Before You Came

Writing by Anne Renaud

Illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

Peanut Butter Press

978-1-927735-90-9

28 pp.

Ages 5+

March 2026 

 

From Anne Renaud, author of Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament (2017), Fania's Heart (2018), and The True Tale of a Giantess: The Story of Anne Swan (2018), comes less of a story and more of a lullaby in Before You Came. In words that are warm and sweet, the narrator speaks to a child, recalling the emotions of anticipating the arrival.

By day my heart sang out to you,

close to bursting.

My love did not know where to go. (pg. 11)

From Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

In gentle but powerful words, Anne Renaud's narrator speaks to a child yet to arrive, perhaps by birth or by adoption, about what they are feeling and imagining. It's all about a bond that is growing, and dreams and love that will be realized. 

The day you came, I gave you

all the pieces of me—

from the very first moment. (pg. 21) 

From Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

The love that this parent feels for this child, before they are even more than a whisper, is remarkable. It is deep and complex, encompassing the promise of what is and what is to be. Anne Renaud's text is so poignant than the reader, whether adult or child, will appreciate the sentiment. I can only wish that every child could feel the adoration that this child will know.

From Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

Because Anne Renaud's free verse is so intense, it would have been a challenge to find an illustrator who could match the spirit of that devotion. Nahid Kazemi, who illustrated Joanne Schwartz's picture book The Old Woman (2020) as well as many other wonderful picture books, echoes that sentiment with her PanPastel and pigment art. Her illustrations are delicate and ethereal, matching the love that is felt so intensely. There is a surreal nature to Nahid Kazemi's art, whether it be lungs with a bird in a nest resting there, or arms embracing a house. What her art tells us is the breadth and personal nature of this love. 

Though the words speak to a child, Before You Came would make a lovely gift for a new parent or parent-to-be so that they might read it to their own child. So, keep this elegant book in mind for anyone who will be touched by the tenderness of a parent's love for a child. That love may be difficult to express in words and art, but Anne Renaud and Nahid Kazemi express it with aplomb.

 

• • • • • • • 

 

The French-language edition, Avant que tu ne sois là, was published in 2023 by Les Éditions Héritage.

Every Leaf on Every Tree

Written and illustrated by Lauren Soloy

Nimbus Publishing

 978-1-77471-423-2

20 pp.

Ages 0–3

June 2025 

 

How great is a parent's love for their child? For this rabbit, that love is vast, mighty, boundless, and endless. For this family, that love is everything.

From Every Leaf on Every Tree, written and illustrated by Lauren Soloy

In a poetic love song to their baby, this rabbit declares the extent of love they feel. Referring to the wonderful elements of their natural world, that love is extolled profusely. 

And every petal 

     on every flower

And every second 

     in every hour 

It's in the grass and the flowers, the ocean and the sand, and in butterflies, birds, and stars. But it's also in the personal touch and tickle. When a parent loves a child, that love is truly reflected in everything.

From Every Leaf on Every Tree, written and illustrated by Lauren Soloy

Every Leaf on Every Tree is a board book and aimed at the very youngest of our children, and so it will be a lovely baby gift for expectant parents. Lauren Soloy, who is best known to me as an illustrator of books such as Kathy Stinson's A Tulip in Winter, has an impressive collection of picture books in her bibliography. But with Every Leaf on Every Tree, she has become an author-illustrator to me, and one that can put words to her art in a heartfelt way. Every Leaf on Every Tree reads like a love song to a child who may or may not be too young to understand the depth of that affection. Regardless, the reading of this book can begin when a child is still a baby and progress to ages one and two and older and even until they are reading it for themselves. And they will always appreciate the comfort of knowing the magnitude of that closeness.

From Every Leaf on Every Tree, written and illustrated by Lauren Soloy

In addition to the text, Lauren Soloy also illustrated Every Leaf on Every Tree. While it's not always possible as a reader to identify the media the illustrator uses, I found that it was especially challenging to identify Lauren Soloy's medium. The art appears to include paint and pencil, perhaps digital rendering, and even cut-paper. Regardless, Lauren Soloy gives us a picture book in which parent and child are part of each other and a larger world of immense beauty and scope. In their own little world, they are everything. In the world at large, they are one.

