Folk Art Animal Sounds

Artwork by Barry Colpitts

Words by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-334-1

26 pp.

Ages 0-2

October 2024

 

Like their earlier board books Maud Lewis 1 2 3 and Maud Lewis Colours, authors Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones base their concept books on the art of the East Coast, bringing culture and colour to teaching numbers, colours or, as here, animal sounds. This time the illustrations are the art of Nova Scotian folk artist and carver Barry Colpitts.

From Folk Art Animal Sounds, artwork by Barry Colpitts, text by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Thirteen animals are depicted in simple double-spreads that focus on a carving, the animal's name, and the sound it makes. The animals include the rooster, pig, fox, goose, cat, fish, eagle, cheetah, sheep, peacock, bear, dog, and whale. While the text is rudimentary–it is a concept book–there are a few less familiar sounds like those for the fox, peacock, and whale. And though the sounds themselves are depicted in large and boldly coloured letters, the stars of the book are the folk carvings of Barry Colpitts.

From Folk Art Animal Sounds, artwork by Barry Colpitts, text by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Barry Colpitts's sculptures are joyous in their colours and shapes. The animals are easily recognizable and adorably cute, especially when he adds secondary animals to their backs. For example, the dalmatian has a cat on its back which in turn has a bird on its back. Barry Colpitts keeps the colours of the animals both realistic and fanciful, helping young children to both recognize the creatures and be amused by them.

From Folk Art Animal Sounds, artwork by Barry Colpitts, text by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Folk Art Animal Sounds is a unique concept book, teaching young children the sounds that animals make. The text is simple and will be easily repeated and then read by preschoolers.  But, beyond the animal sounds, Folk Art Animal Sounds builds on the folk art collection of Barry Colpitts and exposes very young kids to a traditional art form. The book is as beautiful as any coffee table book about art, and I suspect art lovers will enjoy it as much as the children learning the utterances of familiar animals.

Vicky Metcalfe Award for Children's Literature: 2024 Winner announced

There is a wonderfully long list of awards announced annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada. They include the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Award, the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, and the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Some awards focus on a specific book while others are given to writers based on their body of works. Last night, the awards were announced at an event at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio at which more than $330,000 was handed out to 7 award winners. Among those generous awards is the Vicky Metcalfe Award for Children's Literature which includes a $25,000 prize sponsored by the Metcalfe Foundation.

 

This year's winner of the

 

 Vicky Metcalfe Award for Children's Literature 

 

goes to

 

Sara O'Leary

 

for a body of work which includes the following books:

The Little Book of the Little Brontës (Tundra, 2023) Illus. by Briony May Smith

A Kid is a Kid is a Kid (Groundwood, 2021) Illus. by Qin Leng

Percy's Museum (Groundwood, 2021) Illus. by Carmen Mok

Night Walk (Groundwood, 2020) Illus. by Ellie Arscott

A Family is a Family is a Family (Groundwood, 2016) Illus. by Qin Leng

When I Was Small (Simply Read, 2011) Illus. by Julie Morstad

Where You Came From (Simply Read, 2008) Illus. by Julie Morstad

When You Were Small (Simply Read, 2005) Illus. by Julie Morstad

The event, which was live streamed, can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/EXe9ANrSQSE or you can check out all the award announcements the Writers' Trust of Canada website at https://www.writerstrust.com/events/writers-trust-awards/.

 

 

Congratulations to Sara O'Leary and all award winners of the Writers' Trust of Canada Awards for 2024.

 

👏👏👏 

Raven Gets Tricked (Coast Salish Tales)

Written and illustrated by Andrea Fritz

Orca Book Publishers

978-1459836273

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

September 2024

 

Andrea Fritz of the Lyackson First Nation brings us a new story for her Coast Salish Tales series, continuing to connect young readers to the teachings of the Coast Salish peoples through storytelling. 

It's winter and Smuy (little deer in the Hul'q'umi'num' language) finds his food stores empty except for some berries. When he realizes that he always shares with his cousin Spaal' (raven) who never reciprocates but often tricks Smuy instead, Smuy concocts a plan.

