The Moon King

Written and illustrated by Cara Kansala

Breakwater Books

978-1-550818185

36 pp.

Ages 2-7

February 2020 

Newfoundland author and artist Cara Kansala brings the energy of her Maritime home to a story about The Moon King whose dancing unintentionally unleashes the night and its many stars across the land.

From The Moon King by Cara Kansala

In rhyming verse that carries the story like a milky way of celestial elements, Cara Kansala tells of the Moon King's distress at releasing the stars of the night sky onto the land.

They settled on the rocky cliffs 
and tip-toed into caves.
Some drifted into firths and fiords,
some waltzed upon the waves.

The Moon King watched the landscape bloom
with the faintest, starry light.
The sea glowed like a streetlamp,
he had tipped over the night!

In her dazzlingly coloured acrylic paintings, Cara Kansala depicts the Moon King's desperation to return the stars to the heavens, with the help of wildlife woken from slumber. There is the Arctic hare, the moose, the black bear, the fox, wolves and even a whale who are enlisted to help gather the stars before a flock of red birds fly them back up to the night.

From The Moon King by Cara Kansala

And all the birds in all the land,

they each plucked out a star

and flew them back up to the night

where dreams and wishes are.

From The Moon King by Cara Kansala

Though young children will be lulled to sleep with this bedtime story's rhythm, the energy in Cara Kansala's artwork may invigorate them to investigate more closely. There may be a blue, black and turquoise night sky background peeking out from behind each illustration but those brilliant stars and menagerie of Newfoundland fauna urge closer scrutiny. You'll get your little ones to bed eventually but I suspect that it may take several repetitions of The Moon King's reading before it will happen readily. Fortunately with the stars back where they belong, their sleep will be filled with goodness and light.

Violet Shrink

Written by Christine Baldacchino

Illustrated by Carmen Mok

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-205-1

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2020

Young people may not be familiar with the term "shrinking violet" which refers to those who are shy and uncomfortable in the limelight. But, thanks to Christine Baldacchino's titular character, they will soon learn to accept children who prefer solitude and quiet as just another difference that makes our world stronger with diversity.

From Violet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino, illus. by Carmen Mok

Like most people, there are some things that Violet likes and some things she doesn't. She doesn't like celery in her soup. She doesn't like brand-new crayons that break the first time they're used. (Who does?) But she also doesn't like parties. She likes some parts of parties, like cake and music, but all together with lots of loud people just makes her stomach ache and her head hurt.

From Violet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino, illus. by Carmen Mok

Her dad may use synonyms for parties like "reception" or "potluck" but ultimately Violet finds herself at parties with her dad telling her to just play with the other children and say hello to the adults.

It's not until she has to attend a "shindig" for her cousin that Violet finds an imaginative tactic to help her get through the event. Sadly her father does not understand, believing that it's good for her to get out among others; that is, until she tells him how she really feels about parties. Finally, he allows her to attend these events in a way that is comfortable for her.

From Violet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino, illus. by Carmen Mok

Introverts and shy persons know the unpleasantness of being thrust into loud and crowded social situations. Extroverts may thrive on social interactions but, for a small portion of the population, attending these events can be painful and anxiety-filled.  It's unfortunate that Violet has to spell it out to her father who should have seen how sensitive his daughter was to these circumstances, instead of finding new ways to trick her into attending events. It's a delicate subject for children to try to be themselves but contrary to requests of parents or teachers. Fortunately author Christine Baldacchino knows how to give children voice through her stories. In her debut picture book Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress (Groundwood, 2014), Christine Baldacchino gave a boy the freedom to enjoy imaginative play that had him sporting a tangerine dress. In Violet Shrink, she allows a little girl to be introverted or shy and still voice her need for quiet and solitude. The text never condemns those that prefer rollicking social events but Christine Baldacchino lets Violet recognize what she needs and then enlist her father's help in meeting those needs.

Carmen Mok's illustrations, a blend of gouache, coloured pencil and graphite pencil, provide a very sombre background to Violet's story, appropriate for a child who is thrust into anxiety-causing situations. Fortunately, there is much that is rosy in her life, from her purple-coloured headphones and the natural world of flowers, water and trees, which Carmen Mok makes colourful and bold and uplifting.

