• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse.

When the Francis family arrives in big, bustling New York City, Mayann visits with relatives, goes to the zoo, and rides the subway. She even receives a beautiful black doll, something she has never seen before. But one subway ride, she loses her beautiful purse. At first she's heartbroken, but she just might learn a lesson that makes the whole trip worthwhile.

Mayann Francis was the 31^st lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia and the first Black person to hold that position. She was raised in Whitney Pier, Nova Scotia, and was educated in Canada and the United States. She was CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and held other senior positions in Ontario and her home province before her appointment. She lives in Halifax with her cat, Noah. She is also the author of Mayann’s Train Ride.

Mayann Francis' profile page

Tamara Thiebaux Heikalo immigrated to Nova Scotia from the United States when she was twelve years old and has been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil. She has illustrated numerous children's books in including Mayann's Train Ride and Driftwood Dragons and Other Seaside Poems which were both shortlisted for the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. Most of the time she uses watercolour, with either pencil or ink in her illustrations. Some of her work is featured on her website at www.tamaraheikalo.wixsite.com/artist. Currently, she lives in rural Quebec with her husband, Daniel Heikalo.

Tamara Thiébaux Heikalo's profile page

Suzanne Bernard's profile page