Hot Cross Buns for Everyone!

Written by Yolanda T. Marshall

Illustrated by Daria Lavrova

Chalkboard Publishing

978-1-771055901

32 pp.

Ages

2022

 

With Shrove Tuesday on the horizon–March 4 this year–and Christians anticipating Easter, it wouldn't be amiss to review a book I missed when it came out a few years ago. With its charming text and sweet artwork, Hot Cross Buns for Everyone! seems a timely treat of a read.

 

Jackson, a child who loves a yummy hot cross bun, decides to invite his friends to a party for Easter Sunday. With that invitation, all his friends begin their own hot cross bun prep, with adult supervision, of course.  

From Hot Cross Buns for Everyone!, written by Yolanda T. Marshall, illus. by Daria Lavrova

Jewel gets her mom to make a big one like her Nonna's cake. Liam's foster parents use his Scottish granda's spicy recipe. Dimitri's father adds the traditional Greek spice mahlepi as well as vanilla. Others add raisins, glaze them with sugar, sprinkle with rainbow colours, or make them dairy- and gluten-free. For some, the version looks a little different like the traditional Jamaican bun and cheese–a sweet loaf bracketing special cheese.

From Hot Cross Buns for Everyone!, written by Yolanda T. Marshall, illus. by Daria Lavrova

There are hot cross buns aplenty and more than enough for Jackson's invited guests and all the other school kids and their families. There is so much food to savour that he takes the extras to share with neighbours, a lovely offering for Easter.
 

Easter may not be until April this year but a tasty treat that is shared among friends is never limited to one day a year. And Jackson's love of the bun is a perfect foundation for giving and sharing with community. Yolanda T. Marshall, a well-established Guyanese-born Canadian writer whose books I've only recently discovered, seasons her story of hot cross buns with the flavours of diverse communities and cultures, even sharing a recipe for Spiced Hot Cross Buns–as well as some background information and teaching ideas–at the end of her story. Without overwhelming readers with the varieties of hot cross buns enjoyed across the world, Yolanda T. Marshall lets us see some of the ways they differ, whether through spices and ingredients included or the forms taken. Regardless of their flavours and their presentation, the buns are a source of delight and sweetness, bringing people together to share and appreciate.

From Hot Cross Buns for Everyone!, written by Yolanda T. Marshall, illus. by Daria Lavrova

Russian-born illustrator Daria Lavrova, who currently lives in Amsterdam, makes Jackson's Easter party of hot cross buns a joyous and colourful event. From the exuberance of all who bake and partake to the diversity of people and food, Hot Cross Buns for Everyone! becomes a celebration of colour and texture, with the zest that comes from good food shared with generous neighbours.

Everyone came

To eat, laugh, and play!

That's all they did

On Easter day.

No Purchase Necessary

Written by Maria Marianayagam

HarperCollins

978-1-4434-7261-6

256 pp.

Ages 9-12

January 2025 

 

Ajay Anthonipillai and his parents and sister Aarthi recently moved to Bridge Creek to be closer to some family and save money. It's now a three-hour commute for Appa to the city where he is studying for his master's in civil engineering, but the Tamil Sri Lankan family understands the sacrifices that must be made to succeed. While understanding that money is tight and that his parents have very high expectations for him, Ajay really wants to fit in. And so, when taunted by alpha classmate Jacob Underson to steal a Mercury chocolate bar in Scary Al's convenience store, Ajay does it. This one mistake changes everything for Ajay.

 

Jacob refuses the chocolate bar since Ajay hid it in his pants, so Ajay eats the chocolate himself. "It tasted like bliss and guilt." (pg. 25) But there's more than candy in the package. There's also the message on the wrapper that tells him he's won Mercury's $1 million Grand Prize. He knows all the good that money would do his family, including helping his aunt's family in Sri Lanka but Ajay knows he doesn't deserve it. In fact, if he hadn't taken it, his classmate Mindy Yu would've won it, grabbing the next bar after him. 

What to do? He has learned much from karate about integrity and respect, as he had from attending Catholic Church with Father Freddie, so Ajay is torn about what to do. Return the wrapper to Scary Al? Give it to Mindy? Confess to his parents? Cash in the ticket? Even as Ajay vacillates between all his options–not unlike Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" for an assignment with which Ajay is struggling–he ends up working for Scary Al at the store, becoming friendly with Mindy who helps him with his English assignment, and fighting and then collaborating with his tormentor Jacob. 