Not all children like being around lots of people and, with Violet Shrink, Christine Baldacchino and Carmen Mok have given introverts and shy children the opportunity to see themselves and be accepted as they are.

The Silence of Bones

Written by June Hur

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250229557

336 pp.

Ages 13+

April 2020

The eyes that stare out from the cover of The Silence of Bones are haunted. They are the eyes of sixteen-year-old Seol, a girl indentured to the Capital Police Bureau, who has lost her parents, wants to find her brother or his grave, and is far too curious about those she serves and the investigations in which she must assist. In 1800s Korea, time of the Joseon dynasty, Seol knows her place and, like all servants, knows to "Be cautious. Cross no one. Obey always." (pg. 14)

As a police damo, Seol goes where she is needed to help with female criminals and victims whom the male police are forbidden from touching, according to Confucian tradition. When Lady O, daughter of Cabinet Minister O of Southerner faction, is stabbed and her nose cut off, Seol finds herself talking to her maid, Soyi, and learning about a man and a letter that took the young woman to her death. When Inspector Han discovers Seol eavesdropping and trying to learn more about the murder, he informally mentors her about motives for murder, how to tell if someone is lying, etc. After she saves the inspector's life from a tiger and the two share stories of their families, Seol becomes devoted to Inspector Han. So when evidence is revealed that a man in the blue robe of the inspector was seen near the scene of the crime, Seol tries to help. But the mystery is complicated and Seol begins to wonder if the man she has grown to respect is guilty after all.

Sometimes my reviews cannot do justice to the complexity of the story and such is the case for the extraordinary historical mystery of The Silence of Bones. June Hur has woven countless characters, each with their own motivations revolving around class structure, religion, and family, into an intricate story in which the honourable may not be and the lowly may be of the highest integrity, and vice versa. Amidst the class hierarchy, largely based on birth, in which there are aristocrats, palchŏn (low class), and even baekjeongs (outcasts), June Hur's characters are real but flawed, looking for family and acknowledgement for their efforts, humble and otherwise. But among those characters is evil and...

"...evil comes from the unfulfilled need for significance." (pg. 192)

This is June Hur's debut novel and it is an accomplishment of plot and writing, taking readers into the Korean dynastic kingdom of Joseon at the turn of the 19th c., a time of Confucian traditions, prohibition of Western teachings, and the persecution of Catholics. From behind the covers of the book, you will cheer for those who looked beyond their station, ignoring censure–"This is what happens when a foolish girl thinks she can be someone of consequence. She creates chaos, utter chaos." (pg. 131)–and search for truths, to honour the dead and the living, while you suspect character after character of murder and misdeeds, never guessing where June Hur will take her story. The Silence of Bones has given us a new voice in YA CanLit for which I'll be listening from now on.

Meet Willie O'Ree (Scholastic Canada Biography)

Written by Elizabeth MacLeod

Illustrated by Mike Deas

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-7561-6

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

January 2020

Though there is still time to read this illustrated biography for Black History Month, Meet Willie O'Ree will become one of those books that will be a go-to story about civil rights, athleticism and perseverance that will resonate throughout the year.

From Meet Willie O'Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

Willie O'Ree was born on October 15, 1935 in Fredericton. By the time he was 5, he was already skating and playing hockey, though he liked all sports, including baseball, tennis, volleyball, rugby and swimming, and enjoyed school. Though the kids in his neighbourhood all played together regardless of skin colour, Willie and other black people had to deal with discrimination. But Willie knew that things had to change, and when, at thirteen, he defied the racist requirement that blacks get their hair cut outside the barbershop, he took an important step in saying "No" to discrimination.

From Meet Willie O'Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

Though a great hockey player, Willie also played baseball, even trying out for Milwaukee's minor league team. But, travelling in the Deep South, Willie was disgusted by the racism he endured at hotels, on buses and most everywhere, so he was pleased when he was let go and able to return to Canada and play hockey. He started playing in 1952 and made his way through different and progressively better leagues. However, when playing for a major junior league team, Willie took a puck in the eye and was blinded. Still, he never told his team, fearing it would prevent his rise to the NHL.

