Tsawwassen's Heather Pattullo loved learning about Canada in school and has travelled far and wide across the country.
"My to-do list is Nunavut and the Yukon," she says, noting she's visited each of the provinces well as the Northwest Territories. She's passionate enough about her country to have written a book that celebrates it, Positively Canadian: Fun Guide to Canadian Language, Culture and History.
Pattullo, who was born in Quebec and grew up in Moncton, recalls her father, who was a salesman for heavy duty machinery for mills, taking her on his work trips around the Maritimes while she was in grade school. Those trips included taking a ferry to Prince Edward Island and visiting the house of Anne of Green Gables, she remembers, noting she'd spend all her summers in Nova Scotia.
She later worked in Montreal and eventually moved to B.C. in the early 1970s.
She describes Positively Canadian as a book to encourage readers to learn about and love Canada a little bit more. The book includes colour photos and fun facts and covers unique tidbits about Canada as a whole. Each chapter highlights the unique flavour of a province or territory. She spent close to four years researching for the book and learned many interesting facts along the way.
The First - time author says she made an effort to include cross-section of topics that people would be interested in.
"You don't have to read it from cover to cover. You can just pick it up and read anywhere," she says.
She says she's included anecdotal comments in the book as a way to be conversational rather than just didactic.
Response to her book has been positive, says Pattullo, who's done signings in both Ladner and Tsawwassen.
She has a healthcare background, including working as a faculty member with the University of Victoria's school of nursing, and retired in 2008.
Pattullo will be at the Ladner Pioneer Library for a book signing event on Saturday, July 15 from 2 to 3 p.m. as well as the George Mackie Library on Saturday, July 8 from 2 to 3 p.m. For more on the book, visit positivelycanadian.net.
