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| Outside Inside |
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| Hello, Rain! |
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| Don't Hug Doug (He Doesn't Like It) |
Don't Hug Doug encourages kids to take an empathetic approach to others who do not enjoy hugging. A great resource for teachers, as well as a great example of differences in people that need to be respected. After all, many can relate to Doug!
Spunky, adventurous, and full of confidence, Madeline has rocked the girl world for decades. If you've read through all the sequels, here are some books that evoke some of the same feelings.
Plucky Louise longs for both adventure and a cozy home to return to when she'd finished being brave.
For 40 years The Paperbag Princess has been teaching girls it's alright to stand up for yourself, and that beauty is only skin deep.
Playful poems to read and reread with children.
When Olivia tries on 17 outfits even before the book is begun, you may be debating which one is your favourite, but the funniest one is certainly Olivia in pantyhose. This pig is full of life and will delight readers on each page with her overly euphoric good nature.
This is a story of Jane Goodall as a little child in the English countryside where she observes nature and writes in her journal about what she sees.
Mr. Gumpy kindly permits anyone who promises to behave onto his boat for a ride. It is a lovely day and at first all the children and animals mind their manners. Until they all end up doing exactly what Mr. Gumpy asked them not to do. And all at once! The children squabble, the rabbit hops, the chickens flap, and so on until chaos quickly ensues. Nonetheless, Mr. Gumpy realizes it is simply their nature, and handles the rest of the day with calmness and a tea party. The humour of everything going exactly the opposite of how Mr. Gumpy had hoped will appeal to young children.
The illustrations add a lot of detail and information to the text. Burningham’s line drawings are enhanced with crayon, wash, and other media, and in doing so, he has created a signature style that invites readers to pour over the pages. His sensitive treatment begins with the delicate sepia line drawings and continues with gleaming areas of coloured cross-hatching and luminous ink washes to create a charming English countryside setting.
Awards: The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (1972 )
Kate Greenway Medal (1970)
Parent’s Choice Paperback Award
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
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| Change Sings: A Children's Anthem |
By Marie-Louise Gay
Roslyn wakes up one morning knowing full well what is on her agenda for the day. Dig a hole to China, of course! Or perhaps the South Pole so she can finally meet a penguin. Enthusiastically she bounds down the stairs and recounts the plan to her father at the breakfast table, to which he simply inquires, “Will you be home in time for lunch?” While digging, she encounters some resistance from a worm and from a mole but does not allow this to dampen her energy. However, at one point she begins to lose hope that she will ultimately succeed until her father brings a picnic lunch and her imagination is sparked once more.
Clearly the pictures give information that the text does not as they portray Roslyn’s dynamic, childlike nature. We see her spring out of bed, send her breakfast cascading, and can feel as if we are there, watching her move zealously in a kaleidoscope of movement and colour. Torn paper and mixed media renderings are met with dashes of vivid colour accenting an earthy palette. Charming details are discovered with multiple readings, such as Roslyn’s stuffed pig with wings or her bunny slippers.
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| Samira Surfs |
by Rukhsanna Guidroz, illustrated by Fahmida Azim11-year-old Samira and her family are Rohingya refugees who have traveled by boat to Bangladesh. Unregistered, they must live outside the camp, are banned from formal employment, and are resented by some of the locals. This middle-grade novel starts off at Samira’s new home, “made of bamboo choppy by Baba’s bare hands”, a leaky roof, and a single room for their family of four. The tightly woven verses take us to the beach where Samira sells eggs to beach-goers. She would love to use some of the money for school, but her father wouldn’t send her even if they could afford it because she’s a girl. Fortunately, her older brother, Khaled, gives her English lessons.
We cheer for Samira as she sets out with quiet determination to show everybody how she can work to make money for their family, learn English, and learn to surf. After meeting a group of girl surfers at a local surf club where there’s an announcement for a contest with a cash prize, Samira is empowered to overcome her fear of water that developed after her grandparents died falling into the water from the boat when coming to Bangladesh.
Azim’s lively illustrations bring Samira’s world to life, highlighting both the beauty of Bangladesh and Samira’s spirit.