But lies have a life of their own. Some lies beget other lies. Or the lies morph into something completely different. And they can always be exposed. Whether it's because someone lets something slip or the liar is overcome with guilt or because the truth was known all along, lies do unravel, and for Ajay, it's just a question of when and how, not if.

 

Maria Marianayagam, herself a Sri Lankan-Canadian, undoubtedly drew from her own cultural experiences to give life to Ajay and his family. The high regard for education and family and hard work are evident, all solid foundations for Ajay and Aarthi. But these same values are challenged when they intersect with the culture of their new home, in which kids defend themselves when bullied, do extracurricular activities, and try to fit in with their peers. The balancing act of being different people, one at home and both a peer and your parents' child at school is a precarious one and one that challenges Ajay. Maria Marianayagam does not make Ajay a perfect kid who handles it all. She makes him real, struggling with himself and others, trying to do what's right though it might make life harder, and wishing for a break occasionally to just be himself. When Ajay and Aarthi can finally unmask themselves to their parents, it's both refreshing for all and illuminating.

 

Winning a million dollars seems like a dream but for Ajay it becomes a nightmare of conflict between honour and want. Thankfully, the rules of his family and those of the dojo and his faith help guide him to make the best choice and ultimately to enrich his life in unforeseen ways.

2025 First Page Student Writing Challenge is on! (Deadline February 28, 2025)

Where do you think our world will be in 150 years? How will issues like climate action or human rights, sustainability or war and peace play out in the future? Tell us a story that explores one of those many issues by entering CBC Books' annual student writing challenge, The First Page. If you are or know a student enrolled in Grades 7 through 12, it's time to get writing and enter this fabulous writing opportunity.

From the CBC Books post,  here's what you need to know:

 

 

Partipants:

• All Canadian residents who are full-time students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12 are eligible. Entries will be judged in two age categories: Grades 7 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12. 

 

 • • •

Entries:

• Write the first page of a novel set 150 years from now, exploring how a modern day current affairs event or trend has played out. 

• Write between 300 and 400 words.

• Include a title (which is not counted in the word limit).

 

  • • •

 

Submission:

• Complete the online submission form via Submittable through CBC Books at 

https://cbcliteraryprizes.submittable.com/submit/319477/the-2025-first-page-student-writing-challenge

• If having difficulties, contact cbcbooks@cbc.ca for assistance.

 

 • • •

 

Deadline:

• February 28, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST 

 

 • • •

Judging and Prizes:

• A team of Canadian literary experts will first select the shortlist. Then writer S. K. Ali (author of books that include Saints and Misfits, Love from A to Z, and Fledgling) will select the winners of the two categories. 

• Winners will receive a one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which delivers monthly boxes of books and literary-related goodies. 

• The school library of each winner will also receive a donation of 50 books.

 

 

 

Check out previous winners and finalists from across Canada at https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-first-page-student-writing-challenge-past-winners-and-finalists-1.6262657.

  

Good luck to all participants!

 

2025 Forest of Reading® Kid Committee: Applications now being accepted (deadline April 1, 2025)

The Forest of Reading program releases summer reading lists that are put together every spring by young people on the Forest Kid and Teen Committees. If you are an avid reader in Grades 4 to 6 or Grades 7 to 8, there are two separate committees looking for participants in 2025 to share their opinions on Canadian books with their peers.

 

 

How to get on a committee:

• Any Canadian student (from any province or territory) in Grades 4 to 8 (including those homeschooled) can apply 

 

• Application are completed online HERE

        In addition to contact details, you will be asked about your favourite Canadian authors and books.

 

• The deadline for applications is Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

(Note: These committees will only move forward if there are significant applications for each program. )

 

 

What the committee will do:

• Committees will meet virtually in May via ZOOM (9 AM - 12:30 PM EST; times may be subject to change depending on locations of committee members) to discuss books.

Silver Birch Kid Committee (students in Grades 4-6) will meet on Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Red Maple Kid Committee (students in Grades 7 and 8) will meet on Wednesday, May 7, 2025

(Teen Committee is piloting an ambassador program this year. Details will follow.)