From Raven Gets Tricked, written and illustrated by Andrea Fritz

Smuy's plan begins with mashing up his remaining berries and pouring them out onto the snow beneath Spaal's tree. When Spaal' sees the red snow and asks Smuy to share it, Smuy does so. But Spaal' needed more space for this wonderful red snow so deposits his dried salmon and leaves it on the beach. While Spaal' continues to help himself to the red snow and even trying to hide that he'd taken more than his share, Smuy helps himself to the discarded salmon. 

Back after a night near Spaal's fire, all the red snow melts and floods his house. Smuy kindly takes Spaal' to his house and feeds him salmon, and even gives him some to take home as all his food is now gone. (At least Spaal' thanks Smuy with "Huy ch q'u!")

From Raven Gets Tricked, written and illustrated by Andrea Fritz

Between the art and the story, Andrea Fritz teaches, entertains, and delights with Raven Gets Tricked. The story has much to say about greed and sharing, self-sufficiency and helping others. It never occurs to Spaal', the raven who is known as a trickster, that he should think of others. He wants what he wants, never sharing–except when tricked into it–but always wanting from others, never wondering if they need something more than he. He asks, he takes, and he holds. Smuy, on the other hand, needs food. Whether his stores were always inadequate or because he shared with others or whether someone like Spaal' stole from him is irrelevant. I don't know why he didn't just ask but I suspect he knew that Spaal' would have many excuses not to share. Regardless, Andrea Fritz has created two very different characters. She makes Spaal' the selfish and manipulative creature upon whom misfortune occurs because of his own greed and Smuy, the kind animal who is compelled to reciprocate trickery but still shows goodness to help another.

From Raven Gets Tricked, written and illustrated by Andrea Fritz

Andrea Fritz even differentiates the two animals in the style of her art. Using a lovely and generously emotive Woodland style of art, Andrea Fritz gives Smuy a softness while Spaal' is somewhat sharper in shape and line. Of course, with a beak and talons, there is more sharpness to a raven, but the little deer looks lithe and muscular and still delicate. Moreover, Andrea Fritz's illustrations take us beyond the two characters, placing us in a northern environment of coniferous trees, laden with snow, purple and blue waters, and wooden plank houses. (The grain of the wood is reflected in many surfaces, from water and beach to sky and land.)

The story in Raven Gets Tricked offers a lesson in sharing but Andrea Fritz takes that teaching a step further by appending it with a discussion of Coastal Salish Plank Houses. She shares her personal experiences of building plank houses and even moving them to foraging grounds in the summer. Along with time spent in the houses, there is discussion about sharing and trading with local Nations.

Spuy may have to trick Spaal' in order to get food to survive but the little deer still does it with kindness and generosity, a lesson Spaal' should have learned.

 

• • • • • • •

 

Coast Salish Tales by Andrea Fritz

Otter Doesn't Know (2023)

Crow Helps a Friend (2024)

Raven Gets Tricked (2024)

Woolly Dog Warms His Family (expected 2025 or 2026)

A Dragon for Hanukkah

Written by Sarah Mlynowski

Illustrated by Ariel Landy

Orchard Books (Scholastic)

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2024

 

Hanukkah, which is also known as the eight-day Festival of Lights, has many traditions from songs sung, candles lit, and foods eaten. But for Hannah, this Hanukkah is something especially magical.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

In Hannah's family, a gift is given on each night, and the gifts this child is given and shares are extraordinary. On the first night of Hanukkah, Hannah receives a fire-breathing dragon whom she names Nerry. (Ner in Hebrew means candle, lamp, or light.) On the second night, her Bubbie (Yiddish for grandmother) gifts her with a rainbow! A treasure chest of gold coins and gems are a gift from her aunt on the third night of Hanukkah while the fourth night sees Hannah receiving a merry-go-round.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

A time machine for the fifth night allows her and her cousin to go back in time and meet the Maccabees while the rocket boots she gets on the sixth night takes Hannah among the stars. On the seventh night, Hannah gets three rambunctious unicorns from her little brother. The eighth night is Hannah's turn to give gifts and hers is a tasty treat concocted in a lab.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

Finally, when everyone is arriving and Hannah is tidying up her room, readers see what her gifts really were. There's a stuffed dragon, a box of rainbow-coloured crayons, a dreidel, chocolate "gelt" and more. And her special concoction? It's potato latkes which the family enjoys as they gather to sing, play dreidel, and celebrate together.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

