The Day the Babies Crawled Away

The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathman

A boy follows fives babies who crawl away from a picnic and saves the day by bringing them back.

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey

 

Lost and Found Cat

by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes

In August of 2015, an Iraqi family fled their home, traveling by car and on foot along with their cat, Kunkush. When the family reached Greece, Kunkush escaped from his carrier. They searched for him for hours, but finally had to continue on their journey. Volunteers found the feline a few days later and became determined to reunite him with his owners. 

Letters From Bear

 

Letters From Bear

by Gauthier David

A longer picturebook for ages 4-8, Letters From Bear is an enchanting story of Bear, who misses his friend, Bird. 

"Dear Bird,
I've made up my mind.
I'm coming to find you on the other side of the world.
All our friends have wished me a safe journey.
"Don't get too hot," said Badger.
"Bring me back a coconut," said Fox.
"We'll be thinking of you," said Beaver.
                  Here I come, Bird!
                  Yours,

                   Bear

An epistolary book that would be perfect to teach letter writing. Such a sweet ending, too!  

I Dream of a Journey

I Dream of a Journey

by Akiko Miyakohi

Evocative, I Dream of a Journey takes us travelling along with the many guests of the Solitude Hotel, who send the innkeeper postcards from their adventures. Black and white ink drawings are juxtaposed with full colour images of sunnier days on the road.

The pandemic has left even the armchair traveller ready for the next trip. Freedom and solitude play chess in this otherwordly picturebook.

Lights on Wonder Rock

 

Lights on Wonder Rock

by David Litchfield

On the evening little Heather ran away from home into the woods, she sat on a big, sturdy rock and watched the sky. Flickering her flashlight aimed toward the stars, she wanted to let whomever was out there, know she was there, too. When a mesmerizing UFO with purple and pink lights lands and she meets a friendly alien, Heather travels with them into space, only to return abruptly to be with her parents again.

What follows in the wordless panels of dark, rich forests and time passing, is a longing throughout Heather's life for all things extraterrestrial and to reconnect with her friend.

A satisfying story with a happy ending.

Dragons in a Bag

Dragons in a Bag

By Zella Elliott

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.

Hello, Rain!

Hello, Rain!

By Kyo Maclear and Chris Turnham

"Every rainfall plays a different tune." This ode to the rainstorm is celebratory and sweet. It will remind us to embrace those rainy days, splashing in puddles and cozying up indoors. 

Repetitive text is arranged poetically: "Rumble rumble./Distant thunder./Rain is coming,/rain is coming." while retro illustrations carrying a printmaking quality are whimsical and quite pretty. 

Nostalgia and fun, all wrapped up in this evocative picturebook that engages the senses.

Mr. Gumpy's Outing

By John Burningham

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

Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth!

By Marie-Louise Gay

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.

 

Samira Surfs

Samira Surfs

by Rukhsanna Guidroz, illustrated by Fahmida Azim  

11-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.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloom

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.

Dragons in a Bag

Dragons in a Bag

By Zetta Elliott

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.

Deadman's Castle

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?

Trespassers

Trespassers

By Breena Bard

Gabby Woods and her family visit their cottage by the lake every summer and they always have a great time.  The kids spend their days kayaking, canoeing, fishing and swimming, and evenings are spent around the fire or inside playing charades. 

But this summer feels different.  Gabby and her brother Simon feel pressured to hang out with the new neighbour kids, Paige and Bryan.  But Paige and Bryan are into things like shoplifting and blowing up firecrackers.  Gabby especially feels uncomfortable around Paige.

When the kids come across an abandoned mansion at the edge of the lake, they start to wonder why no one lives there.  The mansion was apparently designed by a famous architect who built it for his glamourous wife.  But one day, the couple disappeared.

Gabby, ever the voracious reader, decides to write a mystery story based on the missing couple and their empty home.  Soon Paige gets involved in helping Gabby with the story.  She insists that the only way they will ever know more about this local mystery is by breaking into the abandoned house. 

Of course, Gabby thinks that’s a crazy idea, but it still sounds enticing.  Soon Gabby and Paige are piecing together a murder mystery that they believe happened right there at the lake.  But once they start digging around in someone else’s business, the two girls could find themselves in real trouble.

Trespassers is a whodunit mystery that is also a graphic novel.  Perfect to read on your summer vacation or under the covers with a flashlight!

The Thief Knot

The Thief Knot

By Kate Milford

Marzana and Nialla are best friends who live in the Liberty of Gammerbund, just outside of Nagspeake.  Although the Liberty is a known haven for former smugglers, including Marzana’s mother, the girls feel that nothing exciting ever happens and they are dying for an adventure!

When Marzana learns that a girl called Peony Hyde has been kidnapped, she and Nialla decide that they are going to crack the case.  But first they need a crew.  They begin to confide in other kids who may be able to help: Emilia knows her way around all the secret passages in and out of their school, J.J. is a magician, and Ciro is a camofleur.  They are even able to recruit Meddy of Greenglass House fame.  They call themselves The Thief Knot.

The kids are all sworn to secrecy but determined to find the missing girl.  Shy Marzana becomes the leader of The Thief Knot and thrives in that role.  But as danger creeps closer and closer, Marzana wonders if she can really lead a bunch of kids through this dangerous but thrilling mystery.

The Thief Knot is part of the Greenglass House series.  If you love mysteries and adventure, with a little twist of magic, this series is highly recommended!