From School Library Journal
Grade 6-12-- The early history of Canada is inextricably tied to the growth of commerce and trade in the New World. As word of the vast supply of raw materials spread throughout Europe, businessmen flocked to her shores. Alexander MacKenzie was searching for an ice-free port on the Pacific coast to compete with the powerful Hudson's Bay Company in the East. He explored what is now northern Alberta, northern British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories, and made many contacts with tribes of Native North Americans. Xydes carefully relates the correlation between the growth of commerce and the necessity for European exploration in Canada. She narrates the story of MacKenzie's travels, while explaining important details of the fur trade and the "opening" of the northern interior of North America. She is careful to avoid the Eurocentric bias that he "discovered" the rivers and territories he explored--all of which were known to and inhabited by Native North Americans. Students will find the book concise and clear, and the archival maps and illustrations (most of which are in black and white) are informative. The chronology and index are excellent. The suggestions for further reading include mostly classic titles whose publication dates range from the 1930s to the 1970s. --Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC, CanadaCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Card catalog description
Examines the explorations of Sir Alexander Mackenzie in Canada.
Alexander MacKenzie and the Explorers of Canada ANNOTATION
Examines the explorations of Sir Alexander Mackenzie in Canada.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 6-12-- The early history of Canada is inextricably tied to the growth of commerce and trade in the New World. As word of the vast supply of raw materials spread throughout Europe, businessmen flocked to her shores. Alexander MacKenzie was searching for an ice-free port on the Pacific coast to compete with the powerful Hudson's Bay Company in the East. He explored what is now northern Alberta, northern British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories, and made many contacts with tribes of Native North Americans. Xydes carefully relates the correlation between the growth of commerce and the necessity for European exploration in Canada. She narrates the story of MacKenzie's travels, while explaining important details of the fur trade and the ``opening'' of the northern interior of North America. She is careful to avoid the Eurocentric bias that he ``discovered'' the rivers and territories he explored--all of which were known to and inhabited by Native North Americans. Students will find the book concise and clear, and the archival maps and illustrations (most of which are in black and white) are informative. The chronology and index are excellent. The suggestions for further reading include mostly classic titles whose publication dates range from the 1930s to the 1970s. --Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC, Canada
Art & Photography
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