I Would Give You My Tail

Written by Tanya Tagaq

Illustrated by Qavavau Manumie 

Tundra Books

978-1-77488-057-9

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2025

 

What is the secret to happiness? For a child sent to bring his grandmother back to camp to help with the birth of his new sibling, Kalluk finds many answers and from those who enrich his own northern life.

From I Would Give You My Tail, written by Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Qavavau Manumie

On his journey, Kalluk encounters different animals and natural elements and asks each why they are so happy. The first, a pair of hares, find their happiness in being fast and clever but also from protecting the other. One hare even declares, "I would give you my tail if I could." A babbling brook delights in being cold and clean and enjoying the sensation of running over rocks and giving satisfaction to the fish. With each encounter, including with a mother fox and her pups, the boy feels gratitude for the food provided, the fresh water to be had, and the care and love his own mother had always given him. 

From I Would Give You My Tail, written by Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Qavavau Manumie

When he fetches his grandmother, Anaanattiaq, they travel together back to camp. Kalluk takes time on their journey to ask his grandmother the same question. The wisdom of her words are not lost on the child.

You get peace from inside. Every day, life gives you choices, and when you make the choice to be a kind person, the goodness inside of you grows.

From I Would Give You My Tail, written by Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Qavavau Manumie

An encounter with a conspiracy of ravens brings forth a discussion of wisdom and sharing, and ends with an airborne journey, a dialogue with the wind, and a swift delivery of Anaanattiaq and Kalluk to a home with a new infant. Now Kalluk has insight about gratitude and making good choices and more to share with his new baby sister.

From I Would Give You My Tail, written by Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Qavavau Manumie

I defy anyone not to feel a peacefulness while reading I Would Give You My Tail. It's not as simple a story as it may appear to be. It's loaded with the calm that comes with appreciation for what we have and are given and the relationships we have with others and the natural world. Tanya Tagaq, an Inuk throat singer and author from Nunavut, fills her words with weight, the weight of virtue and relevance, generosity and acknowledgement. Through Kalluk's grasp of the messages he hears from the wind, and the hares, the ravens and the brook, he and the reader vicariously are filled with thankfulness for what is given by family and the environment. And Tanya Tagaq does so without preaching or admonishment. Her message is borne on affection and honour.

 

Qavavau Manumie, an Inuit artist in Kinngait, Nunavut, created the artwork of I Would Give You My Tail with coloured pencil. As such, there is a simplicity in the shapes and colours of the illustrations but there is still a complexity of spirit. From the natural touch of a mother upon her child's head to a boy as he watches and inquires, the art of Qavavau Manumie both emphasizes the familiar and the unique in the way of family and Inuit life, respectively.

 

Perhaps there are messages in I Would Give You My Tail about gratitude and happiness, but I also took away a sense of peace, a sense that there is appreciation for life in the natural world and among the Inuit. There is no need for grand gestures or spectacles of PDA when there is honesty and happiness that comes from doing for others, from being good, from sharing, and even from just having breath and food and water. I Would Give You My Tail gives us more than a sentimental tale of family. It gives us hope that happiness is readily at hand.

All Our Love

Written by Kari-Lynn Winters

Illustrated by Scot Ritchie

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada) 

978-1-4431-9880-6 

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

January 2024 

 

We know that families come in so many configurations but do all children know that? All Our Love shows one wonderful family that may be just right as it is but will become even more right with a new baby.

From All Our Love, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Sofia and her two dads are anticipating the arrival of a new baby. As Dad builds a crib, Sofia works on a welcome letter for the baby. But she has so many questions! When will the baby arrive? Will it want her as a big sister? Will it change their family from being "just right" which her dads said their family became when Sofia came along.