Writer Sarah Mlynowski, whose Whatever After and other series have made her a New York Times best-selling author, makes Hanukkah even more magical through Hannah's imaginative experiences with the gifts she receives for this festival. She includes all the traditions of Hanukkah from the tzedakah box of donated toys to the lighting of the menorah and the retelling of the Maccabees' story. And yet, among all the familiar elements, Sarah Mlynowski has created a story far greater and fantastic and one that evolves from a child's imagination and wonder. For young celebrants of Hanukkah, they will easily pick up on the traditional elements but for those unfamiliar with the Festival of Lights, Sarah Mlynowski appends her story with an informative dialogue between Hannah and Nerry to provide details related to the story. 

 

Illustrator Ariel Landy, an American based in France, brings the whimsy to Sarah Mlynowski's words making each gift and Hannah's delight with them even greater. From the rainbow that flows out of the room and carries Hannah along with it to a trio of spirited unicorns that arise from drawings her younger brother gives her, there is a playfulness that emphasizes the joys of the celebration. Moreover, Ariel Landy's use of brilliant colours like purples and pinks, lime green and blues make the story sparkle and fresh.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

Perhaps not every child celebrating Hanukkah will receive a dragon or a rainbow but every child who reads A Dragon for Hanukkah will understand the magic that is part of Hannah's celebration. Through the festivities of gift-giving and of traditional food and activity, Sarah Mlynowski and Ariel Landy welcome all readers to a Hanukkah celebration like no other, while teaching them about the festival in an imaginative and colourful way.

2024 Governor General's Literary Awards: Winners announced

 

Last month, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the finalists for its highly prestigious Governor General's Literary Awards. Of the seven categories of books, which are presented for both French and English titles, two categories are specific for books for young people, one for text and one for illustration. Today, the winners of these awards were announced.

Hearty congratulations to all winners 

of this year's Governor General's Literary Awards.

WINNER
English-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

Crash Landing

Written by Li Charmaine Anne

Annick Press

 

 

 

 

 WINNER

English-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration) 

Skating Wild On an Inland Sea
Written by Jean E. Pendziwol

Illustrated by Todd Stewart

Groundwood Books

 

 

WINNER

French-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

Une bulle en dehors du temps
Écrit par Stéfani Meunier
Leméac Éditeur

 WINNER

French-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration)

Le premier arbre de Noël
Écrit par Ovila Fontaine
Illustré par Charlotte Parent
Éditions de la Pastèque

 

Pick Me!

Written by Annika Dunklee

Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Bread & Butter Books

978-1-0689189-0-2

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

October 2024

 

Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne are good friends who do everything together. But what happens when they can't?

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

The three friends who first shared a story in Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith's Me, Too! and then in its sequel Me, Me, Me, continue to bond over their shared interests and spend all their time together. Especially cute is their teaching each other their own language as Lilianne speaks French, Lillemor speaks Swedish, and Annie speaks her imaginative language of Oinky Boinky. But on a field trip to the museum, their teacher insists that Lillemor pick only one girl with whom to partner. This becomes an onerous task as she attempts three different ways to choose. Finally the teacher chooses, and Annie is left to partner with Meilin. 

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Annie is less than gracious about being with her new partner, leaving her behind and repeatedly returning to her two friends. But she soon learns that Meilin too had another partner in mind and was equally upset with being paired with Annie. Now it's up to Annie to try to make a connection with Meilin and through a couple of ice breakers, the two become fast friends too.

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Annika Dunklee certainly gets into the heads of little girls for whom friends can be the most important thing in their lives. In each book in this series, the girls are challenged with making friends, staying friends, and dealing with friends. Having a friend offers stability but when you can't be with your friends of choice–and this will always happen at school in group work and partnering up for games and activities–it can be monumental. It's not surprising that Annie would disregard her teacher's instructions and do what she chooses just to feel the security of her established friends. Her annoyance is palpable. But her friendships have given her the skills to be friendly to others, when she chooses to, and to make new friends. Pick Me! are words that reverberate in many schools every day but, with strategies to make decisions and choices as well as approaches to connecting with new people, Annika Dunklee's story also becomes a resource for navigating friendships, particularly at school.