From Meet Willie O'Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

 

Willie became the first black player in the NHL, playing for the Boston Bruins. He still endured racist comments from opposing players but he fought back. He was traded several times and ended up in pro leagues other than the NHL but he didn't retire until he was forty-three, and then went on to work for the NHL's Diversity Task Force, helping to encourage children of colour to play hockey.

From Meet Willie O'Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

The accolades and honours Willie O'Ree received were numerous but probably none as great as his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

Willie reached his goal of playing in the NHL by believing in himself. He worked hard, even when he faced racism and serious injuries. And he never gave up on his dream. (pg. 29)

Author Elizabeth MacLeod and illustrator Mike Deas probably had a tough job telling Willie O'Ree's incredible story. From his childhood and experiences with racism to his athletic career with its ups and downs and more racism, Willie O'Ree endured much, accomplished more and persevered always. His story is one of effort and determination, and Elizabeth MacLeod makes sure to tell as much of his story as possible, including a timeline with photographs at the end of the story.

Mike Deas's illustrations, which are a blend of digital art with gouache, watercolour and ink, are animated, showing a kid with a love of sports and a young man determined to play a sport he loved. Though the art is cheerful, it finds a way to demonstrate Willie O'Ree's experiences with racial discrimination and hardship related to his injury without ever trivializing either.

 

It was a pleasure to meet Willie O'Ree, a pioneer of black achievement in hockey and a hero of sports dreams. 

•••••••••

With Meet Willie O'Ree, the Scholastic Canada Biography series now includes five volumes.

Meet Viola Desmond (2018)

Meet Chris Hadfield (2018)

Meet Tom Longboat (2019)

Meet Elsie MacGill (2019)

Meet Willie O'Ree (2020)

Tanna's Owl

Written by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley

Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-250-5

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

January 2020

In "A Greeting from Rachel" as the preface to the book, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley recounts how all animals were important and considered family. When her father brings home an orphaned baby snowy owl, she learns an important lesson about caring and ownership.

I don't think you can really own an animal. Or a piece of Land. Or anything, actually. You can only bring things together. Learn to help. To care.

The little grey and brown owl with the big eyes that Tanna thought to be ugly at first needs lots of care. They house the little bird whom they called Ukpik (Inuktut for owl) in her father's workshop. It needs to eat several times a day and that means Tanna and her siblings must go out to catch lemmings. When Ukpik does not get her food right away, she stomps and sways and chomps in her demanding way.

From Tanna's Owl by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

As Ukpik grows, becoming both bigger, less cute and more dangerous with her sharp beak, Tanna continues to feed her, now giving her any kind of meat or fish. When Tanna takes her outside, Ukpik looks interested in flying, flapping her wings, but she is too young to fly yet. After Tanna goes away to school and returns the following summer, she learns that Ukpik is gone.

"It was grown," Father told her. "The owl didn't belong to us. It had to fly free."

From Tanna's Owl by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Though the child had felt burdened taking care of the little owl, she missed Ukpik. So when she spots a fully grown snowy owl, Tanna hopes that maybe it was the owl she'd cared for.

From Tanna's Owl by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Though many a child will bring home an animal for which to care, Tanna's Owl is a unique tale of the far north and embedded in a culture and heritage that respects its animals as part of the Land or Water or Sky. Tanna's father is very matter-of-fact about her need to care for the orphaned bird but also for its need to leave when ready. Staying as a family pet was not respectable nor natural. Tanna knows this in her heart but she obviously comes to care for the animal who may not have seen the little girl as more than a food source. Fortunately, her father's wisdom is subtly shared with the child about what she needs to do, positive or sad.

Nunavut's Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley's stories always bring readers to an Inuit world of place, people and experience. I've reviewed a variety of their tales from origin stories in How Things Came To Be: Inuit Stories of Creation (Inhabit Media, 2016) to history in Tuniit: Mysterious Folk of the Arctic (Inhabit Media, 2015) or picture books like Lesson for the Wolf (Inhabit Media, 2015). They provide a real glimpse into life in the Arctic for the Inuit people and a reminder that they reside in a natural world that is vast and complex. With their stories, we learn more each time. Accompanied by the simple and informative illustrations by Toronto's Yong Ling Kang, children will see what a baby owl and a full-grown snowy look like as well as how an Inuit family may live. The art depicts a modesty of life with a practicality of wisdom and pleasures while still representing familial and natural connections.

