November 05, 2026

Meet Rosemarie Kuptana (Scholastic Canada Biography)

Book cover of "Meet Rosemarie Kuptana" by Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas shows a smiling Inuit woman wearing a blue parka as she stands in front of a snowy northern community.
Written by Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Scholastic Canada
978-1-0397-0787-0
32 pp.
Ages 6–9
November 2026
 
Rosemarie Esther Kudlak Kuptana, born in 1954, lived a traditional Inuit life with her family. She was born in an igloo on the Prince of Wales Strait as her family hunted seal. When they moved to Ikaahuk on Banks Island, they continued sharing traditional knowledge and speaking Inuinnaqtun. 
Left page of a two-page spread shows an Inuit family wearing hooded sealskin parkas, including a mother with a baby in her hood, standing in a snowy landscape of igloos and sleds. The right page shows an Inuit family around a table.
Illustration by Mike Deas from Meet Rosemarie Kuptana, written by Elizabeth MacLeod
 But when Rosemarie was eight, she was taken to a residential school where she was forced to speak English and could not speak Inuinnaqtun when she went home for summers. It wasn't until she was 18 that she worked to relearn her language.  
The left side of this two-page spread shows two Inuit children using ulus to prepare sealskins as guided by an elderly Inuit woman. The right side shows a child being taken away from their parents by a policeman wearing a red jacket
Illustration by Mike Deas from Meet Rosemarie Kuptana, written by Elizabeth MacLeod
As an adult, Rosemarie worked in the service of others, such as on the settlement council in Ikaahuk, as a nanny, and in putting on the Northern Games. But, hosting a radio show for the CBC Northern Service gave her an important chance to help bring news and opportunities, including hearing their own languages, to her community. That led to a move to television and establishment of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, known as APTN. 
 
Always determined to protect and promote Inuit ways of life, Rosemarie worked with the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) and volunteered with the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC). She and other Inuit leaders were determined to help the Inuit establish their own territory. In 1999, the territory of Nunavut was created.

Inuit people of all ages cheer as a truck passes displaying the new Nunavut flag of a red inuksuk against a yellow and white background with a blue star.
Illustration by Mike Deas from Meet Rosemarie Kuptana, written by Elizabeth MacLeod
But Rosemarie's activism for the Inuit and her community did not stop there. She's rallied against climate change, emphasizing the need for traditional Inuit knowledge to work with modern science. She helped residential school survivors get some compensation. Along with others, she helped get Inuit languages and their dialects taught in schools.
 
As a child, Rosemarie had decisions thrust upon her, separated from her family, losing her familial language, having her hair cut, and more. As an adult, she worked hard to bring decision-making back to the Inuit. She helped them get their own territory, their right to govern, their languages back, and to help fight climate change. Elizabeth MacLeod shows us an extraordinary woman who relentlessly managed to reinvigorate traditional practices of the Inuit and move them forward in establishing their rights to land, languages and traditions. Elizabeth MacLeod's words impress upon readers the outstanding accomplishments of Rosemarie Kuptana, always emphasizing the breadth of her work and her determination to work for the Inuit.
A large screen displays a dark-haired woman with glasses speaking to a large auditorium from a table on a stage where she sits with eight others.
Illustration by Mike Deas from Meet Rosemarie Kuptana, written by Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrator Mike Deas takes the reader easily from northern territories of snow and ice, of northern lights and of traditional Inuit communities, to studios, conference halls, and activist organizations. Rosemarie Kuptana goes from a child of the land to an advocate of the Inuit people. And Mike Deas's illustrations blend the use of digital tools with gouache, watercolours, and ink to tell Rosemarie Kuptana's story completely. A  story of residential school and of struggles that the Inuit faced for self-determination could be heavy, but Mike Deas stresses the accomplishments and lifts the story to one of tribute, just as Elizabeth MacLeod's words do.
 
Meet Rosemarie Kuptana is the newest addition to the Scholastic Canada Biography series, and it's a stellar one for its historical and social significance. Thanks to Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas, I now know Rosemarie Kuptana's story, and I'll be looking deeper into her life, knowing that a woman such as her will always be looking to do good and honour the traditions of her people. 
 
