention younger siblings. The choice of words is sometimes unexpected and amusing: O is for owl, of course, but this is definitely the only alphabet book I have ever seen that features oil rig and outhouse (how outré, one might say). Each page has an evocative sentence with two or three words starting with the letter in question, and there will be other objects starting with the letter hidden in the accompanying painting. Children will return to the pages again and again and find new things to look at -- or as suggested by Ted Harrison in the foreword to the 1982 edition, new stories to tell.

This is a very cute alphabet book, full of delightful pictures that will appeal to children because of their bold, bright, and unusual colors. Harrison makes story-like associations with the letters, rather than the typically simple "A is for apple" associations. Thus, each letter is represented by two or three words rather than just one, and the words are set off in another color, so children can easily pick them out. The associations with things of the north is also unique and appealing, such as "Northern lights" for "N." This is a great alphabet book!

I am really loving this book. Of course, the art is gorgeous (which is to be expected from Ted Harrison), but the big blocks of colour not only show the beauty of Canada's North but also lend themselves well to the eyes of children who would be reading an alphabet book. The text is great. It is very playful with unexpected examples for each letter that also describe life in Arctic communities.

I got this one as a board book. Good quality.
Concerning the content, it is a classic for good reason. Every page names (=spells) some words beginning with the letter in question, and each picture shows a few more words beginning with the same letter. Interesting art, appealing to children and might even inspire some young artists to draw in a similar fashion.
Love it!

Ted Harrison (1926-2015) was one of the most beloved of Canadian painters. Born and educated in England, he chose Canada as his home when he moved to the Yukon in 1967. While there, his work took on new prominence, not only as an artist but also as an illustrator and author. In 1987 Harrison was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian culture.

This board book edition of A Northern Alphabet will delight not only the children for whom it was written but any person of any age with a penchant for beauty, simplicity, and striking colour. Every picture tells multiple stories matching each of the letters of the alphabet. It is a stunning collection that allows all of us to experience, even if just in our imaginations, life in the north. You'll want to gift the young readers in your life with this gorgeous book but I'm betting you'll also want to keep a copy for yourself.

The author wrote and illustrated this alphabet book with a focus on Canada's north- specifically the Yukon. Each alphabet letter references an aspect of life in the north and features indigenous peoples. I like the fact that the words used to describe each letter introduce the young reader to a way of life that they either know or learn about. The drawings are all clear, and colourful. Harrison has produced a very handsome book for children that expands their knowledge about a part of Canada that perhaps they have not thought about before. This alphabet book reinforces the culture of the North for those who live there. I think that this is a resource that will be an important part of a child's education about the northern lives in the Yukon.½

Nice size board book of the alphabet using words from the North and Canada. I liked how the words that began with the same letter were in bold and a different color to make them stand out. The illustrations were large, colorful and simply drawn - for me a little too simply drawn, most of the people in the illustrations had no faces. Some of the words that were used may be too big for younger children; for example, "vaccination" and some words I would have to look up the definition for, such as, "muskeg" and "root cellar." Overall a good book to show the culture of Canada with new words to add to vocabulary.

This book is an excellent way for children and young teenagers to learn about Canada. Harrison breaks the country down into its provinces, and then describes the unique qualities of each one. He goes into the history of how Canada came about as well as how all the different peoples of Canada live and work together in that country. Although the illustrations are not very true to life, the descriptions about the places being described paint a vivid enough picture all on their own. Harrison's enthusiasm for his beloved country comes right off the page, inspiring the reader to want to learn more about this country. This book would be great in either a history lesson or a geography lesson. Students will be able to glean a lot of information out of this easily accessible book.½

A beautifully illustrated version of O Canada. Each page includes an illustration and blurb about each province. Text is in both English and French.

Ted Harrison is one of Canada’s most well known modern artists. His bold, colorful, block-style paintings are famous for their depictions of Canada’s north and have often been incorporated into picture books about our great nation.

It is very fitting then that O Canada, the first illustrated edition of Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” is illustrated by Harrison. What is truly delightful is that this collection of Harrison’s paintings pairs visual depictions of each of Canada’s wildly diverse territories and provinces with portions of the national anthem.

In addition to the standard anthem there are two other verses included that will likely not be familiar to most readers – I’m not sure if they are part of the original, or if they are newly written. The French and English are given on each page, and a French and English blurb about each depicted province as seen through Harrison’s eyes is also provided.

Sheet music for the anthem can be found at book’s end, along with both the French and English lyrics of the traditional anthem. Some background statements from the author of the lyrics are also included.

I always enjoy children’s picture books that you can sing your way through. Our family has greatly enjoyed some of Raffi’s songs set into book form, and O Canada is a fun way to provide some visuals for your children while singing the national anthem together.

We own the paperback version, but I highly recommend investing in a hardcover copy. My children find Harrison’s bold work enticing, and they often look through it independently, subjecting it to bumps and cover-bending affection.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com

Yukon Arts Centre Public Art Gallery. Original Illustrations for The Cremation of Sam McGee, Published by Kids Can Press Ltd., 1986 & The Shooting of Dan McGrew, Published by Kids Can Press Ltd., 1988