I Was Born a Baby

I Was Born a Baby

by Meg Fleming

This adorable read-aloud story introduces baby animals who share what they are called and what they grow up into, and shows ow some baby animals share their names with several other species.

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. 

We Adopted a Baby Lamb

We Adopted a Baby Lamb

By Lori Joy Smith

This delightful and satisfying story is that of a family who moved to the country and ended up adopting a baby lamb, smaller than any of their three cats.The illustrations are black-and-white cartoon-style drawings with touches of red, placed on bright yellow. The fun, child-like typeface mimics hand printing, making this picturebook even more joyful and friendly. A story that could serve as a substitue for your own family adopting baby farm animals!

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.

Animals Go Vroom!

Animal Go Vroom!

By Abi Cushman

ROAR! HISS! SQUEAK! This circular tale transports the reader on a mission to discover the source of the sounds. Using clever cut-outs, older children will learn about cause and effect when a traffic jam ensues, while younger children will delight in the various types of transportation. Is that HISS sound a snake? Or the air escasping from a tire? It may not be what you expect.

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.

The Barren Grounds

The Barren Grounds

By David A. Robertson

 

Morgan is a thirteen-year-old foster kid who was taken away from her mother when she was only three. She has lived with many different families, none of whom have ever made her feel truly at home.  By the time she moves in with Katie and James, she is just plain angry.

Eli is about a year younger than Morgan, but he was only taken from his family recently.  He remembers everything about them and his Indigenous community.  He misses them desperately, but now he must live with Katie and James too.

The good news is, Katie and James really want to be good parents and try their best to welcome Morgan and Eli into their home.  But when they buy Morgan a pair of moccasins to help her connect with her First Nations culture, Morgan loses her cool.  What do these white parents know about her culture anyway?

As Morgan and Eli try to find their footing in their new home, they discover a secret passageway in the attic.  After Eli disappears through the portal, Morgan goes after him.  Plunged into a blizzard, Morgan has no idea where to go.  When Ochek appears, he guides her to his home village where she finds Eli warm and dry.

But Ochek’s village is dying.  His world, known as Aski, is in perpetual winter, and there’s nothing left to eat.  As Morgan and Eli get to know Ochek, a fisher (who wears clothes and talks) and his squirrel companion, Arik, they decide to stay and help them get back to the Green Time, when the sun shone and game was plentiful.

Told as an allegory about the loss of Indigenous lands and culture, The Barren Grounds is a riveting fantasy novel.  Not only do the characters go on a quest through a wondrous landscape, but they also learn valuable lessons about their own strength of character and their own culture.  By the time Morgan and Eli return to their foster home, they are changed people, connected to the land, to their Indigenous communities and to each other.

The Barren Grounds is book one of the Misewa Saga.  Highly recommended!

When You Trap a Tiger

 

When You Trap a Tiger

By Tae Keller

"Long, long ago, when tiger walked like man..."

The summer before grade 7, Lily, her sister, and her widowed mother move in to take care of their elderly grandmother, Halmoni. We first meet the family on their drive up from California to Washington State when Lily sees a tiger in the middle of the road and talks to it. Soon bedtime stories swirl with reality as Lily wonders what is true and what is false. Trapping and striking a deal with this tiger, she agrees to find the story jars, open them, and (this is the hardest part) listen to their stories. Thinking by doing so, Halmoni will be healed, Lily listens to these stories fueled by Korean folklore. Ages 10-14.

Newbery Award Winner.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes

Scary Stories for Young Foxes

By Christian McKay Heidicker

On a chilly autumn night, seven little foxes are eager to hear some scary stories.  But the old storyteller lives over in Bog Cavern and they are not allowed to go.  After waiting for their mother to fall asleep, seven little foxes sneak out into the night, and prepare to be scared.

So begins Scary Stories for Young Foxes.  What follows are a series of stories about other fox kits.  Each story sends one of the original seven foxes home, too scared to listen to any more. 

One story tells of the evil Mr. Scratch, who would kill the runt of his own litter.  Another tells of the cruel Miss Beatrix Potter (yes, the children’s author), who kidnaps young foxes and other animals, writes a story about them and then has them stuffed.  Another tells of the lovely teacher Miss Vix, who gets bitten by another fox and succumbs to the terrible “yellow”, also known as rabies.

But heroes emerge from these stories as well.  Mia and Uly are both fox kits who get separated from the safety of their mothers.  If they band together, they may just manage to defeat the evil forces that are alive in the woods.

If you love to be a little bit scared, try Scary Stories for Young Foxes.  This book would be especially great on a dark and stormy night!
 

Blood Mountain

Blood Mountain

By James Preller

Carter and Grace are on a hike with their dad and their dog, Sitka.  They’ve been on hikes before and are comfortable in the woods.  So comfortable, in fact, that they both race ahead of their father.  Their dad, meanwhile, is getting slower and slower, having trouble making his way up the mountain.  He doesn’t mind letting his energetic kids run ahead.

Carter and Grace know they must stick to the trail, but it’s easy to make a wrong turn if you’re not really following the markers.  By the time they realize they are lost, they have no idea how to get back to the trail.  Although they believe that their dad will catch up and find them, they don’t know that he’s having his own medical problems.

When the siblings decide to make their way to the mountain summit off-trail, they really get lost, not to mention injured.  Eventually, the children separate, but neither knows how to get home.

Luckily their mother reports the missing trio and an astute forest ranger heads out to look for them.  But there is someone else in the woods as well – a mountain man, rumoured to live on his own in the bush.  There is also a mountain lion on the loose, out of its usual territory.  No one knows how these two forest inhabitants will react to a couple of lost children.

If you have ever been lost yourself, or just love a good, suspenseful survival story, Blood Mountain is for you!

Megabat

Megabat

By Anna Humphrey
Illustrated by Kass Reich

Daniel is feeling sad after moving to a new house in a new town and he misses his friends in Toronto.  When he hears weird noises in his attic bedroom, he is a bit freaked out.  Then he realizes that the noises are coming from a bat – Megabat –  and Daniel doesn’t really know what to do.  Megabat, it seems, is lost and also misses his friends from the land of Papaya Premium.  In fact, Megabat weeps so much that he creates a large puddle on the bedroom floor – Daniel’s parents even think the roof is leaking!

The crying settles down once Daniel and Megabat get to know each other.  Daniel deduces that Megabat is actually from Borneo and devises a plan to get him back there.  Little does he know that he and Megabat will actually become good friends.

Daniel begins carrying Megabat in his pocket.  He gives him his fill of fruits and juices, and they sit around watching Star Wars together.  Megabat even begins brandishing a juice box straw like a lightsaber.

Megabat says adorable things like, “It is being an honor to meeting yours.” (p.69) He gets very excited over “smoosh fruits”, a.k.a. jelly rolls. (p. 68) He also seems to be falling in love with a pigeon called Birdgirl.  Nevertheless, Daniel knows he needs to do his best to get Megabat home.  With the help of his new neighbour and friend, Talia, Daniel hopes he can complete his mission.

Megabat is perfect for young readers who still need a few pictures in their chapter books.  Highly recommended!