By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
We all nurture fond childhood memories of days that were entirely ours. No schedules to follow, no extracurriculars to hurry to after school, no homework to complete, nothing pressing to do. Just free, unburdened days where our parents stepped out of the picture and allowed us to play and roam and invent as our instincts carried us. If those memories took place outside, even better, as fresh air is often the glue that fastens these memories in place in our minds, making them last long into adulthood. Evoking this blissful state of nostalgia is exactly what local children’s literature author Lana Button sets out to do in her fifteenth published work, The First Ones on the Ice, set to be released on November 5, 2024, by Nimbus Publishing.
Illustrated by Halifax-based artist Alex MacAskill, with whom Lana Button has enjoyed a happy and productive creative association, the story follows a pair of athletic siblings, a brother and sister, who on a winter’s day want nothing more than ice thick enough to skate on. They get their wish. This is Canada, and when it comes to snow days, Canada always delivers. They and the rest of the neighbourhood children are granted the liberty to skate as long as their legs can hold them up. Button, through her storytelling, relays to her audience exactly how such a day played out in her childhood in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. She speaks out about her work now:
What inspired you to write the story of “The First Ones on the Ice”?
The Last Ones on the Ice was inspired by my childhood when I was about the same age. My brother and I used to shovel off the ice behind my house, and it was the best spot in town to skate. I felt incredibly lucky that we lived closest to the ice. We took great pride in shovelling it off. The magic for me was the moment in the morning when it was just my brother and I, and us often not talking, just kind of working together to get all this cleared off. As the morning progressed, the kids would start coming. We would all skate on the ice and then later in the afternoon, that’s when the teenagers would come with their hockey nets.
When we just couldn’t stand it anymore, because we were just too cold and hungry, we’d go home. But my brother and I were the luckiest, because sometimes when it was dark, my dad would lace my skates back up and my brother and I would go back out and we would really be the last ones on the ice.
Is your objective in writing this book to encourage children to spend more times outdoors this winter?
It is my intention to remind kids to find the magic of being outside. It’s not a chore. I think this story is really reminiscent of the 70s when we were able to spend a lot of time without a lot of grownups around. It’s that magic moment of being outside and having free choice. We came up with our own games and we played for hours. It’s that innocent magic moment of a child being in charge of how the game is going and enjoying unstructured play. It’s not skating lessons. It’s not a play date. It’s coming together and calling the shots. I hope that it encourages children to find the magic and adults to remember how precious that is. To give kids that space and that time to figure out the game on their own.
In what ways will this book appeal to children who aren’t necessarily interested in winter sports?
I hope that the magic of play and the magic of time will come through, whether they’re outside or indoors. I love being outside on the ice. I wasn’t the biggest fan of tobogganing. I didn’t like that feeling of going down a hill, so I can appreciate that not everything is something that’s going to appeal to children. But if they’re also at home, it’s like I tell my own kids, go downstairs in the playroom and figure it out. There is time for that unstructured play, and finding your own fun.
When you write a children’s book, do you keep in mind your adult audience as well, especially the parents who are reading with their children?
Yes. This is my fifteenth picture book. My books always have two audiences. The young audience relies on the adults to tell the story for them. When I write a book, it’s intended to sound great reading aloud. I love the fact that it’s often shared. It’s shared with a child in your lap or it’s shared with a group of children in front of you. The adult, I hope, will get as much out of the story as the child. I want the adult to enjoy the story, and connect with the story. Part of my job is to make the read-aloud experience great for the adult and the child. I create this bonding experience, which is fantastic.
Will you be discussing this book at your upcoming event at the Burlington Public Library during BurlLITFest?
I’m very excited to be working with a panel of incredibly talented creators in Burlington. The world of children’s book literature is booming in Burlington, and we will all be talking about creating picture books. A Different Drummer Books will be there and I’ll be there, selling and signing copies.
Lana Button is set to make an appearance at this year’s BurLITFest on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at the Burlington Library Central Branch. She is one of the four children’s book authors participating in the “Steps to Publishing a Picture Book” panel, and will speak alongside authors Jennifer Faria, Jennifer Maruno, and Anitha Rao-Robinson.
The First Ones of the Ice and any other of Button’s books can be purchased or pre-ordered directly from her website. Amazon and Indigo also offer her work, and if you live in Burlington, you can pop into A Different Drummer Books (located on 513 Locust Street) to purchase a copy. The price of a single copy is $24.95 plus tax.