Verse novel. 9-14
“I’ve learned that belonging, having a home, having a country, means everything, is everything.”
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| Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre |
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper Picture book Illustrator and author Floyd Cooper passed away recently at the age of 65. He received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and 2 Coretta Scott King Honors. Starting out as a 3 year old writing on the side of his house, he grew up in low-income housing in Tulsa Oklahoma and went on to receive a scholarship for art. In 1984 he moved to New York City to pursue his career.
Known for his candid, bold, and dramatic illustrations, Cooper always remained positive and stated, “Giving kids a positive alternative to counteract the negative impact of what is conveyed in today’s media is a huge opportunity.” His picturebook collection would make a fine library for any child with subjects ranging from a normal beach trip to a special day for a ring bearer, to a more heart wrenching topic such as the civil rights movement. His hope was for children to learn about the world at large, their place in it, and how they connect with it.
When Unspeakable came out this year there was thought that this could finally be Cooper's year to win a Caldecott, the award issued to an illustrator for the "most distinguished American picture book for children" I wonder, will Floyd Cooper be the first to be awarded a Caldecott Award posthumously?
Ms. Merriweather has strict rules in her library. When, a lion saunters into the children’s area he is allowed to stay because after all, there are no rules forbidding lions. After a nap on the pillows, he joins story time, causes quite a commotion, and is spoken to by Ms. Merriweather. With renewed understanding of the rules, the lion becomes a cherished fixture with the children and staff until one day, he must decide between keeping out of trouble and helping a friend the only way he knows how. The themes of friendship and following rules are clearly present and the outcome satisfies.
Keven Hawkes uses acrylic and pencil to complete his drawings. The illustrations work together with the text, endearing us to the lion immediately. Although the lion does not wear clothes nor stand on two feet, he nonetheless displays human body language and feelings. The colours are warm and soft golds, purples and blues, lending a cozy, safe feeling to the library environment. The pictures either share the page with the text on the left, or are vignettes on the right, beginning and ending the book with a double page spread. Expressions and humour are especially well portrayed.
Awards: NAIBA Book of the Year for Picture Book (2007)
School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2006
A New York Times best seller.
Originally published in France as Au même instant, sur la Terre (2011)
This jam-packed, delightful concept book takes the reader around the world, exploring what different children are doing at the same moment, whether it be night or day where they live. Different cultures are examined as Benedict drinks hot chocolate, Ravshan and Yuliya return from the market on a donkey, and Pablo has magical dreams. But are they more different or more similar to one another? Early timekeeping, the invention of timekeeping, and Greenwich Mean Time are addressed in an extensive glossary. Also at the back of the book is a large pull-out map of the world that labels each character’s home.
The book is presented in a vertical format with rich, detailed illustrations that provide clues to the unique and special characteristics of its place. There is a whimsical nature and the art is reminiscent of vintage fairy tales. The pencil drawings are colourized digitally, making the hues luxurious and the overall tone bewitching.
Author Illustrator Julie Flett delivers a picture book set in both English and Cree. There are actually two editions: a bilingual English-Cree dialect version and one in a Cree dialect. In the English-Cree version, one Cree vocabulary word is highlighted on each page. A pronunciation guide follows at the end of the story.
Clarence and his grandmother have always gone blueberry picking together. Here they are, on a typical trip to the woods, picking both sweet and sour blueberries together and meeting the woodland animals. It is a very simple and content tale.
Browns, blacks and yellow-greens with a strong pop of salient red make up Flett’s stylistic images. The warm, muted colours and tones as well as the simplicity lend a peaceful and calming essence to the book. Her illustrations are done in collage and are reminiscent of printmaking.
Awards: First Nation Communities READ (2014-2015)
Laszlo is afraid of the dark. We see Laszlo clad in his blue jammies, playing on the hardwood floor of an empty room, with his torch tucked safely by his side. He appears ill at ease as he monitors the setting sun. The deadpan Lemony Snicket teams up with illustrator Jon Klassen to create a charming but haunting story where dark is personified to play out the classic battle between light and dark. “Hi Dark”, Laszlo would say to it everyday, until one day it responded, “Come closer.”
