Canada Fun!

Written and illustrated by Paul Covello

HarperCollins

978-1-4434-5811-5

30 pp.

Ages 0-4

October 2020

It doesn't matter whether there's snow on the ground or leaves in the trees, Paul Covello's latest volume in his Canada series of board books–which includes Canada Animals and Canada 123–shows young readers that there's lots to do in all parts of our country, no matter the season.

 

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

In single page illustrations or sweeping double-spreads of multiple activities, Paul Covello highlights a plethora of pursuits that young people, with or without adults in tow, can undertake. From hockey and cross-country skiing in winter or lacrosse and kayaking in the other seasons, Paul Covello covers all manner of endeavours, both organized and not. After all, isn't there as much fun making snow angels and building snow people, or leaf jumping and making maple syrup as playing on a sport?

 

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

Even better are the cultural and regional activities that he includes in his Canada Fun! treatise. There's attending a powwow or a ceilidh, watching the northern lights in the north, Winter Carnival in Quebec, whale watching on the coasts or checking out the polar bears. Everywhere that Canadian kids are having fun, Paul Covello makes sure to include them.

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

But it's the art–it always is–that will draw young readers. While teachers and reviewers will appreciate the diversity of Paul Covello's characters, scenes and activities, young readers will enjoy the vivid colours, the polished lines and the energetic shapes depicting all children having fun indoors and out in Canada.

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

Whether it's to help children see all the fun they can be having–just hand them the book when they start complaining that there's nothing to do!–or to introduce them to activities new to them, Canada Fun! covers it all with gusto and colour, as vibrant and varied as our country and its people.

Canada Animals

Written and illustrated by Paul Covello

HarperCollins Canada

978-1-44345-383-7

30 pp.

Ages 0-5

September 2018

I don't review a lot of concept books because too many are mediocre. So many people think that doing a book based on the alphabet or numbers 1 through 10 or colours would be an easy write. It's not. The premise is firmly established but putting a book together to be meaningful while different and original is very difficult.  Fortunately, author-illustrator Paul Covello excels at concept books. Having already reviewed Canada 123 (2017) and Everyday ABC (2018), I know that he goes far beyond just teaching the concept of numbers or letters or, here, animals. He lodges that concept in a rich landscape that teaches and provides context beyond the foundation.

From Canada Animals by Paul Covello

Canada Animals introduces little ones to 43 animals found in Canada.  Some are common to many regions, like the deer, moose and robin, but others have more limited distributions like the beluga whale, muskox and spirit bear. Still Paul Covello includes a variety of animals from across the country, from west coast to east coast and far north waters and land. There are mammals like the pine marten, bison and porcupine; amphibians like the wood frog;  birds including the chickadee and puffin; fish like salmon; and the lobster as crustacean. Young children will recognize some and learn about new ones, and learn they will because Paul Covello embeds the natural history of the animals in his illustrations. For example, the illustration with the snowy owl shows the landscape of its Arctic habitat, that its nest is on the ground and that the juveniles have black feathers.

From Canada Animals by Paul Covello

Similarly, the page about the bighorn sheep shows the physical differences between the male and female, the light-coloured young, a pair of rams fighting and their mountainous and rocky habitat.

From Canada Animals by Paul Covello

There is much to learn about habitat, feeding, young and behaviour of many of the animals included in Paul Covello's Canada Animals, but it's most important to note that he's honouring those found here in Canada. In his realistic yet stylized artwork with its bold colours and crisp lines, Paul Covello makes Canada Animals an animal guide for our youngest set who will love getting to know the animals around them and search out others if and when fortunate to travel our country.

From Canada Animals by Paul Covello

Everyday ABC

Written and illustrated by Paul Covello

HarperCollins

978-1-44345-441-4

30 pp.

Ages 0-4

May 2018

Alphabet books like most concept books tend to be rather simplistic, for two reasons. First, the patterns that the text will follow are predetermined. It's always going to be A through Z. Secondly, they are concept books, those which try to teach a new concept to the very young. They must be simple enough for children to grasp the concept through multiple readings. If there is any confusion or duality of message, the book is not serving its purpose. If the children are not familiar with the words that are selected for each letter, it does not serve its purpose.  Everyday ABC serves its purpose very well and with boldly colourful illustrations that will boost learning.

