Doing the Right Thing

I’ve two recommendations for today’s post that promote understanding for what it’s like to be Black in the United States today.

The first one is by Jason Reynolds’, Long Way Down. This story takes place in an elevator as it descends seven floors in an apartment building and Will, the protagonist, is on his way to avenge the death of his older brother Shawn.  He’s struggling with THE RULES that govern the lives of black men and boys in his big city neighbourhood: No Crying – No Snitching – Get Revenge. As the elevator goes down seven floors, seven ghosts who knew Will and his family and experienced gun violence too, visit Will and offer subtle guidance that will help him make up his mind about his next set of actions.

Jason Reynolds is a fantastic writer. This story, told in narrative verse, took me to a place that I had no way of knowing about and gave me a glimpse into the mind of a young man like Will. Reading about gun violence and gang-related murder in the news does not provide much insight as to how this kind of thing continues to be perpetuated.  It’s the strength of a novel like this that allows me to feel the pain and the hopelessness that must consume young black men when they feel that have no choice but to live by THE RULES.

The next book, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been getting lots of well-deserved attention in review journals and blogs. It was a National Book Award Finalist. Again, this story puts the news reports that we hear nightly, into a perspective that is totally relatable and gives new resonance for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Starr is a sixteen year-old high school student who lives in a poor, black neighbourhood but goes to a predominately white school in another part of town. She’s working out how to mesh the two people she must be to live in two vastly different universes. When a friend, a young, black man, Khalil is shot by a white police office while with Starr one night, everything changes.

By telling people, school mates, police, journalists and neighbours about what happened that night puts Starr in a precarious situation. Those fighting for the rights of black people see this as an opportunity to create awareness and demand justice. Those in positions of power are cautious about the information Starr provides as it will jeopardize the police officer. Starr fears that if her classmates know she is the witness that will jeopardize her place in the school.The desire to do the right thing is strong and eventually overcomes Starr's fears.

Again, this was a compelling story that opened a world that I will never experience firsthand. There is considerable profanity (tons of f-bombs) used by almost all the characters but this made it feel very authentic. The ending is also very realistic, sadly.

I highly recommend both of these books for grades 9 and up and for adults. Amazing reads!

Innovative thinking

Right now I’m in the middle of teaching workshops about Design Thinking to second year student-teachers. This is a thinking process that promotes creative and innovative thinking as well as collaborative practices. It’s being taken up by some of the school boards in the Calgary area so it’s a hot topic, as you might imagine, and on my mind.

(Today’s posting isn’t really about design thinking so if you’re keen to learning more about Design Thinking and education you might like to visit a library guide, developed by the Doucette Library, called, funnily enough, Design Thinking.)

So, maybe it’s my frame-of-mind right now, immersed in teaching design thinking, that a book like Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art ofConfusion by Chris Barton made a strong impression.

It’s 1917 and Britain is at risk of being cut off from crucial supplies of food brought in by ships. German U-boats were very skilled at targeting ships that supported the United Kingdom.  As the book states, “desperate times call for desperate measures” and innovative thinking was essential to overcoming these devastating loses.

Norman Wilkinson, a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve lieutenant-commander, had a seemingly bizarre idea – camouflaging the ships. By painting ships with an array of dazzling patterns and colours, it would break up the ship’s form on the ocean’s waters, presenting an image so confusing that it would be difficult to track.

“Dazzle was meant to make the Germans think a ship was, for example, turning toward the west when it was actually headed to the southeast.”

A small workforce (of mostly women) was organized to come up with patterns which were tested out to determine which were the most effective at tricking the eye. Thousands of British and American ships had be ‘dazzled’ by the end of the war.  Though, determining whether the dazzling really did save ships from being torpedoed is debatable, it did booster the morale of the sailors on those ships.

I love the sentiment that is summed up in the book :

 “a willingness to tackle problems by trying the unlikely, the improbable, the seemingly bonkers will always be needed.”

