Kindergarten to Grade 2 (Owlkids Books, 2012) Martin spends a lot of time in his own little world – a world where he attempts to catch butterfly giggles with his camera and where his mother’s smile is a big, wide river. But not today. Today is the first day of school and he will listen… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Picture Books
The Stone Hatchlings – Sarah Tsiang, ill. Qin Leng
Kindergarten – Grade 3 (Annick Press, 2012) The fascination of young children for stones has long been a governing aspect of life around our house. My husband and I have grown to respect this even if we don’t always understand it the way Sarah Tsiang and Qin Leng obviously do. Their respect for the way… Continue Reading
Larf – Ashley Spires
Preschool to Grade 2 (Kids Can Press, 2012) Larf enjoys his quiet life in the woods, alone but for his pet bunny, Eric. He jogs, observes nature and, on Wednesdays, he does laundry. If he were ever discovered, people would never leave him alone, for Larf is a sasquatch, you see. While he enjoys his… Continue Reading
Up Cat / Up Dog – Hazel Hutchins, ill. Fanny
Preschool – Kindergarten (Annick Press, 2012) Charmingly appropriate is the idea that a board book, or in this case two, would be created around one of the first words that toddlers learn – up. Up Dog follows Dog through a straight-forward, yet eventful, kind of day. Hazel Hutchins uses 40 words to describe how Dog… Continue Reading
In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up – Monica Kulling, ill. David Parkins
Grades 1-3 (Tundra Books, 2011) In the Bag: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up is the newest release in Tundra’s Great Idea Series. It is the biography of Margaret (Mattie) Knight who in 1873 became the first woman awarded a patent in the US. As in All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine and It’s a Snap!… Continue Reading
My Name is Elizabeth – Annika Dunklee, ill. Matthew Forsythe
Preschool to Grade 2 (Kids Can Press, 2011) Elizabeth loves her name. She loves that it’s nine letters long. She loves the neat things her mouth does when she says it. She loves that there is a queen named after her. But, most of all, she loves that it’s her name to use however she… Continue Reading
Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? – Dan Bar-el, ill. Rae Maté
Preschool to Grade 2 (Simply Read Books, 2011) Dan Bar-el’s creative extension of the Mother Goose rhyme is a lyrical journey perfectly accompanied by Rae Maté’s dreamy paintings. As the illustrations show, a young girl is asking Pussycat to recount tales of his travels which the pair re-enact by puppet show under the light of… Continue Reading
The Vole Brothers – Roslyn Schwartz
Preschool to Grade 1 (Owl Kids Books, 2011) When you’ve created a series as well-loved and successful as the Mole Sisters, it makes sense to keep doing what you’re doing. The Vole Brothers is related to Roslyn Schwartz’s earlier series in many ways but it also has much to offer that is fresh and unique…. Continue Reading
Merci Mister Dash! – Monica Kulling, ill. Esperança Melo
Preschool to Grade 2 (Tundra Books, 2011) Red-headed Daphne is a real wild child, while poor Mr. Dash is a proper posh pup. He lives with Madame Croissant, assists in her Gift Shop and tactfully finds ways to avoid Daphne’s weekly visits. Alas, however, the day arrives that he does not gather his newspaper and… Continue Reading
My Cat Isis – Catherine Austen, ill. Virginie Egger
Preschool to Grade 2 (Kids Can Press, 2011) Who has never marvelled at the affinity between a goddess and a feline friend? My Cat Isis takes a loving look at the similarities and differences between an ancient Egyptian divinity and a boy’s cat. The story is a back and forth dialogue between mythology and the… Continue Reading
Cinnamon Baby – Nicola Winstanley, ill. Janice Nadeau
Preschool to Grade 2 (Kids Can Press, 2011) In this modern fable, Miriam is a baker who combines ingredients and song to create wonderfully delectable varieties of bread. Her aromatic cinnamon bread draws Sebastian into her bakery and a year later they are married. A beautiful cinnamon baby with dusky skin is born and the… Continue Reading