From Everyday ABC by Paul Covello

For each letter of the alphabet, artist Paul Covello, whose books Canada ABC, Canada 123 and Toronto ABC have already provided familiar Canadian perspectives to concept learning, shares commonplace examples for children.  The list includes: apple, ball, cat, dog, egg, flower, guitar, hat, ice cream, juice, kite, leaf, milk, nest, orange, paint, quilt, rainbow, shoe, tree, umbrella, vegetable, window, xylophone, yarn and zoo. Most children would already be familiar with these words, hearing them regularly in western households: "Put your shoe on" or "Eat your vegetable" or "Let's go to the zoo today." Now they can see the letters that starts these words, see how each word is spelled and learn the order of the letters in the alphabet.  Everyday ABC speaks to the child with things recognizable to them, not to impress the adult reader.

While the text fulfils its mandate of teaching the alphabet, Paul Covello's artwork is probably what children will most appreciate. The art is alive with colour and shape, drawing children to recognize and identify objects in the details and further the learning. E may be for egg, but a child will also learn where the egg comes from as well as the difference between a hen and chicks and a rooster, all in a sunny egg-yolk yellow landscape.

From Everyday ABC by Paul Covello

Moreover, every child, albeit in a western world, is represented here. There is diversity in where children live, what colour their skin is, what clothing they wear. There are boys and girls and children whose gender is irrelevant. There are indoor scenes and outdoor scenes, and scenes of activity and quiet times too.

From Everyday ABC by Paul Covello

While the focus of Everyday ABC differs from his earlier works, Paul Covello continues to recognize how to blend his artwork to help young children grasp new concepts and he does so with an earnest awareness of children's needs and likings that all will appreciate.

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Canada 123

Written and illustrated by Paul Covello

HarperCollins Canada

978-1-44345-813-1

30 pp.

Ages 2-5

September 2017

For little ones who are only discovering that they live in Canada, Canada 123 will take them on a fun romp through the cultural and physical landscapes that define us.  It's fun and comprehensive and bold in colour and message.

From Canada 123 by Paul Covello

From the icy landscape of 0 zero degrees, each double-spread shows the number in numerical value and word with an appropriate Canada attribute.  There’s 1 flag, 2 official languages, 3 polar bears, 4 seasons, 5 farms (including crop, dairy and wind), 6 hockey players (diverse in gender and race), 7 geese (yes, Canadian), 8 Mounties (similarly diverse in gender, skin tone and head gear), 9 whales, and 10 sled dogs.  Then Paul Covello jumps to 25 fishing boats, 50 train cars, and 100 snowflakes (there truly are 100).  Finally, the back endpapers sum up Canada in 10 provinces, 3 territories, 1 country.

From Canada 123 by Paul Covello

Canada 123 has a little bit of everything that is Canada including urban and rural scenes, Arctic, Pacific and Maritime displays, and sights from across the country.  Paul Covello's illustrations are vibrant and upbeat and dramatic and the lines and textures smooth, perfect for our youngest non-readers and readers.  It's a great introduction to counting and Canada and is a worthwhile addition to my booklist of Canada picture books (which I'll now amend to include this Canada 123).

From Canada 123 by Paul Covello

Telling Tales Tuesdays: Paul Covello (Hamilton, ON)

Paul Covello

 illustrator, designer, and motion graphics artist from Toronto
will present from his books

Canada ABC and Toronto ABC

and take you on a tour across the country using numbers and letters
 to explore all of the incredible things about Canada

for the final

Telling Tales Tuesdays

on 

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

at

Cotton Factory

at the Quilt of Belong Exhibit

270 Sherman Avenue North, Hamilton, Ontario L8L 6N4

There will also be interactive literacy activities 

with staff from the Hamilton Public Library.

Admission is free

Free parking is available

Telling Tales Tuesdays has been going on all summer (July 11-August 15) as a collaborative celebration of Canada’s 150th with Telling Tales Festival, and is funded by the Community Fund for Canada's 150th which includes the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Government of Canada.

Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/114471629176575/