But Sofia is also incredibly excited. When her dad finally arrives at school to tell her that it was time to go to the hospital, she thinks about all she's written "To the new baby." She mentions what Dad likes and does, while Daddy does other stuff. And she speaks about having a Dad and a Daddy because "We're just lucky, I guess!" Finally, after masking up and joining Daddy at the hospital, the family of four heads home, with the letter, now addressed to Oliver, being read, and signed off with "All our love."

From All Our Love, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

There is so much love in this household. Sofia knows she is loved, and she wants the baby to know they are loved too. So, all the things that her dads show her that prove their love for her, Sofia shares with the baby. She talks of Dad picking her up from school, and making pancakes for dinner on Tuesdays, and Daddy telling jokes and kissing boo-boos from falls. This child knows love. 

 

Kari-Lynn Winters can give us funny (e.g., What If I'm Not a Cat? and Bad Pirate) but there is always a degree of tenderness in her stories. Her books like French Toast and Gift Days remind us that there are things which children may think about that may be surprising or different but they are legitimate questions and challenges that children may be experiencing. In All Our Love, while Sofia wonders what the new baby will mean to their family, her welcome letter suggests that she knows that they might wonder about a family with two daddies. This question may have been posed to Sofia herself and her answer acknowledges that she and the baby may have a different family than others but that's what makes it more special. Though Kari-Lynn Winters's dedication suggests that the story is inspired by one particular family or two, All Our Love really speaks to every family, whether with two dads, two moms, only a mom or a dad, or both a mom and a dad, or no moms and dads. If there is love, it is a family.

From All Our Love, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Scot Ritchie, illustrator of countless books of his own (e.g., Federica) as well as those of others (e.g., Zander Stays), has an art style that is soft in line and colour and tender in its spirit. As All Our Love comes from the perspective of Sofia writing a letter to her new sibling, Scot Ritchie has given the illustrations a sweet, anticipatory feel. From Sofia thinking and writing about what this new change will mean, to the family that feels the stars of a birth's magnificence, Scot Ritchie's art takes us on their journey from waiting and hoping to welcoming and celebrating.

 

I hope that young readers will see this as a story of two dads and their children but will also recognize that it goes beyond that because of the love that comes with family. With all that love, this family will be just right, no matter its composition.

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!

Written and illustrated by

 Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

Orchard Books (An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.)

978-1-338-57233-9

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

October 2023 

In yet another heartfelt book in his collection, Peter H. Reynolds, this time in collaboration with his son Henry Rocket Reynolds, shows us that the Beatles were always right: all you need is love, though a really soft pillow doesn't hurt either!

 

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! is a touching dialogue between Little One and their caregiver Poppy. As they are cutie-pie furry creatures, young readers can engender them or not, because it doesn't really matter whether Poppy is mother or father, grandparent, or older sibling. What matters is the love, and the love is stronger than the labels.

 

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

It all starts when Little One asks Poppy whether they need anything. That simple question leads to a sweet heart-to-heart discussion about what we really need. 

Little One,

I’ve got YOU!

We’ve got LOVE!

Love is all

we need!

But then Little One thinks about all the other things that might be nice to have, starting with a really soft pillow. Poppy always concurs with Little One’s ideas, from that pillow to a roof, walls, water and more. With each addition, Poppy acquiesces to Little One’s suggestions, recognizing that it would certainly be useful or sweet, something to add to their life together. Their simple life, now immortalized in a wall hanging, grows with their new shelter and water, as well as chocolate, a cooking pot, a bathtub, a toilet, vegetable garden and books. It’s a lovely life. That is, until a storm hits, and all is lost. Poppy reassures Little One that they still have each other and love, so that’s all they really need.

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

Disasters have always hit, from fires and floods to hurricanes and tornadoes, and people have experienced extraordinary losses. While never diminishing the impact of those disasters, Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds remind us that, even with the loss of our material things, with love, we can move forward.

Each day
is a new day.
A new chance to count
our blessings and
savor the journey with
those we love.

