Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story

Written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger

Illustrated by Michelle Theodore

Annick Press

978-1-77321-985-1

64 pp.

Ages 11+

August 2025 

 

Setsuko Thurlow née Nakamura was born in Kojijn-machi, an eastern part of Hiroshima, in 1932. Her family had been samurai, and she'd had a rich childhood of family and education before the war came. With it, everything changed.

From Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story, written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger, illustrated by Michelle Theodore

As happened worldwide, daily life had to accommodate the threat of attack and the rationing to support military efforts. Hiroshima, a bustling city, was an important transportation and industrial hub and, with its port, it became a critical military harbour. Young children were sent away, food was rationed, and the people were encouraged to make sacrifices for "the glory of the country." (p. 25) As a thirteen-year-old, Setsuko and other girls were recruited to decode messages. August 6, 1945 was her first day as a decoder. She was at army headquarters in Hiroshima when the first atomic bomb was detonated on their city.

From Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story, written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger, illustrated by Michelle Theodore

Setsuko Thurlow's recollections of being buried in the rubble of a collapsed building, helping the countless burned and blinded, being reunited with some family and watching others suffer and die are horrific. And as a child, she lived this horror. Her parents set an unimaginable example of fortitude and courage. Still when those who had survived began to experience mysterious illnesses and die, there was new grief and confusion.

From Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story, written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger, illustrated by Michelle Theodore

Setsuko Thurlow's story does not end with the bombing of Hiroshima. She speaks of the aftermath including Japan's surrender and the occupation by U.S. and British Commonwealth forces, and the call for the abolition of nuclear weapons by herself and other Hibakusha (Japanese for explosion-affected persons) and activist groups worldwide.

 

The story of the bombing of Hiroshima and also Nagasaki is not an easy one. With so much suffering and devastation, any discussion would be brimming with tragedy, emotional distress, and worse. This story is even more so because it is told from the perspective of Setsuko Thurlow, herself a survivor. But Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger go beyond the bombing itself and give the reader history of Hiroshima, of World War II, and of Setsuko Thurlow's activism and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign for the Abolishment of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) with which she is involved. (She delivered the Nobel lecture upon receiving the prize.) 

From Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story, written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger, illustrated by Michelle Theodore

While much of Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story is illustrated with countless photographs and images of newspapers and other documents, Edmonton's Michelle Theodore provides artwork that elevates the book from documentation to personal. She uses ink and watercolour markers to create sombre and evocative illustrations that depict both deeply personal and deeply poignant scenes. Her focus is on the Japanese setting and people, but all converges on what they are experiencing whether it be childhood joy, distress with tragedy, or compassion.

 

The 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was commemorated this past August which is when this book was released. Because many of the Hibakusha are elderly, their stories are precious recollections to inform us and encourage action for peace. Setsuko Thurlow's story in Never Silent gives us a unique perspective but also a comprehensive one by embedding it in the history of Hiroshima, World War II, and the peace movements against nuclear weaponry. It is a touching and enlightening read, and it is one we would be wise from which to learn.

There's a Song in the Forest

Written by Jennifer Britton

Illustrated by Jillian Thalman

Nimbus Publishing 

978-1-77471-403-4

24 pp.

Ages 3–7

September 2025 

 

If you've seen the videos of forest bathing, i.e., the Japanese practice of immersing oneself in a forest as a mindfulness exercise, then you will understand the premise of There's a Song in the Forest. But more than just being part of those forests, Nova Scotia's Jennifer Britton helps readers to experience the full breadth of music that can be heard within.

From There's a Song in the Forest, written by Jennifer Britton, illustrated by Jillian Thalman

Jennifer Britton invites us to tag along with her trio of walkers and . . .

If you listen, and quiet your mind . . .

If you block out the busy and the bustle

You'll be surprised by what you can find. 

From There's a Song in the Forest, written by Jennifer Britton, illustrated by Jillian Thalman

Everything you see in the canopy and on forest floor and hear in the leaves and twigs becomes a symphony. And who adds to that symphony? There's the geese and the wood thrush, the owls and the loons, and the rocks and the water, and they all contribute to song of the forest. They whisper and tinkle, hum and harmonize. Closer to the sea, there is the boom and crash of the drumming waves. It just takes being attentive to the "beauty of rhythm and melody" to hear the music of the forest.

