wide-mouthed blog

I want my hat back

2011-11-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

This is perhaps the best picture book I've seen all year. And I don't say that lightly - a LOT of picture books come across my desk. But occasionally there's a gem that reminds me why I love children's literature so much.The plot is deceptively simple - Bear is looking for his little red pointy hat and talks to many animals in his search - but the text is masterful, pitch-perfect, and laugh out

The Red Tree

2011-06-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Tan, Shaun. The Red Tree. Vancouver, BC: Simply Read Books.Thought about this book again recently when buying a present for a friend of mine who was graduating from her program in counseling psychology.I don't say this often but I'll say it now: This man is a genius. I couldn't have been happier when I found out earlier this year that he'd won the Astrid Lindgren Prize (see the article in the

Patrick Ness wins the Carnegie

2011-06-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Fresh from The Guardian's section on childeren's books: Patrick Ness accepts Carnegie medal with fierce defence of libraries. He wins for Monsters of Men (Walker Books, 2010), the third in his dystopian Chaos Walking series, all of which have been nominated for the Carnegie. No small feat. I love everything about the title of this article. Oh, except the part about the libraries in the UK getting

Press Here!

2011-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

In France, Herve Tullet is know as the King of Preschool. Press Here (Chronicle Books, 2011) is his latest picture book - and what a hoot! At first the series of coloured circles and written instructions (press the yellow dot, shake the book, clap twice, etc.), might not seem like much, but add kids to the mix and watch the magic happen. I could keep describing, but wouldn't you rather watch kids

Book reviews for the Early Childhood Educator

2011-06-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

My latest book review column is out in the Early Childhood Educator journal. Unfortunately current content for the journal isn't available online, but you now see older articles including one of my earlier book review columns called: Let Children Take the Lead with Wordless Books.This month's theme is Aboriginal childcare, and my column features some of my favorite Aboriginal pictures books

Technology, ethics, and some damn good reads

2011-01-16T08:53:00.001-08:00

A friend asked me recently to suggest a book for a high school class - something off the beaten curriculum, something with teeth-sink-into-able issues, something with the appeal of The Hunger Games that hadn't been read out yet and, most importantly, something NOT ANCIENT (but maybe available in paperback).Immediately, my mind jumped to Little Brother. I really do not understand why this book is

Mockingjay

2010-09-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

When I got a concussion last year, I was advised not to try to read for a while. The problem was, I was 50 pages from the end of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games. Seriously, folks, just try not finishing that one. So I'd read for 10 minutes (my max) and then lie in the dark for half an hour waiting for my brain to recover and then read again for ten minutes. And if I read for more than 10 minutes

Just when you need some rocket-powered unicorns to make it through the day...

2009-11-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

An Awesome Book by Dallas ClaytonAnd it really is! This self-published gem came to my attention last year at the BCLA conference, courtesy of a fellow children's librarian. The story is all about dreaming big, and it's perfectly lovely, but the illustrations are what blow the roof off my popsicle stand.The spread of pink rocket-powered unicorns (variously wearing basketball jerseys, scuba gear,

Another great audiobook

2009-10-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, read by Stefan Rudnicki and a full castNot surprisingly, when I look up the reviews for the next great audiobook I listened to, it's also an AudioFile Earphones award winner. Check out the review here, and listen to a short clip.Ender's game is the story of Andrew ("Ender") Wiggins, a child genius who is recruited by the military at age five to fight in the

hooray for audiobooks!

2009-10-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've recently been recovering from a concussion. I don't suggest it, really. Especially if you're also daylighting as a librarian. But while I've been unable to read any books over about 15 pages recently, I've been listening to audiobooks. Thank you universe for audiobooks. Without which I might seriously have lost it.I'll try to share a few of my favourites. To begin:The Absolutely

A Kick in the Head

2009-02-14T15:44:00.001-08:00

Janeczko, Paul. A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Illus. by Chris Raschka. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2005.I just got a new job and a lovely co-worker just surprised me with this beautiful book as a going away (though not very far – I’ll just be at a different branch) kind of present. Wow. It’s simply stunning. The book covers 29 different forms of poetry, with examples and

Graceling

2009-02-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

Cashore, Kristin. Graceling. Orlando, FL : Harcourt, 2008. I’m assembling a mental list for my adult friends who have read all of Tamora Pierce’s teen fantasy novels, and are looking for other great books to turn when they want to spend an indulgent winter day in that comfortable chair by the window entranced by another world.Most of these stories feature a fiercely strong female lead in a

Penguin and the Cupcake

2009-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

Penguins and cupcakes - could there be a more charming combination?Read my review in the latest edition of CM Magazine...

Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile

2008-09-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Pay, Won-Ldy and Margaret Lippert. Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile. Illus. by Julie Paschkis. Henry Holt and Co., 2003.When vain Mrs. Chicken strays a little too close to the river while trying to look at her reflection, she gets snapped up by a hungry crocodile. Held captive on an island in the river, she uses her wits to convince the crocodile that they are sisters. And sisters don't eat

Time Twister

2008-09-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

My review for Frank Asch's Time Twister, the latest in his Journals of a Cardboard Genius series, is up at CM Magazine. A humorous, quirky, action-packed, time-travelling science fiction adventure with great read-aloud potential. Check it out...

A new review at CM

2008-06-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. Really! I've just been laying low as I started an excellent new job as a children's librarian. I hope to resurface soon.My latest review is up at CM Magazine for Colors! ¡Colores! It's a quiet but truly beautiful bilingual picture book that reads like poetry - in a good way. And that's something I

Smash! Crash!

2008-03-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Scieszka, Jon. Smash!Crash! Illus. by David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon. Simon & Schuster, 2008.I've been stashing this book in the bottom of my storytime box with the same way one might hide a stash of tiny bills in their shoe during a serious game of monopoly. And yesterday, on an antsy rainy day, when over half of the kids brought their pet trucks to storytime, I knew its time had

Shortcomings

2008-03-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Tomin, Adrian. Shortcomings. London: Faber and Faber, 2007. [Published in Canada and the US by Drawn & Quarterly, 2007.]Hey. Adult reading treat alert. And by “adult” I don’t mean that it’s too graphic or sexual for teens, but that the grad school humour probably just isn’t all that funny if you’re seventeen. It’s the first graphic novel I’ve read by Adrian Tomine, but I’ll probably look for more

Another book from the Serendipity Conference...

2008-03-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

Einarson, Earl. The Moccasins. Illus. by Julie Flett. Theytus Books Ltd., 2005.There is no lack of picture books about unconditional love (Mama Do You Love Me? and Love you Forever jump to mind) but, done well, it isn't something I get tired of seeing. How often, though, do we get stories of unconditional love set in a foster family? Luckily this is not only a book the world needs, it is also a

This one's for you Mom....

2008-03-05T19:42:00.001-08:00

With Passover on the horizon, our thoughts naturally turn to gefilte fish. And how, you may ask, do we introduce children to this profound and central icon of our cultural identity? Look no further...Thanks to MotherReader for introducing me to this book as part of the 2008 Weird-Ass Picture Book Awards.Horowitz, Dave. Five Little Gefiltes. Putnam, 2007.

I Miss You Every Day

2008-02-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

Taback, Simms. I Miss You Every Day. New York: Viking, 2007.When the sun is shining bright / or when it's wet and gray / I think about you all the time / I miss you every day.From the creator of the Caldecott-winning Joseph had a Little Overcoat, comes a story for anyone who has ever missed someone so much that they dreamed of making themselves into a human pretzel and stowing away in a friend’s

Naming the Baby: The Best of the Claremont Review

2008-02-28T23:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't even seen the book yet and I'm excited about it! This anthology features the best of young adult (13-19) writing published in the Clarement Review over the past 16 years. Check the CM Magazine review for a more complete description. A fabulous resource for inspiring young writers with the work of other people their age.If you don't know The Claremont Review, do yourself a favour and

Shi-shi-etko

2008-02-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

Campbell, Nicola. Shi-shi-etko. Illus. Kim LaFave. Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2005."One, two, three, four mornings left until I go to school." So begins the story of Shi-shi-etko, a young aboriginal girl who is soon to be taken from her family and sent to a residential school. In her last four days with her family, Shi-shi-etko gathers together memories of her home to hold with her until she can

Serendipity Children's Lit Conference

2008-02-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

"Our people will sleep for a hundred years and when they awaken it will be the artists that give them back their spirit." - Louis RielAs a person with a profound belief in the power of story, I love the way these words shine a light on the importance of art and story as acts of creation, survival, healing, connection and delight. And what better place to hear them than smack in the middle of a

Persepolis - the movie!

