There are lots of great books for young readers about the world’s archaeological wonders. But as the Saskatchewan-based writer Rebecca L. Grambo shows in Digging Canadian History, young Canadians can also visit a superb selection of archaeological wonders close to home.

Grambo, author of the 2004 Science in Society Children’s Award-winner, Lupé: A Wolf Pup’s First Year, uses a coast-to-coast approach, visiting every province and territory in search of fun and interesting facts about locations as diverse as a 19th-century Nova Scotia orange grove and the Yukon’s famous Dawson City gold rush site.

She takes the reader on a cross-country tour of a wide range of archaeological and historical spots, from the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland to the Skung Gwaii site on B.C.’s Queen Charlotte Islands, the only place in the world where you can see the remains of a traditional Northwest Coast native village. All of the sites Grambo visits are also depicted on an excellent map at the start of the book, and each is accompanied by descriptive photos and “Dig This!” fact boxes that add nicely to the main narrative.

Just a small note on the title: Although “digging” implies an archaeological focus, the book does, in fact, explore several historical locations – such as the wreck of the PS Lady Sherbrooke in Quebec, the fortress at Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, and Manitoba’s Prince of Wales Fort – that are not, strictly speaking, archaeological sites. But that’s a small matter, since Grambo provides a lively and insightful tour of each spot, whether above or below ground.

Digging Canadian History will be a hit with any young reader interested in our country’s past or, more broadly, the twin fields of archaeology and anthropology. It will hold the interest of any young non-fiction fan with its winning combination of lively prose and clear, complementary graphics.