A Family for Faru

Written by Anitha Rao-Robinson

Illustrated by Karen Patkau

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-096-3

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2020

 

After Tetenya and his mother discover a young rhino alone on the savannah, the young boy helps search for other rhinos to be family for the orphaned Faru. As they trek past giraffes and vervet monkeys, guinea fowl and more, "the entire savannah spreads out below in greens, golds, and browns" and the two companions call and listen and search. But after a cool off in a pond of mud and waterberries for lunch, the two settle down for a nap in the shade of a jackalberry tree.

 

From A Family for Faru by Anitha Rao-Robinson, illus. by Karen Patkau

But when they are awakened by hunters, nay poachers, Tetenya's quick thinking and liberal application of the red-staining waterberries to Fatu's horn saves the little rhino from attack. Even better is the sound of other rhinos to which Fatu is drawn. Though the adult rhinos are safely enjoying a drink at a watering hold under the protection of armed soldiers, it is hard for the two friends, almost brothers, to part company.

 

From A Family for Faru by Anitha Rao-Robinson, illus. by Karen Patkau

Anitha Rao-Robinson's story is one of friendship and compassion but also conservation as her final note about "Rhinos" elucidates. I don't want to know what really happened to Faru's mother but, judging by the machete in the poacher's hands, it was potentially tragic. It's reassuring not only that Faru was found and offered security with Tetenya and his mother but that they were able to protect him from dangerous hunters while they searched together for a rhino family with whom he might belong.

Anitha Rao-Robinson's text evokes the camaraderie of rhino and boy in their companionable activities, whether it be collecting waterberries or hiking or resting and it's Karen Patkau's extraordinary digitally-rendered art that takes us to the savannah. Whether conjuring the acacia and jackalberry trees or the wildlife of Fatu and Tetenya's home or the warmth of the grasslands habitat with her organic shapes and earthy colours, Karen Patkau's illustrations take young readers to a land where a rhino can be protected by a boy and the bad guys can be thwarted by a clever child and a handful of berries.

From A Family for Faru by Anitha Rao-Robinson, illus. by Karen Patkau

Music for Tigers

Written by Michelle Kadarusman

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-054-3

192 pp.

Ages 8-12

April 2020

Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature. (Cicero)

There is art within the pages of Music for Tigers. It's the art that comes from seeing and hearing and knowing a place and its people. Just as she did in her earlier books, The Theory of Hummingbirds (2017) and Girl of the Southern Sea (2019), Michelle Kadarusman delivers us with her art, this time to the island of Tasmania, a land rich with stories, of history, of landscape and of life.

This vacation is getting stranger by the day. Uninvited campers. Extinct bandicoots that aren't extinct after all. Scary-looking spiders that I'm not supposed to be scared of. Odd noises and stranger smells in the night. And what exactly is the real story with the Tasmanian tigers? (pg. 44)

Louisa just wants to play violin and rehearse for a spot with the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Instead she is shipped off to a bush camp in the remote Tasmanian rainforest to spend six weeks of the Canadian summer with Uncle Ruff, her mother's brother. Everything is new and strange and Louisa fears the animals, the smells, and a place that offers her few comforts.

Because of the remoteness of the family camp, just an assortment of crumbling cabins beside a river, Uncle Ruff takes her to the nearby Eco Lodge for Wi-Fi. Here she meets proprietor Mel and her son, Colin. Colin, a boy whose ASD makes social interactions more challenging, is a superb bushwalking guide, knowing everything about the Tarkine, this remote area of northwest Tasmania. He tells her about the devils and the seemingly-extinct thylacine a.k.a. the Tasmanian tiger, which is not a tiger at all but a carnivorous marsupial that looks more dog-like with stripes on its back. He also shares stories of Tasmania's history as a convict colony, and rumours that Convict Rock, in the middle of their local river, is haunted. Coupled with readings of her great-grandmother Eleanor's journal from 1939 and 1942 and discussions with her Uncle Ruff, Louisa starts to learn what a special place the Tarkine is. Even more extraordinary is that her violin playing may be drawing a thylacine in to listen.

