Out on the Trail

Written by Bonnie Morgan

Illustrated by Molly Margaret
Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides Inc.
32 pp.
Ages 0–4
June 2025 

 

 

Out on the trail
Just you and me.
I look to the left
And what do I see?

 

Newfoundlanders Bonnie Morgan and Molly Margaret takes young readers out on the trail to see an ocean, a brook, a cloud, a beach, a rock, and footprints. Those are the words that Bonnie Morgan emphasizes–they are the only bolded and coloured text–in her rhyming text. But Out on the Trail is not just about learning a few simple words from the natural world; it's also about seeing that natural world. 

From Out on the Trail, written by Bonnie Morgan, illustrated by Molly Margaret

As readers are instructed to look up and down and elsewhere, they are treated to amazingly bold and detailed digital artwork by Molly Margaret. We get to walk along a trail to see different forests and ecosystems; to witness the abundance of life and activity on land, in the sea, and in the air; and to think about what they are seeing and compare it to other scenes they've witnessed. While Molly Margaret doesn't always seem to use typical colours in her natural settings, she actually stays true to their essence. That purple ocean could be reflective of the wild waters and those blue stones just edging towards steel grey. But forget the colours and just focus on those vivid shapes that carry the reader along those trails and into those scenes of the spirited environment.

From Out on the Trail, written by Bonnie Morgan, illustrated by Molly Margaret

While Out on the Trail is not a concept book, it could be used effectively as one. Between those simple concepts from nature, there are also the positional words like left and right, up and down, and ahead and behind. Moreover, as that child is out on the trail for a walk with their parent, our very youngest can develop their early observational skills and, as such, their visual literacy skills. That's a lot of story from a picture book with minimal text and basic rhymes.

From Out on the Trail, written by Bonnie Morgan, illustrated by Molly Margaret

Bonnie Morgan and Molly Margaret may be taking readers along trails in Newfoundland and Labrador–the ocean and icebergs are giveaways to the setting–but Out on the Trail offers much more than a guide to local surroundings. It's an opportunity for a child to connect with a parent or guardian, enjoy the outdoor world, even vicariously, and to discover more beyond their own world.

The Sun Never Hurries

Written by Roxane Turcotte

Illustrated by Lucie Crovatto

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-307-0

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

June 2024 

 

Just like each grain of sand, every moment of your day is precious. 

Little Charlie may be of a generation that wants to eat at restaurants or drive everywhere but a day with her grandfather, Papa Jo, teaches her the value of taking the time to savour every moment and experience, making for a far richer adventure.

From The Sun Never Hurries, written by Roxane Turcotte, illus. by Lucie Crovatto

Charlie's day with Papa Jo begins with him showing her an hourglass, explaining that it helps him remember that a day is an almost infinite number of moments to enjoy and cherish. At lunchtime, instead of heading to a restaurant, Papa Jo enlists Charlie's help to peel vegetables for a delicious soup. Afterwards, instead of getting in the car and heading to the village, they stroll together through wildflowers. An excursion to an island becomes a series of small adventures: in the rowboat, on the beach, watching birds and dragonflies, and more. When the day ends and time has drained from the hourglass, there is still one more encounter with that unhurried sun to cap their day together.

From The Sun Never Hurries, written by Roxane Turcotte, illus. by Lucie Crovatto

We should all be taking the time to appreciate every moment, from cooking a meal to reaching a destination, to being fully present. Too many adults rush here and there and multitask and worry about not getting everything done. Too many children are rushing from one activity to another, expecting instant satisfaction from people, food, and experiences. There is great value in being mindful of the moment, whether with another or doing mundane tasks or feeling feelings. Roxane Turcotte gives us the encouragement to stop and enjoy the moments with Papa Jo and Charlie, and step back from anticipating what to do next, or how quickly can we do it, or how much we've accomplished. Through Papa Jo's words and examples, Charlie and young readers will relax and pause a little more, and appreciate everything the sun, the outdoors, the world has to offer.

