M Is For Maple: A Canadian Alphabet (Discover the World) Board book – Abridged, September 17, 2007

I like the book a lot, the illustrations are mostly lovely and touching (F for Terry Fox, great capture of Northern Lights for N and falling maple leaves for M, etc.) but some of the people are creepy looking (the babies in D or the hockey player in R for example) but I have two quibbles. 1) the book is really for Canadian readers only as it repeatedly talks about "our" land and things "we" love. As someone outside of Canada who bought it as part of an effort to introduce other countries early I thought it should have been better advertised as not being for other readers. It's one of the hazards of buying it without being able to leaf through it first. This is a small thing but I think it's confusing for very young readers (the kind who are being read alphabet books) who aren't Canadian. I realize it's titled "A Canadian Alphabet" but it isn't titled "A Canadian Alphabet for Canadians". 2) The book we received is NOT the book other reviewers have described with expanded text and other letter examples. Each letter has one short sentece of text and that's it. I would rather have had the other book with more information and other examples and explanation, including some pronunciations when needed (I'm not 100% sure how to pronounce Inuksuk or Ojibwa and don't want to teach incorrectly). B is for Bluenose in this version, a reference I'll look up but the page would have been so much better with additional examples (eg. British Columbia, Banff, etc.) If you are Canadian and want it really simple this is a five star book. From anyplace else and if you were expecting what was described in the other reviews it's three star, still recommended.

I actually returned this book. I thought it would be *about* Canada as a way for kids to learn a bit about the country while learning the alphabet. I'm sure it's great for Canadian kids, but it references people and things I've never heard of and never explains anything about them. Also, it consistently refers to "our country" and "our land." Basically, for a book about learning the alphabet, it was very confusing for my kids.

Beautiful book with so much sentimental from Canada!! With Inuksuk, the Bluenose, Calgary, Loonnies, Toonies, Yoho, and more!! Fun way for our children to learn about my husband's national heritage!

I'm a sucker for nice illustrations - as well as good text - and this has both. I bought it for my nephews in Toronto, after buying "D is for Down Under: An Australian Alphabet" for my son (and me!) upon moving to Oz. It's a great combination of nice, light poetry + optional paragraphs of additional information for each letter subject + gorgeous pictures. Quality book!

Arrived in excellent condition. Soft cover.

Bought this as a teacher gift for a teacher who's a fellow Canadian.

As an educator this book is chalked full of colorful, vibrant illustrations along with quality literature. A sure hit for most children!

Just note, this is a board book, not the entire book.

Simply the most lovely Canadian book for children!

Great Canadian tidbits. Fun learning tool.

As a board book it’s fine. And I guess it’s size limits the text. The original book I have had and given as gifts previously was larger with paper pages and more words. The whole reason I bought it was the reference to Banting and Best for discovering insulin and a reference to my town where the author is from, having the best fries under the Blue Water Bridge. These notes are not in the smaller board book.

I ordered this book for my cousin's grandson who lives in England. He was very interested in Canada when I first met him. His grandparents were very impressed with the book when I gave it to them in Toronto last week. I had already given a copy to my French friend for her grandchildren. She was an English teacher before she retired and told me the children loved it. They are all learning English.I was particularly interested that the author grew up in Sarnia where we lived until seventeen years ago when we moved to Wyoming about fifteen miles from Sarnia.

Beautiful illustrations and large pages. This large paperback book is a Christmas gift for my son. My daughter already brought the hardcover home from her school library so we knew what to expect.