2008-02-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

If you loved Marjane Satrapi's two autobiograhical graphic novels about growing up in Iran during the time of the Islamic Revolution, you won't be disappointed by this movie. It's been a long time since I saw a movie that so faithfully brought a book to life, while going beyond the original to add new bits of brilliance. It was so fabulously good that it seemed almost as if Satrapi herself helped

Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir

2007-12-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Roumieu, Graham. Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir. Toronto: Plume, 2005."Listen, I tired of tabloid distorting things about Bigfoot. Those jackal have try for years to devour me and slander good name. I write this to set record straight once and for all. Maybe also for cathartic value. For money too. So if you like hear about Bigfoot from Bigfoot this Bigfoot book for you. Come share the crying,

Blankets

2007-12-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Marietta, Georgia: Top Shelf Productions, 2003.Drawing on his own experience, Craig Thompson gives us the story of a teenager navigating his own relationship with faith in a rigidly fundamental Christian family, the push-and-pull of brothers growing up together, and, most poignantly, the all-encompassing arc of first love.This graphic novel is one of the most beautiful

Lesser Blessed

2007-12-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

Van Camp, Richard. The Lesser Blessed. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1996.This is not a review, it is simply a recommendation. This novel knocked me on my ass and you should probably go read it. Please go read a review (maybe this review), as I'm probably not going to write one. This is a big big story stuffed into a short 119 pages. It is also stunning and hard and very funny and beautiful and

Celebrating a banned book...

2007-11-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Harris, Robie. It’s So Amazing. Illus. Michael Emberely. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1999.One of the sex education books in Robie Harris's popular and frequently challenged collection, It's So Amazing provides in-depth kid-oriented information about sex, sexuality, birth, bodies, babies, HIV, and related topics for children 5-9. Perfect for parents and kids to read together.Though the

New CM Review: That Stripy Cat

2007-10-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

My new review of That Stripy Cat is up at CM Magazine, an online journal that reviews Canadian children's books and materials.It's an appealing book - with energetic illustrations, an irresistible feline hero, interesting subject matter, and good read-aloud potential - but something about the way the text and illustrations are put together doesn't quite work for me. Find out more...

Peeps

2007-10-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Westerfeld, Scott. Peeps. New York: Penguin, 2005.It's lovely to have librarian friends. I adore that on my lunch break I can ask my coworker what to read, and she'll dip into the teen stacks and come out carrying whatever it is "everyone" is talking about. In this case, everyone is talking about Peeps, the recent vampire novel by Scott Westerfeld, author of the also popular book So Yesterday.

Persepolis!

2007-06-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The story of a childhood. New York: Pantheon, 2003. Satrapi, Marjane. A break from classes has done wonders for my reading life... After hearing only high praise for this graphic novel for years, I finally had the opportunity to read it and I was not disappointed.With equal attention to the big-picture of political landscape and the intimate details of personal

What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses?

2007-06-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

Van Camp, Richard. What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses? Illus. George Littlechild. Children's Book Press, 2003.My new favourite picture book of the week! (I'd heard about it but hadn't read it until I was putting together a display of Canadian authors for National Aboriginal Day.)On a cold cold day in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Richard Van Camp (I would say narrator but

The Amber Spyglass

2007-04-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

I've just, at long last, finished reading The Amber Spyglass, the final book in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. I refused to read it until I had some time off because I wanted to sink right in and live in the book for a while without having somewhere else I needed to be. It's hard to believe the series gets better and more complex as it goes on, but it does. I am too stunned to

Meet my daemon...

2007-04-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

I had to ask myself if this was for real

2007-04-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Ghouls Gone Wild? This made me laugh out loud at the library. This is officially my favourite title for a kids' book. In a very unprofessional kind of way. As this recent installation in the Mostly Ghostly series for young kids by massively popular (and prolific) author R.L. Stine made its way through the publishing process, I can't help wondering whether everyone along the way understood the

Another CM review

2007-04-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

My review of The Royal Woods by Matt Duggan is up on CM: Canadian Review of Materials. I liked some of the messages in this story (and the explicitly Canadian setting) but wasn't wild about the book overall. Find out why...

Indigo's Star

2007-03-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

McKay, Hilary. Indigo's Star. London, Hodder Children's Books, 2003.McKay, Hilary. Permanent Rose. London, Hodder Children's Books, 2005.An absent father, school bullying, shoplifting, physical disabilities, a mother who keeps keeps forgetting to shop for food and often sleeps in the garden shed, shocking news about an unknown father, a hospitalized younger sister - the makings of a serious,

Dear Canada: Brothers Far From Home

2007-03-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

I decided it was finally time for me to bite the bullet and read one of the Dear Canada books that are so popular with a particular set of girls these days. I can tell you I wasn't looking forward to it. Not only did the intensity of the series marketing make me a little ill, but the form itself (diary entries with lots of "dear reader" direct addresses) isn't, and never was, a favourite of mine