 

Quebec's Lucie Crovatto gives us the warmth and luxury of the sun in all her illustrations. Imbued with cheerful yellows and oranges, whether in the carrots and potatoes, Charlie and Papa Jo's outfits, or the sunshine and the sunset, Lucie Crovatto makes us feel safe and content. However, her palette is not restricted to these colours because she takes readers outdoors with her characters: to walk in colourful meadows, to row over pale green waters, or to sway on an elaborate branch swing in a lush forest. No matter the setting, the art embraces and soothes, reminding us to feel and see and listen and truly experience each moment.

From The Sun Never Hurries, written by Roxane Turcotte, illus. by Lucie Crovatto

As Charlie learns throughout her day with Papa Jo and especially when it comes to sunset, the sun never hurries, and neither should we.

 

• • • • • • •

The story is also available in its original French language edition, Le sablier de Papijo (Dominique et compagnie, 2022).

Outside, You Notice

Written by Erin Alladin

Illustrated by Andrea Blinick

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-193-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2021

How often do we notice things, especially things in the outdoors, that are right under our noses? Erin Alladin wants us to open our eyes, ears, noses and touch the world to know the wonders that our world holds outside, no matter what your outside looks like.

 

From Outside, You Notice by Erin Alladin, illus. by Andrea Blinick

As children and others participate in the world outside, whether it be a backyard, a park, a playground, a sidewalk or something else, there are so many things to check out, and Erin Alladin makes sure we see it all. Each double-spread asks the reader to notice one attribute of nature like the rain, the soil, leaves or colours, and then info boxes provide brief content related to that focus. For example, when asked to notice "How after the rain everything smells greener," we learn about leaves capturing rain, how a tree's canopy provides cover, why the rain can smell like it does, and why plants get the rain they need.

 

From Outside, You Notice by Erin Alladin, illus. by Andrea Blinick

We discover how animals make the outdoors their homes, how they live, and the sounds they make. We learn about life cycles of plants, from seeds and germination, to flowers and fruits. Above ground and below, along water ways and at farmers' markets, there is so much to see and learn.

From Outside, You Notice by Erin Alladin, illus. by Andrea Blinick

With Outside, You Notice, Erin Alladin has invited the reader to explore and make observations and grow themselves into sentient beings beyond the confines of our indoors. She may provide information tidbits that instruct and direct inquiry, so perfect for science lessons with little ones, but she also asks us to be mindful of our worlds. Outside, You Notice gives us the prompts to stop and smell and look and touch in the moment, wherever that moment may be. The experiences will be as diverse as the children who are doing the noticing, and the learning as fulfilling and filling as can be. With that, a calmness will envelop the reader, taking away the bustle and the tech, as the focus is on the world we too often take for granted.

Outside, you notice

The breath in your body

Your feet on the ground

Your self in the world

Toronto artist Andrea Blinick uses gouache, coloured pencils, collage and chalk pastel to create the diversity of textures, colours and shape that convey the sensory nature of the text and take us into the outdoors. The eyes that see, the dog that sprints, the dandelions being picked, the sweetness of a strawberry about to be eaten–Andrea Blinick takes us there, to appreciate and acknowledge the outdoors and its moments.

 

Whether a child of the city or the country, of a place of rain or sunshine, trees or fields or concrete, there is a world of wonder that is the landscape of our lives. With Outside, You Notice inviting us to explore and appreciate the sensations and marvels of the outdoors, young readers can only flourish.

From Outside, You Notice by Erin Alladin, illus. by Andrea Blinick

The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun

Written by Helaine Becker

Illustrated by Claudia Dávila

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-4845-0

175 pp.

Ages 6-13

May 2019

Canada Day has come and gone so summer holidays for kids are truly here in Canada.  While some kids may be off to organized camps and activities, there are many who will be filling their days with caregivers, some at cottages and at travel, and everyone wondering how they will occupy their days.  Helaine Becker's The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun will have you covered for the whole summer.

The book is divided into four main sections: Get Out There!, Make a Splash!, Time to Play! and Around the Campfire.  Get Out There! is all about kids getting outside to discover nature or travel to new locations. It includes everything from creating a kids-only clubhouse and developing secret languages and handshakes and codes to outdoor games like Capture the Flag and Amoeba Tag. There are activities to observe insects, press flowers, hike –I loved the Colour Swatch Scavenger Hunt–and make face-paint. And, of course, there are travel activities for car rides.

