January 27, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
If you think Canadian history can’t be fun, think again. Here comes Claire Mackay’s rollicking, irreverent version of Canada’s early centuries, from prehistory to the exploits of Samuel de Champlain (“Sam the Tripper”) and Etienne ... Read More »
Invariably when children think about animals talking, their first thoughts are of the many articulate animals they’ve encountered in books, movies, and cartoons. Etta Kaner’s latest book on animal behaviour, Animal Talk, entertainingly and informatively ... Read More »
January 26, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
I love to hop,/It’s hard to stop!/I’m a hop hop hoppity frog.”So goes the opening stanza of a rhyming picture book about a little frog who can’t sit still and hops all day long, leaving ... Read More »
January 22, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Picture Books
Even though Ian Wallace is best known as an illustrator, his text is stronger than his artwork in The True Story of Trapper Jack’s Left Big Toe. Wallace’s writing captures both the hyperbole of the ... Read More »
January 22, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Picture Books
Stand-up comics suffering from performance anxiety should volunteer for preschool storytime at my library to restore their confidence. Our three- to five-year- olds are reliably reduced to a state of helpless laughter by the use ... Read More »
January 22, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
I detest faeries. They dress funny, have difficult names, and are usually cloyingly impish. Not surprisingly, I try to avoid books – usually long, involved Celtic epics – in which faeries might play a part. ... Read More »
January 21, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
When the Giant Stirred by Celia Godkin makes a sincere attempt to both inform and engage young readers. Godkin, a University of Toronto professor and teacher of scientific illustration, has produced other picture books that ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
A dog named Jack loves to hide everyday objects in the closet. Then he waits outside the closet until the family members discover the missing object. Author Ron Hirsch combines short, punchy sentences, like “This ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Picture Books
The family members in this latest collaboration between Nancy Hundal and Brian Deines hold different ideas about the perfect summer vacation, but all are hoping for some kind of urban adventure. So when the parents ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Picture Books
Francisco is a poor Nicaraguan boy whose mother is expecting a baby. Since the recent death of his father, Francisco must help support his family by selling newspapers (which he cannot read) in the market ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Picture Books