Where else but Canada would you find a town that turns its main street into a giant tubing run? Or witness a Mission Impossible-style heist where a thief drops down through the ceiling and makes off with over $120,000 worth of hockey sticks? Not to mention the slippery — or was that sticky? — bandits who stole 20,000 litres of maple syrup . . . And where else would you find an aircraft carrier made out of blocks of ice, a man building a miniature version of the entire country, or a moose giving you a carwash?

It all makes perfect sense, really. Living in Canada means responding uniquely to a unique environment. And it’s our — sometimes highly questionable — ideas that makes us who we are. In an engaging, hilarious and always fascinating exploration of geography, history, wildlife, science, culture, food, art . . . and giant roadside attractions — this is our nation at its most jaw-droppingly unusual and innovative.

Though we can poke fun at ourselves, readers will walk away with a sense that there is so much to celebrate about what it means to be Canadian.