Inviting us in to learn the story of Tanna's Owl, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley with Yong Ling Kang have taught us more bout compassion, responsibility and respect, as well as cultural experience, than any school lesson might.

From Tanna's Owl by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

What If Bunny's Not a Bully?: Book launch (Burlington, ON)

Join author

 Lana Button 

for story time fun at the book launch 

of her latest picture book

What If Bunny's Not a Bully?

Written by Lana Button

Illustrated by Christine Battuz

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0055-4

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2020

on

Sunday, March 1, 2020

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

at

A Different Drummer Books
513 Locust St.
Burlington, ON
L7S 1V3

From publisher Kids Can Press: 

Ideas about bullies (and how we define people) are turned on their heads in this playful rhyming story that questions why a child is being labeled a bully.

Gertie the elephant says everyone on the playground should stay far away from Bunny because she's super mean. But Kitty has questions: How did Bunny become a bully? Was she born that way? Was she stung by a bullybug? Or maybe she caught the bully flu? Wait, does that mean bullying is contagious? And if it is, couldn't the other animals catch it, too? But ... then no one would play with them either, and that doesn't seem fair. Is it possible that Bunny is sorry? Should they give her a second chance?

Not your typical bullying story, Lana Button's fresh take flips the focus from the child being bullied to the one being called a bully. In cadenced rhyming text, the compassionate and insightful Kitty leads children through a series of questions that get at the core of the assumptions we make about others and how it feels to be on the other side of name-calling. Christine Battuz's expressive illustrations use tenderness and a touch of humor to complement the emotional level of the text. Altogether, this is a perfect child-level exploration of empathy. It would be an excellent choice for discussions about bullying, or more broad issues of social development. It also works for character education lessons on empathy, compassion, fairness and inclusiveness.

Retrieved from https://www.kidscanpress.com/products/what-if-bunnys-not-bully on February 10, 2020.

Kid Coach

Written and illustrated by Rob Justus

Page Street Kids

978-1-62414-886-6

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

February 2020

For children who feel that their parents and teachers and other adults are always dragging them to do things they'd rather not, Kid Coach will offer them a funny flip-flop of circumstances and some valuable lessons on sportsmanship and competition.

From Kid Coach by Rob Justus

Dad who is a "couch potato extraordinaire" loves his wrestling, watching it on all his devices. But his son is determined to make him into a champion. Through small challenges in lifting weights and eating healthily, Kid Coach gets his dad to the Wrestle-Rumble Mania Kingdom Tournament of Champions to take on an assortment of colourful wrestlers like the Flamingo and the Cheetah, using his signature move, the Tater Tangler.

From Kid Coach by Rob Justus

But as Dad piles up win after win, his ego gets the better of him and his over-the-top celebrations show his lack of good sportsmanship. Kid Coach knows that "A true champion is about more than just being number one."

From Kid Coach by Rob Justus

When Dad realizes how alone he is, Kid Coach teaches him another lesson, one about sincere apologies for bad behaviour and sharing some potato treats with his competitors.

From couch potato to true champion, Dad's finally earned these friend chips.

From Kid Coach by Rob Justus

This may be Ottawa author-illustrator Rob Justus's debut book, but I suspect we'll be seeing more of his work soon enough. (He has a 2021 graphic novel coming out called Death & Sparkles that is described as a cross between "Adventure Time" and "The Good Place.") The cartooning is dauntless in its bold colours that often spotlight pink, purple and yellow and in the weird and wacky shapes of the wrestlers in costume and in action.  Dad, with his long and chiselled face and front-curl pompadour, wearing a red wrestling singlet and head- and wrist-bands, cuts an interesting figure, even more so when covered up in his lime green-printed robe with yellow faux fur trim. Between his off-the-wall wrestling characters, the role reversal of father and son, and text peppered with clever spud puns, Rob Justus will make children laugh and learn about healthy living and sportsmanship.