 • • • • • • •
 
Scholastic Canada Biography
Meet Rosemarie Kuptana (2026) 

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November 02, 2026

Hello, Beautiful Animal

Book cover of “Hello, Beautiful Animal,” written by Lauren Soloy and illustrated by Janie Hao shows two children and various animals each putting an appendage (e.g., hand, paw, tail, wing, foot) into a circle around the title text.
Written by Lauren Soloy
Illustrated by Janie Hao
Kids Can Press
978-1-5253-1433-9
32 pp.
Ages 3–7
October 2026 
 
There are countless days in the calendar that recognize pets and animals, whether to walk them, to honour those who have passed, or to love them. October is an especially important month as October 4 is recognized as World Pet Day and World Animal Day. That day would be well served by a reading of Lauren Soloy and Janie Hao's Hello, Beautiful Animal, a picture book that reminds us of how we should treat all the animals with kindness and appreciation. 
A child sits in bed with her stuffed animals, while she plays with her Corgi who rolls playfully on the blue patchwork coverlet..
Illustration by Janie Hao from Hello, Beautiful Animal, written by Lauren Soloy
Lauren Soloy begins by reminding young readers that all animals are amazing and should be treated well. That could include getting them medical care, showing them affection and attention, grooming them, feeding them good food, giving them opportunities for fresh air and exercise, and keeping them happy. Being a responsible caregiver to an animal is filled with joys and requires much from us, not the least of which is kindness.
A girl with glasses and dark hair rests her head in her hands as she stares at a large Bearded Dragon lizard.
Illustration by Janie Hao from Hello, Beautiful Animal, written by Lauren Soloy
Illustrator Janie Hao shows us a variety of animals, from pets like a dog and a cat and a lizard, but also animals in the wild like fish, otters, birds, and apes. The stars of Hello, Beautiful Animal are the family Corgi and orange tabby upon which two children shower much attention and love.
A trio of drawings show a mother otter holding her baby on her belly, two monkeys grooming a little ones, and a child playing doctor with an orange tabby cat.
Illustration by Janie Hao from Hello, Beautiful Animal, written by Lauren Soloy
I have reviewed books both by Lauren Soloy, who wrote and illustrated Every Leaf on Every Tree (Nimbus Publishing, 2025), and by Janie Hao (Mad at Dad, Kids Can Press, 2024), and I am surprised by how distinct this story from their earlier works. Lauren Soloy, who has illustrated for others (e.g., A Tulip in Winter: A Story About Folk Artist Maud Lewis by Kathy Stinson) as well as authored and illustrated her own stories diverges with Hello, Beautiful Animal by not illustrating it. Instead, she focuses on sharing positive messages about being an animal caregiver, instructing young readers what it takes to be compassionate and responsible towards animals, domestic and others. 
Two children run among many animals of the land, sky, and water, including a giraffe, an elephant, a raccoon, a sea turtle, an orca whale, a jellyfish, a macaw, and a swallow.
Illustration by Janie Hao from Hello, Beautiful Animal, written by Lauren Soloy
Janie Hao's digital illustrations let us see animals both as foci in our lives as well as a part of the larger world. Whether watching a Corgi howl for food or depicting a world of animals of land, sky, and water, Janie Hao takes us into their worlds. It may also be our world, but through the use of perspective, Janie Hao's colourful art depicts them as they see, feel, and are.
 
Hello, Beautiful Animal has all the charm of a storied picture book, but it is actually an engaging guide to help children understand our responsibilities to animals so that we can keep their lives fulfilling, just as they enrich ours.

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October 30, 2026

Red Cedar and Salmonberry Book Awards: 2026/2027 Nominees announced

Readers' choice awards are a very special kind of book award. There are juries or selection committees that chose nominees or shortlists, but it's young readers who choose the winners. In British Columbia, the readers' choice awards are the Red Cedar Book Award, and now also the Salmonberry Book Award. As 2027 is the 30th Anniversary of the creation of B.C.’s Red Cedar Book Award which was designed to award books of fiction and non-fiction for readers in Grades 5–7. To celebrate this anniversary, they've expanded their awards to include an award for book aimed at younger readers, those in Grades 3–5. It's named the Salmonberry Book Award and has its own new logo.
 