Michelle Kadarusman brings two worlds together in Music for Tigers and shows that they can work in unison. Louisa didn't want to leave the city for the bush, determined that she would not leave her dreams of playing the violin behind, and Uncle Ruff is happy enough to do without the amenities his sister left to enjoy in another country and in the city. Both change.

For once, I don't have my violin. I want to hear the music of the forest instead. I sit and listen to the currrawongs sing their Vivaldi chorus and the rhythmic swish and sway of the towering giants above me. I close my eyes, breathe in the lemon myrtle, and listen carefully. (pg. 168)

Together Ruff and Louisa, with a little help from their friends, work to do good, though sadly they have to do so because of the encroachment of human activities, such as mining and logging, on the natural environment. Music for Tigers is a statement, albeit a songful one, of our impact on the natural world for our own purposes, destroying critical habitats and species. It implores us to step up and put conservation and preservation measures in place before it's too late, when even the music of our efforts won't be enough to save ecosystems and their species.

With Music for Tigers, Michelle Kadarusman reminds us, again, that being human requires much of us but the dividends from benevolence to others, human and not, may be unforeseen but boundless.

A youngCanLit booklist for World Elephant Day: August 12

I know many a child and adult for whom elephants are a favourite animal. Celebrate the world's elephants and ensure their preservation and protection by instilling an appreciation for these gentle and powerful giants through these books of youngCanLit. Among the picture books, early readers, non-fiction, middle grade and even young adult, there is learning from information, entertainment through humour and much insight into elephants. In other words, there's something for every reader!


Board Books and Picture Books

Fatima and the Clementine Thieves
Written by Mireille Messier
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2017
Reviewed here

 

My Dog is An Elephant
Written by Rémy Simard
Illustrated by Pierre Pratt
Annick
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
1994

Nancy Knows
Written and illustrated by Cybèle Young
Tundra
40 pp.
Ages 307
2014

Ollie
Written and illustrated by Paola Opal
Simply Read
24 pp.
Ages 2-5
2020

Paseka: A Little Elephant, Brave
Written by Ruth James
Illustrated by Kent Laforme
Page Two Books
978-1-989025420
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2019
Reviewed here

Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper!: A Masai Tale
Written by Tololwa M. Mollel
Illustrated by Barbara Spurll
Clarion Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-8
1991

What Elephant?
Written and illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2006





Early Readers, Middle Grade Fiction and Young Adult

Big City Otto (Elephants Never Forget 1)
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
88 pp.
Ages 8-11
2011

Big Star Otto (Elephants Never Forget 3)
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 8-11
2015

Big Top Otto (Elephants Never Forget 2)
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
80 pp.
Ages 8-11
2013

Elephant Secret
Written by Eric Walters
Puffin Canada
352 pp.
Ages 9-12
2018

Follow the Elephant 
Written by Beryl Young
Ronsdale Press
248 pp.
Ages 10-13
2010

Ghost Boy
Written by Iain Lawrence
Laurel Leaf
252 pp.
Ages 12+
2002

Just So Stories (Volume I)
Written by Rudyard Kipling
Illustrated by Ian Wallace
Groundwood Books
64 pp.
Ages 5+
2013
Reviewed here




Non-Fiction

5 Elephants 
Written by Rob Laidlaw
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
88 pp.
Ages 8-13
2014

Animal Aha! Thrilling Discoveries in Wildlife Science
Written by Diane Swanson
Annick
48 pp.
Ages 7-11
2009

Animals That Changed the World
Written by Keltie Thomas
Annick
112 pp.
Ages 8-12
2010

Elephant Journey: The True Story of Three Zoo Elephants and their Rescue from Captivity
Written by Rob Laidlaw
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Pajama Press
40 pp.
Ages 8-13
2015

The Elephant Keeper: Caring for Orphaned Elephants in Zambia
Written by Margriet Ruurs
Illustrated by Pedro Covo
Kids Can Press
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
2017

Elephant Rescue
Written by Jody Morgan
Firefly Books
64 pp.
Ages 10-13
2004

Elephants: Life in the Wild
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Michael Maydak
Random House Books for Young Readers
48 pp.
Ages 5-8
2000

Endangered Elephants
Written by Bobbie Kalman
Crabtree Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 8-12
2005

Our Future: How Kids Are Taking Action (Kid Activists)
Written and illustrated by Janet Wilson
Second Story Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-12
September 2019

Welcome to the World of Elephants
Written by Diane Swanson
Walrus
32 pp.
Ages 5-11
2011

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

The Pencil

Written by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-216-1

36 pp.