Snicket’s descriptive and powerful language pairs seamlessly with Klassen’s illustrations which evoke such an ominous yet sympathetic mood. The pictures are done in gouache and digitally to create a darling main character juxtaposed with a brilliant use of black space. The tension is palpable throughout, as we follow Laszlo around his large, creaky house, and allow our eyes to wander all over the matte black contrasted with the pale yellows and blues. Just scary enough!
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| Bloom |
By Kenneth Oppel
Anaya, Petra and Seth are three teens who live on Salt Spring Island, and all of them are a bit “different”. Anaya is allergic to many, many things and constantly battles the acne that is caused by her allergies. Petra has an extremely rare condition that makes her allergic to water (!). And Seth is a foster kid who’s living with one of the island families.
When strange black “grass” begins to grow all over the island, no one can seem to get rid of it; it’s like the strongest weed in the world! As the grass spreads through crops and forests, island residents start to experience terrible reactions to the unusual plants. But Anaya, Petra and Seth are the exceptions. For some reason, the plants don’t affect them at all.
Soon these invasive plants are spreading all over the world with deadly consequences. Anaya’s dad, a biologist, sets off to Cordova Island to do some experiments and promptly disappears. Meanwhile, CSIS (Canada’s version of the CIA) sends Dr. Weber to do tests on Anaya, Petra and Seth. When the three friends and Dr. Weber begin searching for Anaya’s dad, they end up battling for their lives!
Bloom is a very suspenseful novel that will have you on the edge of your seat! This is the first in a trilogy.
That said, the more important reason to read I Walk with Vanessa can be summed up in one word: kindness. After witnessing a boy be incredibly mean to a girl on the way home from school one day, the main character thinks and thinks about what she saw. It weighs so heavily on her mind that she is still hurting for the other girl when morning comes. But breakfast brings an "aha moment" when she comes up with a plan to show Vanessa support. Knocking on Vanessa's door, she cheerfully pulls her by the hand and walks to school alongside her. One of the lessons shown in the book is how kindness begets kindness as more and more classmates join the two new friends and the crowd surges onto the school grounds as a united force.
Kindness is contagious.
Browsing for a good Father's Day book, I stumbled upon Dad By My Side by author illustrator Soosh. The first thing to strike me was the vast difference in size between the burly, husky dad and the petite girl. In an author note, Soosh explains how this is on purpose in order to accentuate the way the daughter views her father -- as a sanctuary, a force of all good, and a source of wisdom. Shown in a variety of activities, dad is constantly present and willing to try his hand at anything, from hula hooping to sewing a dress to cheering each other up when they're sad.
Warm watercolour vignettes were initially posted on Instagram and quickly garnered over 2 million views per week, propelling the publication of Dad By My Side. Soosh now has her second book out, Mermaid and Me, and it's equally charming.
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| Carmela Full of Wishes |
Illustrator Robinson portrays the wishes Carmela considers as papel picado decorations, like those hung for her birthday. Her wishes include a candy machine, her mother being able to sleep in one of the hotel beds she makes every day, and her father getting his papers fixed so he could come home. This is the second de la Peña–Robinson collaboration after Last Stop on Market Street and it is just as tremendous and important. It touches on immigration, class, and loss without dwelling on them. Carmela’s Spanish-speaking community is most certainly portrayed as a vibrant place of possibility, as Robinson’s acrylic painted collage cutouts show street vendors, workers in the fields, and sweeping views of the sea. Skillfully designed and developed, Carmela’s story radiates.
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| The Big Orange Splot |
At first Mr Plumbean mutters that he will need to repaint, but the more and more his neighbours urge him to do so, he realizes he doesn’t want to have a regular house. He takes the plunge and decides to paint his house to reflect his colourful dreams. "Mr. Plumbean's house was like a rainbow. It was like a jungle. It was like an explosion" and it made people furious. "Plumbean has popped his cork, flipped his wig, blown his stack, and dropped his stopper." One by one, the neighbours sent each other to go talk some good sense into the man. And one by one, another house on the street exploded into people’s colourful dreams. There were castles, ships, and crocodiles!