The Crazy Man

2007-03-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Porter, Pamela. The Crazy Man. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2005.Farming in southern Saskatchewan has never been easy, but things go from bad to worse when a gruesome farming accident leaves twelve-year old Emaline Bitterman with a permanently injured leg, a dead dog, and a father who isn’t coming home. Unable to seed this year’s crop on her own, Emaline’s mother makes arrangements a man from

The Invisible Child

2007-03-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Paterson, Katherine. "In Search of Wonder." In The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2001."I fed upon wonder as a child, and when I'm deprived of it, my inner life feels as sterile as a barren landscape and my outer life feels as bombarded with junk as a suburban mall."Katherine Paterson's opening chapter is taken from a lecture on

The Thief Lord

2007-03-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Funke, Cornelia. The Thief Lord. The Chicken House, 2003.Will I get kicked out of the club if I admit that I was not reading under the covers to finish this highly-acclaimed fantasy book by German kids' lit rockstar Cornelia Funke?Let me backtrack to say that this is undoubtedly a fantastic, well-written and clearly well-loved book. And that I did enjoy it and will certainly recommend it highly.

Only Connect: Readings on Children's Literature

2007-03-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Egoff, Sheila, Gordon Stubbs, Ralph Ashley, and Wendy Sutton. Only Connect: Readings on Children's Literature. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996.I spent some time with the Fantasy Section (Part III) of this recent Canadian classic, enjoying some different but complementary points of view on the topic from some of the best in Children's fantasy writing.As a writer, Jane Yolen underscores the

New CM review

2007-03-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

My latest review for CM is up. Check it out...Closet inventor? Lover of cardboard? Looking for a primary school read-aloud? Gravity Buster: Journal #2 of a Cardboard Genius might be for you.

His Dark Materials

2007-03-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. New York: Random House, 1996.Why has it taken me so long to read Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy? This is fantasy at its best, the rare kind of writing that comes recommended with equal zeal from Blake scholars, adults looking for a good read, and children. This is un-put-downable, thought-provoking, beautiful writing (yes - you can have all three!).In

The People Could Fly

2007-03-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly. Illus. Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Knopf, 2004.Recommended by a classmate who remembered the original story from a collection of the same name, this stand-alone illustrated version of The People Could Fly is truly an extraordinary picture book. A powerful re-telling of a mythic tale set in the days of slavery, this story begins in Africa with people

The Friends

2007-03-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Yumoto, Kazumi. The Friends. Translated by Cathy Hirano. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996. [Originally published in Japanese in 1992].When Yamashita goes to his grandmother's funeral, he is the first of the three friends to see a dead body and the event ignites a strange fascination with death for the group of friends. Following the inimitable logic of twelve-year old boys, the three

What-If Sara

2007-02-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

Tregebov, Thea. What-If Sara. Illus. Leanne Franson. Toronto: Second Story Press, 1999.Sara tries to be helpful, first with her mother's baking and then with her father's tailoring, but she can't seem to help her active imagination and busy fingers from running away on her. Only when things start to go wrong does she have the chance to prove she can rise to the challenge and help out her family.

Mrs. Katz and Tush

2007-02-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Polacco, Patricia. Mrs. Katz and Tush. New York: Bantam, 1992.Larnel doesn't know much about his neighbour, Mrs. Katz, except that she's lonely. But when Larnel brings her a stray kitten from the basement of their building, the cat becomes a catalyst for an unlikely friendship between the young African-American boy and the older Jewish woman. After a crisis involving a runaway cat, Mrs. Katz

A man called Raven

2007-02-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

Van Camp, Richard. A man called Raven. Illus. George Littlechild. San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 1997.When two boys mistreat a raven, a strange man they've never seen before appears to tell them a story about a man in another time and place. This man also mistreats ravens and as a consequence he is turned into raven, and unable to return to his community of people. Slowly he changes and

Coyote's new suit

2007-02-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

King, Thomas. Coyote's new suit. Illus. Johnny Wales. Toronto: Key Porter Kids, 2004. When Coyote boasts about his beautiful suit, Raven can't resist teasing him and using Coyote's vanity to wreak havoc in the forest. Soon Coyote's quest for the ultimate suit leaves many of his fellow creatures without fur and forces them to the edge of town where humans hang out their discarded clothes on lines

The Wonder in Water

2007-02-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

Swanson, Diane. The Wonder in Water. Toronto: Annick Press, 2005.This book focuses on water in many of its different forms, providing some basic facts about the important role it plays both in human life and in the surrounding environment, and then exploring some of the more extraordinary facts and phenomena related to water. Because the subject is broken into discrete topics (like sweat, puddles

