Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear (Orca Think)

Written by Erin Silver

Illustrated by Xulin Wang

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-4098-0

96 pp.

Ages 9–12

February 2026 

 

Reviewing Erin Silver's latest non-fiction book, Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear on Earth Day seems fitting. On a day on which we celebrate our Earth and how to protect it, we have much to learn from a book about global locations threatened by climate change.

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

Erin Silver, who has written countless books of non-fiction including Good Food, Bad Waste (2023), Mighty Scared: The Amazing Ways Animals Defend Themselves (2024), and Plant Attack (2025), takes on the challenging topic of climate change. However, by taking the perspective of showcasing key locations, from the Arctic to the Pacific Islands and the Amazon rainforest, Erin Silver speaks less of generalities and more to familiar sites and places people live. 

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

The book is organized into four major chapters:

1. Major Meltdown
2. Cue the Waterworks
3. Under Fire
4. Life on Earth

The first looks at the impacts of global warming on the ice caps in Antarctica and in the Arctic. The impacts examined go beyond the ice sheets and glaciers, and into the water, the krill, polar bears, and more. Insights from those who visit those locations are shared, as are suggestions about helping to combat climate change.

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

The next chapter looks at changing weather patterns, which cause more rain and severe storms in some areas, resulting in places being flooded, and sinking and shrinking. Mitigation with mangroves and engineering are just two approaches. Other areas will get drier, which could lead to food insecurity. A Q & A with a climate architect reveals much about solutions to this aspect of global warming. 

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

The next chapter examines the fires in California and in British Columbia, while the final chapter looks at the threat to biodiversity, focusing on the Amazon rainforest and the Galápagos Islands. As in the earlier chapters, there are interviews, including with a climate adventurer and a biologist, info boxes called "The Info Express" with interesting tidbits,  and always assurances that activism can help. Completing this book are a comprehensive glossary and lists of resources for young people to access.

 

Erin Silver delivers a thorough examination of how climate change is affecting our world. And, though she makes it a global discussion, her research brings it closer to home, even if it's not our home specifically. It's a personal look at how global warming is impacting everyone and everywhere. That means it's up to everyone to do something, anything. With numerous photographs and Toronto's Xulin Wang's bold and colourful digital art, Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear takes the reader around the world to see evidence of climate change. But with text and art combined, the message is not one of hopelessness but rather one of expectancy and action. And on this Earth Day, Gone Forever?—note the question mark—has a productive message to share.

Getting Us to Grandma's

Written by Nadia L. Hohn

Illustrated by TeMika Grooms

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-689-9

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

October 2024

When you're a child, a visit to your grandparents can be a very special outing. But for Nikki this visit is really special because her family has to travel to another country and they're going to attend the wedding of her Uncle Travis. But first they must get there.

Even before they hit the road, Nikki has been studying the globe and now their road atlas for the USA because they are travelling from Toronto to the Bronx in New York City. Sitting in the backseat with her mother who cradles the traditional Black Cake and her younger sister Maya in her car seat, Nikki has the map book before it's grabbed by her brother Langston who sits in the front seat. Now Nikki can only think about all the places her family now lives and where they once came from. She knows of Africa and Jamaica, England, and the US and who lives where. (Her map drawing skills on the window are especially impressive.)

From Getting Us to Grandma's, written by Nadia L. Hohn, illustrated by TeMika Grooms

Although she's desperate to get the map book back so she can track their progress, it's not till they take a break that Nikki can reclaim the guide and enjoy the front seat beside her dad. As everyone in the back seat sleeps, Nikki and her dad watch the road and the signs and drive into the rain.

From Getting Us to Grandma's, written by Nadia L. Hohn, illustrated by TeMika Grooms

But Nikki is an astute map reader and is sure her dad missed an exit, though he is convinced he's going the right way. Still when he finally recognizes that they're not where they want to be, Nikki is the one to help them get to Grandma's safely.