Even if this Kid Coach had never spurred his couch-potato dad into wrestling greatness, he would still be a winner in our books for his attitude and determination. Without a doubt, he is the greatest Kid Coach around. Get this kid a trophy of his own!🏆

Tickled Pink: How Friendship Washes the World with Color

Written by Andrée Poulin

Illustrated by Lucile Danis Drouot

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-104-5

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

February 2020 

I'm tickled pink by any book that supports diversity and acceptance of differences as the norm so I'm especially thrilled about a picture book that supports this message in as subtle and eloquent a way, as well as playful, as Tickled Pink: How Friendship Washes the World with Color.

When Zac the zebra and Poncho the panda are playing and Filippo the flamingo asks if he can join them, he is told that he is too pink, a colour which gives Poncho a headache. But when Filippa asks his parents, they tell him pink is the colour of kindness and happiness. So Filippo tries again.

From Tickled Pink: How Friendship Washes the World with Color by Andrée Poulin, illus. by Lucile Danis Drouot

From Tickled Pink: How Friendship Washes the World with Color by Andrée Poulin, illus. by Lucile Danis Drouot

Zac and Poncho are now rude to Filippo, telling him they don't want him to play and that "Pink doesn't mix with black and white." His grandmother shows him with her paints how wrong that idea is. So Filippo adds some black and white paint to his body and asks politely again. But, of course, Zac and Poncho continue to make excuses, about pink being the colour for babies who cry and princesses who are fussy.

From Tickled Pink: How Friendship Washes the World with Color by Andrée Poulin, illus. by Lucile Danis Drouot

Though Filippo gets support from his family, it's input from his shy peer, Ludo the lemur, that makes things right for Filippo.  Ludo recounts to Filippo all the wonderful things that come in pink: shrimp, salmon, bubble gum, cherry blossoms, begonias, peonies, petunias, and roses. And Ludo, who is black and white, says he would be pleased to play with Filippo. That play includes adding a little pink paint to the sleeping zebra and panda, who are not pleased, but also to other animals who are "tickled pink to go pink."

From Tickled Pink: How Friendship Washes the World with Color by Andrée Poulin, illus. by Lucile Danis Drouot

The story in Tickled Pink is far from black and white. It goes beyond a story of excluding those who are different. It demonstrates how much we all want to be included.  Filippo could have thrown up his wings and said, "Fine, I don't want to play with you, Zak and Poncho" but he didn't. He questioned his parents and his grandmother and his sister, all to help him grasp what being pink meant. But bullying and intolerance are incomprehensible, especially when "reasons" are given to explain the intolerance. I'm glad Andrée Poulin gave Filippo a quiet and insightful friend in Ludo who proves that it's not the black-and-white animals that lack understanding, but just one zebra and one panda. (Okay, there may be others out there, there always are, but it's clear that it's not all black-and-white animals.) For intolerance to be eliminated, everyone needed to see beyond the colours.

Artist Lucile Danis Drouot keeps her palette, until the very end, black, white, gray and pinks to emphasize the separation that Zak and Poncho highlight but she adds a playfulness in her animals' activities–vine-climbing, soccer, volleyball, and badminton–that embeds the message in gentleness and whimsy. A final spread resplendent in pinks brightens the world in happiness and friendship.

Like any racism or discrimination, the zebra and the panda could have arbitrarily chosen an attribute other than colour, such as non-feathered vs. feathered, or four-legged vs. two-legged.  But, like so many who discriminate, they chose colour. Fortunately, there are so many who don't see the colour, only the substance, and infuse our world with goodness and acceptance.

My Best Friend and Other Illusions

Written by Suri Rosen

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-4682-1

240 pp.

Ages 9-12

February 2020

When life becomes difficult, returning to the positive memories of childhood can soothe, invigorate and even stamp out worries. For young children, an imaginary friend can be part of that repertoire of comfort. It allows them to be imaginative, learn how to interact with others, allay fears and explore. But what happens when your imaginary friend reappears in physical form for all can see when you're a young teen?

Thirteen-year-old Charlie Green has a dream and a goal: she wants to attend a gymnastics camp with Coach Mikhailov in Montreal so that she might ultimately join his travelling circus, Circo Circo. But her efforts to raise the money needed have become more difficult. She had been partnering with best friend Holly to perform at parties, doing acrobatics, juggling and walking on stilts but, with Holly's move to Chicago, Charlie is on her own and making a mess of things. Her mother works tirelessly as a music teacher but just doesn't have the extra money for the camp. Her younger brother, Miles, is willing to help through his online poker, but it may get him put in foster care. 