The material at the back of the book, author’s and illustrator’s notes, a timeline and reference list provide additional information for research purposes. I thought that the author’s notes about researching and writing about this book of special interest and would be instructive to students about this process.

I recommend this book for grades 4-7 for social studies, art, and science. Because it’s so interdisciplinary it’s perfect for STEAM classrooms.

Being philosophical

Nothing like starting off the new year with some of the big questions in life.

 In Why Am I Here? by Constance Orbeck-Nilssen and Akin Duzakin, introduces us to a very thoughtful child (might be a boy or a girl), who wonders about some of these kinds of questions:

Why am I here?

Why am I in this place?

What if I was in a different place? Would I be different, too?

What if I lived in a city? Or a city with a war going on? 

Or live in the desert?  Or a place with ocean and melting icebergs?

What if I had to move?

After pondering these and many other deep questions, he or she ends up deciding,

                Why am I me, and not someone else?

                And why am I here?

                Maybe that’s how it is –

                I am my own house.

                And I will be at home

                Wherever I am.

The illustrations are perfectly suited for this introspective book that induces a kind of calm while thinking about topics that might be scary such as living in a place where there is conflict. There is a softness in the rendering with a muted palette of colours encouraging quiet contemplation.

Besides being a discussion starter for general conversations about life, our place in the world and our purpose, there are curriculum connections to be found in social studies and language arts. Also, a book that could be a way to approach learning about empathy, too.

Great book to pair with a Stormy Night by Michele Lemieux that also poses questions that can keep one up at night. 

 Recommended for grades 1 to 6.

2017 Tammy and Paula's Holly-Jolly, Tra-la-la, Rum-pum-pum, Five Golden Rings, Decked-out Holiday Book List

Whatever holiday you may be celebrating this winter, Paula and I wanted to give readers some help finding some new book treasures to be shared and cherished. We found many  books that were tickle-your-funny-bone funny, awe-inspiring, or beautiful. We also included a few titles with heavier themes (see YA novel section) but it's not all doom-gloom and dysfunction.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, here's the line up for the week:

Today          - Picture Books

Tomorrow    - Middle Grade Fiction & Graphic Novels

Thursday     - High School Fiction  & Classic Parodies

Friday         - Non-fiction (all ages)


All books listed here have been linked to the Indigo Books website. Paula and I spent a morning recently pouring over books and sipping festive beverages at a nearby store with the thought that these books would be easy for everyone to find at their own local bookstores. If you can't make it out to shop them maybe try the buying them online.

Happy holiday reading, Everyone!



DAY 4 - NONFICTION
(Days 1-3 are below just scroll down.)

Today is the last of our lists. We hope you found something that will make a great gift for someone or perhaps, even yourself.  You could always check out the lists from 2015 and 2016 if you want additional recommendations. Paula and I saw many of the books previously listed, in Indigo so it's not too late to snag one those books.  Happy reading, Everyone.

We Three Kings … Real Boys

Although not only for boys, the following three books are the non-fiction writings of men who have unique stories to tell.   Science, space and hockey – three popular subjects and not without controversy.  Buying one of these books for someone in your life will spark some great conversations.

Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace and Second Chances by Leland Melvin

  *Gr. 7 & up  *Community   *Football   *Astronaut   *Role Model   *Inspirational   *Autobiography

Everything All At Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap into Radical Curiosity and Solve any Problem  by Bill Nye

   *Gr. 10 & up   *Science    *Wicked Problems   *Nerds   *Autobiography  

 Offside: My Life Crossing the Line by Sean Avery

    *Gr. 10 & up   *Hockey    *Autobiography   *Controversy   

 Deck the halls with …Girl Stuff

Although not always politically correct, these books will capitalize on creating a feminine powerhouse of your gift recipient.  These books are about being in charge of your life and how you live it.  #GirlPower

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale

 *Gr.10 & up  *Strong voice   *Poetry   *Art   *Stereotypes     *Identity

Build a Boyfriend by Kiki Jones

   *Gr. 9 & up *Totally ridiculous   *Swipe Right    *Perfection    *Choice    

Girl Code: Gaming, going viral and getting it done by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser

   *Gr. 7-12 *Coding   *Video Games  *Social Media   *Women in Technology   

How to be a Hepburn in a Kardashian World: The Art of Living withStyle, Class and Grace by Jordan Christy

   *Gr.10 & up   *Girlfriend Vibe     *Celebutantes   *Respectful Living   *Identity   

O, Black Holey Night – Scientific musings and trivia (all ages)

Why? Why? Why? Here is a list of books that may appeal to those people in your life who love trivia and question how the world works.  All of these are great for browsing and some have very engaging book designs for younger readers.

