Title: Boy of the Deeps
Author: Ian Wallace
Illustrator: Ian Wallace
Publish Date: 1999
Publisher: Groundwood Books/Douglas & McIntyre
Pages: 29
ISBN: 0-88899-356-0
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Annotation: It is the first day of work in the deeps for James. But, the deeps are dangerous and James has to act fast when disaster strikes.
Summary: Ian Wallace's grandfather worked in the mines in Europe when he was a boy. Starting work at a young age was common and his stories are Wallace's inspiration for Boy of the Deeps. Wallace worked closely with Cape Breton a Canadian mining museum (which he explains in his notes in the beginning of the picture book) to bring this story to life. It's beautifully illustrated and testimony to the miner's work and the dangers in the the deeps (which even now is still causing headline's in the news). It also shows what life was like from the young boys perspective. I think this book is done really well and is so rich in it's story that just the few pages here could be easily expanded into a film. Somebody should do this!
Ian Wallace's Website: http://www.ian-wallace.com/
Boy of the Deeps on Ian Wallace's Webpage: http://www.ian-wallace.com/gallery_theboy.html
Book Trailer for Boy of the Deeps, made by me:
