The Rock From the Sky

The Rock From the Sky

By Jon Klassen

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.

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?

In a Jar

In a Jar

By Deborah Marcero

Deborah Marcero studied visual arts at university and creative writing in graduate school, and although she did not set out to write children’s books, she can now look back and clearly connect the dots that led her to such tour de forces as her latest, In a Jar.

Llewellyn is a collector. Into glass containers he stores regular collectables such as leaves and heart-shaped rocks until the day he walks down to the river and meets a new bunny friend, Evelyn, sharing with her a jar full of “the color of tart cherry syrup”. This “cherry light” is just one of the intangible things Llewellyn and Evelyn begin to gather together, as their world fills with friendship, the sound of the ocean, the wind just before the snow falls, snowball fights and rainbows.

On the fateful day Evelyn tells her friend their family is moving; the two bunnies’ friendship becomes even more resilient. When Llewellyn sends Evelyn a jar stuffed with a meteor shower and it explodes all around her in a burst of magical realism, we see the strength of friendship. Alluring language, sophisticated drawings, and a marvelously vivid experience for all!

The Tree In Me

The Tree In Me

By Corinna Luyken

With a colour palate brimming with playfulness, the neon pinks, dark browns, mustard yellows and blues in The Tree In Me all help unfurl the idea that people are strong and connected to each other, just as trees are. Poetic and lyrical, Corinna Luyken's joyful meditation may be just what we all need in 2021. Even when we do not see it or realize it, our friends and community are closely tied to us - the same as tree roots that stretch and reach for each other underground. Without any touches of green, Luyken's imaginative illustrations portray our indelible link to nature, and the endless nourishment it provides.

Saturday

Saturday

By Oge Mora

Oge Mora, the Caldecott Award Honor recipient for Thank you, Omu!, does a quick turnaround for another cheery picturebook, this one named Saturday. Ava and her mom set out to relish in their one day of the week spent together, as her mom works six days a week. What happens when they venture out begs the questions, how will you deal with life’s little road bumps?

Oge Mora's illustrations are vibrant collages created from paint, papers, textures she scans and photoshops, old book jackets she cuts up, sewing patterns, old paintings, china markers, and pastels.

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!