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! is a delightful take on being grateful for what you have and more importantly for the love and support you get. I know many adults who need to understand this message but entitled children who get whatever they want, framing their requests as "I need..." could also benefit from a read of All We Need is Love and a  Really Soft Pillow! Children see what others have and think they need the same, but if this picture book does anything it shows that a close caregiver-child relationship based in love can make room for other things but can also sustain itself with that affection.

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

Though Peter H. Reynolds often has stylized people for his characters (see some samples below), the warm-fuzzy creatures of All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! are anything but human. They may have two eyes, two arms and two legs and walk upright but their similarities to people end there. By drawing them as something other than humanistic, Peter H. Reynolds surprisingly makes the story even more inclusive. Children don't have to see themselves in the characters to empathize with their situations. They will simply understand what it could mean to feel love and to give love and to support those we love, even in times of great loss. Poppy and Little One could be any caregiver and young person, furriness or hairiness aside.

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

There's an eyes-wide-open quality to Peter H. Reynolds's stories, demonstrating for us how we can be the best we can be, whether in pursuing our dreams, being ourselves, accepting others, or being grateful for what we have. In collaboration with his son, Henry Rocket Reynolds, Peter H. Reynolds has given us another important message and reminded us that, if we have love, we might just have everything.

• • • • • • •

Some books of the Peter H. Reynolds collection (with Orchard Books)

Happy Dreamer (2017)

The Word Collector (2018)

Say Something! (2019)

Be You! (2020)

Little Happy Dreamer (2020)

Our Table (2021)

Love You By Heart (2022)

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! (2023)

We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail

 Written by Masiana Kelly

Illustrated by Tamara Campeau

Inhabit Media

978-1-772274769

28 pp.

Ages 3-5

July 2023

 

This is a picture book about love. It's about how much love there is for a child, before its birth and after and even in the future, and it's the love that is seen in a northern environment of foxes, narwhals and muskoxen.  As such, We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail is a lullaby to a newborn.

From We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail, written by Masiana Kelly, illus. by Tamara Campeau

Speaking to their new baby, a family recalls how much they longed for the baby and how they celebrated its arrival. How do you express anticipation and adoration? They look to the familiar in their lives for demonstrations of love. There's the polar bear who loves to sleep and the caribou who love to run. In a northern environment, both green and flowered in the summer and crystal blue in the winter, and often vividly dynamic with the aurora borealis, there is much available to which the family can compare their love, both as it is and as it will be given.

From We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail, written by Masiana Kelly, illus. by Tamara Campeau

Masiana Kelly's text suggests a familiarity with those northern environs and, as an Inuk and Dene writer from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and as a mother, she obviously draws on her background. Her words speak of love and appreciation for her home of people and place. And that joy comes through with brilliance in Tamara Campeau's artwork. Oh, the colours and the life of those waters and skies, animals and land! These digital illustrations are filled with life, but then Tamara Campeau has always excelled at bringing the spirit of the north into her artwork and to the stories of others, like Grandfather Bowhead, Tell Me a Story and In the Sky at Nighttime.

From We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail, written by Masiana Kelly, illus. by Tamara Campeau

If you know anyone having a baby or just having had a baby, We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail would be a lovely gift to the family. It evokes the abundance of love and the closeness of family, and, no matter if the family lives in an urban landscape, in a prairie rural community, or a far northern region, We Love You As Much As the Fox Loves Its Tail will evince the joy of a new babe from its pages.

Love is for Roaring

Written by Mike Kerr

Illustrated by Renata Liwska

Bloomsbury

978-1-68119-124-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

January 2022

While I probably should have reviewed this lovely picture book in January when it came out so that it would be ready for Valentine's Day, I think that books about love in all its forms are important all year round, don't you think?

