My Best Friend and Other Illusions

Written by Suri Rosen

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-4682-1

240 pp.

Ages 9-12

February 2020

When life becomes difficult, returning to the positive memories of childhood can soothe, invigorate and even stamp out worries. For young children, an imaginary friend can be part of that repertoire of comfort. It allows them to be imaginative, learn how to interact with others, allay fears and explore. But what happens when your imaginary friend reappears in physical form for all can see when you're a young teen?

Thirteen-year-old Charlie Green has a dream and a goal: she wants to attend a gymnastics camp with Coach Mikhailov in Montreal so that she might ultimately join his travelling circus, Circo Circo. But her efforts to raise the money needed have become more difficult. She had been partnering with best friend Holly to perform at parties, doing acrobatics, juggling and walking on stilts but, with Holly's move to Chicago, Charlie is on her own and making a mess of things. Her mother works tirelessly as a music teacher but just doesn't have the extra money for the camp. Her younger brother, Miles, is willing to help through his online poker, but it may get him put in foster care. 

Then Miles discovers someone advertising as Cirkus Celebrations and gets in touch, hoping to find a new partner for Charlie. A boy, who introduces himself as Rudy Jellen, attends a party and works so well shadowing her that it's as if he were a clone of Charlie herself. When it becomes evident that Rudy is homeless and knows everything about her dolls and what she liked to eat when she was little and stories she was told, Charlie realizes Rudy is her imaginary friend from ten years earlier.

Rudy was an archive of joy. (pg. 144)

But as Charlie continues to try to find a way to earn the money she needs, she must also look after Rudy and keep her mother from freaking out, while putting together the pieces of her life that she had forgotten. With Rudy, all things become possible.

Though My Best Friend and Other Illusions is solidly a middle-grade novel in terms of characters, plot and vocabulary, Suri Rosen has extended the story into a more mature one in which children have real worries with money, family, grief, social nastiness and self-confidence. As funny as the premise is with an imaginary friend coming to life, Charlie and Miles' story is a tough one as they attempt to reconcile what their lives are and what could have been.

Everything was so shattered. We'd all lost what we'd wanted and were also so lost ourselves that we couldn't find a way to each other. There ought to be a playbook about the right way to love people. Because sometimes hurting and helping them were all tangled up together. (pg. 136)

Suri Rosen may tie up her story well but it's not the obvious happy ending. Life just isn't like that. Even with an imaginary friend that comes to life, My Best Friend and Other Illusions is definitely real.  And reality sometimes falls short of the illusion of what could be. 

Nutcracker Night

Written by Mireille Messier

Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-091-8

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

September 2019

At this time of year, many families will be planning their annual excursion to a performance of the Nutcracker, a ballet scored by Tchaikovsky. Whether your child is fortunate enough to attend or perhaps even perform in it or not, Mireille Messier and Gabrielle Grimard's Nutcracker Night will bring the magic of that performance to the page and hence to every young reader.

From Nutcracker Night by Mireille Messier, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

A young girl delights in being taken to her first performance of the Nutcracker. From the Swoosh! of the cars and the Beep! Beep! of their taxi, their journey to the ballet begins with a subtle sensory burst. Her dress goes Swish! Swish!, her dad's shoes go Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop! and the two enter the  theatre, and get to their seats while the orchestra tunes up with a Pickle-dee! Zing! Boom! Ding!

Before the ballet has even started, the reader will recognize that Mireille Messier has made this event into an onomatopoeic exploration. The sounds of the audience and the orchestra are only the beginning because soon enough Marie (or Clara) is opening her nutcracker gift on stage and her brother Fritz is breaking it. When the clock strikes midnight with a Bong! or seven, Marie envisions the Christmas tree as colossal, and the mice and the soldiers begin their battle. After a welcome intermission, the Sugar Plum Fairy dances en pointe with a Takka-takka-takka, and the flamenco dancers and Mother Ginger and the polichinelles perform, before an ending that has the crowd applauding Bravo! Brava!

From Nutcracker Night by Mireille Messier, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

Though the story of the Nutcracker, that of a young girl perhaps dreaming of a nutcracker come to life, is the basis for Mireille Messier's picture book, Nutcracker Night goes beyond a retelling of the ballet's premise. Instead it expands the many audible experiences of the performance and encompasses the whole experience from beginning to end of a special father-daughter occasion. There is the travel to the theatre, the audience's reactions and behaviour, an intermission of food, play and chatter, and an affectionate thank-you from a little girl to her father. And throughout, Mireille Messier invites a read-aloud with sound and expression.