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

PEI's Lori Joy Smith brings the joy of friendship to life in her bright illustrations. There is a simplicity to her art, focusing on the kids and their expressions of satisfaction and their connection, but also in their distress and frustration, all the emotions that come with becoming, being and holding onto friends. Annika Dunklee has made her characters diverse in their languages, but Lori Joy Smith has made them real in the diversity of their backgrounds, physical features, personalities and more. She's made their story one that is universal for all friends.

For a great kindergarten lesson, or for kids in Grades 1-2 who still need help in making and keeping friends, Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith's trio of books featuring Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne will be invaluable. Moreover, Pick Me!, like the earlier two books, will offer young children a different perspective on friendships that they might find difficult to understand. When they're very young, it's difficult to see that others are may be struggling too. For Annie to realize that Meilin was also disappointed in not being with her friends was a big step to making a new friend and seeing beyond herself and ultimately getting something that made her happy: a new friend.

 

• • • • • • •

 Me, Too! (2015)

Me, Me, Me (2017)

Pick Me! (2024)

2024 Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeuness: Winner announced

On October 16, 2024, the Canadian Children's Book Centre and Communication-Jeunesse announced the five finalists for the $50,000 prize for le Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse.  This past Monday, November 6, the winner of this French-language book award was announced.

Congratulations & Félicitations!

 • • • • •

 

WINNER / LAURÉAT

 Le Prix TD de littérature pour l'enfance et la jeunesse canadienne

 

 

Les saumons de la Mitis

Écrit par Christine Beaulieu

Illustré par Caroline Laverge

Éditions de la Bagnole

 

 

Lemming's First Christmas

Written by Jamesie Fournier

Illustrated by Tim Mack

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-543-8

28 pp.

Ages 0-5

October 2024

 

Avinngaq (lemming in Inuktitut) lives under a house and hears children singing, "Santa Claus is coming to town." When she asks Qimmiq (a sled dog), he tells her that Santa Claus puts presents under the tree. That just leads to more questions because Avinngaq doesn't know what a tree is. And so begins Avinngaq's quest to ensure Santa Claus visits her.

From Lemming's First Christmas, written by Jamesie Fournier, illustrated by Tim Mack

Qimmiq has a simple explanation about a tree–"It grows out of the ground, and you decorate it"–and he goes with Avinngaq to find one. The other Arctic animals bring forth what they suggest might be a tree. From Natsiq (a ringed seal) who brings some seaweed, and Tuktu (a caribou) who brings a purple saxifrage, Qimmiq can only tell what is not a tree. Other animals include Tiriganiaq (an Arctic fox) and Ukaliq (an Arctic hare) but it's not until Avinngaq rests on a piece of driftwood that Qimmiq confirms she's found a tree.

From Lemming's First Christmas, written by Jamesie Fournier, illustrated by Tim Mack

So, the friends decorate the driftwood with the seaweed, the purple saxifrage, arctic willow, and berries, sing, "Santa Claus is coming to town" and are delighted to find presents under the tree the next morning.

From Lemming's First Christmas, written by Jamesie Fournier, illustrated by Tim Mack

For our very youngest children, Lemming's First Christmas would be a bright beginning to the holiday season. Of course, they'll start singing the song too and it could get tiresome for the next seven weeks but maybe you could break that up with a reading or two of Lemming's First Christmas and some discussions about Arctic animals and plants, about cultural traditions, and even the magic of the holiday season. Jamesie Fournier, a writer in Iqaluit, keeps the story positive and simple, which is perfect for an early picture book–it has thicker pages and a reinforced cover–while introducing them to the Arctic and its plant and animal species, and teaching them a few words of Inuktitut. (A double-spread at the back posts the Inuktitut names and their pronunciations along with illustrations of the animals depicted.) It's very sweet and all the more so for Tim Mack's illustrations. I've reviewed several books which Tim Mack has illustrated (It's Time For Bed and What's My Superpower?) and his cartoon style of digital art will resonate with very young readers. His characters are cute and recognizable, and even if unfamiliar with an Arctic environment, children will recognize the play of shadows at night, the magic of snow and stars, and the quest for answers from those we know.

