Today I'm going to out myself as a history geek. Even worse, today's book is Canadian history! Jean E. Pendziwol's The Red Sash is the story of a young boy, living in Fort William. His father is a voyageur, and the time is coming for the Rendezvous, when all the voyageurs will return to the fort. Our unnamed narrator tours us around the fort, while preparations for the returning voyageurs go on. His obvious admiration of his father shines through; one day, he too, will be a voyageur. Later in the day, while visiting an island with his sister and the doctor's son, our narrator manages to help an important man from the North West Company from his floundering canoe, saving the day. When he returns triumphantly to the fort, his father is waiting, and presents him with a red sash, the sign of the true voyageur.

Nicholas Debon's illustrations are rich and full of colour. It seems his specialty is water. Lake Superior comes alive in his hands, whether during fair weather or foul. This author/illustrator team is also responsible for Dawn Watch, in which a girl and her father go out on their sailboat while it's still dark, and greet the new day. Again, Debon's illlustrations are luminous. His ability to capture the many moods of water is truly a gift.

The Red Sash written by Jean E. Pendziwol illustrated by Nicholas Debon
ISBN 088899589X
40pages

Dawn Watch written by Jean E. Pendziwol illustrated by Nicholas Debon
ISBN 0888995121
32 pages