Transformed: How everyday things are made

2007-02-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Slavin, Bill. Transformed: How everyday things are made. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2005Award-winning picture-book illustrator Bill Slavin has brought his considerable talents to bear on a well-chosen and engaging topic – the hidden manufacturing process by which familiar objects are created. This over-sized book has everything that makes the new generation of information books for kids both

Hemp Jewellery

2007-02-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Sadler, Judy Ann. Hemp Jewellery. Illus. June Bradford. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2005. [From the Kids Can Do It series].After a brief introduction to the materials and core techniques, this basic and somewhat formulaic how-to book presents several individual projects that can be made using hemp twine and beads. Each project begins with a list of required materials and a photo of a kid

Thieves: Ten stories of surprising heists, comical capers and daring escapades

2007-02-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

Schroeder, Andreas. Thieves: Ten stories of surprising heists, comical capers and daring escapades. Annick Press, 2005. From the theft of the Mona Lisa to the story of an 18th century French cleric who stole and ate 15 files per week to prevent innocent people from being executed, this book offers up gripping stories of real-lives thieves from the past 150 years. The stories are dramatized in

Roots and Wings

2007-02-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

York, Stacey. Roots and Wings: Affirming culture in early childhood programs. St. Paul, Minnesota: Redleaf Press, 2003.In the first few chapters of this book, York looks at the increasingly diverse nature of classrooms in North America and looks at the nature of prejudice and racism. She relates the different stages of the process of forming prejudices to the developmental tasks children

The Grammar of Fantasy

2007-02-14T17:04:00.001-08:00

Rodari, Gianni. The grammar of fantasy: An introduction to the art of inventing stories. New York: Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 1996. [Original published in Italian, 1976. Translated and with an introduction by Jack Zipes]."There is always one child who will ask a question and it will be exactly like this: "What do you have to do to invent a story?" This question deserves an honest answer.

Grandfather's Journey

2007-02-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

Say, Allan. Grandfather's Journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993.In spare but nuanced prose, Allan Say tells the story of his grandfather's journey from Japan to American where he settles in California, but eventually longs for his home country and returns, only to find that he then misses California. The watercolour illustrations have a purposefully static and posed quality to them, as

"I received Jesus into my heart when it was godzilla"

2007-02-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

I've already given away my favorite part of the NPR interview with Guillermo Del Toro, the director of Pan's Labyrinth, but I still think the rest is worth listening to. It's a discussion of the origins of the movie, the role of fantasy and fairy tales, their relationship to religion, and the idea of monsters. He talks about the movie as a parable of disobedience and choice, and explores the

Ruby's Wish

2007-02-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

Bridges, Shirin Yim. Ruby's Wish. Illus. Sophie Blackall. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2002.For a book with such a moving, true and important story behind it, Ruby's Wish certainly had ample opportunity to become a didactic, historical lesson-imparting artifact. And, even had it failed artistically, the story of the first women in China to go to university would certainly still have been interesting

Pan's Labyrinth

2007-02-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

I don't watch scary movies. Period. I got scared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I am aware that it's not a scary movie. So this movie was scary. I had my hood down over my face for much of it, but I couldn't ever fully look away. I'm not particularly suggesting it as a movie for kids or writing a review, so I won't bother with the plot or details (more info and a small taste of the soundtrack

The Day of Ahmed's Secret

2007-02-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

Parry, Florence. The Day of Ahmed's Secret. Illus. Ted Lewin. HarperTrophy, 1995.Ahmed has a secret, and he's bursting to tell everybody he meets on the streets and marketplaces of Cairo. But first he must finish his daily rounds as a butagaz boy, delivering butane gas by donkey cart all through the city. The suspense of the secret is maintained as the reader navigates through the gorgeous and

The Name Jar

2007-02-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Choi, Yangsook. The Name Jar. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2001.It's Unhei's first day of school in a new country. When noone can pronounce her Korean name properly, she decides to adopt an American name. Her classmates all contribute suggestions to the name jar on her desk and wait for her to choose one. But with the help of a name stamp given to Unhei by her grandmother, and the friendship of

Nadia's Hands

2007-02-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

English, Karen. Nadia's Hands. Illus. Jonathan Weiner. Honesday, Pennsylvania: Caroline House, 1999.Nadia is excited to be chosen as the flower girl for her Aunt Laila's wedding, but she worries about the Henna used to decorate her hands which will not wash off in time for school on Monday morning. The mehndi designs on her hands are an important part of a traditional Pakistani wedding, and they