Gabrielle Grimard's artwork, created with watercolour, gouache, oil, coloured pencil and digital media, evokes the magic and the affection of the experience for all participants. From the wide-eyed faces of the children to the action of the ballet, Gabrielle Grimard takes the reader into the theatre to watch, to hear and to appreciate the Christmas ballet.

Head to the ballet with Mireille Messier and Gabrielle Grimard's Nutcracker Night for a different kind of audiovisual experience and one that is perfect for the holidays. Like the nutcracker itself, Nutcracker Night opens up a tale for the season.

From Nutcracker Night by Mireille Messier, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

Raw Talent

Written by Jocelyn Shipley

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-1834-7

138 pp.

Ages 11-14

August 2018

Everyone wants to help out Sunflower Farm, the family farm of Stonehill High students Vanessa and Heath. Since the death of their father, their mother has been struggling to keep the farm running and the school community is coming together for Farmshine, a performance and market fundraiser.  Raw Talent's narrator, Paisley who is Heath's Grade 9 classmate, intends to volunteer with her best friend Jasmeer but what Paisley really wants to do is perform. Her ambition is to be a singer-songwriter and she has no problem posting videos of herself performing but her stage fright is discouraging her from signing up to sing at Farmshine.  With a mother who is an accomplished flutist with the symphony and a university music teacher, Paisley is just not sure she can cut it on stage.

With celebrated singer-actor Maxine Gaston staying at Jasmeer's parents' B & B while her local home is being renovated and she is performing at the Stratford Festival, Jasmeer arranges for her to coach Paisley to help get over her performance anxiety.  Maxine Gaston is a great help but Paisley, who has much to overcome because of a disastrous audition at age 10 with the award-winning Sweetland Singers, is being harassed online, by phone and in person by Cadence, the self-important girlfriend of Heath and soloist with the Sweetland Singers.  Can Paisley get beyond her insecurities about her lower singing voice and Cadence's nastiness to stand up in front of an audience and do what she loves?

Raw Talent is a feel-good hi-lo novel for older middle graders and young teens. While written at an easier reading level, Raw Talent's story, part of the Orca Limelights series based in the performance arts, will resonant with young teens aspiring to new endeavours but unsure of their abilities. Jocelyn Shipley makes sure that the reader realizes that having a dream is futile if you don't set goals to achieve it.  It's up to Paisley to decide what she can and cannot do. Not her mother, not Cadence, not the director of the Sweetland Singers. Just her. She might have been devastated when she didn't get into the Sweetland Singers but she found a way to continue singing and performing albeit in the privacy of her room while still sharing it publicly. Then, with Maxine's coaching, she has the opportunity to take steps forward. Though not easy, especially with self-doubt and bullying that erodes her confidence, Paisley steps up. Jocelyn Shipley doesn't just hand Paisley the opportunity, though.  She makes sure the girl works for what she wants. Maxine Gaston is encouraging but she is not effusive and she makes it clear that, if Paisley isn't willing to put herself out there, she's not going to bother coaching her. That could be an "ouch" moment, but it's not because it's a challenge that Paisley accepts. Similarly, the bullying that Paisley experiences via Cadence is nasty but impactful and still she finds the means eventually to toss it off with a "Whatever". 

Whether Jocelyn Shipley intended, she's affirming Nietzsche's belief that "That which does not kill, makes us stronger".  Paisley's performance anxiety and Cadence's bullying can't stop her and, in fact, they give her the opportunity to be more than she could have imagined for herself.

Mermaid Warrior Squad

Written by Karin Adams

Illustrated by Janine Carrington

James Lorimer & Co.

978-1-4594-1146-3

150 pp.

Ages 7-11

August 2017

When Dylan meets the friendly Coral at art camp, the two eleven-year-old girls seem destined to become partners.  They both love oceans and know a lot about the sea animals, perfect for an art camp themed as "Art Under the Sea." Even better, they come into the camp with different strengths:  Coral loves to draw and Dylan likes to write.  In fact, both had already created mermaid characters: Coral's is a tough-looking mermaid she calls Crash, the Mighty Mermaid Warrior, and Dylan's is a mermaid renegade named Driftwood whose mission it is to protect the oceans.  The two decide to merge their ideas and collaborate on a comic book in which the two mermaids become the Mermaid Warrior Squad.

