Small Alberta publishing house, McTavish & Nunn, awarded the Silver Award for Best Emerging Publisher of the Year, is a self-publishing success story of epic proportions. Combined, the three books in their Wilderness Series have sold over 19,000 copies and were awarded Alberta Book Awards Best Educational Book of the Year 2001 and 2002.
The Series
There are three books in the Mountain Magic - a Wilderness Series:
- In the Path of Great Bear (2001), ISBN:0-9688957-0-0
- Magic in the Mountains (2002), ISBN: 0-9688957-1-9
- Where Wolves are Wild (2003),ISBN: 0-968857-1-9
Each of these books can be read alone or as part of a series. They are ideally suited for middle-school readers, although much younger children and readers of all ages will be drawn to illustrator Wentzloff's carefully crafted and detailed renderings of the Rocky Mountains and the creatures -- both human and wild -- who call them home.
The books are interactive, inviting readers to re-examine the text and pictures for hidden clues about the wilderness. There is a side bar on each page where a delightful poem compliments the text, adding to the readers growing knowledge of the creatures represented in the story. For example, from In the Path of the Great Bear:
Grizzly is his name,
A brown bear, not black
With a dinner-plate face,
And a hump on his back.
Take six of your friends
Stuff them all in your pack
That's the weight of a grizzly
Right there on your back.
The Characters
Along with the grizzly bears, the wolves, the ravens, the mountain goats and the other Rocky Mountain creatures found between the covers of these books, there are two human characters: red-haired spunky Katie and her and curious, big-hearted best friend Ethan.
Awards
The first two books were finalists in the 2001, 2002, Alberta Book Awards, Best Educational Book of the Year and In The Path of the Great Bear and Where the Wolves are Wild were included in the Grizzly Bear Information and Awarness Program at Lake Louise and Kicking Horse Ski Resort in Canada's Rocky Mountains.
International Audience
The Magic Mountain Series is available, not only in traditional book form, but online at Mountain Forum.org -- a website developed by the Mountain Institute so the love and respect given to mountain creatures in these books can be shared with children all over the world. Young readers will come away from this series with a greater knowledge and understanding of the Rocky Mountain Environment.
Other Books and Website
Wonder of Water Colouring Book: A project for Brewster's Columbia Icefield with 100,000 copies printed for children visiting the Icefields.
Never Bug a Bear: Series about giving animals space to be published in summer 2008.
McTavish and Nunn have a website well worth a visit, rich with information about thier books, thier writing process and other reviews.
Read about McTavish's latest book, Never Bug a Bear.
Julie Burtinshaw - Julie is the Reading and Literature and Writing and Publishing Editor for Suite101.com. She is also the author of five books and is ...
