The olden days coat

• Published in: Quill and quire 1998, Vol.64 (12), p.37
• Main Authors: Laurence, Margaret, Egoff, Sheila
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Subjects: Childrens literature; Laurence, Margaret; Lewis, C S (1898-1963)
• ISSN: 0033-6491

As pleasing as The Olden Days Coat is, it is difficult to believe that it was written by the author of the powerful Manawaka novels, which inspired a generation of Canadian writers and gained wide acclaim. it raises the question of why our successful authors for adults rarely attempt a book for children and when they do, it is far from memorable. Just think of the British and American writers who have turned their talents to children's books that have long outshone their adult works: Charles Kingsley, Lewis Carroll, George MacDonald, Rudyard Kipling, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, A.A. Milne, Mark Twain, and E.B. White. A salute should go to Roderick Haig-Brown for Starbuck Valley Winter and to Farley Mowat for Owls in the Family and even for Lost in the Barrens, all groundbreaking works in Canadian children's literature. However, other Canadian writers have gone in chiefly for cuteness and triviality. Mazo de la Roche's The Song of Lambert is about an anthropomorphized lamb that I longed to have converted into lamb chops as soon as possible. Mordecai Richler's Jacob Two-Two books are humorous but light and slick. Marion Engel's children's books are long out of print and Margaret Atwood's recent picture book, Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut, is only partially redeemed by its illustrator.