Archive for April, 2017

“…Quebec author, visual artist and publisher Angèle Delaunois takes the reader across the world to witness the importance of water to the children of different countries….Canada is represented by two spreads, one from Quebec and one from Nunavut, both which speak in terms of what is most familiar to young Canadian readers…. While other texts and illustrations […]

“…In Sylvia Gunnery’s novel Road Signs That Say West, Hanna persuades her younger sisters, Megan and Claire, to join her on a parent-free road trip across Canada….With a cast of interesting yet believable characters, Road Signs That Say West gives a realistic look into the lives and relationships of three very different yet inextricably linked sisters. Road Signs […]

“In Hat On, Hat Off, Toronto author and librarian Theo Heras humourously captures the complexities of getting a toddler dressed and ready to go outside….Renné Benoit’s softly hued, realistic watercolour illustrations extend Theo Heras’s simple, conversational text. Subtle swatches of knitting patterns appear in background details. The little boy’s stuffed pal Bunny also wears a hat, brightly […]

“[T]he complex, interactive webs which rely on biodiversity are critical to a healthy planet and to our health as humans…. By hunting [grey] wolves to the point of near-extinction settlers unwittingly disturbed the timeworn balance that had allowed all sorts of plants, animals and waterways to flourish. This lovely book shows how each piece began […]

“[T]ry introducing little ones to [poetry] with this picture book…The unique illustrations in All the World a Poem are paper collage art, which adds to the overall artistic aesthetic.” —Joanne Sallay Read the full review in the April 2017 issue of Village Living Magazine

“The arrival of a new baby sibling conjures mixed emotions for a boy named Liam in this sweet and relatable story from [Sarah] Ellis…[Carmen] Mok’s warm digital illustrations tenderly depict Liam’s moments of adjustment…” Click here to read the full review

“…Good Morning, Grumple is a sweet story about a sleepy fox-like creature ­­- who does not want to get up in the morning – and the patient mother who knows exactly what to do. Author Victoria Allenby – whose debut picture books, Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, won the 2014 Preschool Reads Award – succeeds […]

“A perilous flash flood threatens a young Sri Lankan girl’s life and her village’s livelihood in this compelling picture book. Fullerton’s spare and lyrical text opens with Malini waking up, excited to learn how to plant rice seedlings and contribute to her community’s well-being….Endnotes explain the realities of child labor, poverty, and a dependence on […]

“…Filled with ear-pleasing rhythms and onomatopoeia, Alma Fullerton’s vivacious free verse paints Malini’s character with deft strokes, and stirringly describes the action. Kim La Fave’s color-splashed illustrations set the scene and create a strong sense of motion, as the ox looms large above the girl, the monsoon unleashes, or Maili returns to the arms of […]

“Suzanne Del Rizzo’s My Beautiful Birds articulately conveys the experiences of a child displaced by war in Syria….Intricately detailed and lifelike, the polymer clay and mixed-media illustrations combine with the understated first-person narrative to communicate Sami’s circumstances, heartbreak, and healing process. Through this emotionally accessible story…readers begin to understand Sami’s plight, and to gain awareness and insight […]