In Canada’s early history, forts and settlements served as important defensive, economic, and transportation points. In Forts in Canada Kingston teachers Ann-Maureen Owens and Jane Yealland have collaborated with Toronto artist Don Kirby to produce an engaging, informative book describing the design and use of forts by the aboriginal peoples and successive waves of French and British settlers, soldiers, and traders. The book can be highly recommended to parents and teachers hoping to stimulate an interest in Canadian history among children aged 8 to 12.

As with good history books for children, Forts in Canada is as much about people’s lives as events. It compares the past with the present, and appeals to the imagination by inviting young readers to see themselves in the place of the aboriginals, settlers, voyageurs, soldiers, or traders who built and lived in forts. Each of the book’s five chapters introduces a particular type of fort and outlines the function it served. The authors then go on to portray various aspects of fort construction, military tactics, trade and commerce, then look at the people who dwelt in forts and their daily existence, diet, livelihoods, and pastimes. The illustrations fully complement the story and details in the text, which employs grammar and vocabulary well within the grasp of the intended age group. Each chapter also includes a section on making model forts, Martello towers, costumes, toys, and even food. The materials and ingredients required are neither outlandish nor expensive and should be found in most homes, while the diagrams and instructions are so simple that even this reviewer could follow them.

While telling their story from various points of view, the authors refrain from condescension and from sanitizing the past. They cover each region of Canada and use the history of forts to explain the stages in Canada’s development. For children wishing to learn more about the subject, they thoughtfully provide a map of forts in Canada, a list of historical sites currently open to visitors, a glossary, and an index.