Sitting so close to the United States, and with influences from France, Great Britain, Asia, and Europe, building styles in Canada are familiar but different, eclectic, and unique. Bonnie Shemie, who studied the houses of North America’s native peoples, has created a beautiful and informative volume that defines this country’s history and geography through its buildings.

Among the styles that dot the landscape are Quebec’s maison Canadienne based on France’s peasant cottages, brightly painted homes of the Atlantic seaports, the sod houses, prefabricated buildings and false fronts that dominated the prairies, popular Ontario farm house design, Montreal’s famed duplexes with exterior staircases, and uniquely Canadian chateau-style hotels. Building Canada also looks at the importance of modern building materials, restoration efforts, and city planning. Complete with timeline and glossary.

Bonnie Shemie's profile page

Bonnie Shemie is a graphic artist, author, and illustrator. She is the author of Houses of China, and the Native Dwelling series, six award-winning, non-fiction picture books depicting the dwellings of native peoples across North America. Bonnie Shemie lives in Montreal.

“High visual appeal and equally high information quotient. Shemie’s paintings of Canada’s rich and very diverse architectural profile are nothing short of exquisite.”
–The Globe and Mail

“Building Canada is an interesting and informative volume which not only teaches the reader about architecture, but also tells wonderful stories of Canada and the wide variety of people who settled here.”
–Resource Links

“Building Canada is a fascinating introduction to architecture and the forces that influence it…[It] demonstrates, as a book about architecture should, a flair for decoration and design, and a commitment to quality.”
–Quill & Quire

“Bonnie Shemie’s beautifully illustrated Building Canada invites children to discover the architecture that surrounds them and that is as much a part of their heritage as the Maple Leaf…a useful reference as well as a treasure to explore.”
–Kitchener-Waterloo Record
“…a marvelous resource for young Canadian historians with this colourful picture book…handsome, kid-friendly…a welcome new resource.”
–Rockcliffe Reviews