My Home Bay [Hardcover]

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Gwyn's family moves from Vancouver to a new home on a salt marsh at Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. The mildly told story opens with their arrival and follows Gwyn's transition over her first six months there. The child, a sad, stubborn objector to her displacement, grows into a satisfied and grateful participant in her new environment. The steps in her adjustment are juxtaposed with the naively positive, indiscriminately enthusiastic energy of her younger sister, Linden. Overcoming disappointments, developing flexibility, and releasing doubts are elements of a relatively mature child's adjustment. My Home Bay's strong point is its recognition and development of this fact, a tribute to the hard work children of Gwyn's age must perform. The story is enriched by a sweet and trusting interaction between the sisters as they travel their respective paths to peace in their new home. Gwyn has exacted three promises of her parents before agreeing to the move: fiddle lessons (quickly granted), a tree house (built by Mom and Dad in the autumn), and a horse (she gets an aquarium of sea horses at Christmas). At the fulfillment of the third promise, Gwyn belongs to Mahone Bay. Watercolor illustrations are pale and a little out of focus, sometimes achieving a positive dreamy effect, sometimes seeming washed out and leaving facial expressions obscure. Some paintings have a static appearance, as if posed. Overall, though, this agreeable tale contributes a useful perspective to the high demand for picture books about moving.–Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA
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PreS. Gwyn is angry and upset when she has to move with her family from Vancouver to Mahone Bay, from west coast to east, "across the second largest country in the world." She "only agreed" because Mom and Dad made her three special promises. The simple words express her sense of dislocation ("In the night, our room echoes with loneliness . . . no friends next door, no whoosh of cars"), while the double-page watercolor spreads show her slowly making friends and having fun in her new home. The sulky kid in a loving family will strike a chord with many preschoolers who feel swept up in grown-ups' plans; so, too, will Gwyn's sense of wonder and adventure. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reviews

"Subtle and evocative."

-- Hamilton Spectator

"Lovely, detail-filled watercolours bring this story to life."

-- Brandon Sun

"Captures a child's newly-arrived at sense of isolation."

-- Books in Canada

Alberta Children's Book of the Year Nominee (2004)

Alberta Book Illustration of the Year Award Nominee (2004)

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection (2004)

Gwyn's family has traveled from Vancouver to Nova Scotia, where they plan to make their new home in Mahone Bay. Gwyn doesn't care for the idea at all and, in fact, has sulked from the west coast to the east, unlike her little sister, Linden, who's caught up in the adventure. Gwyn only agreed to make the trip because her parents bribed her with three promises to be filled when they reached their destination.

Despite her unease, Gwyn begins to grow into this new place, and as the three promises are slowly delivered, she comes to agree with Linden that this is indeed "My Home Bay".

Anne Laurel Carter was born in Don Mills, Ontario, in 1953. She left home at 17 to work on a kibbutz in Israel, then in England, France, and California. She returned home at 22 to complete a B.Ed. She taught in Cree communities of N. Quebec until hip dysplasia (the same condition that cripples golden retrievers) forced her to have her right hip rebuilt. It was months before she could walk again! She returned to Toronto to complete a M.Ed, and at 32-years old she got married and started a family.

Alan Daniel works for publishers across North America from his Kitchener, Ontario, studio. His art is notable for its fine draftsmanship, humor and versatility of style. He is the illustrator of many children's picture books, including Bunnicula: Return to Howliday Inn, Good Families Don't, The Grand Escape, The Healing of Texas Juke and Carlotta's Kittens. Alan Daniel often collaborates with partner Lea Daniel.