 

Jennifer Britton, a teacher and musician as well as an author, speaks to the songs of nature with the language of music. (She appends her story with a list in "Musical words found in this book" including melody, percussion, and metronome.) And those with an ear for music undoubtedly have a good ear for the sounds of the natural world. But children for whom a walk in a forest is a novelty or for whom an urban landscape is the norm, There's a Song in the Forest might give them pause the next time they visit a park or a forest. Jennifer Britton encourages them to pause and listen to the quiet that really isn't as hushed as expected. When they become aware of the sounds, they will be privy to a melodic secret that is both varied and full, and giving of serenity, not unlike Jennifer Britton's rhyming text.

There's a secret that lies in the treetops

One that's hidden away, out of sight.

A symphony played under canopy leaves

Through the shadows that dapple with light. 

Her words calm while they hearten and that is what Jillian (Alisa) Thalman's illustrations do but with colour and shape and texture. Jillian Thalman uses a variety of techniques in the book's artwork including cut-paper collage, watercolours, pencil crayon and even digital means, and that undoubtedly explains the depth of her artwork. She gives us landscapes of stillness and sound, movement and restfulness. And the colours! Whether it's in the middle of a forest or alongside the ocean or sitting by a nighttime campfire, Jillian Thalman makes everything strikingly beautiful and eye-catching.

From There's a Song in the Forest, written by Jennifer Britton, illustrated by Jillian Thalman

As someone who enjoys the practice of forest bathing and mindfulness pursuits, There's a Song in the Forest spoke deeply to me. But even for those for whom a walk in the woods is unfamiliar, Jennifer Britton and Jillian Thalman will tempt them with words and art to find the music in nature, hopefully with a visit to a natural area but, if not, by finding it wherever they can.

The Case of the Tagalong Twin (A Gumboot Kids Nature Mystery)

by Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford (Gumboot Kids Media)

Firefly Books

978-0-2281-0570-1

32 pp.

Ages 3–8

September 2025

 

Scout and Daisy, characters of multiple TV series starring The Gumboot Kids, are off exploring the outdoors yet again and learning about new science concepts. In The Case of the Tagalong Twin, Scout and Daisy have a new mystery to solve and, only by working through a number of clues, will they understand what they are actually seeing.

From The Case of the Tagalong Twin by Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford

Daisy tells Scout that on her walk over to his place she'd noticed something very odd. She'd noticed someone following in sync alongside her. Scout calls this her tagalong twin and the two retrace her steps to try to solve the mystery of this twin. Even though they don't see this twin on their walk, Scout and Daisy peruse her field notes for clues she may have noticed. Even putting together the clues of the sun, the sidewalk, and Daisy herself, they can't replicate Daisy's tagalong twin. But when the clouds part and the sun shines again, both Daisy and Scout discover they have tagalong twins that show up on the sidewalk.

From The Case of the Tagalong Twin by Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford

At the library, they discover a science book that teaches them about shadows and how they are formed. 

From The Case of the Tagalong Twin by Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford

For young children, the concept of shadows and how and when they are created is a complex one. They may or may not notice them—helping children use their senses to make observations is an important part of The Gumboot Kids mysteries—but when they do, they will also notice that shadows don't always appear, that they may change size and shape, and that even lamp lights can produce them. (The appended "Field Notes" will help kids discover more about shadows, as well as introduce them to new words like opaque and light source.) The Gumboot Kids creators Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford know how to blend science concepts like shadows (or spider webs, tides and woodpeckers) into easy-to-understand terms for young children. And with adorable, felted mice in three-dimensional landscapes—incredibly detailed with tea cups, flowerpots, quilts and books—learning about shadows is easy, engaging, and informative. With Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford's supplementary notes and a nature craft, The Case of the Tagalong Twin becomes a STEM concept book as well as an art lesson all embedded in a story.

From The Case of the Tagalong Twin by Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford

Kindergarten and primary elementary teachers would be wise to pick up all the books in The Gumboot Kids Nature Mystery series. (I've posted a list below.) Whether as a lesson starter or a read-aloud, these books will allow teachers to engage children and get them to see their world with new eyes, and nose, and ears... And with their textured, 3D artwork, and tie-in to a popular TV series, The Gumboots Kids will make discovery-based learning the norm for STEM education.