Me and Mr. Mah

2007-02-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Spalding, Andrea. Me and Mr. Mah. Illus. Janet Wilson. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 1999.Following his parents separation, Ian leaves farm life behind and moves into the city with his mother. Their new moonscape of a yard doesn't look anything like the farm, and Ian misses his father intensely. But on the other side of the fence is a lush green world of sunflowers and Chinese vegetables

Cinderella

2007-02-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

McClintock, Barbara. Cinderella. New York: Scholastic, 2005.Barbara McClintock's re-telling of Cinderella has a very classic feel, both in the text (which is based on the 17th century French version by Charles Perrault) and in the illustrations. Using pen, ink and watercolour, Clintock has created finely detailed drawings overlaid with transparent colour in a style reminiscent of old

The Frog Prince, Continued

2007-02-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Scieszka, John. The Frog Prince, Continued. Illust. Steve Johnson. New York: Viking, 1991.Ever wonder what really happens after "happily ever after?" Because this is Jon Scieszka, you can guess this story isn't going to play by the book. For the princess and the transformed Frog Prince, the aftermath of ever-after isn't pretty: The prince's frog-like habits annoy the princess to no end, he

Joseph had a little overcoat

2007-02-07T10:46:00.001-08:00

Taback, Simms. Joseph had a little overcoat. New York: Viking, 1999. "Joseph had a little overcoat. It was old and worn. So he made a jacket out of it and went to the fair..." So begins this re-telling of a story in an old Yiddish song, in which an overcoat becomes a jacket becomes a vest becomes a scarf, until eventually even the button is lost and Joseph truly has nothing. But when he makes a

Two of everything

2007-02-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hong, Lily Toy. Two of everything. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 1993.In this re-telling of a classic and humorous Chinese tale, Mr. Haktak digs up an unusual brass pot in his garden. When he brings the pot home to his wife, they discover it magically makes two of anything they put inside. Their plans for great riches are complicated when first Mrs. Haktak and then her husband fall

The Enormous Potato

2007-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Davis, Aubrey. The Enormous Potato. Illus. Dusan Petricic. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1997.The judiciously economic language used to re-tell this traditional story is perfectly balanced with the lush full-spread watercolour and pencil illustrations, and the two work together beautifully to tell this cumulative tale of a potato so big it takes an entire family, and assorted animals, to pull it out

The Horned Toad Prince

2007-02-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hopkins, Jackie Mims. The Horned Toad Prince. Atlanta, Georgia: Peachtree Publishers, 2000.When a spunky cow-girl loses her new sombrero down a well, a certain horned toad is more than happy to help her out - for a price. Set in the wild dusty prairie of the American southwest, this story features lasso-loving Reba Jo as the unlikely heroine of a revised Frog Prince tale. In keeping with the

Golden Goose

2007-02-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Reid, Barbara. Golden Goose. Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2000.This re-telling of the Golden Goose fairy tale preserves the magic of the original, while providing a more modern setting for the tale and adding a lovely tom-boyish twist to the princess. The narrative is strong and thoroughly enjoyable but, once again, the illustrations steal the show. Reid's plasticine renditions of the scenes

Knuffle Bunny

2007-02-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny. New York: Hyperion, 2004.Using bright cartoon drawings super-imposed over sepia-tone photographs of Brooklyn, Mo Willems tells the story of Trixie and her father's epic trip to the laundromat where beloved knuffle bunny is accidentally left behind. The contrast of the exuberent and very contemporary drawings with the static old-fashioned photographs makes for a

Dom DeLuise's Hansel & Gretel

2007-02-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

DeLuise, Dom. Dom DeLuise's Hansel & Gretel. Illus. Christopher Santoro. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.Before I tell you how much I disliked this book, allow me to digress for a moment: I know that part of the tradition of fairy and folk tales, of oral tradition in general, is the re-telling and re-shaping of stories over time. That change is part of vitality. That there are re-worked and

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

2007-02-04T23:26:00.000-08:00

Finch, Mary. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Illus. Roberta Arenson. New York: Barefoot Books, 2001.There is nothing fractured or post-modern about this re-telling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and that is part of what I love about this book. The narrative voice is straight-forward but strong, with just enough venacular ("And he picked up his hooves and kicked the troll into the middle of next

The Three Pigs

2007-01-30T13:41:00.001-08:00

Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion, 2001.What would happen if the big bad wolf huffed and puffed and accidentally blew the pig right out of the story? This fractured fairy tale follows the three little pigs as they escape right off the page and take charge of the story from outside. The illustrations are creative in their use of white space and multi-layered perspective in which

