Who Runs This Country, Anyway? A Guide to Canadian Government. Joanne Stanbridge. Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2005. 76 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 0-439-95730-3. Subject Headings: Canada-Politics and government-Juvenile literature. Federal government-Canada-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12. Review by Patricia Fay. *** /4

excerpt:

Hustings

The high platform from which old-time candidates gave their speeches was called the hustings. The word stuck. During your election campaign, when you're giving speeches in shopping malls, television studios or school auditoriums, people will say you're "out on the hustings."

Giving speeches is just one way to get people to vote for you. You can also knock on doors and introduce yourself to voters. You can go to crowded places like fairs, parades or sports events, smile a lot and get your picture taken. You can shake hands with people downtown and in malls. This is called mainstreeting. You can give speeches and do radio, TV and newspaper interviews.

This easy-to-understand book is written as though it was a school report given by two young students named Nathan and Zoe.

     Nathan and Zoe begin by explaining how our government is organized in three tiers, Municipal, Provincial/Territorial and Federal. The role of the Prime Minister, Governor General and the Monarch are also discussed. Readers will learn why we have a monarch, about the Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

     The chapters on what happens during an election and voting procedures will be very useful to students in the upcoming federal election. Nathan and Zoe detail what is involved in being elected as a Member of Parliament, what happens on Election Day and what happens when Parliament begins.

     The book is well organized with a table of contents and an index. There is no glossary, but any unknown terms are explained in the body of the text. The book's organization makes it easy to use only those sections relevant for a particular situation - Government, Parliament, Elections, or how a Bill gets passed into law.

     The illustrations, drawn by the author, add some humour and will appeal to the intended audience. There are many black-and-white photographs interspersed with the text, each with informative captions.

     Who Runs This Country, Anyway? will be a welcome resource for younger students learning about our form of government.

Recommended.

Patricia Fay is a teacher-librarian at Beaumont Elementary School in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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