 

 • • • • • • •

 

The Gumboot Kids Nature Mystery series:

The Case of the Vanishing Caterpillar (2019)

The Case of the Story Rock (2019)
The Case of the Wooden Timekeeper (2019)
The Case of the Growing Bird Feeder (2019)
The Case of the Singing Ocean (2020)
The Case of the Buzzing Honey Makers (2020)
The Case of the Shrinking Friend (2021)
The Case of the Hanging Food Catcher (2021) 

The Case of the Disappearing Castle (2024) 

The Case of the Noisy Neighbor (2024)

The Case of the Tagalong Twin (2025)

The Case of the Buried Treasure (2025) 

I'm Longer Than You!: An Epic Contest of Measurement

Written and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-1294-6

48 pp.

Ages 5–8

September 2025 

 

With school just getting back into the swing of things, I've been on a bit of a non-fiction run lately. But there's so many wonderful books out there, for different young audiences, to inform and entertain that there is no shortage of new books to review. I'm Longer Than You is a different kind of math picture book in that it focuses on measurement and comparisons for the early reader kids at school i.e., Kindergarten to Grade 3.

From I'm Longer Than You!, written and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

In Carolyn Fisher's new picture book—she has previously illustrated a number of books for others like Summer Feet and Weeds Find a Way, as well as written and illustrated her own including Cells: An Owner's Handbook—a Supersaurus dinosaur and a blue whale argue about which animal is the longest. What's the easiest way to determine who's right? An inchworm suggests measuring them. So, the little worm gets to work.

From I'm Longer Than You!, written and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

But after 12 hours of measuring the blue whale–it's 1300 inches long—it's time for it to pupate and leaves the two competitors at a loss. In comes the centipede who measures exactly one centimeter. Now the Supersaurus and the blue whale, salivating for the lunch the winner would get, wait for the centipede to do its work. Twelve hours later, the Supersaurus is also measured but in centimeters. With a little math and conversion between units, the contest is resolved.

From I'm Longer Than You!, written and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

What a fun way to introduce measurement, systems of measurement, comparison and conversion between units! Carolyn Fisher has found a way to tell a story—and a funny one at that with the contest between two humongous animals—and introduce several math concepts that might be hard to grasp easily. Measuring is a complex concept, and she takes it from its most basic, i.e., how to measure, through the different ways people measure things and what units to use and then to conversion. As such, I'm Longer Than You! can be used for our youngest readers just being introduced to units of measurement to middle graders who are learning conversion.

From I'm Longer Than You!, written and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

As a non-fiction book, I'm Longer Than You! is anything but dry. It's educational but quirky in its delivery of information. With her illustrations which are hand-drawn on a tablet, Carolyn Fisher makes this a true picture book, albeit an information book embedded in a story. Her art is colourful and bold, and the organization of information, whether it's the true rendering of the inchworm and centipede's sizes or the decision tree to pick appropriate units based on size—after all, using an inchworm or a centipede for these enormous animals was unwieldy—is accessible and presented with clarity and playfulness.

 

I know primary teachers will love using this book to introduce the concept of measurement, but it will be an entertaining starter for any lessons on measurement. Kids will love the contest and comparing animals—this could be a great scaffolding story for lessons on the diversity of living things—but they'll get a fabulous introduction to measurement and some related math concepts like conversion between metric and imperial units. It's a win-win for the Supersaurus, the blue whale, and the kids who get to read or hear the story in I'm Longer Than You!

Our Corner Grocery Store

Written by Joanne Schwartz

Illustrated by Laura Beingessner

Tundra Books

978-1-77488-791-2

32 pp. 

Ages 3–7 

September 2025 

 

When Our Corner Grocery Store by Joanne Schwartz and Laura Beingessner was first published in 2009, it was heralded as a tribute to  neighbourhood shops and the communities they supported. It was a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book award. Now with a new cover, Our Corner Grocery Store will introduce new readers to Anna Maria and her nonna and nonno as they work and bring their community together.

From Our Corner Grocery Store, written by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Laura Beingessner

On Saturdays, Anna Maria visits her Nonno Domenico and Nonna Rosa's corner grocery store. This is her favourite day of the week. After her nonna feeds her a hearty breakfast in their home which is behind and above the store, Anna Maria gets to work in the small shop. She sorts freshly-delivered bread and sweeps. She plays outside with her friend Charlie and watches her nonno and nonna serve customers. They make fresh sandwiches and watch as the neighbourhood kids pick out their sweet treats. And with only a few breaks to help make dinner and play with Charlie, Anna Maria enjoys a full day at her grandparents' corner store.

