A whimsical exploration of Vancouver’s favourite family landmark, filled with gorgeous illustrations and fascinating facts. Granville Island ABC is a visual treasure hunt that invites families to explore the sights, sounds, and smells of this exciting arts and culture destination. With fun (and mostly free) discoveries for every letter of the alphabet—from buskers to houseboats, industrial relics to parks, seawalls to turtles—this book is the perfect companion to a family outing. With interesting facts, a detailed map, a historical timeline, and text that fosters observation and entertainment, it is sure to appeal to locals and tourists alike. Its whimsical illustrations contain hidden details and capture Granville Island’s unique mix of industrial and artistic, historical and modern, urban and wild.
"Here childhood innocence and dreams meet the reality of day-to-day survival and violence, during Hindu-Muslim riots, forcing choices that should never have to be made. Irani (The Cripple and His Talismans, 2005) is a gifted storyteller, and this book, Dickensian in its plot and its vivid prose, is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking." - Booklist Abandoned as an infant, ten-year-old Chamdi has spent his entire life in a Bombay orphanage. There he has learned to find solace in his everyday surroundings: the smell of the first rains, the vibrant pinks and reds of the bougainvilleas that blossom in the courtyard, the life-size statue of Jesus, the "beautiful giant," to whom he confides his hopes and fears in the prayer room. Though he rarely ventures outside the orphanage, he entertains an idyllic fantasy of what the city is like – a paradise he calls Kahunsha, "the city of no sadness," where children play cricket in the streets and where people will become one with all the colours known to man. Chamdi’s quiet life takes a sudden turn, however, when he learns that the orphanage will be shut down by land developers. He decides that he must run away in search of his long-lost father, taking nothing with him but the blood-stained white cloth he was left in as a baby. Outside the walls of the orphanage, Chamdi quickly discovers that Bombay is nothing like Kahunsha. The streets are filthy and devoid of colour, and no one shows him an ounce of kindness. Just as he’s about to faint from hunger, two seasoned street children offer help: the lovely, sarcastic Guddi and her brother, the charming, scarred, and crippled Sumdi. After their father was crushed by a car before their eyes, the children were left to care for their insane mother and their infant brother. They soon initiate Chamdi into the brutal life of the city’s homeless, begging all day and handing over most of his earnings to Anand Bhai, a vicious underworld don who will happily mutilate or kill whoever dares to defy him. Determined to escape the desperation, filth, and violence of their lives, Guddi and Sumdi recruit Chamdi into their plot to steal from a temple. But when the robbery goes terribly awry, Chamdi finds himself in an even worse situation. The city has erupted in Hindu-Muslim violence and, held in Anand Bhai’s fierce grip, Chamdi is presented with a choice that threatens to rob him of his innocence forever. Moving, poignant, and wonderfully rich in the sights and sounds of Bombay, this novel is the story of Chamdi's struggle for survival on the city's dangerous streets.
A warm-hearted memoir of a childhood spent living in various mining towns in the Kootenays throughout the 1930s and '40s. When young Shirley Doris Hall and her family moved to BC's West Kootenay region in 1927, the area was a hub of mining activity. Shirley's father, a cook, had no problem finding work at the mining camps, and the family dutifully followed him from town to town as his services were sought after. For Shirley and her brother, Ray--described as both her confidant and her nemesis--mining camps were the backdrop of their youth. The instant close-knit communities that formed around them; the freedom of barely tamed wilderness; and the struggles of the Depression years and the war that followed created an unlikely environment for a happy childhood. Yet Shirley's memories reveal that it was indeed a magical time and place in which to grow up. Children of the Kootenayspaints a lively portrait of this forgotten period in BC history--of mining towns that are now ghost towns--told from the unique perspective of a young girl.
Experience the Life of the City with Moon Travel Guides! Set on the edge of the Pacific, with mountains silhouetting skyscrapers, Vancouver teems with culture and life. Explore this delightful city with Moon Vancouver. Explore the City: Navigate by neighborhood or by activity with color-coded maps, or follow one of our self-guided neighborhood walks See the Sights: Cycle along the coast at Stanley Park, kayak local waterways, learn about indigenous history at the Vancouver Museum of Anthropology, and take the perfect photo next to the magnificent Lion's Gate Bridge Get a Taste of the City: Sip a perfect pour-over coffee, browse the stalls at the Granville Island Public Market, or dig into some of the best Chinese food in North America Bars and Nightlife: Sample local craft beer, enjoy cocktails on lush patios or cozy speakeasies, and plug into Vancouver's artsy side with an eclectic lineup of local musicians performing everything from indie rock to world music Local Expertise: Expat, foodie, and Vancouver expert Carolyn B. Heller shares the best of her adopted city Strategic Itineraries: See the best of Vancouver with itineraries designed for families, gourmands, history buffs, nature-lovers, and artists, with day trips to Victoria, Vancouver Island, and Whistler Full-Color Photos and Detailed Maps so you can explore on your own, plus an easy-to-read foldout map to use on the go Handy Tools: Background information on the landscape, history, and culture With Moon Vancouver's practical tips and local insight, you can experience the city your way. Hitting the road? Check out Moon Vancouver & Canadian Rockies Road Trip. Expanding your trip? Try Moon Canadian Rockies or Moon Victoria & Vancouver Island.
Part memoir, part secrets of the sculptors craft, part celebration of Canadian culture and talent Life and Bronze is the story behind Ruth Abernethys rich and varied artistic career. The author describes each of her sculpting projects from opening discussion to creation to installation and public unveiling.We discover what the public chooses to commemorate, how a sculptor resolves clear expressions of character, and how the entire process fits into a full family life. We become privy to Ruths unique methods, which are greatly influenced by her years of stagecraft at the Stratford Festival and across Canada. We meet prime ministers, musicians, doctors, athletes, and a huge Manitoba black bear named Duke. Ruths Canadian commissions include Glenn Gould at CBC Toronto, Oscar Peterson and Mario Bernardi at the National Arts Centre Ottawa, military Physician and poet John McCrae (In Flanders Fields) at Ottawa and Guelph, and Sir John A. Macdonald in both Picton and Baden, Ontario. Ruths bronze installations honour outstanding theatre artists in Stratford, Waterloo and Winnipeg and exceptional scientists and engineers in Kentville, Wolfville and in Vancouver. Life and Bronze is a lavishly illustrated record of bronze portraits created in the privacy of Ruths studio and let loose to lie on the streetscapes of Canada.
