Author Archive

“We rated this book:  …What is a poem? Does it rhyme or not? Are the verses long or short? There is no simple answer, and this book doesn’t really purport to answer that question. What it does is introduce to children the idea of poetry being everywhere and found in so many gifts of nature—flowers, […]

“…Today we are all aware of the refugee crisis that grips the world. Too many people are forced to flee their homes in search of safety and a better life, away from the strife and danger in their own villages, towns, cities, countries. We see their faces, hear their stories and share their hopes for […]

“…Timo’s Party is an exceptional early reader for imparting an engaging life lesson. But author Victoria Allenby never preaches or instructs the reader how to live life well, or be a good friend or be brave. Instead, she swathes that message in Timo’s daily experiences, taking advantage of a true story-telling opportunity. It’s easy to see beyond the anthropomorphized […]

“What a beautiful book. The illustrations are different, both from anything else I have seen to within its pages. Sometimes it’s fast and swirling, other times Malini and the other characters in the book are smooth and more lifelike. It’s a cool effect. The story was also pretty amazing. My heart started racing and I […]

“A picture book of poetry for the very young takes the reader from butterfly wings to the sea, from grazing sheep to the stars above, and from the silence of the night to sharing with their best friend. Lyrics, some rhyming some not, bring wonder and beauty of nature to each page accompanied by light-hearted, […]

“A young Vietnamese boy and his family flee Vietnam in search of a better life. Along with co-author Skrypuch, Vietnamese-Canadian Ho recounts his family’s flight from Vietnam in 1981. At the book’s outset, 6-year-old Ho returns home from school to learn that he, his mother, and his two older sisters will leave Vietnam that very […]

“The crash landing of his father’s private jet in the Canadian wilderness leaves rich white kid Jared stunned and the pilot badly injured, but it soon becomes clear that those are the very least of the 15-year-old’s problems. Kyle, a Cree boy of the same age, comes to Jared’s aid but isn’t able to stop […]

“…Based on her mother, Gerda’s, childhood memories, author Michelle Barker tells the story of their family’s farm in Germany and of the French prisoners of war who were sent to help run it while their own men were away soldiering. Little Gerda has a tender heart towards these seven men, who are supposed to be […]

“…In this visually stunning picture book—the first to explore this troubling time—readers learn of the dangerous journey taken by 6-year-old Tuan Ho and his family in 1981. Slipping away under cover of darkness, the family ends up on an overcrowded fishing boat that breaks down, leaving them stranded and suffering from thirst and punishing heat […]

“…[P]icture books carry heavy burdens, far above and beyond their usual literacy needs. People use picture books for all sorts of reasons. There are picture books for high school graduates, for people to read aloud during wedding ceremonies, for funerals, and as wry adult jokes. On the children’s side, picture books can help parents and […]