From Lemming's First Christmas, written by Jamesie Fournier, illustrated by Tim Mack

Get into the holiday season in a gentle way with Lemming's First Christmas. It's an easy introduction for those who may become overwhelmed with the customs of the holiday and let them see it from the perspective of a group of animals who interpret a tradition in their own way and make it a very sweet first Arctic Christmas.

 

 

Two Tales of Twenty-Six: Liam and the Letters, Walter and the World

Written by Stephanie Simpson McLellan

Illustrated by Mike Deas

Red Deer Press

978-0-88995-746-6

64 pp.

Ages 6-8

November 2024

 

Like all skills, literacy develops at its own pace for the learner. For some children, the step between seeing shapes and deciphering into letters and then words comes earlier. For others, whether because of readiness or learning disability or even opportunity, the ability to read may come later. For Liam, it's not coming fast enough, especially when he has a charming book about a mouse and a bunch of cats–his family has cats!– and he wants to know what's happening.

From Two Tales of Twenty-Six: Liam and the Letters, written by Stephanie Simpson McLellan, illustrated by Mike Deas

In Liam and the Letters, a little boy is charmed by a book about a mouse and a lot of cats. He gets a lot of information from the illustrations, but he wants to know what's actually happening "but the random lines and loops of the letters stretch across the page like fences." (pg. 5, Liam and the Letters) In fact, a sample of letters look a lot like those almost indecipherable text-based captchas and spell out "You Can't Come In" and could refer to the mouse and the outside world to which he is eager to visit or to Liam and his reading.

From Two Tales of Twenty-Six: Liam and the Letters, written by Stephanie Simpson McLellan, illustrated by Mike Deas

Liam is getting frustrated as fall turns to winter and he even throws his book away into the snow. But he retrieves it and makes a plan. After all, twenty-six letters is a lot. One letter at a time is manageable. 

One letter at a time could turn impossible into possible. (pg. 15, Liam and the Letters)

From Two Tales of Twenty-Six: Liam and the Letters, written by Stephanie Simpson McLellan, illustrated by Mike Deas

So, he starts with the L and the A, letters from his name and ones that he recalls learning about at school. He's frustrated but with time he picks up on the W in the "Walk" sign on his way to school and the R on a cereal box. By spring, he's learned the letters and the weird-looking letters become readable.

 

Now, he can read the story that the reader can also read, simply by turning the book over. Walter and the World is the story of the mouse and the cats that Liam could not read. Walter the mouse has his own issues, with twenty-six cats whom he must evade if he's going to explore the outside world. Both Liam and Walter have twenty-six entities standing between them and what they crave, whether reading or an opportunity for exploration. Their stories may be different, but they are connected and ultimately even linked.

From Two Tales of Twenty-Six: Walter and the World, written by Stephanie Simpson McLellan, illustrated by Mike Deas

A tête-bêche book, which is also a flip book, has two stories in one book which you access by flipping it over. But Stephanie Simpson McLellan's book is not just two different stories. They are two linked stories with a child trying to read the other story. I don't think it matters which story is read first. If they read Liam's story first, they will get a perspective of what it means to look at a book and be frustrated at being unable to read it. But they will also get the satisfaction, as Liam gets, when he can put letters together into words and make sense of the story the reader can now read too. On the other hand, if they read Walter's story first, they'll be charmed by a cat-and-mouse story like no other and feel like they know a secret about the book that Liam cannot read when they read the second story. The order of the reading of the flip book does not matter here; it's the connection that matters.

 

Flip books can be problematic for libraries, particularly for cataloguing, but Two Tales of Twenty-Six will not be so. It will just be a fuller story, told from two different layers, that of a story character and that of a reader. For each, Stephanie Simpson McLellan who is a star of storytelling–my particular faves are The Christmas Wind and The Sorry Life of Timothy Shmoe–gives us a character who is faced with a challenge of twenty-six and tackles it with strategy and perseverance and ultimately success. It's two feel-good stories in one package.

 

To make it even more enticing for early readers–other than giving them a story with which they will be familiar–Two Tales of Twenty-Six is illustrated by Mike Deas, giving these young readers the graphic support to help them read and understand their reading. Mike Deas's art uses a blend of gouache, watercolour, ink, and digital tools to both support and enhance the stories, giving Liam the reader a starting point for his reading, and the reader of Two Tales of Twenty-Six the colour and the magic to make understanding possible and worthwhile.