From Love is for Roaring by Mike Kerr, illus. by Renata Liwska

At school, the animals are given the assignment of showing their love as a crafty card. But this work distresses Lion who is perplexed by what is required.  Mouse can see the stress this causes Lion and tries to draw out of Lion what he understands love to be and what he might love. But that doesn't go well. Everything Mouse suggests, from hugs and kisses and sweet treats, are negated by Lion whose experiences with or perceptions of those are aggravating.

From Love is for Roaring by Mike Kerr, illus. by Renata Liwska

Finally when Mouse suggests activities like running and playing, roaring and chasing, Lion realizes that there are many things he loves doing, including being and having a friend.

From Love is for Roaring by Mike Kerr, illus. by Renata Liwska

As teachers, we know that understanding any assignment relies on both the teacher's ability to explain it and the student's ability to make connections with it. It's no wonder that Lion, a fearless creature, finds the homework assignment to "Show your Love" to be "impossible, the undoable, the unimaginable" and it causes him much anxiety. Thankfully Mike Kerr gives Lion a friend in Mouse, an animal with infinite wisdom and the patience to help Lion see that love is possible and even familiar. Mike Kerr may be an instructor of illustration at the Alberta University of the Arts but the text of Love is for Roaring suggests that he has the right words to tell a story beyond the artwork. Lion's distress is palpable as is Mouse's concern. And Renata Liwska's illustrations elevate the story with something special. It's a mixture of soft colours, cushioned textures and recognizable body language. From frustration to solemn introspection and playful exertions, Lion and Mouse and their classmates are the children who will read this book and see themselves within the digital artwork. They will know about frustration and wanting to help a friend. They will know distress and confusion and the relief of resolution. Love is for Roaring may be every child's story of uncertainty about school work and finding a connection where one might not have been evident initially.

A Bend in the Breeze: Book discussion (online)

 Join author Valerie Sherrard

 

for a book discussion to launch 

her newest middle-grade novel

 

A Bend in the Breeze

 Written by Valerie Sherrard

DCB

978-1-77086-647-8

248 pp.

Ages 9-12

April 2022 

Reviewed here

 

on April 21, 2022

 

2 - 3 PM (ET)

 

Hosted by Bobbie Henley,

this online event (via Zoom) is free 

and a great opportunity for young readers 

to connect with an award-winning Canadian author 

and hear about her newest book

 

Register at EventBrite here

A Bend in the Breeze

 

Written by Valerie Sherrard

DCB

978-1-77086-647-8

248 pp.

Ages 9-12

April 2022 

...there are things in this world that can only be seen by the innocent eyes of youth and by our friends in nature. (pg. 128)

You never know where a bend in the breeze can take you: here or there, away or to. And the bend in the breeze that transports 11-year-old Pascale Chardon to the island of TeJÉ might have done all those things.

 

The small island community of TeJÉ had been established many, many years ago by a twin brother and sister who'd sought a place of peace and happiness. But, as in any community, small discourtesies, some impatiences and ingratitude crept into that goodness. The brother, before his passing, dreamed that a bend in the breeze would bring a stranger who would determine whether the future of the island's people held happiness or misery. So when Pascale, the first ever stranger on TeJÉ appears, they suspect she is the Long Awaited, and anticipate her revelation after the requisite seventeen days on the island.  

Worried about her family and saddened by her predicament, Pascale tries to make the best of her situation. Accompanied by her companion beetle, Inch, Pascale sees much of the goodness of the island. There are her two new friends, Kenta Morningbay and Karuna Cloudwater, and the blind Mrs. Wintercreek with whom Pascale is sheltered. She's delighted with their outdoor school and begins to learn of the island traditions for Union Day (wedding) and addressing concerns to the three Elders at the Place of Matters. Though Pascale is grateful for much, below the surface she is grieving for her situation. This is not unlike the island with its emphasis on harmony but with underlying iniquities that could shatter its future. And then there's the mystery of her boat leaving a hole in the water where it had rested. It would seem there might be another element that will determine the futures of the island and Pascale.

