Making Room - Readings

Description

Illustrator, Peter Rankin, is the 2004 recipient of the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in illustration.

John William Smith – barely more than a boy – clears land, builds a one-room house, plants three apple trees, then sits down to sip his tea and watch the sunset. He has everything a young man could want. But after many sunsets alone, John William decides he needs a wife. So he marries the wonderful Annie. As time passes, John William expands their home to accommodate children, an injured cousin, a widowed sister, and many more additions to the family. His toolbox is never far from his side, waiting for the next time Annie will say, “John William, dear, I think we need.…” Will the house ever be complete?

Based on the true story of John William and Annie Smith, who lived in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in the 1800s, this is a warm and witty look at what makes a home and who makes up a family.

About the Author

Joanne Taylor was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1952, and was raised in Cape Breton, the third of ten children. She met her husband, Robin, while teaching with CUSO in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Joanne wrote occasionally for CBC Radio Halifax and for a city newspaper in Wiltshire, England, where the Taylors lived for four years. They have two daughters and they all live happily in Halifax. Joanne passed away in May 2010 after a valiant battle with ALS.

Born and raised in rural Cape Breton Island, Peter Rankinhas been drawing and painting for most of his life. He has done numerous landscapes and seascapes and is well known for his portrait work. His work hangs in many corporate and private collections. Although he has portrayed a number of (Scottish) Gaelic cultural traditions and stories in his work, Making Room is his first endeavor into the world of illustration. Peter Rankin lives with his wife, Brenda, and their five children in Mabou Coal Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.