Town is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz; illustrated by Sydney Smith (Toronto, Groundwood) $21.95
Joanne Schwartz was born in Cape Breton and her love of the area shines brightly throughout this story of a young boy growing up in a small mining town by the sea in the 1950s.
There is a lovely, gentle rhythm to the text which describes the boy’s peaceful day wandering through the town and surrounding countryside beside the ever-present sea. The repetitive phrase, “It goes like this...” introduces the boy’s activities, which include calling on a friend, going to the store for his mother and visiting his grandfather’s grave. While he goes about his day we are reminded of his constant awareness that his father, far down in the mine, is having a completely different experience.
The images show a near-disaster in the four grim and dark double-page illustrations of the mine shaft with workers narrowly avoiding disaster due to a rock fall at the working face. The text for each illustration merely states, “And deep down under that sea, my father is digging for coal,” as if this near-tragedy is just a common part of the workday. At the end of the story it is clear that the boy will carry on the legacy of his father and grandfather. “I’m a miner’s son. In my town, that’s the way it goes.”
Sydney Smith is the award-winning illustrator of Sidewalk Flowers and, like Schwartz, was born in rural Nova Scotia. His stunning vistas of a remote and utterly peaceful countryside are juxtaposed with the dark views of the mine. The sea is almost a living protagonist in this story and we see it beautifully portrayed in its many aspects.
A picture book for all ages, as well as a compelling and visually stunning tour de force.
Fran Ashdown was the children’s librarian at the Capilano branch of the North Vancouver District Public Library. She lived on the B.C. coastal shore as a child and loved it as much as Schwartz.