Fly Guy presents Why Fly Guy?: a Big Question and Answer Book by Tedd Arnold

   *Gr.6-9  *Science trivia  *Humans  *Animals  *Behaviour

I Can’t Believe It: the Most Amazing Facts About Our Incredible World by DK Publishing

   *Gr. 3-7  *Science trivia  *Nature  *Engineering  *Humans

The Science of Why? 2 by Jay Inram

  *High school and up  *Questions and answers

Under Earth,  Under Water

   *Gr.4-7  *Cool format  *Flip-over book  *Nature  *Human activities *Depths of the Earth

Wilderness: an Interactive Atlas by Hannah Pang, illustrated by Jenny Wren

   *Gr.K-3  *Very cool format  *Nature  *Animals  *Pop-ups, fold-outs, spinning discs, etc.

We wish you a…Weird, Wonderful and Wacked Feats of Engineering (various ages)

As much as humans are capable of solving problems they are also good at creating them, as well. The following selection will make you wonder and gasp at humankind’s capacity for innovative thinking, and outrageous foolishness.

Innovation Nation: How Canadians Made the World Smarter, Smaller, Kinder, Safer, Healthier, Wealthier, Happier (Young Readers Edition) by David Johnson

   *Gr.4-8  *Technology  *Innovative/creative thinking  *Canadian inventors

Ingenious: How Canadians Made the World Smarter, Smaller, Kinder, Safer, Healthier, Wealthier, Happier by David Johnson is the edition for teens and adults

Massively Epic Engineering Disasters: 33 Thrilling Experiments Based on History's Greatest Blunders by Sean Connolly

   *Gr.4-9  *Engineering  *Technology  *Wide ranging types of disasters  *History  *Experiments

Unstoppable: True Stories of Amazing Bionic Animals by Nancy Furstinger

   *Gr.3-9  *Animals  *Science  *Technology

Weird & Wacky Inventions  by Jim Murphy

   *Gr.4-11  *Truly weird  *Truly Wacky  *Technology  *History  *Inventions

Making Spirits Bright … Doing …(too much eggnog) (all ages)

You can make spirits bright by supplying books about how to do something.  These kind of books appeal to all ages and sometimes you are doing something right to the book or following instructions within the book.  No matter how it works, it works.   For the “doers” on your list, check out a these selections.

Cat Origami by Roman Diaz OR Dog Origami by Seth Friedman OR Color Origami

    *Gr.8 and up    *Origami   *Making   *Coloring   *Kit

EtchArt: Secret Sea by AJ Wood and Mike Jolley

   *Gr.2-5  *Art   *Doing   *Work in the book   

How to be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith

   *Gr. 6 & up  *Live in the Moment   *Art   *Science   *Prompts   

How to Create Animation in 10 Easy Lessons by Will Bishop-Stephens

   *Gr.3-7  *Animation  *Stop Motion   *Flip Books   *Doing   

Journal Sparks: Fire Up Your Creativity with Spontaneous Art, Wild Writing and Inventive Thinking by Emily K. Neuburger

   *Gr. 5 & up  *Journaling   *Prompts   *Creativity    *Art      

Look for Ladybug in Plant City by Katherine Manolessou

  Gr.K-3  *Waldo Update   *Illustrations   *Look and Find

Ultimate Slime: DIY Tutorials for Crunchy Slime, Fluffy Slime,Fishbowl Slime, Fishbowl Slime, and More than 100 Other Oddly Satisfying Recipes and Projects – Totally Borax Free by Alyssa Jagan