From Our Corner Grocery Store, written by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Laura Beingessner

For those who've enjoyed a local grocery store, where you were served by familiar faces and chatted with friendly staff, Our Corner Grocery Store is a reminder of the community that is rarely enjoyed in our world of big box stores and chain supermarkets. While there are still wonderful examples of these corner stores, they are fewer and far between now. So, for many, Our Corner Grocery Store is a reminder of a different time. It was a time when children could go alone to the corner store and pick up a freezie and sit on a stoop and enjoy it with their friends. It was a time when candies were selected and placed in small paper bags, rather than in pre-packaged bundles. Many children will not know these times, but their parents may, and their grandparents definitely would and Our Corner Grocery Store will open discussions about how things have changed and how they're still the same. (Most children will still recognize the freezies—even if called ice pops or something else—and the joy of picking one out on a hot summer day.)

From Our Corner Grocery Store, written by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Laura Beingessner

Joanne Schwartz, who wrote the award-winning Town Is by the Sea (illustrated by Sydney Smith, 2017), captures a sense of community and family in Our Corner Grocery Store. That community is both one of neighbours and family with Anna Maria helping all of them. It's refreshing to see a child helping her grandparents without whining that she'd rather be on her tablet or demanding to do something else. Joanne Schwartz has reminded us that there is still an innocence in children that makes them want to be with their family and do modest things like sort fruit and help make meals. I know those kids are out there but too often we get the books of precocious children who do silly and outrageous things for laughs and just because they can. It was lovely to visit Nonno Domenico and Nonna Rosa's grocery store, especially as Laura Beingessner captures the very essence of a neighbourhood store and a child's place in it.

 

There's a freshness and simplicity to Laura Beingessner's illustrations. Using ink and paint, she gives details but doesn't lose the sensibility of the store and its neighbourhood. Most of us will recognize a store with its wooden-slat bins holding a collection of fruits and veg with hand-printed price signs, and a store with candies alongside brooms, moka pots, and toilet paper. But Our Corner Grocery Store is more than just about a store. It is about a place of people (and cats and dogs). And Laura Beingessner includes them all. 

From Our Corner Grocery Store, written by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Laura Beingessner

I have a strong desire to go find a local grocer and get some fresh produce, say hello to those who welcome us into their domain, and hope that, like this grocery store, it will continue to serve, to flourish, and to provide goods and community for many years to come.

 

• • • • • • •  

 

The 2009 edition of Our Corner Grocery Store:

Rez Kid

Written by Andrea Landry

Illustrated by Isabelle Fassler

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-1125-3

32 pp.

Ages 4–7

September 2025 

 

When kids shout out labels or taunts that are meant to hurt or to expose personal vulnerabilities such as poverty or physical appearance, it can be to bully and demean. But, though taunts of "Rez Kid" on the school bus are hurtful, the main character in Andrea Landry and Isabella Fassler's picture book focuses on what living on the reserve means to her and how she can help others understand what being a rez kid is like.

From Rez Kid, written by Andrea Landry, illustrated by Isabella Fassler

Being singled out as a rez kid makes this child's heart sink as she makes her way to the back of the school bus to return home at the end of the school day. But as the bus gets closer to home, her spirits are lifted. For her, being home on the rez means being with her mom and beading together. It's the smell of sweetgrass and sage.

From Rez Kid, written by Andrea Landry, illustrated by Isabella Fassler

It's picking sage, porcupine root and dandelion for medicine with her Nóhkom. It's riding horses with her Moshum. It's enjoying tea with her aunty and harvesting vegetables out of the garden. And it's listening to their wise suggestions about how to deal with the name calling. They suggest she show the other kids how to be kind, how to learn something new, how to be confident, and how to be generous. With every heartfelt interaction with her family and her own kindheartedness—she prays for those with hard hearts—this child turns taunts into understanding and appreciation.

From Rez Kid, written by Andrea Landry, illustrated by Isabella Fassler

Though the verbal jabs at the child are meant to hurt, she is able to be mindful about seeing beyond the bus ride and embrace the rez as a place that she loves. It is a place of trees, lakes and land, and it is one of family and love. This child knows what goodness is in her life by virtue of life on the rez but, in order to resolve the bullying she endures, she must help others see it too. By recognizing that their ignorance is the root of the bullying, she invites them to visit with her and her family on the rez to see the wonderful life she has there. 

