The text is a song by Gordon Lightfoot about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, with sheet music at the end of the book. The CPR has a similar story to the Union Pacific that was built across the United States. Slightly different time period, and perhaps, the Native Americans were treated a little better than they were in the United States. First Nations people (as they are called in Canada) did participate in building the CPR, and I don't believe that was true of the UP. I was not surprised to read that two of the major players in the project were from the United States.

Ian Wallace has attempted to portray all aspects of the construction project through his illustrations. It was a huge undertaking with enormous consequences. The scope of the drawings tells far more of the story than the simple, yet poetic, lyrics. Wallace used pastels to give the story a dream-like tone. The artwork is amazing, each one a masterpiece. The artist also includes a description of his intentions for each illustration. The artwork itself is what first caught my attention. I also seem to have heard of Ian Wallace before.

This is the first time that the song Canadian Railroad Trilogy has been illustrated.

related-1st Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John MacDonald, Canadian Pacific Railroad, railroad construction, First Nations, Chinese workers
RL=1st, for all ages