My Best Friend and Other Illusions

In two very different but affecting middle-grade novels, we learn about the complicated inner lives of girls as they confront their fears, bullies, and the uncertainties of growing up. Author and educator Jennifer Maruno (When ... Read More »

February 3, 2020 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

★ Story Boat

By Kyo Maclear and Rashin Kheiriyeh (ill.)

What if one were to imagine the refugee experience from the eyes of a couple of imaginative, ever-positive, Zen-like kids? Sounds improbable, but the picture book Story Boat pulls it off with aplomb. Written by ... Read More »

January 30, 2020 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

★ Salma the Syrian Chef

By Danny Ramadan and Anna Bron (ill.)

The kitchen can be one of the first places where kids experience a real sense of accomplishment and belonging. A trio of new picture books, featuring food from around the world, shows how cooking helps ... Read More »

January 27, 2020 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Bilal Cooks Daal

By Aisha Saeed and Anoosha Syed (ill.)

January 27, 2020 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

★ Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao

By Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua (ill.)

January 27, 2020 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Bloom

By Kenneth Oppel

If you were to tweak the words to that famous Five Man Electrical Band protest song, you’d have the gist of the latest Kenneth Oppel novel: Vine, vine, everywhere a vine, blocking out the scenery, ... Read More »

January 23, 2020 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano

By Marthe Jocelyn and Isabelle Follath (ill.)

This first instalment in an exciting new historical-fiction series by Marthe Jocelyn (Mable Riley; What We Hide) promises to woo a new generation of mystery fans. In the character of Aggie Morton, Jocelyn’s created a ... Read More »

January 20, 2020 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

I Will See You Again

By Lisa Boivin

This unique picture book for older readers is a gentle story of bereavement told through digital paintings and a simple narrative. Author and artist Lisa Boivin is a member of the Deninu Kue First Nation, ... Read More »

January 16, 2020 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Cells: An Owner’s Handbook

By Carolyn Fisher

Two non-fiction picture books offer crash courses in biology and meteorology by way of unconventional instructors. Ellie, a skin cell living on the bum of a Boston terrier, delivers an exuberant ... Read More »

January 13, 2020 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Kids’ Books, Picture Books