 

I'm usually not enamoured with tête-bêche books but Two Tales of Twenty-Six is more than the sum of its parts and that's why it's extraordinary. It's a book that is geared to its audience perfectly, encouraging our youngest children in their reading, especially if they are frustrated, and allowing them to see themselves in a story while taking a step up in their reading from picture books.

• • • • • • •

 

I'm very pleased to tell you about the book launch party for Two Tales of Twenty-Six

 

that will be held on

Saturday, November 30, 2024

 

from 10 -11 AM

 

at

Little Rae Goode
477 Timothy St.

Newmarket, ON

 

 

This book launch will include:

 

• a book reading

 

• a contest for best mouse face mask

• free cookies

• giveaways

and

• book signing by the author Stephanie McLellan

Unsinkable Cayenne

Written by Jessica Vitalis

Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)

978-0-06-331445-0

304 pp.

Ages 8-12

October 2024

 

 

But in middle school

there are two choices:

fit in

or

stand out. (pg. 69) 

 

It's 1985 and Cayenne has always lived a nomadic life with her Mom and Dad and now six-month-old sibs Sossity and Bear. They've travelled throughout the U.S. in their van, living off Dad's small disability check from the VA, with Mom homeschooling Cayenne. Cayenne knows that some people may look down on them for being poor and living a hippie lifestyle, but she feels a closeness with her family, especially when she plays her harmonica and Dad plays his guitar and Mom dances, even though Mom has been distracted with the babies. Still Dad decides to settle them down in a Montana town where he's gotten a job at the sawmill, and Cayenne feels like it's where they finally belong and maybe she can feel normal, even if Mom isn't necessarily happy. 

"I agreed to this move.

I did not agree 

to sell my soul." (pg. 31) 

Still Cayenne is all in. At Sandstone Middle School, Cayenne is determined to make friends. She's keen on the popular girls who play flute in band but she's not quite up to their skills and she is separated from them while she learns the instrument. And though she isn't eager to attach herself to a "loser," she is befriended by Dawn, an awkward girl who is always reading, wearing outfits that reflect her reading, and who plays drums. She also meets Tiff, a popular chatterbox of a girl from art class, who lives on the wealthy side of town. And then there's Beau, a new boy whom Cayenne met while walking their dog, George. Cayenne is smitten and when others suggest that Beau likes her, Cayenne is sent into a tizzy of how to act and what to say. So, as Cayenne desperately tries to fit in, choosing with whom to associate and hide the reality of her family's circumstances, things become even more tenuous. Fitting in becomes even harder when you don't feel like you have the means to belong, whether the money, the family, the clothes, the opportunities, anything. 

Jessica Vitalis, whose earlier middle-grade books The Rabbit's Gift, The Wolf's Curse, and Coyote Queen made quite a splash, doesn't just give us a novel about pre-teen angst. She gives us a story enfolded in many layers of storytelling which add context and insight into Cayenne's own life. From their Titanic-themed social studies unit in which they learn of the disparities between first- and third-class passengers, particularly with respect to their survival, and Cayenne's love of birds and her knowledge of their behaviours, Unsinkable Cayenne goes beyond a kid trying to fit in with her new classmates. She's trying to fit in to her life, her new one and the one she has always had with her family, and she sees it through multiple lenses. She is the new kid but also a poor kid and a kid whose family is atypical in their circumstances. They might not have money to replace her holey shoes and the electricity might have to be turned off to save for rent money, but they also don't have a phone or a TV. Cayenne doesn't complain or see it as a problem; it's just different. Her perspective is both insightful and revealing, and Jessica Vitalis does not sugar-coat their poverty with a happy ending or lottery winning or change in financial circumstances. She makes and keeps it real.

 

The writing is exceptional. Unsinkable Cayenne, told in free verse, flows through Cayenne's days at school and her thinking about her life with vigour and subtlety.

I don't understand why the amount of money

someone has determines how much they are worth. (pg. 182)

Jessica Vitalis tells a story for middle-grade readers but with sophistication and lyricism. She's given us a real kid who not only exemplifies the famous Unsinkable Molly Brown of Titanic fame in her tenacity and humble beginnings but also in seeing others beyond class and wealth.