• Committee members will be sharing, recommending, and championing books written by Canadian authors from the last 2 years (and not previously included on Forest of Reading lists of nominees or on Forest Kid Committee summer reading lists). If you love books, specifically Canadian books, this is your chance to talk to other readers about what you love and help others find great books to read over the summer. You can include fiction, non-fiction, short story collections, graphic novels, etc. appropriate for the age group of your committee.

 

 

Full details, including past lists, are available at https://forestofreading.com/kid-teen-committees/

You can check out earlier reading lists at the links below:

• 2019
• 2020
• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024

Apply before April 1^st, 2025

for your chance to be on 

this exciting and worthwhile committee

 

Black Boy, Black Boy

Written by Angela Bowden

Illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-401-0

36 pp.

Ages 4-9

January 2025

Black Boy, Black Boy may be presented as a picture book, powerfully illustrated with the art of Ibeabuchi (Ibe) Ananaba, but it reads like spoken-word poem. I could hear the voice of "Aunty Angela"–this is how Angela Bowden signs off her appended note "To the Black Boys reading this"–ringing loud and clear and emphatic as she speaks and urges all black boys to see themselves and to see the legacy from which they came and the one to which they will create for themselves. It's inspiring, encouraging and enlightening.

From Black Boy, Black Boy, written by Angela Bowden, illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

Angela Bowden begins Black Boy, Black Boy with a series of questions. At first the questions are about the boys' heritage and identity.

Do you know where you come from? 

Do you know what you're made of? 

Do you know who your people be?

She provides context for where they came from, whether it be Africans, or Loyalists, Maroons, refugees or others but always speaks to the "pride and wisdom, courage and bravery" embedded in their heritage. She speaks of the past and the now, and what can still be. Angela Bowden conveys messages about spirit and freedom, rhythm and harmony, and purpose. Whether they be men like Frederick Douglass and Robert Shephard, or contemporaries like Barack Obama, Angela Bowden urges the boys to keep reaching because,

Black Boy, you are a gift

Of the past and the present

I wish I could share the power and rhythm of Angela Bowden's words. They jump from the page into the reader's ears and heart reminding us of the potential to elevate and move young people with words. Her poetry, sometimes rhyming and sometimes free verse, will raise spirits to see beyond a moment of self and look back and forward to understand how that moment is but a flash. I can't speak to how a black boy may respond or interpret this poetry but I can share with you how moved I was as Angela Bowden speaks to them and reminds them of who they truly are and will be.

From Black Boy, Black Boy, written by Angela Bowden, illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

Her words are more than sufficient to inspire but with Ibe Ananaba's artwork, Black Boy, Black Boy becomes an anthem to self-realization. With the shapes, the lines, and the colours, Ibe Ananaba thrusts forward the message of legacy and self-fulfillment. Whether they are boys playing or being loved, feeling fear or shining bright, Ibe Ananaba sees these boys and strengthens them with his art.

From Black Boy, Black Boy, written by Angela Bowden, illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

I know a lot of educators will use Black Boy, Black Boy as a teaching tool during Black History Month with its recognition of Canadian and international icons from music to medicine, activism to politics. (The last page recounts the famous individuals depicted in Ibe Ananaba's artwork, including Nelson Mandela, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Francis Dorrington.) But it behoves all readers, teachers, and parents to see Black Boy, Black Boy as more than this. It is a poem of recognition and resilience, of reassurance and faith, that black boys should stand tall and go forward knowing the past and their futures are secured through their ancestry and the black boys that came before them and those who will follow.

The Girl Who Loved Poutine

Written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Illustrated by Rachel Qiuqi

Sleeping Bear Press

978-1-534113169

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

2024

A story about poutine, about regional and cultural differences across Canada, and about a family get-together for a birthday on July 1st? It doesn't get much more Canadian than that.

From The Girl Who Loved Poutine, written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by Rachel Qiupi

Zoey is looking forward to her fifth birthday, a day on which she will enjoy her favourite food: poutine.

Zoey closes her eyes and imagines . . .
french fries and gravy and squeaky cheese curds.
SQUEAK. SQUEAK. SQUEAK.

From The Girl Who Loved Poutine, written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by Rachel Qiupi

Zoey may help her dad make his famous poutine but what she doesn't know is that all the relatives have decided to have a poutine contest to celebrate the special day. And with each entry and tasting by Zoey comes a story and a feeling. There's Aunt Janice's Newfoundland and Labrador poutine with breadcrumbs, onions, and salt meat. For Zoey, it brings back memories of a trip to St. John's and kitchen parties. Aunt Anne and Uncle Liam's PEI poutine has lobster while Aunt Celine's Montreal poutine has smoked bacon, onions and maple syrup.

