Page After Page: Come On We Goes by Karen Silver

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So, my best friend is having a baby.

And you guys, I’m so excited. I’m going to be a de facto aunt, and I can’t wait to help raise this kid to be a wonderful human. I want to pass on some of my better skills and traits. I want to teach him to cook and bake. I want to help hone his music skills. And I want to show him how wonderful and unique Newfoundland is.

That’s why I can’t wait to read Karen Silver’s new book, Come On We Goes, to this sweet child.

Come On We Goes is an anthology of children’s stories, written by Newfoundland author Karen Silver.

The two stories in the anthology’s first volume are simple and delightful, written to educate kids while offering a better understanding of things that make Newfoundland unique.

Around The What?

The anthology’s first story is called “Around The What?” Young Daniel calls his grandmother in Quebec to wish her a happy birthday. SinceGrandma is just heading out for a walk around the block, she’ll call Daniel back in an hour.

But Daniel is confused: what the heck kind of block is Grandma walking around for an hour? He asks around and learns that “block” has a whole buncha meanings. He also learns about the streets in St. John’s.

“Around The What?” contains illustrations by Dayna Harrigan, a local artist from Witless Bay. The artwork is simple but well drawn, and all in crayon. It’s colourful enough to appeal to kids, while still educating them.

The Great Foggy Day

Story number two is “The Great Foggy Day” and it’s definitely something that every Newfoundlander, no matter what age, can relate to. On the first day of spring, Ellen feels baffled as to why it’s still cold and snowy outside. Her mother explains that Mother Nature isn’t ready for Newfoundland to have spring yet. But Ellen is worried that the weather won’t get better before her birthday party.

As the days go by she learns how unpredictable Newfoundland weather can be. The days leading up to her party are grey and foggy. How will her party turn out? You’ll have to read to find out!

The illustrations for this story are completely different from the first. Drawn by St. John’s artist Shan Pomeroy, the pictures in “The Great Foggy Day” are whimsical and creative. The drawings themselves are simple ink, but they become elaborate using items such as coloured and patterned paper, washi tape frames, and rhinestone details.

Come On We Goes

Overall, I am in love with how adorable Karen’s book is. It’s educational, simple enough for children to understand and learn, and the colour and whimsy will appeal to younger kids who may not be able to read yet.

So when my little nephew comes along, I’ll be reading this to him from day one. You can never be too young to learn how crazy Newfoundland weather can be!

A huge thank you to Karen Silver for providing me with a copy of this book to review. While the book was gifted to me, all opinions are my own.