Getting Us to Grandma's is based on Nadia L. Hohn's own family travels from Toronto to the Bronx and her "Author's Note" tells us they are travels of which she has fond memories. It may be based on travel in the early 1980s–the use of a map, the clothing, her brother's Walkman, a Rubik cube, and the music may suggest that time–but travels with your family are timeless events. For Nikki, the memories are in the details, from co-piloting her dad's driving, bringing the bucket that would be used for toileting, and tracing family on a globe and maps. More importantly, for her it wasn't just about the destination. Sure, getting to visit with their Grandma and attend a family wedding were very important but the journey and her role in ensuring their arrival at Grandma's was equally important. Nikki was not going to sleep the journey away; she intended to be an active participant. And in tracking their progress through the map and the signage, and helping them get to the Bronx, this family trip was more than a Point-A-to-Point-B route. Nadia L. Hohn makes this a journey of family and discovery, as well as a celebration of a young girl's aptitude in map reading. And isn't it lovely to see her father trust the young navigator by his side.

From Getting Us to Grandma's, written by Nadia L. Hohn, illustrated by TeMika Grooms

American illustrator TeMika Grooms takes us along on that journey, keeping readers firmly in the car except for departure and arrival. The car is the environment for this family on this adventure, from its green exterior and interior, with wood trim and front bench seat. She does take us outside to see the rain and guardrails, a gas station and the roadways of graffiti and more. But the focus is that car and the family within. TeMika Grooms never lets us forget that her digital art is to ensure the story is Getting Us to Grandma's.

Getting Us to Grandma's may be a universal story, perhaps from a different time but still wholly topical, with which any family who travels any distance to visit relatives will be familiar. But while Nadia L. Hohn makes this a recognizable tale, she also makes this a story of her own heritage and those of others of Jamaican backgrounds. From the Black Cake and the patois spoken to listening to WBLS radio, Nadia L. Hohn makes her story reflect the experiences of the Caribbean diaspora who keep their culture and family close even when far apart in distance. Fortunately, a trip to Grandma's can bring everyone and everything together.

🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘

 

There's a great opportunity to partake in more than just a book launch of Getting Us to Grandma's because Nadia L. Hohn has a planned a special event.

On

 

Saturday, October 19

 

at 

 

1:30 -3:30 PM

at

 

Toronto Public Library - Oakwood Village Library and Arts Centre
341 Oakwood Avenue 

Toronto, ON

 

Nadia L. Hohn 

will be launching  

 

Getting Us to Grandma's

& 

celebrating her 10th book

 

with this free event 

(tickets are available at eventbrite here)

which will include the following:

• Scavenger Hunt and Craft (1:30-1:45 PM)

• Reading and Words (1:45-2:15 PM)

• Performance and Dance (2:15-2:30 PM)

• Book signing, refreshments, and Dance (2:30-3:30 PM)

Details from the eventbrite post include the following:

Come for a scavenger hunt, storytime, break dance, graffiti art, and rhyme.

Bring your bgirls, bboys, and family crew. Solo acts and grown folk are welcome too.

Below is a road map showing you the way.

There'll be refreshments and cake. You know, the deejay will always be playing your song.

Another Story Bookshop is the onsite book vendor where you can buy your copy of Getting Us to Grandma's and my other books. I'll even sign them for you.

Optional, dress code: 1980s. Wear your Adidas, kangol hats, jelly shoes, and let the groovy music play. 

Some books by Nadia L. Hohn

Goodnight, World

Written and illustrated by Andrea Lynn Beck

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-4431-4865-8

32 pp.

Ages 2-6

September 2019

It's not always easy for children to see beyond their own worlds. Not everyone gets an opportunity to travel and experience how others live firsthand. But that should not limit their understanding or ability to feel compassion. In Andrea Lynn Beck's newest picture book, a child wonders about other children around the world who too are heading to bed, recognizing that they will be both very different and still similar.