 

TeJÉ may be a small community but it is a microcosm of those who are wise and those who are foolish, those who seek approval and those who seek attention, the kind, the mean, those who cannot see and even those who are blind and see perfectly. It may strive for harmony but, as it is populated by humans, it cannot be perfect. Dropped into this community, Pascale tries to see its goodness, even when unkindness is evident, remembering well what her mother always told her. "No one can be happy until they first learn to be grateful." (pg. 97) But this is a real community of people. And whether she's writing historical fiction like her award-winning The Glory Wind and Rain Shadow, novels in verse like Counting Back from Nine or contemporary stories like Birdspell and Driftwood, Valerie Sherrard always tells of real people who are strong and vulnerable, confused and steadfast, and living with circumstances with which young readers can often relate. Though A Bend in the Breeze takes those readers to a secluded island via a stranded and unaccompanied child, circumstances which undoubtedly none have experienced, Valerie Sherrard does bring them to a relatable story. There's a child who feels alone and wishes to be with her family. There's a community that strives for harmony but includes a veneer of conflict. There is companionship with friends and animals, questioning about self, people and circumstances, and there is uncertainty. This is childhood for many. Thankfully, Valerie Sherrard also resolves Pascale's story. It might be unexpected but it is wrap that readers will appreciate.

Think of A Bend in the Breeze as The Little Prince meets Island of the Blue Dolphins in that a child is stranded on an island, away from family, and learns and imparts lessons about compassion, acceptance, and gratitude. It's also about forgiveness and hope. Big lessons on a small island. That's where A Bend in the Breeze will take young readers.

 

🏝🏝🏝🏝🏝

See my next post about a free online book discussion

 this Thursday, April 21, 2022 

with author Valerie Sherrard about A Bend in the Breeze.

🏝🏝🏝🏝🏝

Hat Cat

Written by Troy Wilson

Illustrated by Eve Coy

Candlewick Press

978-1-5362-1366-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

February 2022

 

In a charming little house with a garden rich in trees and plants lived an old man. He loved the squirrels that visited him. In fact, he liked to feed them by placing peanuts in his tweed bucket hat and welcoming the squirrels to sit upon it to feast.

From Hat Cat by Troy Wilson, illus. by Eve Coy

 One day, he'd laid his checked hat down on the bench beside him and a kitten found its way beneath. Appropriately he named the cat Hat. The old man loved Hat. He fed it, played with it and stroked it, welcoming it into his home completely. But the one thing he would not do was allow Hat to go outside. Between not wanting to lose the little cat and not wanting his beloved squirrels to be chased away or hurt, the old man would not allow himself to let Hat outside. And so, Hat stayed inside, longingly looking outside.

From Hat Cat by Troy Wilson, illus. by Eve Coy

Day after day, the old man and Hat and the squirrels had their routine. And then one day, the elderly man did not feed Hat or play with it. Days went by before other people came to feed Hat and talk to him. And on one of those days, Hat slips out. 

From Hat Cat by Troy Wilson, illus. by Eve Coy

What happens when Hat gets outside and when the old man happily returns is the true tale of Hat Cat and one that speaks of companionship and trust.

I've been captivated by multiple books by Troy Wilson (e.g., Goldibooks and the Wee Bear; Little Red Reading Hood and the Misread Wolf; Liam Takes a Stand) and Hat Cat has done the same. As a cat lover and a feeder of backyard red squirrels, I can empathize with the older man's desire to keep both safe and welcomed at his home. They enrich his life with the company they provide and he is given purpose with the care-giving he accords them. Those mutual relationships are so endearing but also tenuous, as seen when the elderly man is ostensibly taken ill and unavailable to both Hat and the squirrels. As a reader, I became anxious for the little cat when days went by without the older man tending to it and was relieved when first alternate caregivers attended the home and Hat and then the man returned. And with that, both Hat and the man have learned that taking a chance on something different is sometimes worth it.

