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CM . . .
. Volume VIII Number 18 . . . . May 10, 2002
Ten-year old Josh has been in the Yukon
only a week when his new friend Gabe, teller of wild stories, stops
him cold in his tracks in front of a small cabin.
"The
old guy living there is Trapper Jack. He's only got nine toes. The tenth,
his left big one, is inside an empty tobacco tin behind the bar at the
Sourdough Saloon."
"Get
off."
"Gabe
thumped me on the arm. "My Mom's seen it."
"No
way!"
Josh is hooked by the tall toe-tale and
is driven to find out whether his friend is "yanking his toes" or whether
he is telling the truth. They visit Trapper Jack, and, sure enough,
they are treated to the sight of a big-toe-less left foot. When Josh
asks if they can see the toe in the tobacco tin, the old trapper says,
"Cain't do that...I'm thinking you ain't got the stomach for an amputated
toe. I'm thinking your bellies are as soft and yellow as these egg yolks."
To prove Trapper Jack wrong about their
bellies, the boys meet at him at the saloon, primed for a look at the
tinned toe. Alas, fate intervenes in the form of a three-legged dog,
and a wild raven chase ensues. There is a delightful twist at the end
of the story which will set readers chuckling; however there is also
a puzzling twist within that twist, which may have been intentional,
but seems to be a genuine mistake by the artist or his editors. When
Trapper John strips off boot and sock to show the boys his amazing right
foot, it is his LEFT foot which appears at the end of his right leg.
Such an error in a book of this caliber is surprising.
Wallace's wonderfully detailed paintings
of the Yukon landscape will chill the reader's bones. His authentic
depiction of buildings, trees, snow and sky sprinkled with the ubiquitous
ravens combine with a strong and salty prose style to make this unusual
picture book a good choice for the elementary school library's Canadiana
collection.
Recommended. A retired
teacher-librarian, Valerie Nielsen lives in Winnipeg, MB.
To comment on this
title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal
use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other
reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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According
to award-winning author-illustrator Ian Wallace, at the Sourdough Saloon
in Dawson City, one can order a drink called a Sour-toe cocktail which
contains a real human toe. A newspaper story about the disappearance of
the famous mummified toe supposedly provided inspiration for Wallace's
tale entitled The True Story of Trapper John's Left Big Toe.