Very Last First Time: Diamonds from the Tundra

Jan Andrews (auth)
Ian Wallace (ill)
Groundwood Books /
Douglas & McIntyre
1985
32 pp


Ever wonder what it would be like to walk under the ocean? Without scuba gear? Open the pages to this book and let Jan Andrews and Ian Wallace take you there. "Very Last First Time" is a story about coming of age, set against one of the coolest backdrops I have come across. It tells the story of Eva and her adventure under the ocean. She is an Inuit girl. living in a small village on Ungava Bay in northern Canada. Each winter the ocean freezes. When it does, Eva and her mother wait for the tide to roll out, so they can crack a hole in the ice and crawl underneath. While the tide is low, they collect mussels from the ocean bed. (Do they offer adventures like this for tourists?) Andrew follows Eva as she embarks on her first expedition under the ice, alone. When the light on Eva's candle is extinguished, she must be brave and remain calm in order to find her way back to the hole in the ice. As the tide rises, so do the stakes. However, Eva is able to find her way out, just in the nick of time.

The setting may be exotic, but the story speaks to everyone. We have all had those first experiences that required our bravery. Andrews has written a story that will transport the reader to another world, while reminding them of their own triumphs. We have all been left home alone, driven a car, or ridden a horse, for the first time, at some point in our lives. Using a unique setting lends added depth. By taking us away from the familiar, Andrews is able to evoke those first time feelings, for us again. You will find yourself biting your nails, even though you know it is a children's book and no publisher in their right mind would have touched it if anything bad were to happen to Eva. First experiences are like that. Even though we know they are rites of passage that many before us have already been through, we are often consumed with anxiety.

The illustrations are beautiful, and require mention. At times it seems as though pointilism has collided with the Group of Seven in a burst of vibrant primary colours. Wallace has clearly met the challenge of demonstrating such a strange setting, while creating art.

This story is sure to conjure both nostalgia and wonder. This is one that will intrigue the imaginations of children young and old. My 4 1/2 year-old inspiration had her father read it to her, until they both knew it by heart. (As I have now maxed out my renewals with the library, I will have to buy her a copy.) I am willing to bet, you will have thought of a few stories to share with your children, by the time you are finished this book. I would also like to point out that it would make a nice present for any child about to enter a new stage of growing up, such as a first day of school.