From The Girl Who Loved Poutine, written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by Rachel Qiupi

With each new dish, Zoey gets a different memory, travelling from Newfoundland to Saskatchewan and Yellowknife and elsewhere in Canada and in time with family. Who wins the poutine contest? It's the girl who loves poutine, of course.

From The Girl Who Loved Poutine, written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by Rachel Qiupi

Poutine is such a quintessential food from Quebec, though adopted and adapted across Canada and the world. But Lorna Schultz Nicholson doesn't just make this a book about the food–a recipe is included, as are facts about the dish–but she makes it a story of family and Canada. Zoey may love poutine, but she certainly has close bonds with all her family, and their poutines are memory cues for times spent together enjoying the cultures and people of different provinces and territories. It's marvelous that the reader can learn about the various poutines, and the story would be a fabulous lesson starter about the attributes of different Canadian provinces and territories. Lorna Schultz Nicholson may not have intended The Girl Who Loved Poutine to be a teaching prompt for social studies, but wouldn't this be a great way to be introduced to the places and people of Canada?

Toronto's Rachel Qiupi, who appears to blend digital with traditional techniques, ensures that Lorna Schultz Nicholson's story is both lighthearted and informative. From the wonderfully colourful scenes and characters to the detailed poutines–for example, Nona's pasta sauce and the bacon on Aunt Celine's are apparent–Rachel Qiupi establishes an authentic and sunny vibe to The Girl Who Loved Poutine.

Whether you're a teacher or parent who wants to use this story as a lesson starter or just a kid who loves poutine, The Girl Who Loved Poutine will tickle your taste buds and have you longing for squeaky cheese curds, or maybe something else atop your fries.

Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse

Written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-1299-1

64 pp.

Ages 6-9

September 2024

 

We all want to feel special at some point. For some, having a shining moment is enough. For others, like Steve the Horse, it's all about being the centre of attention and perceived as exceptional. Thing is, what makes him exceptional?

Author-illustrator Kelly Collier first introduced Steve in her picture books A Horse named Steve (2017) and Team Steve (2018) but this time Steve gets to show off his exceptionality in this first of an early graphic novel series. (The next books in the series, Steve, a Rare Egg and Steve, Born to Run, are slated for release in June and September respectively.) With a little more story and a lot more illustrations, Kelly Collier gives Steve the opportunity to shine, sort of.

From Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse, written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

While hanging with his bestie Bob, the raccoon, Steve witnesses the grandeur of a peacock when it spreads its feathers. Steve, ever the self-absorbed horse, asks Bob, "I know I'm special, Bob, but am I exceptional?" Unfortunately, Bob's reply, citing Steve's nice coat and ability to run fast, isn't sufficient to allay Steve's concerns. 

From Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse, written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

But when Steve discovers a golden horn that he can tie onto his head, he believes it will be just the thing to make him exceptionally beautiful. Still, when he approaches his friends to recognize his exceptionality, they seem unimpressed. (It doesn't help that the horn is starting to creep off his head until it's hanging under his chin.) And then the horn is lost.

How is Steve supposed to feel special without his golden horn? And will he still be special if his friends find their own ways to stand out?

From Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse, written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

While Kelly Collier could have made Steve tiresome with his self-centeredness, she actually makes him more lovable than annoying. He just wants to stand out. Problem is that he wants to always be seen as exceptional. It's all about him. Still, there are moments of caring for others, like helping Bob reach the apples high in the trees. Steve might not like it but he's a lot like everyone, showing moments of the extraordinary and a lot of ordinary. So, Kelly Collier's Steve will help young children see the flaws of ego when it gets in the way of supporting others. She also brings attention to Steve's friends who, similarly, choosing to be extraordinary, are willing to copy the horse's head decoration with their own, using everything from an acorn to a branch or a leaf.  

As an early graphic novel, Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse, has the right elements for encouraging reading. It's got terrific illustrations that are both simple and detailed enough that everyone and everything is recognizable, thereby allowing kids to focus on meaning and enjoying the humour. While there are subtle messages about being egocentric and being a follower, Kelly Collier will just get kids reading and laughing in a pretty exceptional story.