 


Red Cedar Book Award for Fiction


Way Off Track    
Written by Carl Brundtland  
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila  
Kids Can Press


Saving Wolfgang
Written by Gregor Craigie    
Orca Book Publishers


Maggie Lou Meets Her Match    
Written by Arnolda Dufour Bowes    
Groundwood Books
 

Go
Written by Deborah Ellis    
Groundwood Books
 

Robot Island    
Written by Cary Fagan    
Tundra Books
 

Briarwood    
Written by Natalie Hyde    
DCB Young Readers
 

Touching Grass    
Written by Kristy Jackson  
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor  
HarperCollins
 

The City of Lost Cats    
Written by Tanya Lloyd Kyi    
Tundra Books
 

The Setback    
Written by Lynn Leitch    
Pajama Press
 

No Purchase Necessary    
Written by Maria Marianayagam    
HarperCollins

The Anxious Exile of Sara Salt    
Written by Gabrielle Prendergast    
Orca Book Publishers


The Book of Jupiter    
Written by Robin Stevenson    
Kids Can Press
 

Time Surfers 
Written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester
HarperCollins 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Red Cedar Book Award for Information 


Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers    
Written by Frances Backhouse    
Orca Book Publishers
    

Green Cities: How Green Infrastructure Helps Urban Centers Thrive
Written by Sheila Boudreau  
Illustrated by Katie Dockrill  
Owlkids Books
    

Sticking to the Facts: 10 ways to Fight Misinformation    
Written by Gregor Craigie 
Illustrated by Bithi Sutradhar   
Orca Book Publishers
    

The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy    
Written by Erica Fyvie
Illustrated by Scot Ritchie    
Kids Can Press

Feeling Your Feelings: The Head-to-Toe Science of Emotions    
Written by Tanya Lloyd Kyi  
Illustrated by Phil Nicholls   
Kids Can Press
    

Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep    
Written by Mark Leiren-Young    
Orca Book Publishers
    

All About Us: 20 True Tales of Courage and Disability    
Written by Hannalora Leavitt 
Illustrated by Stef Wong   
Orca Book Publishers
    

Why Communities Need Engineers: Helping Humans Live Together    Written by Helen Liang   
Illustrated by Arden Taylor 
Orca Book Publishers
    

Making a Splash: How Humans Consume, Control and Care for Water 
Written by Colleen Nelson 
Illustrated by Sophie Dubé   
Orca Book Publishers
    

Microbes to the Rescue: Using Bacteria, Algae and Fungi to Clean Up the Planet    
Written by Yolanda Ridge    
Orca Book Publishers
    

You Were Made For This World: Celebrated Indigenous Voices Speak to Young People    
Edited by Stephanie Sinclair and Sara Sinclair    
Tundra Books
    

Soccerology: Unbelievable Facts and Stories about the Beautiful Game  
Written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester    
Annick Press

Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor’s Story    
Written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger   
Illustrated by Michelle Theodore 
Annick Press
 
 
 

Salmonberry Book Award


Julia on the Go!: The Big Splash    
Written by Angela Ahn 
Illustrated by Julie Kim    
Tundra Books
 

Two Tricksters Find Friendship    
Written by Johnny Aitken and Jess Willows
Illustrated by Alyssa Koski    
Orca Book Publishers
    

One Goal: How Soccer can Save the Planet    
Written by Heather Camlot
Illustrated by Drew Shannon    
Groundwood Books
 

Star Sailor, the Story of Words    
Written by Sara Cassidy
Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin    
Orca Book Publishers
 

Shy Cat and the Stuff-the-Bus Challenge    
Written by Dian Day
Illustrated by Amanda White    
Second Story Press
 

Howler Reef (Sueño Bay Adventures)    
Written by Nancy Deas
Illustrated by Mike Deas    
Orca Book Publishers
 

The Cedar Mother (Mothers of Xsan)    
Written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan    
Highwater Press
 

The Burrowing Owls of the Prairie Grasslands    
Written by Deborah Hodge
Illustrated by Karen Reczuch    
Groundwood Books
 

The Land Knows Me: A Nature Walk Exploring Indigenous Wisdom
Written by Leigh Joseph 
Illustrated by Natalie Schnitter    
becker&mayer! kids
 

How to Save a Library    
Written by Colleen Nelson    
Pajama Press
 

The Man in Motion: How Rick Hansen’s World Tour Helped Break Down Barriers for People with Disabilities
Written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson with Rick Hansen 
Illustrated by Emma Fitzgerald    
Owlkids Books
 

Shirley: An Indian Residential School Story    
Written and illustrated by Joanne Robertson with Shirley (Fletcher) Horn  
Second Story Press
 

One Beaded Earring    
Written by Pat Lamondin Skene
Illustrated by Natalie Laurin    
Orca Book Publishers
 

Springtime in Kitkatla    
Written by Kim Spencer
Illustrated by Karlene Harvey    
Orca Book Publishers
 

The Three Wolves    
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Olga Barinova 
Orca Book Publishers
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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