Then Miles discovers someone advertising as Cirkus Celebrations and gets in touch, hoping to find a new partner for Charlie. A boy, who introduces himself as Rudy Jellen, attends a party and works so well shadowing her that it's as if he were a clone of Charlie herself. When it becomes evident that Rudy is homeless and knows everything about her dolls and what she liked to eat when she was little and stories she was told, Charlie realizes Rudy is her imaginary friend from ten years earlier.

Rudy was an archive of joy. (pg. 144)

But as Charlie continues to try to find a way to earn the money she needs, she must also look after Rudy and keep her mother from freaking out, while putting together the pieces of her life that she had forgotten. With Rudy, all things become possible.

Though My Best Friend and Other Illusions is solidly a middle-grade novel in terms of characters, plot and vocabulary, Suri Rosen has extended the story into a more mature one in which children have real worries with money, family, grief, social nastiness and self-confidence. As funny as the premise is with an imaginary friend coming to life, Charlie and Miles' story is a tough one as they attempt to reconcile what their lives are and what could have been.

Everything was so shattered. We'd all lost what we'd wanted and were also so lost ourselves that we couldn't find a way to each other. There ought to be a playbook about the right way to love people. Because sometimes hurting and helping them were all tangled up together. (pg. 136)

Suri Rosen may tie up her story well but it's not the obvious happy ending. Life just isn't like that. Even with an imaginary friend that comes to life, My Best Friend and Other Illusions is definitely real.  And reality sometimes falls short of the illusion of what could be. 

Black History Month: The newest update to a youngCanLit book list

In February 2014, I first posted a list (Black History Month: Book list) of youngCanLit that would help young people recognize the significance of Black History Month.  In February 2016, I updated that list as Black History Month: An updated youngCanLit booklist. In 2018, I added more titles (Black History Month: Additional titles). Now two years later, it is incumbent upon me to update this list yet again. As the listing continues to grow (there were 98 titles before today), I will simply add those titles that did not appear on the earlier lists. I encourage young readers and the adults in their lives who want to visit relevant titles for Black History Month to check out those earlier posts in addition to this one to get a fuller picture of the wonderful titles by Canadian creators that celebrate the lives and experiences and accomplishments of many African Canadians, African Americans and others of African ancestry while also giving voice to struggles and history that should not be forgotten.

List 1: Black History Month: Book list (February 10, 2014)

List 2: Black History Month: An updated youngCanLit booklist (February 3, 2016) 

List 3: Black History Month: Additional titles (February 9, 2018)
(With today's list, that's 109 titles!)


PICTURE BOOKS

An African Alphabet
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Sue Todd
Orca Book Publishers
28 pp.
Ages 1-5
2017

Africville
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Eva Campbell
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2018
Reviewed here 

A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
Written by Nadia L. Hohn
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2019

FICTION

One Thing That's True
Written by Cheryl Foggo
Kids Can Press
128 pp.
Ages 10-14
1997

YOUNG ADULT

Blue Gold
Written by Elizabeth Stewart
Annick Press
304 pp.
Ages 12+
2014

Freedom's Just Another Word
Written by Caroline Stellings
Second Story Press
232 pp.
Ages 12+
2016
Reviewed here

NON-FICTION

Africville: An African Nova Scotian Community Is Demolished — and Fights Back (Righting Canada's Wrongs)
Written by Gloria Ann Wesley
Lorimer
96 pp.
Ages 9-14
2019

John Ware (The Canadians)
Written by Ian Hundey
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
64 pp.
Ages 9-14
2005

Meet Viola Desmond (Scholastic Canada Biography)
Written by Elizabeth McLeod
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
2018
Reviewed here

Meet Willie O'Ree (Scholastic Canada Biography)
Written by Elizabeth McLeod
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
2020

P.K. Subban: Fighting racism to become a hockey superstar and role model for athletes of colour (Recordbooks)
Written by Catherine Rondina
Lorimer
160 pp.
Ages 9-14
2020