Officer Buckle and Gloria

2007-01-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

Rathman, Peggy. Officer Buckle and Gloria. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995.Officer Buckle knows more safety tips than anyone else in town, but no one ever listens to his speeches until Gloria the police dog arrives. When Officer Buckle isn't looking, Gloria acts out his tips with hilarious tricks and acrobatics. Soon the pair are famous on the school speech circuit. But Buckle isn't so happy

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

2007-01-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

Willems, Mo. Don't let the pigeon drive the bus. New York: Hyperion, 2003.[assignment: write a blurb]In this award-winning and hysterically interactive book, the bus driver has left YOU in charge of the bus while he's gone, and it's your job to keep the pesky pigeon from driving the bus. But pigeon is very insistant - will you be able to hold out? Using simple crayon-edged cartoons, Mo Willems

Mama's Lullaby: Lullabies Sung By Women Around the World

2007-01-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

Mama's Lullaby: Lullabies Sung By Women Around the World. Roslyn, NY: Ellipsis Arts, 2001. This CD collects traditional and contemporary lullabies in many languages from countries across the globe including Malta, Wales, Brazil, the Ukraine, Italy, the US, Zimbabwe, and Japan. The songs are by turns haunting, comforting and playful, but each is recognizable as a lullaby by its slower tempo and

Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Babies

2007-01-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

Beaton, Clair. Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Babies. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books, 2003.[assignment: write a blurb]Clair Beaton's intricate textile illustrations in felt, antique fabrics, buttons and embroidery form the backdrop for lyrics to traditional lullabies and bed-time poetry. Half way between a book and a finely crafted quilt, Mrs. Moon will delight parents and caregivers while providing an

Knock at the Door

2007-01-28T22:59:00.000-08:00

Chorao, Kay Sproat. Knock at the door: and other baby action rhymes. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1999.This book of baby action rhymes is perfect for parents and caregivers wanting to bond with infants. The illustrations are whimsical and sweet, but the most useful part will probably be the simply drawn diagrams alongside each line which clearly indicate how to bounce, tickle

Here Comes Mother Goose

2007-01-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

Opie, Iona (Ed.). Here comes Mother Goose. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1999.Edited by one of the foremost scholars of nursery rhymes, this beautifully illustrated collection celebrates an honoured tradition and re-introduces Mother Goose to a new generation of parents and families. Rosemary Wells' watercolour and ink paintings feature a host of endearing animal characters and children who

If You're Happy and You Know It

2007-01-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

Cabrera, Jane. If you're happy and you know it. New York: Holiday House, 2003.Based on one of the all-time favourite children's songs, this sing-along picture book features bright, bold playful paintings of animals with large faces and dark outlines that will appeal to infants and toddlers. Infants will enjoy listening to the song and hearing the animal noises; slightly older children will have

Stanley's Party

2007-01-28T21:58:00.000-08:00

Bailey, Linda. Stanley's Party. Illus. Bill Slavin. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003."Stanley knew he wasn't supposed to sit on the couch." But his people keep going out. One evening this normally well-behaved dog decides to find out just what lying on a couch is like, and he discovers just how comfortable life can be. A few more nights alone and he's learned to turn on the stereo and open the

Yuck, A Love Story

2007-01-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

Gillmor, Don. Yuck, A Love Story. Illus. Marie-Louise Gay. Toronto: Stoddart Kids, 2000.[assignment: write a blurb]When Amy moves in next door, Austin Grouper isn't impressed. Girls - yuck! Amy has red hair and freckles and doesn't believe that he can see through walls and door with his X-ray vision. But when Austin decides to lasso the moon as a present for Amy's birthday, he accidentally sets

The Pleasures of Children's Literature

2007-01-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

* Nodelman, Perry. "Picture Books." In The Pleasures of Children's Literature. New York: Longman Publishers USA, 1996.This chapter begins by challenging the often unexamined premise that picture books exist because children need or prefer pictures. Nodelman notes that making sense of pictures is not an automatic function of seeing them, and actually requires its own (culturally specific) learning

The Dragon New Year: A Chinese Legend

2007-01-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

Bouchard, David. The Dragon New Year: A Chinese Legend. Illus. Shong-Yang Huang. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books, 1999.This story is tells the tale of the imagined origin of the traditional Chinese New Year celebration, but also provides a section at the end that clearly shows where the facts end and the author's imagination begins. There is a strong sense of storytelling in the narrative which

Ancient Thunder

2007-01-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

Yerxa, Leo. Ancient Thunder. Toronto, ON: House of Anansi Press, 2006.The text is simple, short, potent and full of wonder. The fact that it doesn't follow the linear structure of a traditional English sentence, choosing instead to string together a series of related clauses with an unmentioned subject, puts it more in the realm of poetry than narrative. But the illustrations are the true focus