   *All ages  *Slime    *Recipes   *Make at home   *Doing   *Making   

The Usborne Story Writer’s Ideas Journal: Lots of Space for your Ideas by Louie Stowell

   *Gr. 4-8  *Writer’s Prompts     *Work in the Book

You Better Not Pout…Sports

Only one recommendation here and we had considered adding this to the Seasonal List (Day 1) but realized that for hardcore fans hockey is not just for winter.  And so---

The Big Book of Hockey for Kids, 2^nd ed. By Eric Zweig

   *Gr. 2-7    *Question-and-answer   * Statistics   *Records  *Men’s and Women’s hockey and players 

Do You See What I See – Photographic Art Books (aka. Coffee table books)

We adore these kinds of books. The photographs and art work are so stunningly beautiful that anyone can become enthralled by them, making them the perfect gift book for families.

The Art of Pokemon Adventures  by Satoshi Yamamoto

*Gr.3-7   *Fans   *Manga art   *Manga story 

Hey, Baby!: A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories From Nature’s Nursery by Stephanie Warren Drimmer

   *Gr.K-3  *All ages  *Photographs  *Baby animals  *Super cute

The Living Forest: a Visual Journey into the Heart of the Woods photos by Robert Llewellyn, written by Joan Maloof

   *All ages  *Macro and micro photos   *Nature   *Stunning

National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man’s Quest to Document the World’s Animals by Joel Sartore

*All ages    *Animals, big and small   *Stunning photos

 The Planets: Photographs from the Archives of NASA by Nirmala Nataraj, preface by Bill Nye

   *All ages   *Space

DAY 3 - TEENS
(To see days 1 and 2 please scroll down)

Do you hear what I hear?  Contemporary Teen Novels

The following is a very short list of some current reads for teens about contemporary life.  These kids are dealing with issues related to who they are, their sexuality, their family and friends, and how they get on in the world at large. You know… just the usual stuff.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

  Gr. 8 and up *Mystery   *Romance   *Brothers   *Strong female characters *Smattering of magical realism  *Starrred reviews

Everything All At Once by Katrina Leno

   *Gr. 8 and up  *Grief  *Puzzle to solve  *Conquering fears

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

   *Gr.9 and up   *Race issues  *Friendship  *Controversy  *Starred reviews

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

   *Gr. 9 and up  *Sexual orientation  *Mystery/Thriller

Short for Chameleon by Vicki Grant

   *Gr.8 and up  *Humorous  *Rent-a-relative scheme  *Quirky characters

Spinning by Tillie Walden

   *Gr.8 and up  *Sexual identity   *Sports  *Figure skating  *Self awareness

The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

   *Gr.9 and up  *Part narrative verse – part prose  *family dysfunction  *Sexual identity  *Super popular author

I’m dreaming of a … dangerous, dystopian netherworld - Teen Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Is spending time with your teen making you re-think modern society and it’s very survival?  Do you want to intercept their line of vision before it sinks back to SnapChat and Instagram?  These fantasy and sci-fi choices will have your teen reading and taking on all the qualities of the human you love.

Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship by Philip Pullman

  *Gr. 8 and up *Graphic Novel   *Time Travel   *Technology   *Adventure

The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

  *Gr. 8 and up *Prequel   *Fantasy   *His Dark Materials 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

  Gr.11 & up *Classic   *Groovy Cover   *Timely

Forest of a thousand lanterns by Julie C. Dao

  *Gr.9-12  *Evil Queen (Snow White) Retelling   *Chinese Fantasy   *Zombies  

Freya by Mathew Laurence

  *Gr.10-12  *Contemporary   *Fantasy   *Humour

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux

  *Gr.8 and up *Gothic   *Psychological Thriller   *Dark

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

  *Gr. 9 and up *Time Travel   *Space Travel   *Adventure  

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

  Gr. 8 and up   *Dragons   *Fantasy   *Interesting Characters

Miles Morales, spider man by Jason Reynolds

  *Gr. 7 and up  *Adventure    *Marvel    *Superheroes   *Normal life

Monster by Michael Grant

  *Gr. 9-12  *Superheroes   *Fantasy   *Dystopia

The Reader: Book One of the Sea of Ink and Gold by Traci Chee

  *Gr. 9 and Up
*Pirates   *Adventure   *Series  *Sequel available!!