Ages 5-7

April 2019

Maybe you think a pencil is just a pencil, a utensil that is easily replaced and should be thrown away when it becomes too difficult to manipulate. But, for Susan Avingaq whose story this is, a pencil is so much more.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

When Susan's mother leaves their iglu to help a neighbour with a birth, she and her sister Rebecca and brother Peter are left in the care of their father. Play for the children includes having a jumping contest, a game of hide-and-seek and the two older girls practising their letters on the frost surface of the ice window. But when Ataata pulls out the pencil from the special box of Anaana's things, everything changes.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

The pencil is already very short from Anaana's writing of letters to people in other camps, using whatever paper she might save including from tea boxes and sugar bags, but it is still gold.

Anaana always said that we needed to be very careful with the pencil and that it wasn't a toy.

Ataata also gives Susan a piece of paper and suggests she draw pictures for her brother. Though nervous, she draws seals and caribou and her family. Then Rebecca practises her writing, and Peter draws some scribbles and their father draws different inuksuit.  The pencil gets shorter and Ataata has to sharpen it with his knife.

When their mother returns and is somewhat taken aback by their use of her pencil, she still cheers their efforts and is pleased that they'd had a good day.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

Susan Avingaq's reminiscence of that special day with a pencil is so charming. The children's reverence for that pencil is absolutely palpable. They know how important it is to their mother and that it is not a trifle. With every stroke of that pencil, they showed knowledge of their culture and respect for Anaana and her need to be frugal.  Together Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, who'd first collaborated on Fishing with Grandma (Inhabit Media, 2016) which was also illustrated by Charlene Chua, bring Inuit life on the land into a meaningful but genuine depiction in The Pencil. I have no doubts that Susan and her family, like many, had to be resourceful and careful with what they had and how it was used but The Pencil goes beyond a lesson in frugality and becomes a story of family, of play and of culture, which many children will appreciate. Charlene Chua, whose art has enhanced the stories of Akilak's Adventure (2016) and Elisapee and Her Baby Seagull (2017) among others, always finds a way to illustrate the love of family and the cultural wisdom of the storytellers.  Children will see the delight in Charlene Chua's characters when the pencil is brought out, when their father pretends to be a polar bear and the children's regret when their mother reminds them about using the pencil.

 "You know the reason we have to use our things very wisely is because they are quite difficult to get. We have only one pencil right now, and we won't be able to get another until we return to the trading post," she said.

A pencil may only be a pencil to many people, but it's an opening to a new world of connection to Susan and her family and deserving of being treasured.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

The Slippers' Keeper

by Ian Wallace

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-414-5

36 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2015

I should have reviewed The Slippers’ Keeper in April when it first came out, as its inclusion on any list of picture books related to Earth Day and conservationism would have been more than appropriate.  The book cheers those like Joe Purdon, the subject of The Slippers’ Keeper, who against the odds continue to embrace nature as it is and should be, not as we can manipulate it to be.  And Ian Wallace’s retelling of Purdon’s story from childhood to his passing is an inspirational one for sharing the magnificence of nature and the propriety of saving it.

Born in 1914 into an Eastern Ontario farm family, Joe Purdon became enamoured by the natural world he trekked with his dog, Laddie.  The forests, the fens, the animals, birds, insects and plants were all integral to enriching his life.  Discovery of a small patch of eight Showy Lady’s Slipper plants, which he had just recently learned take 5-7 years to flower, has Joe at cross-purposes with his father who cannot see the value of nurturing that which isn’t a crop or food source. 

But, in his free time, Joe cares for the small population of plants, monitoring water levels, hand pollinating, clearing away hazards and predators, and thinning trees.  As he grows older, taking over the family farm, but turning to more word-working and maple-syrup production, Joe’s orchid population continues to multiply.  He passes that love of nature and the Showy Lady’s Slippers onto his youngest child, Rhodena.  Ultimately, that population which grows to thousands is entrusted to the local conservation authority to ensure its perpetuity.

