Pick Me!

Written by Annika Dunklee

Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Bread & Butter Books

978-1-0689189-0-2

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

October 2024

 

Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne are good friends who do everything together. But what happens when they can't?

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

The three friends who first shared a story in Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith's Me, Too! and then in its sequel Me, Me, Me, continue to bond over their shared interests and spend all their time together. Especially cute is their teaching each other their own language as Lilianne speaks French, Lillemor speaks Swedish, and Annie speaks her imaginative language of Oinky Boinky. But on a field trip to the museum, their teacher insists that Lillemor pick only one girl with whom to partner. This becomes an onerous task as she attempts three different ways to choose. Finally the teacher chooses, and Annie is left to partner with Meilin. 

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Annie is less than gracious about being with her new partner, leaving her behind and repeatedly returning to her two friends. But she soon learns that Meilin too had another partner in mind and was equally upset with being paired with Annie. Now it's up to Annie to try to make a connection with Meilin and through a couple of ice breakers, the two become fast friends too.

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Annika Dunklee certainly gets into the heads of little girls for whom friends can be the most important thing in their lives. In each book in this series, the girls are challenged with making friends, staying friends, and dealing with friends. Having a friend offers stability but when you can't be with your friends of choice–and this will always happen at school in group work and partnering up for games and activities–it can be monumental. It's not surprising that Annie would disregard her teacher's instructions and do what she chooses just to feel the security of her established friends. Her annoyance is palpable. But her friendships have given her the skills to be friendly to others, when she chooses to, and to make new friends. Pick Me! are words that reverberate in many schools every day but, with strategies to make decisions and choices as well as approaches to connecting with new people, Annika Dunklee's story also becomes a resource for navigating friendships, particularly at school.

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

PEI's Lori Joy Smith brings the joy of friendship to life in her bright illustrations. There is a simplicity to her art, focusing on the kids and their expressions of satisfaction and their connection, but also in their distress and frustration, all the emotions that come with becoming, being and holding onto friends. Annika Dunklee has made her characters diverse in their languages, but Lori Joy Smith has made them real in the diversity of their backgrounds, physical features, personalities and more. She's made their story one that is universal for all friends.

For a great kindergarten lesson, or for kids in Grades 1-2 who still need help in making and keeping friends, Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith's trio of books featuring Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne will be invaluable. Moreover, Pick Me!, like the earlier two books, will offer young children a different perspective on friendships that they might find difficult to understand. When they're very young, it's difficult to see that others are may be struggling too. For Annie to realize that Meilin was also disappointed in not being with her friends was a big step to making a new friend and seeing beyond herself and ultimately getting something that made her happy: a new friend.

 

• • • • • • •

 Me, Too! (2015)

Me, Me, Me (2017)

Pick Me! (2024)

Lucky Me

Written by Lora Rozler

Illustrated by Jan Dolby

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

9781554554102

32 pp.

Ages 8-12

February 2018

I always loved those posters that would communicate a single message in different languages, whether it be Welcome, Hello or Thank you.  Lucky Me is like an expanded and illustrated version of the Thank You poster, sharing the many events for which children might express gratitude in various languages.

The text of Lucky Me is a series of statements about experiences for which children in Canada might be  grateful, whether it be treasures big and small, being able to ask question, tasty pancakes , another candle on a birthday cake, playing in the snow, or having a friend by your side.  For each, the term for “thank you” is giving in another language, identifying how to pronounce it as well as the language used.  Lucky Me is like an international thesaurus of thanks.

From Lucky Me 

by Lora Rozler 

illus. by Jan Dolby

With 32 languages covered (English, Armenian, Romanian, Greek, Japanese, Tagalog, Hebrew, Cree, Spanish, Portuguese, Somali, Mandarin, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Arabic, Hindi, Swahili, Tamil, Vietnamese, Korean, Hungarian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Persian, Cantonese, Punjabi, German, Turkish, Urdu and French), Lora Rozler has covered most continents and the children from the diverse cultures within though the children are very much ensconced in a Canadian setting.  Still children will see themselves outdoors, at home, at school and the many places they experience life.  Jan Dolby, whose gave life to Joyce Grant’s Gabby in Gabby (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2013) and her follow up books (Gabby Drama Queen and Gabby Wonder Girl) energizes Lora Rozler’s text with children who are lively and effusive in their activities alone and with others.  They’re open to life and can see the worth in all their experiences.

From Lucky Me 

by Lora Rozler 

illus. by Jan Dolby

While I might have liked to have seen more children who appreciate the quiet of contemplation rather than always activity, the wide variety of experiences and ways of saying thank you demonstrate that we all have much for which we should be grateful and a single book would probably never be enough.  Fortunately, Lora Rozler and Jan Dolby have given children a very, very good start to seeing all for which they could be exclaiming “Lucky Me.”  

From Lucky Me 

by Lora Rozler 

illus. by Jan Dolby

Honouring all languages: Cultural competence with diverse youngCanLit

Today's post, the second in seven, continues the series of booklists I compiled for and presented at the Ontario Library Association's Superconference in Toronto recently to help individuals, schools and other institutions become culturally competent.

Today's post will focus on...

Alego
by Ningeokuluk Teevee
Groundwood Books
24 pp.
Ages 3-7
2009
Inuktitut (Inuit)

The Boy in the Attic
by Paul Yee
Illus. by Gu Xiong
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
1998
Mandarin/Cantonese (Chinese)

Caribou Song/ Atihko Nikamon
by Tomson Highway
Illus. by John Rombough
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2013
Cree
Reviewed here

The Diamond Willow Walking Stick
by Leah Marie Dorion
Michif trans. by Norman Fleury
Gabriel Dumont Institute
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
2012
Michif (Métis)

Dragonfly Kites/ Pimithaagansa
by Tomson Highway
Illus. by Julie Flett
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2016
Cree
Reviewed here

The Finding Place
by Julie Hartley
Red Deer Press,
244 pp.
Ages 10-14
2015
Mandarin (Chinese)
Reviewed here

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

Long Powwow Nights
by David Bouchard, Pam Aleekuk, and Patsy Paul-Martin
Illus. by Leonard Paul
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-14
2009
Mi’kmaq

My Two Grandmothers
by Diane Carmel Léger
Illus. by Jean-Luc Trudel
Nimbus Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2016
French Acadian, Scottish
Reviewed here

Niwechihaw/ I Help
by Caitlin Dale Nicholson
Trans. by Leona Morin-Neilson
Groundwood Books
24 pp.
Ages 4-6
2008
Cree

No Borders/ Kigliqangittuq
by Darla Evyagotailak  and Mindy Willett
Photos by Tessa Macintosh
Fifth House Publishers
40 pp.
Ages 8-12
2013
Inuktitut (Inuit)

Nokum is My Teacher
by David Bouchard
Art by Allen Sapp
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
All ages
2015
Cree

Norman, Speak!
by Caroline Adderson
Illus. by Qin Leng
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2014
Mandarin (Chinese)
Reviewed here

Racines
by Marianne Ferrer
Monsieur Ed
16 pp.
Ages 4-8
2016
French
Reviewed here

The Secret of Your Name
by David Bouchard
Illus. by Dennis Weber
CD performed by John Arcand
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-13
2009
Michif (Métis)

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey
by Margriet Ruurs
Artwork by Nizar Ali Badr
Orca Book Publishers
28 pp.
All ages
2016
Arabic (Syria)
Reviewed here

The Trouble with Dilly
by Rachna Gilmore
HarperCollins Canada
 162 pp.
Ages 7-10
2009
Hungarian, Punjabi (Indian)

Download the complete booklist here