…we have heard on high…Historical Teen Fiction

Only two books in this section but they are both special.  Each one would be wonderful for the historical fiction reader in your circle.  From the deathly seriousness of Auschwitz and how life secretly is contained within its walls to a funny character-driven tour-de-force in 18^th century Europe, these two books will appeal to a reader you may know.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

   *Gr.8-11  *Based on historical characters   *Hope   *Resilience 

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

   Gr. 7-12  *Sexual Identity   *Humour  *Grand Tour of Europe  *1700’s

DAY 2  - Middle Grade Level                

(Day 1 is below today's posting)

Now the Jingle Hop Has Begun – Middle Grade Novels

We think there’s a little something here for everyone, in this long-ish list – boys, girls, athletes, saints, amnesics, foundlings, detectives, inventors, yetis, and even, mutant bunnies.  Middle grade is a time of change – bodies, relationships, circumstances – it’s all here. Except for the mutant bunnies of course, no more changing for them, thank goodness!

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan

   *Gr.5-9   *Contemporary  *Overcoming fears 

Lights, Camera, Middle School (Babymouse: Tales From the Locker) by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

   *Gr.3-5  *School stories  *Series  *Humorous

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas

   *Gr.3-5  *Early chapter book  *Illustrated  *Imaginary friend  *Fantasy

Ghost ; Patina by Jason Reynolds

   *Gr.5-7  *Series   *Sports (Track)  *Family  *Friendships 

The Inquistor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz

   *Gr. 6 and up   *Historical  *Canterbury Tale-like narrative  *Religion  *Mysticism  *Newbery Honor

Mechanical Mind of John Coggin  by Elinor Teele

   *Gr.6-8  *Adventure  *Humorous  *Inventions  *Brother and sister

Mutant Bunny Island by Obert Skye 

  *Gr.3-6  *Adventure  *Fantasy  *Humorous (bordering on total nonsense) 

Not as We Know It by Tom Avery

   *Gr. 6-10  *Cool cover  *Magic-realism  *Brothers  *Grief  *Strange creature

The Night Garden by Polly Horvath

   *Gr.3-7  *Historical  *Fantasy  *Humorous  *WWII  *UFOs

Pablo and Birdy by Alison McGhee

   *Gr.3-7  *Humorous  * Fantasy  *Birds  *Foundling story  *Illustrated

Poison is Not Polite by Robin Stevens

   *Gr.5-9  *Historical (1930s)  *Detective/Mystery 

Restart by Gordon Korman

   *Gr.4-9  *Character development story  *Amnesia  *Bullying  *Humorous

Ruby Goldberg’s Bright Idea by Anna Humphrey

   *Gr.4-7  *Girl inventor  *School science fair  *Friendship and family issues

The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange

   *Gr.4-7  *Historical (1919)  *English family  *Fairy-tale themes *Mental illness  *Starred reviews

Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin

   *Gr.3-7  *Fantasy/fairy tale  *Illustrarted  *Sisters  *Kindness

The Warden’s Daughter by Jerry Spinelli

   *Gr. 4-7  *Historical  * Growing up  *Grief  *Interesting location  *Starred reviews

Who Killed Darius Drake? by Rodman Philbrick

   *Gr.4-12  *Humorous  *Detective/mystery

Wolfie and Fly by Cary Fagan

   *Gr.3-5   *Humorous  *Friendship  * Imagination

The Yeti Files Monsters on the Run by Kevin Sherry

  *Gr. 2-5  *Graphic novels  *Series  *Humorous  *Silly adventures

Away in a manger…Novels featuring Animals

Where all of the animals gather to get warm and nourished.  Settle in with Rover or Kitty with a few festive treats for both of you and read a great animal story.  Animal stories are favourites among the middle grade set.  You may want to take turns with a read aloud or let your young person just enjoy some down time reading during the holidays.  Either way, these books are bound to become favourites.

Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George

   *Gr. 2-5  *Beginning Chapters   *Read Aloud   *Personable Animals    *Series

Innocent Heroes: Stories of Animals in the First World War by Sigmond Brouwer

   *Gr. 4-7  *WWI   *Fiction/Non-Fiction   *Soldiers   *Animals in War   *Canada

The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall

   *Gr.4-7  *Pigs   *Domesticated Animals    *Friendship   *Family

Wedgie and Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors with illustrations by Barbara Fisinger

   *Gr.7-5  *Blended Families   *Beginning Chapters   *Series   *Family Competition

A Whisper of Horses by Zillah Bethell

   *Gr.4-7  *Fantasy   *Adventure   *Dystopia   *Older Readers

Merry Graphic Novels and a Happy New Year - Graphic Novels

  

Everyone has someone on his or her list who would love to read a story in comic form.  Some are colour comics, some black and white but there is always a great story to read and enjoy.  So grab a hot chocolate and curl up with one of these.

*We have a couple more graphic novels to recommend but they're more appropriate for teens. Please check out tomorrow's list.

All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson

   *Gr.5-8  *Middle School Challenges     *Friendship    *Fitting In

Cici’s Journal: A Writer in Training by Joris Chamblain

   *Gr.3-6   *Two Stories    *Journalism    *Mystery

The Bad Guys #1 by Aaron Blabey

   *Gr.2-4  *Graphic novel  *Animals  *Humorous  *Series

Newsprints by Ru Xu

   *Gr.6-8    *Identity     *Truth    *Friendship  *

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

   * Gr.5-9   *Identity     *Family Secrets    *Two Cultures  

The Witch Boy by Milly Knox Ostertag

   *Gr.3-7   *Courage   *Magic    *Fantasy    *Family

Day 1 - Picture Books

Behold! Beautiful Words, Illustrations and Intentions (Preshool to grade 3)

The following books all have some aspect of beauty that make them stand out. It might be the illustrations of which you will see a range of styles or it might be found in the meaning of the text about appreciating what we have and taking notice of what and who are in our lives.

All My Treasures: A Book of Joy by Jo Witek, illustrated by Christine Roussey

  *The things in life that make you happy  *Interactive

Bear’s House of Books by Poppy Bishop

   *Appreciation of reading & books  *Read aloud

FallingWater: the Building of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece by Marc Marshman and Anna Egan Smucker, illustrator LeUyen Pham

   *Beautiful book  *Building  *Architects

Here We Are: Notes for Living On Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

   *Planet Earth (obviously)  *Respect & appreciation  *Wonder

 Nipehon/I Wait by Caitlin Dale Nicholson

   *First Nations  *Family  *Cree/English  *Nature

 Picture the Sky by Barbara Reid

   *Amazing illustrations  *Sky  *Observation of nature

Plume by Isabelle Simler
    *Birds and Feathers  *Nature  *Playful premise

 They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel

   *Cats  *Perspective  *Intriguing & imaginative

 Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson

   *Bedtime story  *Interactive  *Night

Watersong by Tim McCanna, illustrated by Richard Smythe

   *Water  *Onomatopoeia  *Language play  *Read-aloud

 You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Danielle Daniel

   *First Nations  *Respecting each other

Laughing All the Way - Humorous Picture Books (Preshool to grade 3)

Hahaha, and these books are sure to make for a funny, comfortable and cozy story time at the end of a long winter’s night.  These picture books are sure to please the kids (up to grade 3) and even the adult readers too.   Have a laugh together and enjoy some wacky stories and illustrations that never get old.