I show them the home of my ancestors.

The home of my family.

I show them the beads,

the medicines,

the horses,

the vegetables from my aunty's garden.

My home.

Andrea Landry, an Anishinaabe who now lives on Poundmaker Cree Nation, shares some background into reserves (or reservations as they are called in the U.S.), including the challenges endured because of broken promises by settler governments. But, as she does in Rez Kid, Andrea Landry focuses on the communities that Indigenous families are creating despite these difficulties, and invites readers, like the child does to her bus mates, to see the rez not as a less-than-favourable place but as a home of heritage and compassion. The rez is not a place of less but a place of different and more.

From Rez Kid, written by Andrea Landry, illustrated by Isabella Fassler

While the school bus ride has some cruel moments, Toronto's Isabella Fassler gives us the warmth of brightness in her artwork, rendered in pencil crayons and digitally finished.  And everywhere she incorporates elements important to Indigenous culture, whether it's the brightest of beads becoming flower earrings, a ribbon skirt, or the bannock that is shared. When Isabella Fassler lets the light of the child's pride in her rez home shine, even that dark bus is enlivened. From swirls of colours, stars and waves of flowers and plants, Isabella Fassler gives movement and spirit to rez life and those who make their homes there.

While I know that all schools will not enjoy the presence of rez kids, I hope that Rez Kid, the book, will start a discussion about different cultures, traditions, families and the understanding which we should all show those who are different than us. This child and others including Andrea Landry and her children see the good in living on a reserve. For any child, rez or not, who is lives differently, be proud. Your experiences are incomparable and that makes them all the more special, especially when they abound in love and compassion.

Birds Life Size: Up Close and Personal with 47 Bird Species

Written by Chris Earley

Firefly Books

978-0-2281-0487-2

112 pp.

Ages 9–12

Releases September 15, 2025

 

While many people got into birding during the pandemic, watching birds and studying their behaviours has long been a pastime of anyone who has a window or who steps outside. Regardless of whether we're enjoying urban or rural landscapes, wooded areas or open fields, there are birds that pepper our skies, our feeders, our balconies and allow us to glimpse their worlds from afar. This time, though, Chris Earley, a University of Guelph biologist and educator, brings us a little closer to seeing 47 different species of birds.

From Birds Life Size: Up Close and Personal with 47 Bird Species, written by Chris Earley

For each of these species, Chris Earley provides key info like the scientific name, size, habitat, diet, and location as well as migration movement. Several images are included but always one that is a life-size representation of the whole bird or a part of the bird for larger species. There is definitely a ton of information in info boxes, text and photographs but those photos that are deemed life size are perhaps the most compelling. Whether it's the head of a Trumpeter Swan, a portion of the American White Pelican's beak—the longest of North American birds—or the tiny body (13 cm) of the Elf Owl, the life-size depictions are the most fascinating.

From Birds Life Size: Up Close and Personal with 47 Bird Species, written by Chris Earley

In addition to the many profiles of birds, Chris Earley also includes information about how birds are classified, how they are measured, how they are studied, and even how to get into birding. 

From Birds Life Size: Up Close and Personal with 47 Bird Species, written by Chris Earley

The 47 species presented in Birds Life Size are all North American with the majority found in Canada. So, for any STEM lessons dealing with life cycles, adaptation, habitats and such in a Canadian school—and for any in American schools as well—Birds Life Size offers a visually-stunning and thorough presentation. It has the content to make it a comprehensive resource but also the visuals to captivate and perhaps even attract young readers, and their families, to launch their own birding pursuits.

The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy

Written by Erica Fyvie

Illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0668-6

56 pp.

Ages 8–12

September 2025 

 

As the Grade 6 Eco Club presents their project to conduct an energy audit at the school, a buried time capsule outside the school mutters away, waiting to be discovered and realizing it hasn't had many opportunities to learn. As the kids discuss the upcoming improvements to make the school more energy efficient including a rainwater collection system, a green roof, and solar panels, construction workers outside discover the time capsule—which seems to have its own thoughts as seen by its distinct speech bubbles—left by Class 6 from 1900. In the time capsule is a note from the teacher, Miss  Edna Sorman, who speaks of the impressive engineering of Birch Elementary Public School. So, with that note and the artifacts within, the kids of Class 6 of 2025 begin to see how things have changed over more than a century. 