From Goodnight, World by Andrea Lynn Beck

A child who lives with his family on a sailboat is preparing for bed and looking up at the sky and questioning whether other children are looking up and seeing the same stars. He thinks about those on different continents–his room houses a number of geographical instruments like a map, compass, globe and sextant to fuel this attention–and the structures they might live in and the furniture upon which they sleep.

From Goodnight, World by Andrea Lynn Beck

In lovely rhyming text that melds innocence with curiosity, Andrea Lynn Beck presents a global appreciation of all children as they settle in for the night under domes or roofs with goats, in caves, on boats, in high-rises or buildings made of mud and straw. The boy imagines wonderful landscapes far and wide, high and low, and the children often reading, sometimes playing, before sleep under a common celestial feature. 

As the illustrations in her earlier picture book Good Night, Canada demonstrate, Andrea Lynn Beck's pencil crayon and paint on watercolour paper artwork is bright and fresh and reflective of a child's perspective and reality. She invites readers into a child's room, to cuddle with a stuffie and dog, and to dream of other lands and children. And for those who want to learn a little more about the homes shown throughout the book, Andrea Lynn Beck shares stories about each, including how she created the book to show how our world is our home.

Our world is so big, and sometimes so small...

It is our home, goodnight to us all.

Goodnight, World will definitely be added to my Read a Book of Bedtime booklist for its comforting take on a child's end of day reflection and wonder about the world and its children.

🌎🌏🌍🌎🌍

A French-language edition, Bonne nuit autour du monde, will also be released by Scholastic Canada this month.

Hit the road with youngCanLit: Travelling Canada through books for children

Just as books can be elixirs for the sleepless child, they can be a blessing for the bored child travelling with adults who already have their go-to in-flight, on-train or in-car activities.  What better way to occupy your child while engaging them than with a tome of youngCanLit (books for children and young adults by Canadian authors and illustrators)?

Though numerous picture books, early readers and chapter books could be included here, and more so now with Canada celebrating 150 years and a plethora of new books slated for release, I’ve generally focused on books that would appease the youngest of travellers who might be less inclined to find their own entertainment without a little help from Mum or Dad (or Auntie or Uncle or Grandma or Grandpa …)

Whether a picture book that informs and entertains a non-reader about Canada or non-fiction books for pre-teens that cover geography and trivia across our country, this book list of youngCanLit for Canada may include the balm you’re looking for to satisfy your own young traveller.

ABC of Canada
Written by Kim Bellefontaine
Illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2004
Learn the alphabet from Arctic to Zamboni and all the letters in between for a colourful look at Canada by alphabet.

The Big Book of Canada (updated ed.)
by Christopher Moore
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Tundra Books
256 pp.
Ages 9-12
April 2017
Rich with photographs and illustrations, this book delves deep into Canada’s places and people.

Canada 123
Written by Kim Bellefontaine
Illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kids Can Press
24 pp.
Ages 2-6
2008
Counting from one maple leaf onward and back has never been so Canadian or fun!

Canada 123
Written and illustrated by Paul Covello
HarperCollins Canada
30 pp.
Ages 2-5
September 2017
Counting book from 0 degrees through 10 sled dogs, and 25, 50, 100 Canadian attributes, with endpapers that sum up our country.

Canada ABC
Written and illustrated by Paul Covello
HarperCollins Canada
28 pp.
Ages 1-3
2016
The alphabet provides the basis for a simple book of Canadian images like dogsled and Ottawa, with more hidden in the details.

Canada Counts: A Charles Pachter Counting Book
Written and illustrated by Charles Pachter
Cormorant Books
64 pp.
Ages 8+
2009
Artist Charles Pachter uses his uniquely Canadian artwork to cover numbers 1 through 20, with a couple of other important numbers like 1867 thrown in.

Canada Year by Year
Written by Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 9-13
2016
A book of history like no other, commemorating important historical events in politics, sports, the arts, and more from 1867 to 2017.
 