Black Belt Bunny by Jacky Davis

  *Karate   *Bunny    *Meal Preparation   *Salads

The Cat Came Back by Cordell Barker

   *Cats   *Friendship   *Solitary Lives  *Based on NFB classic animated short film

 Chicken in Space by Adam Lehrhaupt

   *Friendships   *Pigs   *Chickens    *Adventures

The Cranky Ballerina by Elise Gravel

   *Ballet   *Karate   *After School Activities   *Personal Interests

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds

   *Bunny   *Big Boy Underwear    *Things that Glow

If you ever want to bring an alligator to school, Don’t! by Elise Parsley

   *Show and Tell   *Alligators   *Classrooms   *Principal’s Office   *Bad Ideas

If you happen to have a dinosaur by Linda Bailey and Colin Jack

   *Dinosaurs   *Family Life 

Naptastrophe! By Jarrett J. Krosoczka 

   *Bunny   *No Nap   *Family Slice-of-Life

Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed

   *Adventure  *Elephant   *Pig   *Friendship

 A Perfect Day by Lane Smith 

   *Animal Story   *Quirky Humour

Poles Apart by Jeanne Willis

   *Penguins   *North Pole   *Adventure

Super Jumbo by Fred Koehler

   *Elephant   *Superhero   *Kids helping out

Let It Snow! – Seasonal

Winter is a great time to get all snuggled in with a good book. But why not feel even more cocoon when reading about winter while it's cold and snowy outside? Here are a few recommendations that will give you this satisfaction and a few belly laughs along the way.

Hibernation Hotel by John Kelly, illustrated by Laura Brenlla

   *Preschool to Gr. 2  *Animals  *Humorous  *

Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider

   *Gr.7-11  *Light romance  *Christmas  *Short novel

A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson

   *Preschool to Gr.2  *Turtle  *Animals  *Fun in winter  *Humorous

The Lumberjack’s Beard by Duncan Beedie

   *Preschool to Gr.3  *Humorous  *Nature conservation  *Animals  *Consequences

Nutcracker Mice by Kristin Kladstrup, illustrated by Brett Helquist

   *Gr.4-7  *Animal fantasy *Ballet  *Christmas  *Illustrated novel 

Pug by Ethan Long

   *Preschool to Gr.1  *Dogs   *Humorous  *Patterned reading

Pup and Bear by Kate Banks

   *Preschool to Gr.2  *Arctic wildlife  *Kindness  *Metaphoral not realistic  *Very sweet, comforting

Waltz of the Snowflakes by Elly MacKay

   *Preschool to Gr.2  *Wordless  *Ballet  *Christmas  *Fabulous art work

I wanna wish you a ……couple of Compilations 

 Here are a few collections of stories or poetry that may appeal to you when you want to buy just one book but get lots for reading for your money.  Some classics, some not-so-classic, there may be a collection here that is right for your special recipient.

 Coyote Tales by Thomas King

*Trickster Stories   *Illustrated   *Early Readers   *Animal Stories

Elephant and Piggie Biggie by Mo Willems

*Early Reader   *Collection of 5 Stories   *Super-Saver    *Humorous    *Series

Once there was a story: Tales from around the world perfect forsharing by Jane Yolan and Jane Dyer

*Classic   *Aesop   *Nicely Illustrated   *Traditional   *Read Aloud

One Minute Until Bedtime: 60 Second Poems to send you off to sleep  selected be Kenn Nesbitt

*Poetry   *Read Aloud   *Bedtime Stories   *Popular Poets

In the meadow, we will build a snowman  : Hands-On for the Very Young

Do you have a builder, a doer, a maker, a hands-on kind of little person?  Are you buying for someone who may not sit still for a conventional story but would love to name every kind of tool in the toolbox?  Here are a few good picks to share with your young person.

Touch Think Learn ABC by Xavier Deneux

*Board Book   *Preschool   *Tactile  

Build a Block by Christopher Franceschelli, Art by Peskimo

*Construction Machines   *Board Book    *Preschool

Tools Rule by Aaron Meshon

*Tools   *Building   *Word Play   *Preschool

Box by Min Flyte

*Flip the Flap   *Preschool   *Buddy Book