A is for Anne

Written by Mo Duffy Cobb

Illustrated by Ellie Arscott

Pownal Street Press

978-1-778124549

24 pp.

Ages 0-3

For release February 28, 2023

 

A is for Anne is a concept book that is ever so Canadian, set in the late 1800s and on Prince Edward Island, and offering an opportunity to learn the alphabet and a historical perspective of our world. From horse-drawn carriages to games and activities, A is for Anne takes us into a different time and place.

From A is for Anne by Mo Duffy Cobb, illus. by Ellie Arscott

Some of the letter designations are simple enough, like A is for Anne, who waits by the train, and B is for Brown, a horse with a mane. Young children will understand and appreciate the I is for ice cream and J is for July but many of the references are far more esoteric, requiring a knowledge of L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables novel–"M is for Matthew, the real reason we're here" and "N is for natural, a father so dear"– or include sophisticated and dated terms like "decree," and "cordial." This does not take away from the elegance of A is for Anne, but I think it extends its readership to all ages, from the very young who are learning their alphabet to older readers who have already read Anne of Green Gables.

From A is for Anne by Mo Duffy Cobb, illus. by Ellie Arscott

Mo Duffy Cobb, co-founder of PEI's boutique publisher Pownal Street Press, captures all the nuances of Anne's story from the child's arrival in Avonlea to her relationships with Marilla, Matthew, Diana, and Gilbert. She takes readers into Anne's enthusiasm for the island's beauty from its poplar trees by a stream, the blossoming cherry trees, and yellow skies tinged with pink, and her joie de vivre for the potential of her new life. Mo Duffy Cobb shares with us Anne's foibles and her heart. And she does it all in polished rhymes, giving rhythm to her refined text.

From A is for Anne by Mo Duffy Cobb, illus. by Ellie Arscott

Though not from PEI, illustrator Ellie Arscott delivers the reader to Anne's home in place and story. From its landscape and its people and the story of the freckled child looking for a home, Ellie Arscott's watercolours with ink depict a world of softness, of place and people. The pace of life is slower than today and simpler in scope but full in sentiment and connection, as is the original story.

I know that parents and teachers will first see A is for Anne as the alphabet board book that it is, but I hope that others will see it as a tribute to the classic story, giving us both rhyme and art to see Anne and her creator from a different perspective.

Crescent Moon Friends

Written by Wadia Samadi and Mo Duffy Cobb

Illustrated by Lisa Lypowy

Acorn Press

978 -1-773660967

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

2022

 

Two girls. Two cultures. Two families. Two sets of traditions. One moon under which their differences are more similar than at first seen.

From Crescent Moon Friends by Wadia Samadi and Mo Duffy Cobb, illustrated by Lisa Lypowy

Aisha joins Amelia's class in Canada after leaving war-torn Afghanistan. When they become reading partners, they also become friends, sharing traditions of their cultures from games and food to celebrations and beliefs.

As they share, they also learn. Amelia's family follows Islamic traditions of peace and prayer while Amelia's teaches compassion and kindness. The two girls also have different dispositions, Aisha leaning to the maths and sciences and Amelia to the arts. One has the heart and mind of a scientist while the other one of a dreamer and a poet. And though they both love the moon, they see it differently.

From Crescent Moon Friends by Wadia Samadi and Mo Duffy Cobb, illustrated by Lisa Lypowy

It's relevant that the crescent moon, an important symbol of Islam, draws the attention of both girls. Still even in their different relationships with the celestial body, they appreciate how it is seen by the other. 

Afghanistan-born Wadia Samadi and P.E.I.'s Mo Duffy Cobb wanted to tell a story of two different girls who find commonalities in their differences. And young readers will learn how being different is okay but also will recognize that the differences aren't as contrary as some might expect. Amelia and Aisha are just to girls who have been brought up in different traditions and, with the sharing of those traditions, their friendship is strengthened.

From Crescent Moon Friends by Wadia Samadi and Mo Duffy Cobb, illustrated by Lisa Lypowy

Whether she's depicting Canada or Afghanistan in her illustrations, Edmonton's Lisa Lypowy uses watercolours to keep them bright and atmospheric. Even with her colours and shapes, Lisa Lypowy shows how similar the girls and their lives are while different in temperaments, landscapes and weather, clothing and customs. 

Wadia Samadi and Mo Duffy Cobb end their book with blurbs about Prince Edward Island and Kabul, Afghanistan. In one last manifestation, they compare and contrast the two locations and help young readers see, yet again, that separating ourselves along lines of differences hurts us but finding our connections makes us better.