Carson Crosses Canada
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Kass Reich
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
May 30 2017
Annie Magruder and her dog Carson travel from BC to Newfoundland to visit Annie’s sister, enjoying the expansive scenery and attributes of Canada along the way.

Crazy Canadian Trivia
Written by Pat Hancock
Illustrated by Bill Dickson
Scholastic Canada
128 pp.
Ages 7-12
2009
Hundreds of quirky facts about Canada. 

A Day in Canada
Written and illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2015
Take a trip over the course of one day (timed delightfully by a clock) with various Canadian animals to stops at recognizable Canadian locales.

Do Beavers Eat Poutine?: Cool Canadian Quizzes
Written by Helaine Becker
Scholastic Canada
96 pp.
Ages 8-13
2017
Trivia, jokes, and puzzles that are all about Canada.

Eh? to Zed: A Canadian ABeCedarium
Written by Kevin Major
Illustrated by Alan Daniel
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2000
A rhyming alphabet book with images of quintessential Canadian icons and events, including a Mountie, soapstone carvings and a Montreal Canadian. 

Good Morning, Canada
Written and illustrated by Andrea Lynn Beck
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2014
Wake up with children across Canada and see the landscapes of each’s life.
 

Good Night, Canada
Written and illustrated by Andrea Beck
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2012
Follow a young boy's nightly ritual of adieus from coast to coast to coast, as he looks out his window at his country and wonders who else is going to bed.

Hey Canada!
Written by Vivien Bowers
Illustrated by Milan Pavlović
Tundra Books
72 pp.
Ages 8-12
2012
Gran takes her two grandchildren on a road trip across Canada, covering details about flags, terrain, points of interest and more.

I Am Canada: A Celebration
Written by Heather Patterson
Illustrated by Jon Klassen, Barbara Reid, Marie-Louise Gay, Danielle Daniel, Geneviève Côté, Ashley Spires, Qin Leng, Ruth Ohi, Irene Luxbacher, Cale Atkinson Jeremy Tankard, Eva Campbell and Doretta Groenendyk
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
May 2017
Multiple-illustrator version of Heather Patterson’s free verse poem I Am Canada (1996).

The Kids Book of Canada
Written by Barbara Greenwood
Illustrated by Jock MacRae
Kids Can Press
60 pp.
Ages 8-11
2007
Compendium of facts about each province and territory, including geography, history and symbols.
 

M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet
Written by Michael Ulmer
Illustrated by Melanie Rose
Sleeping Bear Press
40 pp.
Ages 8+
2004
A classic alphabet book illustrated by scenes of key Canadians and circumstances like Terry Fox and Anne of Green Gables.

M is for Moose: A Charles Pachter Alphabet
Written and illustrated by Charles Pachter
Cormorant Books
64 pp.
Ages 10+
2008
Artist Charles Pachter lends his own artwork to depicting the alphabet in this sophisticated book for older readers.

My Canada: An Illustrated Atlas 
Written by Katherine Dearlove
Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
May 2017
A picture book atlas covering each province and territory with icons and labels of key cities, landmarks, etc.

That’s Very Canadian:  An Exceptionally Interesting Report about All Things Canadian, by Rachel
Written by Vivien Bowers
Illustrated by Diane Eastman
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 8-12
2004
This is Rachel’s school report on Canada in which she covers all things Canadian, with the help of  Moose, Goose and Bucko Beaver.

Where Are You, Bear?: A Canadian Alphabet Adventure
Written by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Sean L. Moore
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-5
As Sophie sets out on her cross-country trek from Newfoundland to BC, her Bear has his own adventures as he chases after her.

Wow Canada!: Exploring this Land from Coast to Coast to Coast
Written by Vivien Bowers
Illustrated by Dan Hobbs and Dianne Eastman
Owlkids Books
160 pp.
Ages 9-12
2010
Take a road trip with Guy, his sister Penny and their parents to learn all about Canada’s special points of interest and symbols, through photos, stamps and illustrations.