The ethereal nature of Ian Wallace’s watercolour and pencil illustrations convey the earthly and wholesome spirit the natural world and Joe Purdon’s quest to conserve a small piece of heaven on earth.  Yet, the accurate details in the Showy Lady’s Slippers that adorn the fen’s groundcover are reminiscent of any botanical print of Redouté or Curtis.  Ian Wallace’s story of Joe Purdon’s heroic efforts at conservationism is in itself a splendid endeavour to enlighten, ecologically and aesthetically. 

Kissing Frogs: Blog Tour

by Alisha Sevigny
Fierce Ink Press
978-1-927746-66-0
231 pp.
Ages 12+
For release November 18, 2014

According to a myriad of fairy tales, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, though Kissing Frogs protagonist Jessica seems to be convinced she's already met him in gorgeous Miles. Sadly it explains why she's failing Grade 12 biology, having missed a lot of those classes to spend time with him. Guess it was worth it to claw her "way up out of Geeksville and into the realm of the Socially Acceptable" (pg. 20) Except now she has to give up on a trip to South Beach with Miles and her other uber-popular friends, and instead join her biology teacher, Mr. A., and the conservation group on a trip to Panama to help some endangered frogs and complete a make-up research project.

It's evident to her trip mates that Jess would rather be elsewhere and, as they had needed to fundraise to take part in this amazing learning opportunity, there's some animosity towards her as a last-minute addition, especially from two snarky girls, Chrissy and Kiki. Moreover, she's surprised (shocked?) to learn that a former middle-school friend, Travis Henley, who'd teased her relentlessly, calling her Messy Jessie or Princess, is also on the trip, though he'd known her as the brainiac she was before she'd reinvented herself.  Other kids rounding out the group are a quiet girl Harp; Juan, a short funny guy who is friends with Travis; and Steven a.k.a. Shaggy.

While Jess vacillates between her new popular self (and desperately tries to connect with Miles and her friends) and the smart girl who'd dreamed of going to Berkley (and desperately wants the others to know she's neither mean nor an idiot), she draws the attention of Enrique, the very handsome son of the villas' owners, while Travis insists on taking her on non-dates to prove he's not the same annoying guy she'd known.

Photo by Brian Gratwicke. Retrieved from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atelopus_zeteki1.jpg

The emphasis for the school group may be the conservation of those species whose very existence is endangered, if not already extirpated, but Jess herself recognizes that the potential loss of her true self is not dissimilar to the plight of the golden frog.  She is willing to give up on university in favour of her new friends and popularity, not unlike the choices Panama has made in favour of growth and westernization: on the surface, very attractive, but the repercussions may be unpredictable, disastrous, and permanent.  Should she maintain her status as the popular girl, who has a gorgeous boyfriend and friends and doesn't care about university, or rejuvenate her smart self, who works hard and shows compassion and understanding for others, frogs and humans alike? Strangely, her mother prefers the former while her academician father would prefer her to be true to herself.

"You should just make sure that the people you give up your dreams for are worth it," he said finally, looking back at the computer screen. "We shouldn't have to compromise who we are for others." (pg. 71)

Alisha Sevigny has written a light and breezy YA novel whose only angst is that which the teens experience as they try to navigate through the treacherous dating roads of not knowing how to act around those they may be interested in.  Getting a first boyfriend or girlfriend, or perhaps the first one that really matters, is scary, especially if you're not sure who you are yourself.  Jess may have reinvented herself but it's clear that, without her supporting cast, the role doesn't quite fit her.  Alisha Sevigny certainly gets that right, demonstrating that it's easier to just be yourself.  So you trip a little bit and skin your knees here and there.  In the end, you're able to pick yourself up and know which way the role is taking you without becoming a farce or a tragedy. At the trip's onset, Jess' attitude indicated that she thought she was going to be stuck with a bunch of unattractive frogs in Panama, leaving her true prince, Miles, behind.  Thankfully, with sufficient time and a fresh perspective, it's amazing how cute those frogs can turn out to be.  Spoiler alert: happy ending!

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  

Check back tomorrow for my interview with Kissing Frogs author Alisha Sevigny.