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.

Water's Children: Celebrating the resource that unites us all

Written by Angèle Delaunois

Illustrated by Gérard Frischeteau

Translated by Erin Woods

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-015-4

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

April 2017

Of course water is important.  Everyone knows it is the basis for life.  But water is so, so much more than just the liquid that sustains life. It enriches, energizes, moves, alters and drenches and Water’s Children is truly a celebration of that life force in a global context.

From Water's Children

by Angèle Delaunois

illus. by Gérard Frischeteau

trans. by Erin Woods

Quebec author, visual artist and publisher Angèle Delaunois takes the reader across the world to witness the importance of water to the children of different countries.  Each child describes their experiences with getting water, using water, and what water represents, with a final summation statement.  Canada is represented by two spreads, one from Quebec and one from Nunavut, both which speak in terms of what is most familiar to young  Canadian readers.

For me, water is everywhere:
the tap that I turn on without thinking,
the bathtub full of bubbles,
the sprinkler that greens the grass,
the lake that summons us for vacation fun.
For me, water is a burst of laughter. (pg. 7)

For me, water is winter:
the ocean and the river trapped beneath the ice,
the snowflakes that blur the horizon where earth becomes sky,
the frost that whitens my lashes,
the solitude and silence of the long polar night.
For me, water is a perfect crystal of snow. (pg. 8)

While other texts and illustrations will be familiar or at least obvious such as the Russian child of a fishing village and the rain experienced by an urban child in Germany, many spreads will rouse thoughtful discussions of unfamiliar depictions of water.  There’s the flooded lands after a dam is built, the Brazilian rainforest, the orange groves on lands that were once desert, and water trucks in Mauritania.  Imagine worlds in which water is  “an outstretched hand” or “a cup of mint tea.”  The ultimate word goes to an unborn child for whom “water is the song of my mother” and who speaks for the world declaring that “For me, for all of us, water is a matter of life.”

From Water's Children

by Angèle Delaunois

illus. by Gérard Frischeteau

trans. by Erin Woods

The artwork of Montreal animator, graphic artist and illustrator Gérard Frischeteau rings with authenticity, depicting each global child in both personal and expansive landscapes, often providing details about daily life and family.  From the scarlet macaw of the rainforest to the bowler hat of the South American girl with her alpaca, each spread provides a glimpse into another world in which water is life.

From Water's Children

by Angèle Delaunois

illus. by Gérard Frischeteau

trans. by Erin Woods

In fact, “Water is Life” is a special touch in Water’s Children. On watermarks adorning each spread, the term “water is life” is translated into a corresponding language, including French, Inuktitut, Catalan, German, Portuguese, Tamil, Arabic and Wolof with a final listing of all regions and languages represented in the book.

I know I’ve listed the reading audience as 4 to 8 years of age but don’t follow that.  Water’s Children’s audience should read “All ages” or “Everyone” because it is an extraordinarily inspirational examination of the importance of water throughout the world.  You can save it for World Water Day (March 22) but I recommend it for this weekend’s Earth Day (April 22) and anytime meaningful attention be paid to a global resource i.e., always.

2014 Write for a Better World Contest

World Literacy Canada

presents its annual

WRITE FOR A BETTER WORLD  

contest

for Canadian students in Grades 5-8

This year, the writing theme was created by  

Kelley Armstrong

 author of numerous award-winning fantasy books

(here's a sample below)

What to do:
• Using this story starter, tell what happens next in 400 words or less:

It’s been a long, sleepless night of strange dreams. Even once you wake up, you think you’re still dreaming, because you aren’t in your own bed. You aren’t even yourself! It’s no dream. You’ve woken in another part of the world, as someone from another culture. 

How stories will be evaluated:

• Has the writer written about a place and culture that is different from their own? Is there indication that the author learned something about the culture?

• How unique is the writer’s approach to the topic?

• How is the story organized? Is there a clear beginning, middle and ending?

• Does the writer use proper spelling and grammar?

• Is the main character well-written? Does he/she represent the ideals of global citizenship?

Deadline:
• April 4, 2014


Full Details:
• Details of prizes and the entry form can be found at http://www.worldlit.ca/canada-programs/write-for-a-better-world/write2014/

Local and Global Citizenship: Social Justice Book List #8

I defy anyone to find a country that publishes more children's books about showing good citizenship towards the Earth and towards other people than Canada.  We have a rich print history of environmental awareness and citizenship that increases our young readers' awareness of the importance of Local and Global Citizenship. This is just a sampling.

