Our Song: The Story of "O Canada" The Canadian National Anthem- Non-Fiction Book #3

The Book
Kuitenbrouwer, P. & Spires, A. (2004). Our Song: The Story of "O Canada" The Canadian National Anthem. Montreal, QC: Lobster Press.

Summary
Our Song: The Story of "O Canada" The Canadian National Anthem is about how the National Anthem originated. The tune for "O Canada" was founded in 1880 by a French Canadian named Calixa Lavallee. The French lyrics for the Anthem came from another French Canadian named Aldolphe-Basile Routhier who listened to the songs of loggers and was inspired by them. He created the lyrics in 1880 and they have never since been altered. English words came later when a Toronto composer became fascinated with "O Canada". He translated the French words into English and the Mendelssohn Choir gave the first English performance in 1907 at Massey Hall in Toronto.  However, the translation of the French words did not catch on to the rest of Canada. English lyrics were finally founded by a man named Robert Stanley Weir  in 1927. His lyrics were officially published as they captured the hearts of many Canadians and they have not changed since. The lyrics in both French and English are found throughout this book along with a timeline of Canada's important events from 1875-1980. This book is great for anyone who wants to learn more about the origins of Canada's National Anthem. It details the 100 year evolution of "O Canada" and is brought to life by lively illustrations. The English and French lyrics to "O Canada" are found throughout the book and sheet music is also provided.

Response
This was a really interesting book! I really enjoyed learning about the history of Canada's National Anthem as well as about the many important events that happened from 1875-1980. The maps in the front and the back of the book are also really neat. The map in the beginning of the book shows what Canada looked like in 1880 and the map in the back shows what Canada looks like in the present day. It's really cool to see how much it has changed over time. This book would be great for young children as it is full of facts and fun illustrations. It is quite wordy but it would be great for them to look at while an adult reads the text as each illustration has to do with what is being discussed. I also appreciated the addition of the timeline as it shows Canada's progress over the years. I actually learned quite a bit from this book and from the timeline. The timeline contained many important events that I did not know about. I also did not know the history of the Canadian National Anthem and that's why I chose to read this book. I was suprised at how informative it was and was pleased with it as I learned a lot.

Awards received/Reader's advisory information
As far as I know this book has not won any awards. I think it would be a great book for children aged 6-12. It would also be good to use as a resource while teaching Canadian History in Elementary Social Studies. It would also be good to use for music as it contains the sheet music for "O Canada". The themes found throughout the book are Canadian History and Heritage, Patirotism, Music and Citizenship.