From The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy, written by Erica Fyvie, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

With their teacher dividing the class into 4 teams to tackle the issues of electricity, plumbing, building, and transportation, the Energy League is born. Through discussions and perusal of the time capsule's contents, the students think about the past, what their lives are like now, and then aim to apply what they've learned to predicting what things could be like in 2125, sparking plans for a Future Fair.

From The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy, written by Erica Fyvie, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Within the context of the discovery and the class's activities, young readers will learn about energy, kinetic energy, wastewater measures, retrofitting, and more. We get glimpses into the past when a hand-cranked ice-cream freezer was a luxury at $1.26, when innovations like electric light bulbs  and indoor plumbing were often seen as dangerous, and when the horse and buggy were the norm.  In addition to revealing much about where things were at around the turn of the century (the 20th century), author Erica Fyvie provides snippets about other time capsules, some accidental, some not, like the global seed vault, the Terracotta Warriors, the wreck of the Titanic, Voyager Golden Records, and Scott's hut in Antarctica, as well as reports about recycled building materials, food waste as a source of energy, and zero-fuel transportation.

I

From The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy, written by Erica Fyvie, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

The Sustainable School covers a lot of information, but it does so in an engaging format. The use of a graphic-novel style to embed history, inquiry-based learning and STEM concepts will interest middle-grade readers and their teachers and parents. It is a story that does not need to be read in one sitting—though it could be—and can be used as a fabulous launching off for a myriad of science lessons on environmentalism and energy but also studies of history, particularly how things have changed. With those query lessons (see above for part of one based on the question, "Can we build a new building with only recycled materials?"; p. 40), Erica Fyvie offers educators a different way of looking at inquiry. She encourages focusing on the past as a step in the evolution of our infrastructure systems and to project how things might just change in the future. And with the illustrations by Scot Ritchie, whose artwork has enhanced the text of many picture books and non-fiction books (e.g., All Our Love, Frederica, and If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It), The Sustainable School becomes a welcome information book for middle graders and their classrooms. I always remark on the lightness of Scot Ritchie's artwork, probably because of his rendering it in pencil and then ink before colouring in Photoshop but it lends itself well to keeping information text manageable and hardly imposing or dull. In fact, Scot Ritchie's characters, who show the wonderful diversity of many classes today, and the graphic-novel format create a milieu for engagement.

From The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy, written by Erica Fyvie, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

I really hope that Erica Fyvie and Scot Ritchie can extend this style of non-fiction to other topics, perhaps One Health or education. It is very reminiscent of Linda Bailey and Bill Slavin's The Good Times Travel Agency in the blending of graphics with time perspective and information, and I believe Erica Fyvie and Scot Ritchie honour those who've first accomplished much in presenting non-fiction books in captivating and informative ways. After all, looking back isn't languishing there; it's informing the future.

One Can

Written by Lana Button and Eric Walters

Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

Groundwood Books

978-1-773067346

32 pp.

Ages 3–6

September 2025 

 

For many Canadian public schools, yesterday was the first day of the 2025-2026 academic year. That first day of school brings such promise. It's usually a fresh start with a promise for better and more opportunities for...everything. But for too many children, that hope may be limited, even if they don't know it. For the child in Lana Button and Eric Walters's first picture book collaboration, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant, those limitations do not curb their generosity and compassion.

From One Can, written by Lana Button and Eric Walters, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

Knowing that their class is collecting canned food for a food drive, a child grabs the lone can of Zoodelicious from an almost-bare pantry. Knowing it's their favourite, the child hopes it is that for someone else too. In class, the students place their donated cans on a 100-place carpet, with the child placing the Zoodelicious on the number 100, earning their can a snowflake sticker.

From One Can, written by Lana Button and Eric Walters, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

Things take an unexpected turn when Mom returns with groceries a few days later and his Zoodelicious can has a snowflake sticker on it. For the first time, the child recognizes that their family may be one of those in need that they were trying to help at school. A frank discussion between mother and child helps them understand better and even how to pay it forward with some much-loved mittens. 