Monkey Business

2007-01-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

Edwards, Wallace. Monkey Business. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2004.This book reminds me of The King Who Rained, a book of visual/linguistic puns which was a family favourite when I was growing up. Though not structurally a narrative, this book manages to make little self-contained animal-focused stories out of figures of speech ("monkey business" or "letting the cat out of the bag") through

The Party

2007-01-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Reid, Barbara. The Party. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 1997.This book is an energetic recounting of a typical family picnic and party. The rhyming text is fun and uses rich language, but it sometimes feels forced or stumbles into awkward cadence; there is no question that the real star of this book is the illustration in plasticine. Not only are the technique, detail and execution of the

The Great Poochini

2007-01-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

* Clement, Gary. The Great Poochini. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 1999. *"As you can plainly see, Signor Poochini is no ordinary dog. He is handsome, housebroken and hounded by throngs of adoring fans. He is, in fact, the Great Poochini, the most renowned opera-singing dog of his generation and, some say, the finest canine lyric tenor ever to have graced the opera stage."What will is an

The Queen's Feet

2007-01-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

* Ellis, Sarah. The Queen's Feet. Illus. Dusan Petricic. Calgary, AB: Red Deer Press, 2006.Queen Daisy's feet has a life of their own, and they don't much like to behave. After getting into all sorts on un-ladylike trouble, the queen's feet finally make a deal. This lively story is extended my the watercolour and pen-and-ink illustrations which offer additional details of misbehaviour and provide

Amber Waiting

2007-01-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

* Gregory, Nan. Amber Waiting. Illus. Kady MacDonald Denton. Calgary, AB: Red Deer Press, 2002. Amber loves many things about kindergarten - swinging, painting, listening to stories. What she doesn't like is waiting, long after everyone else has left, for her dad to pick her up. She imagines a scenario that will teach her dad, once and for all, just what it feels like to wait and wait and

Orphans in the Sky

2007-01-20T11:52:00.000-08:00

Bushey, Jeanne. Orphans in the Sky. Illus. Vladyana Krykorka. Calgary, AB: Red Deer Press, 2005.This story tells the tale of two orphans who must figure out a way to survive in the harsh artic landscape after they are accidentally left behind by their people. They finally find a place to belong in the sky, where their games with flint and seal skin explain the origins of lightening and thunder.

Caramba

2007-01-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

* Gay, Marie-Louise. Caramba. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2005."Caramba look like any other cat. He had soft fur and a long , stripy tail. He ate fish. He purred. He went for long walks. But Caramba was different from other cats. He couldn't fly." So begins the quest of a endearing young cat who tries desperately to be like the others, but learns along the way to enjoy being who he is and

Madlenka's Dog

2007-01-16T23:54:00.000-08:00

* Sis, Peter. Madlenka's Dog. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 2002.When Madlenka takes her dog for a walk, the reader can't see the dog that pulls the leash and collar in front of her but everyone else she meets in the neighbourhood can, and they each see the dog differently. Peter Sis uses simple lift-the-flap additions in his illustrations to show each person's memory of themselves and a dog

Imagine a Night

2007-01-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Thomson, Sarah. Imagine A Night. Illus. Gonsalves, Rob. Toronto: Antheum Books for Young Readers, 2003.This book presents an interesting relationship between image and text, one where the paintings clearly came first and the text was written as an effort to create an overarching narrative framework (if not exactly a story) in which this series of images becomes a picture book. Rob Gonsalves

Gorilla! Gorilla!

2007-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Willis, Jeanne. Gorilla! Gorilla! Illus. Tony Ross. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005. When mother mouse's baby goes missing, she searches all over the forest but she can't find him. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she is chased by a gorilla who keeps hollering for her to stop. She runs all over the globe, but she can't seem to escape the very determined gorilla.

Cabbage Moon

2007-01-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Wahl, Jan. Cabbage Moon. Illus. Arden Johnson-Petroy. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press, Inc., 1998.Princess Adelgitha and her dog Jennie love the old cabbage moon. So when Lorenzo Squink steals the moon and starts making cabbage salad, the two must figure out a way to come to the rescue. The text has occasional moments of awkwardness, and the ending (avec prince and marriage) seems a

Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair

2007-01-15T19:55:00.001-08:00

Lerner, Harriet and Susan Goldhor. Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair. Illus. Helen Oxenbury. Harper Collins Publishers, 2001.Franny's wild frizzy hair gets her into a lot of trouble - with her mom and kids on the bus and even the refrigerator door - but Franny loves her hair and refuses to cut it for the family reunion. When a bird makes its home in her new hairstyle, Franny is the