06/11/2026
More than three decades after A Prairie Alphabet first introduced readers to life on the Canadian Prairies, author Joanne Bannatyne-Cugnet and illustrator Yvette Moore reunited on June 6 to celebrate the legacy of a book that continues to resonate with generations of readers.
The book signing, held at the Yvette Moore Gallery, celebrated the recent reprinting of the beloved Saskatchewan children's classic that was first published in 1992. Readers stopped in to purchase copies, have books signed, and share fond memories from their childhood.
The publisher increased the initial print run to 5,000 copies, but demand quickly exceeded expectations.
What followed was a publishing success few could have predicted. According to Bannatyne-Cugnet, the book has sold well over 300,000 copies since its release.
The idea grew out of her own experience after moving from Estevan to a farm. As her children asked questions about the world around them, she developed the alphabet-based format as a way to organize and explain prairie life. The format later formed the foundation of her follow-up books, A Prairie Year and Heartland: A Prairie Sampler, and inspired similar alphabet books exploring other regions of Canada.
While Bannatyne-Cugnet supplied the words, she credits Moore’s artwork with transforming the concept into something far greater. Bannatyne-Cugnet said the project succeeded because the writing and illustrations worked hand in hand, with Moore’s detailed paintings bringing the people, places, and landscapes of the Prairies vividly to life.
The partnership nearly never happened. After several prairie publishers passed on the manuscript, Montreal-based Tundra Books agreed to publish it and asked Bannatyne-Cugnet to find an artist who understood the Prairies. Moore submitted her work alongside several other candidates and was ultimately selected, beginning a collaboration that would help turn A Prairie Alphabet into a Canadian classic.
The collaboration quickly became a shared labour of love. Both women were raising four children at the time and worked closely to ensure every illustration accurately reflected prairie life. Bannatyne-Cugnet often gathered reference materials, photographs, and even physical objects like her son’s cowboy boots that Moore used while creating the paintings.
Moore’s attention to detail became one of the book’s defining features. Readers searched each illustration for dozens of hidden objects tied to the featured letter, while many recognized familiar buildings and landscapes. In one memorable example, Bannatyne-Cugnet recalled a reader correctly identifying a barn in a painting as one located near Radville.
Today, much of the enthusiasm comes from adults who grew up reading the book themselves. Bannatyne-Cugnet said that renewed interest helped prompt the latest printing, with many visitors sharing childhood memories of the book while others arrived to replace copies that had been lost, damaged, or worn out over the years.
Signed copies of A Prairie Alphabet remain available for purchase at the Yvette Moore Gallery, located at 76 Fairford Street West.