 

Hat Cat is illustrated by England's Eve Coy who provides the charming landscapes of home and garden for the older man, Hat and the squirrels. The settings delight with colour and warmth, the house filled with homey plants, books, furniture and artwork, and the garden lush with planters, flowers and more. It's a place we'd all love to visit and where a man, a cat and some squirrels have made a home.

 

Young readers may recognize a grandparent or elderly neighbour in Hat Cat and the tender relationships between a man and the animals, both domestic and wild, for which he cares. I hope they also see the goodness of caring for others, furred or not, as worthwhile and enriching for all, and something to which we should all aspire. The rewards are certainly priceless.

I Love You More

Written by Emil Sher

Illustrated by Barbara Reid

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-4431-7580-7 

32 pp.

Ages 0-8

December 2021/January 2022

We know that telling someone you love them is special but how to express the measure of that love? In Emil Sher's newest picture book, which could only have been given the depth of emotion that Barbara Reid's textured art could convey, it's a game of whimsical comparisons and heartfelt declarations that demonstrate that there are so many ways to love.

From I Love You More by Emil Sher, illus. by Barbara Reid

From an early morning greeting–"I love you more than flowers love noses" through breakfast and a walk to school, a mother and child express their love and witness those expressions by others. From the schoolyard to the classroom, and a mom's lunch on a park bench, there are so many vignettes that show connections and affection. Parents and caregivers are there for the children before school–"I love you more than laces love shoes"–and picking them up after school to return home, with everything showing closeness and linkages. ("I love you more than stars love wishes" and "I love you more than pianos love hands" were two of my favourites.) And as the day ends, with mum falling asleep on the couch, a child uses words and actions to express his love.

From I Love You More by Emil Sher, illus. by Barbara Reid

Emil Sher explains the word game that he and his family played comparing affection with a connected pairing like erasers and mistakes, runways and planes and answers and question marks. Not only does I Love You More communicate loads of messages of things that go together, it offers light-hearted word play off of which Barbara Reid's artwork bounces in delight. Using her trademark plasticine in bright colours and detailed settings inside homes, multi-storey buildings, schools and on streets, Barbara Reid gives life to Emil Sher's text. There a calico cat that cuddles, cleans and plays, neighbours that enjoy their balconies and children unique in their own ways. Not only do we see the city in all its glory, we see the life that gives and feels love.

From I Love You More by Emil Sher, illus. by Barbara Reid

The first reading of I Love You More will give young readers some laughs for the playful pairings and affection conveyed as well as the basis for playing their own word game. But subsequent readings–and there will be more readings–will give them opportunities to delve into the illustrations' details and give them food for thought about what it means to be connected.

Wings of Olympus

Written by Kallie George
HarperCollins Canada
978-006274-152-3
224 pp.
Ages 8-12
March 2019

It is the journey that is most important. (pg. 107)

Young Pippa adores working with the horses at an Athenian stables but, when she is distracted from her chores after catching a glimpse of Zeus's steed Nikomedes in the sky, she is fired. A foundling, abandoned by her parents with only a coin engraved with a winged horse, Pippa trudges off, needing to find food and shelter. But when she awakens, she discovers she has been transported to Mount Olympus with other children to compete in the Winged Horse Race, an event that takes place every 100 years to choose Zeus's next steed.  Each child has been selected by a god or goddess to ride their winged horse, and Pippa, the only child without an impressive family, has been chosen by Aphrodite to ride Zephyr, a small horse "like a moonbeam." (pg. 40) The other children include Basileus who is to ride the powerful Kerauno for Ares, the shy Timon riding Skotos for Hades, the only other girl, Sophia, rider for Athena, Theodoros riding for Poseidon, and the arrogant Khrys riding for Apollo.

Under the direction of Bellerophon, the hero who'd tamed Pegasus, the child riders learn the many rules for the race, how to train, and how to deal with their gods and goddesses who are constantly squabbling and are willing to bend the rules or even cheat in order to be honoured with having their winged horse selected to replace Nikomedes. While Pippa is falling in love with Zephyr, who is easily distracted by butterflies and such, she is the only one who has not had an opportunity to meet her goddess. Upset with this slight, she and Zephyr fly off and get lost, only to meet the Fates, one of whom suggests Pippa will not win. Pippa is desperate to stay on Mount Olympus and care for Zephyr and so she comes up with a plan to help herself and some friends out. But how will Mount Olympus's immortals react when their rules are ignored, even for a good reason?