 Picture Books

At Grandpa's Sugar Bush
by Margaret Carney
Illustrated by Janet Wilson
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
1997

Big Bear Hug
by Nicholas Oldland
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-7
2009

The Children of China: An Artist's Journey
by Siong Nan Zhang
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 8-12
1995 

Dear Baobab 
by Cheryl Foggo
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-8
2011

Gummytoes
by Sean Cassidy
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2004

The Little Hummingbird
by Michael Yahgulanaas
Greystone Books
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2010

Morning on the Lake
by Jan Bourdeau Waboose
Illustrated by Karen Reczuch
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
1997

Picture a Tree
by Barbara Reid
North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
30 pp.
Ages 3-5
2011 

A Promise is a Promise
by Robert Munsch and Michael Kusugak
Illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-6
1992

Salmon Forest
by David Suzuki and Sarah Ellis
Illustrated by Sheena Lott
Greystone Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2006

Skink on the Brink
by Lisa Dalrymple
Illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 5+
For release May, 2013   

Weber Street Wonder Work Crew

by Maxwell Newhouse
Tundra Books
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
2010

Wolf Island
by Celia Godkin
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 5-11
1989, 2006

Fiction

Blue Mountain Trouble

by Martin Mordecai

Scholastic Canada

341 pp.

Ages 10-13

2009
 

Jacob's Little Giant
by Barbara Smucker
Puffin Books
101 pp.
Ages 8-10
1987

Lone Wolf
by Edo Van Belkom
Tundra Books
177 pp.
Ages 10-13
2005 

Luz Sees the Light
by Claudia Dávila 
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 8-11
2011

The Royal Woods
by Matt Duggan
Key Porter
218 pp.
Ages 8-12
2007 

Sacred Leaf
(The Cocalero Novels)
by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
207 pp.
Ages 10-13
2007

The Summer of the Spotted Owl

(A Dinah Galloway Mystery)

by Melanie Jackson

Orca Book Publishers

180 pp.

Ages 9-12

2005

Zoobreak
by Gordon Korman
Scholastic Canada

230 pp.

Ages 9-12

2009 

 
Non-Fiction

A is for Algonquin: An Ontario Alphabet
by Lovenia Gorman
Illustrated by Melanie Rose
Sleeping Bear Press
40 pp.
Ages 8-13
2005

The Birdman
by Veronika Martinova Charles
Illustrated by Anouchka Gravel Galouchko and Stéphan Daigle
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2006

Food Fight: A Graphic Guide Adventure
by Liam O’Donnell
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Orca Book Publishers
64 pp.
Ages 11-15
2010

The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to Having Enough
by Katie Smith Milway
Illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-10
2010
 

Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Pajama Press
99 pp.
Ages 10-15
2011 

Not Your Typical Book about the Environment
by Elin Kelsey
Illustrated by Clayton Hammer
Owlkids Books
60 pp.
Ages 10-13
2010

Ollie's Field Journal: A 9/10ths Happy Story from Africa
by Patti McIntosh
Illustrated by Tara Langois
Maggie & Pierrot
40 pp.
Ages 8-10
2008

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
by Katie Smith Milway
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 7+
2008
 

 

One Peace: True Stories of Young Activists

by Janet Wilson

Orca Book Publishers

48 pp.

Ages 8-12

2008 

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth
by Rochelle Strauss
Illustrated by Rosemary Woods
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-13
2007

Other Goose: Recycled Rhymes for our Fragile Times
by Barbara Klunder
Groundwood Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
2007

Our Earth: How Kids are Saving the Planet
by Janet Wilson
Second Story Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-11
2010

Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint
by Femida Handy and Carole Carpenter
Illustrated by Adrianna Steele-Card
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-7
2010

Shannen and the Dream for a School
by Janet Wilson
Second Story Press
206 pp.
Ages 8+
2011

 


Tale of a Great White Fish: A Sturgeon Story 
by Maggie de Vries
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
Greystone Books/Douglas & McIntyre
42 pp.
Ages 8-13
2006

Tell Me Why: How Young People can Change the World
Edited by Eric Walters
Doubleday Canada
214 pp.
Ages 10+
2009  

The Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth 
by Rochelle Strauss
Illustrated by Margot Thompson
Kids Can Press
40 pp.
Ages 9-15
2004