From One Can, written by Lana Button and Eric Walters, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

While there are too many adults who think that picture books are frivolous stories aimed for our youngest readers, One Can will surely remind them of the power of storytelling to present deep issues that are also commonplace. There is no frivolousness to this story. Instead, Lana Button and Eric Walters have given us a lovely story of sharing, reciprocity, need, and compassion, all told from the perspective of a young child. What is most surprising is that the child does not even recognize their family as a needy one until they see the snowflake sticker on the Zoodelicious and realizes where their mother must have gotten those groceries. Before then, they had what they needed, probably because their mother worked hard to ensure that they did. Not surprisingly, when their mother reveals their circumstances, the child thinks only of the other 99 families who would still need food and more. 

 

This could have been a very heavy story. Poverty and food insecurity are serious issues. Even as food and clothing drives become common practices throughout the year, and children such as this one are provided regularly with school lunches, here by their own teacher, the silence and secrecy and even shame are resounding. I'm so pleased that Lana Button and Eric Walters avoided those negatives with much sensitivity. The child is not ashamed to look at the school's Mitten Tree–where donated mittens and winter accessories are displayed for gifting–and doesn't hide the macaroni given by the teacher for lunch. Illustrator Isabelle Malenfant matches that powerful but tasteful approach to their story. Isabelle Malenfant, who similarly gave a softness of touch to Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress and Pinny in Summer, keeps her palest colours for the child's home and the boldest for outside. Their poverty creates a veil over their life, though outside of the home and at school, the child is seen as vibrant as everyone else. In addition to the colours of her digital illustrations, Isabelle Malenfant uses perspective to juxtapose the child against two different worlds, one of limited resources and another where there is more. It gives the reader more context for this child's reality and even enhances our understanding of why they are able to extend generosity and compassion to others.

Lana Button's picture books like Tough Like Mum and Willow Finds a Way have always spoken to young children and what they might experience at school and home. And Eric Walters never shies away from tough issues like poverty in The King of Jam Sandwiches or COVID-19 in Don't Stand So Close to Me or incarceration, bullying, discrimination and more. Together these writers have approached the reality of many children, and instead of focusing on any limitations these children experience, they highlight how children can extend compassion and generosity to others. It seems one can, whether that of Zoodelicious or the picture book, can make a difference.

 • • • • • • •

 

Please consider joining author Lana Button 

 

at 

 

A Different Drummer Books 

513 Locust St., Burlington, Ontario

905-639-0925 

 

for the launch of One Can 

 

on 

 

Sunday, September 7, 2025 

1 PM

 

If you're able, please bring a can of food for FeedHalton.  

 

Memory Stones

Written by Kathy Kacer
Illustrated by Hayley Lowe
Second Story Press
978-1-77260-421-4
24 pp.
Ages 6–8
September 2025

Kathy Kacer, award-winning author of historical novels and non-fiction as well as picture books, often embeds her stories in the Holocaust. Being the daughter of Holocaust survivors, her stories reflect the courage and trauma of this genocide and its generational impact. In Memory Stones, her latest picture book, which is illustrated by Vancouver’s Hayley Lowe, Kathy Kacer again entwines multiple generations and shows how a child honours a special intergenerational relationship after her grandmother is gone.

From Memory Stones, written by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe

“Sophie loved her granny more than she loved stars or books or her hamster.” With this opening line, Kathy Kacer introduces readers to the meaningful ways Sophie and her grandmother spend time together: going to the ice cream parlour, swinging on swings in the park, skipping stones in the ravine, and tending to a vegetable garden. But when her grandmother dies, Sophie is dismayed to see how the flowers she takes to the cemetery wilt and fade so quickly. Her mother tells her of the tradition of laying stones on the grave as a message to the angels that the person buried there is remembered. Sophie takes that tradition and adapts it to reflect the personal attachment she had with her granny.

From Memory Stones, written by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe

For many children, the first death they may experience is that of a grandparent. If it’s a grandparent with whom they’ve had a special bond, as Sophie did with her granny, it can be especially distressing. Kathy Kacer ensures that this connection is recognized by Sophie’s mother who gives the child the opportunity to express her grief as she chooses. By guiding her while encouraging her to make it personal, Kathy Kacer has provided a template on how to help a child through their grief. While the death of a grandparent is often tied up with heartache, illustrator Hayley Lowe uses pencil, gouache and digital tools in subdued but heartfelt colours to blend the sombreness of bereavement with the memories of pleasure derived from a special relationship.

From Memory Stones, written by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe

For children who will experience a loss, Memory Stones will reassure them that they can be empowered to make personal choices that may offer comfort and even uplift, whether with the placement of memory stones or with reminiscing about cherished moments.