From The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun by Helaine Becker, illus. by Claudia Dávila

Make a Splash! includes water sports such as canoeing and fishing, and water-based games such as Sharks and Minnows. There are also water-based activities like making your own bubble solution and blowers, and water balloons. For anyone wary about water-based activities for kids, Helaine Becker rounds things out with a detailed discussion about water safety.

From The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun by Helaine Becker, illus. by Claudia Dávila

Time to Play! covers all manner of games from card games to pen and paper games, and activities such as weaving bracelets, writing a newsletter, taking photos, performing improv or a theatrical play, and studying weather.

Finally, Around the Campfire gets into how campfires are built safely and effectively, how to tell stories, sing songs, make s'mores, roast marshmallows and appreciate the moon and stars above.

From The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun by Helaine Becker, illus. by Claudia Dávila

As a compendium of activities and summertime fun, The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun is complete and comprehensive. There is something for all the kids, from those who want to play alone and read how to do things for themselves, to those who crave full group games and fun with others. There are activities for families and for kids alone. There are those that require nothing but imagination or observational skills and those with recipes to construct a rain stick or bake a chocolate mug cake. With Claudia Dávila's illustrations to enhance delivery of Helaine Becker's messages and directions, The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun provides all children with a slew of distractions to try, helping to entertain them the whole summer, regardless of weather, interests, companions and resources.

Leap!

Written by JonArno Lawson

Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-678-4

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

September 2017

In a chain of events that begins with a flea, a series of animals that also includes a grasshopper, a rabbit, a dog, fish, a bullfrog and a horse cause leaping into, onto, and more in response.  But JonArno Lawson, whose stories Sidewalk Flowers (Groundwood, 2015) and Uncle Holland (Groundwood, 2017) have been reviewed here on CanLit for LittleCanadians, goes beyond this faunal domino effect and creates a living organism of movement in sophisticated poetry.

From Leap! 

by JonArno Lawson 

illus. by Josée Bisaillon

With each new LEAP!, JonArno Lawson plunges the young reader into a new environment with active vocabulary and emotional responses. 

LEAP!
Land!
Twist and spin!
The bunny bounds out
as the clouds roll in.
A dog gets a whiff
and barks at the wind –
bouncing, bouncing, springing
  and lunging!
Down the bank that dog goes
  plunging.
Gambol, lurch to 

LEAP!

In her signature collage style of cut-outs, watercolours, pencils and more, Josée Bisaillon produces multiple land and aquatic landscapes for JonArno Lawson's jumping, splashing, bounding creatures.  There are microcosms beneath bright flowers in cheery meadows and lakes filled with dozens of species of plant and fish, and a fenced farmyard with trees. From one to another to the next and back, Josée Bisaillon takes the reader down and over, under and above, seeing this natural world from all perspectives.

From Leap!

by JonArno Lawson 

illus. by Josée Bisaillon

For teachers who love a circular story that ends where it begins, Leap! is a treat, especially for the exquisite language and elaborate illustrations.  But I believe parents will find Leap! to be the perfect bedtime read for young ones who've been doing their own leaping all day.  In true poetic style, JonArno Lawson finds the word that rhymes with "leap" and brings closure to a day of activity.

From Leap! 

by JonArno Lawson 

illus. by Josée Bisaillon

Summer's On: A Non-Fiction Book List

My final list for the summer includes a few non-fiction books that might be worthwhile to keep young readers occupied during the summer, as well as educate them about our Canadian weather.

NON-FICTION 

38 Ways to Entertain Your Parents on Summer Vacation

by Dette Hunter

Illustrated by Kitty Macaulay

Annick Press

48 pp.

Ages 4-9

2005

Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors

by Jane Drake and Ann Love

Illustrated by Heather Collins

Kids Can Press

176 pp.

Ages 8+

2012

The Kids Cottage Book: Official Activity Book of Summer

by Jane Drake and Ann Love

Kids Can Press

208 pp.

1993

The Kids Cottage Games Book: Official Book of Games to Play

by Jane Drake and Ann Love

Kids Can Press

Sun and Storms: Canadian Summer Weather

by Nicole Mortillaro

Scholastic Canada

60 pp.

Ages 7-9

2005