This is the story of a man embracing his individuality in a conformist society. The message that it is brave and good to break away from conformity and embrace one’s own individuality is a really fun one to learn with Mr. Plumbean!
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| Eyes That Kiss in the Corners |
When a little girl notices her eyes look different from her friends’ eyes, she wonders why she has to be different. They all have big, round eyes "like sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns". She realizes that her eyes are like her family's eyes, and she slowly gathers strength and power in the knowledge that mother, her grandmother, and her little sister all have eyes that "kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future." Indeed, she is set down the path of self love, strength and acceptance.
We all need stories like Eyes That Kiss in the Corners no matter what our race. If our eyes kiss in the corners, then this book can act as a mirror, a place one can see themselves. If our eyes do not kiss in the corners, then stories such as this one act as a window to the world and facilitate acceptance.
The illustrator, Dung Ho, presents vibrant images that have been digitally created and pair beautifully with the poetic prose. The author, Joanna Ho has an author page where she talks more about her own struggle with not feeling as if she fit into the world's standard of beauty. As she explains, this is essentially a book about love. "It is the story of the love shared between generations, the love we must develop for ourselves, and the love that we use to create change in the world."
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| The Rock From the Sky |
Deadpan humour for the picture book crowd? Author and illustrator Jon Klassen is your go-to. The Rock From the Sky is his newest, following the crowd-pleasing trilogy of I Want My Hat Back, then This Is Not My Hat which won both the Caldecott and the Kate Greenaway Medals, and last We Found a Hat.
The Rock From the Sky brings together adorable characters -- a turtle, an armadillo, and a snake. Turtle and armadillo sport bowler hats, a nod to surrealism as well as to Laurel and Hardy. Visually, here is another Klassen masterpiece, with the illustrations telling much of the story. This helps the reader to always stay two steps ahead of the characters, adding the perfect amount of tension. In this story, a rock, nay a giant boulder, is falling from the sky, and armadillo finally convinces turtle to move away from his favourite spot seconds before the big boulder crashes there.
That's only part one out of three. Filled with emotions and comedy, this 96-page book presents a contemplation on friendship, fate, and intuition. A dry humour delight for kids and grown ups both.
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| Dragons in a Bag |
A fresh, new, chapter-book fantasy series in an urban setting, Dragons in a Bag follows Jaxon as his mom leaves him with Ma, an older woman he's never met. He soon discovers Ma is not his grandmother, but a witch! And his mother was her apprentice. Ma tells Jaxon she needs help delivering baby dragons to a magical realm, but there are two important rules: do not open the bag they are in and do not feed them anything sweet. His friends, Vikram and Kavita, become involved in the adventure by freeing the baby dragons and sharing their sweets. Oops.
This is a perfect introductory fantasy novel for young readers. Because of the detailed world-building, it's a great primer to reading the Harry Potter books.
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| Deadman's Castle |
By Iain Lawrence
Igor and his family have been on the run since he was a young boy. After witnessing a terrible crime, his father had to take his family into hiding to avoid the terrifying Lizard Man, who seems to track them down wherever they go. Igor and his family have lived in many different places. Eventually they always “bug out”, leaving town in the middle of the night so that they won’t be found.
But as Igor gets older, he craves a more normal life. At age twelve, he finally starts attending regular school. Although he dresses differently than the other kids and he lives by very strict rules, he starts to make some friends. Both Angelo and Zoe accept Igor’s weirdness, but sometimes they also push him to break the rules.
Unbeknownst to his parents, Igor and his friends make several trips to Deadman’s Castle, a creepy, abandoned place in the woods. Zoe knows all the ins and outs of Deadman’s Castle, and although Angelo and Igor aren’t too keen, they begin exploring it with her.
As time goes on, Igor begins to break more and more of his parents’ rules. After all, he just wants to hang out with his friends and be a normal kid. Little does Igor realize that he’s putting himself and even his friends in danger. Will he ever get to live life without fear of the Lizard Man?
