A Prairie Boy

Author/ illustrator of the best-selling children’s book trilogy ‘The Moccasin Goalie’, Bill Brownridge has a new book ‘A Prairie Boy’ – with a story that opens your eyes...

... to the olden days and the nostalgia of countryside landscapes, farm life, the local town, and the simple traditional life back then. But for Tony LaDrew, living on the farm with his grandparents is a lonely life. He only has his pony Trix and his dog Bingo for company. And as a Metis boy, it isn’t easy making friends. But playing hockey makes all the difference to Tony - whether on a slough, on a road, or on a rink – he loves the action. Swooping down the ice is like flying, like another world. Too bad his grandfather doesn’t like hockey. On top of that, there’s a local tough guy giving him problems. At every turn, Tony seems to face another challenge. And now, with his big chance to join the team coming up, he has to take drastic action.

... and artwork that opens the rest of your senses.

Brownridge opens a new dimension to kids by presenting huge colorful double-page spreads of his impressionist paintings of kids at play. His application of dabs and dollops of ‘fat’ acrylic paint in the Van-Gogh technique of pointillism accentuate tone and dimension, the vivid swathes of colour and diagonals exclaim action, while the moody blends heighten the wideness of the world and us in it. As the books says, it’s like another world. And the door’s open. Take a step.

Imagine a child and his mother reading a picture book together. We watch them look at the pictures, read the story, compare it to the pictures, talk about the characters and their actions – but that’s pretty much it. Most illustrations are close to exactly that: a practical model to look at as you’re reading; or on the other hand an exaggerated comical rendering. With Brownridge, with his introduction of fine art into the picture book, he opens the door to talk about painting, about art, about color and texture and light and shadow and style and theme and feelings and fears and awe and wonder.

Take a step.