Picture Books

In Lucia’s Neighborhood

There is much to love about In Lucia’s Neighborhood, the picture book by Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek that grew out of the duo’s celebrated animated short film Montrose Avenue. Opening with an epigraph from ... Read More »

March 19, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

Gabby

By Joyce Grant; Jan Dolby, illus.

Gabby, a bespectacled little redhead, is cleaning up her playroom when a book falls off a shelf, causing chaos as letters bounce out of the pages and are strewn about the room. Gabby begins to ... Read More »

March 19, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

Mooncakes

By Loretta Seto; Renné Benoit, illus

Vancouver screenwriter and playwright Loretta Seto’s debut picture book is a lovely, touching story that functions well as both entertainment and an introduction to a snippet of Chinese culture. A young girl is preparing to ... Read More »

March 19, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ Dream Boats

By Dan Bar-el; Kirsti Anne Wakelin, illus.

“I don’t have naps. I have adventures. I don’t sleep in a bed. I ride in a Dream Boat.” So begins Vancouver author Dan Bar-el’s delicious journey into the reveries of children from all over ... Read More »

March 19, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

What the Snakes Wrote

By Hazel Hutchins; Tina Holdcroft, illus.

Dislike is too strong a word to describe my reaction to Hazel Hutchins’ What the Snakes Wrote; ambivalence may be better. There’s nothing wrong with the book, but there’s nothing particularly right about it either. ... Read More »

February 21, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

Little Jack Horner Live from the Corner

By Helaine Becker; Mike Boldt,illus.

Jack Horner ventures into the limelight when he enters a talent show. The aspiring musician exudes a retro hipster vibe with his frilly collar and cuffs, knickers, and horn-rimmed glasses. Jack’s song choice, however, proves ... Read More »

February 21, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ If You Hold a Seed

By Elly MacKay

This touching, romantic debut, written and illustrated by Elly MacKay, presents a story about the life cycle of birth, growth, and renewal through simple text and atmospheric illustrations. A young boy plants a seed near ... Read More »

February 21, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

Goodnight, Canada

By Andrea Beck

This charming picture book transports readers across Canada, inviting sleepy young ones to bid goodnight to each province and territory. Written and illustrated by Andrea Beck, author of the popular Elliot Moose series, Goodnight, Canada ... Read More »

January 2, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books

Saltwater Joys

By Wayne Chaulk; Dawn Baker, illus.

If you hang out with Newfoundlanders for any length of time, you’re bound to be regaled with stories and songs. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that these two books by Newfoundland authors contain both stories ... Read More »

January 2, 2013 | Filed under: Picture Books