Taking a trip to ancient Greece and to visit the immortals who inhabit Mount Olympus is a treat with Kallie George's expressive text and extraordinary story.

The sky was her home now: blue ceilings, courtyards of clouds, and, if she was out late, stars so close and so numerous it was like they were woven tight as linen. (pg. 107)

These are worlds mythological and singular in their attributes but Kallie George invites us into that reality as welcome visitors to see the wonders of Mount Olympus and the imperfection of its inhabitants and the parallels between children then and now. There is the bully who threatens and cheats, the know-it-all child, the boy who misses his family, and the orphaned girl whose heart is teeming with love for horses and specifically Zephyr. They may be wearing belted chitons and sandals but they are young people most of us will recognize. And Kallie George's messages about love and trust are universal and perpetual.

Like the other middle-grade series Kallie George has written, including Heartwood Hotel and Magical Animal Adoption Agency, Wings of Olympus is fated to take off as a new series. There are animals and a unique time and setting and a diaphanous sheath of fantasy. I look forward to seeing where the next books land.

"Nikepteros," she whispered. "Victory in flight." (pg. 107)

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Kallie George is launching Wings of Olympus this Thursday in Vancouver for those of you who know any middle-graders who love horses or mythology or a great story. Details here.

Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess

Written and illustrated by Janet Hill

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-922-5

48 pp.

Ages 4-8 (but really for all ages)

January 2019

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, many will be thinking of romantic love. But I can't think of a better time (other than International Day of the Cat on August 8th) to promote Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess as Miss Mink's sixty-seven lovely felines share their wisdom about living well and loving self. It's love with a difference.

From Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess by Janet Hill

As with Janet Hill's first book, Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess (Tundra, 2016), there is a detailed introduction to Miss Mink and her circumstances. Readers will learn of Miss Marcella Mink's living with her cats and starting her own feline-friendly cruise company but, overwhelmed with her business's success, Miss Mink becomes unhappy. Only by heeding the advice of her cats does she learn how to live "a purrfect life."

From Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess by Janet Hill

In a series of twenty double-spreads, Miss Mink recounts the lessons gleaned from her ever-wise cats. From "Start the day off right with a proper grooming" to "Find happiness in the little things" and "Don't be afraid to voice your opinion (loudly)," Miss Mink recognizes the actions and thoughts that her cats practise daily. There are lessons in gratitude, enterprise, positivity, friendship and mindfulness. It's about being in the moment and taking in what's good around you, not worrying or negating experiences as insignificant or worthless. There's a reason that cats may have been worshipped or at the very least held in the very highest of esteem. Their poise and shrewdness, along with savvy behaviours, provide guidance to living well and in the moment. Janet Hill recognizes that they impart wisdom wrapped up in love, knowing that they will always know better than their human counterparts.

From Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess by Janet Hill

But the life lessons go beyond the words. With a clowder of cats from which to choose, Janet Hill expands the learning from words of wisdom to exemplars for living well. Though her paintings have a romantic feel to them, embedded in the glamour of the 1920s, Janet Hill gives them more whimsy and affection, the emphasis on the tenderness and care rather than the amorous. With mental health issues on the rise, Janet Hill and Miss Mink and her felines share some wonderful coaching on self-care and appreciation to which we should all attend.

For the animal lover, especially of cats, who might appreciate an absorbing and heartfelt book about taking care of oneself to make the most of life, courtesy of life lessons from those who live lives to their fullest, Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess is the book to pick up this weekend. It's a Valentine for self that can be shared with others.

Lesson Twelve: Love others, but don't forget to love yourself too.                         From Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess by Janet Hill