Lights along the River

May 1, 2024

Gr 1-3-The town where Patsy lives is going to get electricity, only she's not sure it will still feel like home after all the changes. There is very little narrative in the book, which is mostly one- or two-page vignettes of rural Ontario life in the 1950s. The illustrations have a heavy reliance on front-facing scenes, which can feel posed or flat. The colors are muted but varied and create a welcoming feeling. The scenes focus on ways children played and spent time with family without electricity, such as cutting paper dolls or playing broomball. Inspired by the author's childhood growing up Metis and French, and the changes technology brought to her small town, it has a nostalgic tone at times. VERDICT This Canadian historical picture book may find a home in units on unearthing family stories or in writing creative nonfiction.-Shelby Hogle

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
Lamondin (Metis) shares a nostalgic snapshot of her childhood on the Magnetawan River, focusing on the winter day when her town finally received electricity. As young Patsy and her household move through their daily routine, she reflects on the comforting, down-home rituals of their half-Metis, half-French extended kin and wonders if electricity will change anything. Luminous digital illustrations exude warmth and capture the homespun details of life in 1950s rural Canada. A closing author's note provides context for this portrait of times of change.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)