From Mermaid Warrior Squad 

by Karin Adams

 illus. by Janine Carrington

While the two girls work on their project, as depicted in illustrator Janine Carrington's graphic insets of the two mermaids, they are also dealing with getting to know each other and their fellow campers.  Dylan loves having a friend–she's obviously a bit of an introvert–but she's having difficulties dealing with Coral's exuberance and tendency to get carried away with her efforts, silliness and volume.  The other campers include Lynn, another quiet girl; Ben, the annoying prankster; Jade and Sarina, the trendy girls; and decent guys Ryan and Lamar.  From this crew, Dylan and Coral contrive new characters like a dolphin-mermaid hybrid, the villain Captain Fishhead, the evil Seaweed Sisters, and Shark Dudes.  Their story is evolving but so is their friendship as Coral decides unilaterally on their skit for the camp's culminating performance and Dylan is compelled to stand up for herself. Ultimately, though, their friendship means more to Dylan than sitting back and watching Coral be humiliated, and she's there to rescue her friend, even if it need happen on stage.

Karin Adams's story approaches multiple themes of oceans and creating art as well as clashing personalities with humour and much insight.  It's obvious that, as much as they have common interests, Dylan and Coral have very different personalities.  Overcoming these differences so that they might work together and be supportive of each other is a key element of Mermaid Warrior Squad.  Just like their mermaid characters, the two girls' efforts are more impactful when they work together than when they are at odds with one another.  This is an important lesson for children who are often forced to work together in school and extracurricular activities.  Not every child is a Coral who wants to be at the heart of the action.  Some need to quietly work at the side in order to reach their full potential.  Though most people, including teachers, are extroverts who don't see the harm done by expecting all children to love group activities or being part of the rah-rah crowd, Mermaid Warrior Squad recognizes that children will find their own ways to be true to themselves, taking risks as they choose, and still make friends with those unlike themselves.  Strength comes from both being yourself and working with others, whether you have a mermaid tail or not.

Whether a child is heading to camp, dealing with making and keeping friends, understanding their own personality or one who loves oceans or comic books, Mermaid Warrior Squad is an entertaining light read that will engage those who are beyond early readers but might find much middle-grade fiction more daunting.  It's a nice little package of humour and lessons for middle-graders.

Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent

Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-021-5

52 pp.

Ages 5-8

August 2017

Dog is Princess Pistachio’s pooch and Marie-Louise Gay uses her words and pictures to make sure young readers know exactly who he is.  (I can already hear little ones shouting out, "He's just like my dog!")

From Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent 

by Marie-Louise Gay

Because Dog's days are filled with sleeping, napping and eating, Pistachio thinks he needs some adventure and excitement to prevent him from dying of boredom.  Dog thinks otherwise.

Dog grunts as he heaves himself up onto his tiny legs.  He waddles to the door.  He looks outside.  He signs, shakes his head, and waddles back to his cushion. (pg.9)

When she hides Dog in her backpack for a trip to school, Pistachio takes him out for Show and Tell but all Dog has to show is his ability to fall asleep promptly on the teacher’s desk.  The kids laugh.

When the Doggone Theater sends out a casting call for a “talented, intelligent, beautiful dog to play a starring role” (pg. 19), Pistachio is sure it’s the perfect job for Dog.  Annoyingly, her best friend Madeline scoffs at the idea.  But, amidst the amazing dog performers, Dog is selected, the perfect pick for the leading role of Sleeping Beauty.  Now with a stage name–Maurice the Magnificent–Dog has the un-boring life of a star.  But with that fame, Pistachio learns, comes a price when Maurice is dognapped.  Fortunately Pistachio finds a way to get Dog back safely and resolve a friendship that was almost lost to jealousy.

From Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent 

by Marie-Louise Gay

I'd join others in applauding Maurice the Magnificent's performance but I think we should extend those accolades to Marie-Louise Gay who can do no wrong in her storytelling or illustrating.  Her Stella and Sam books have garnered her many an award and nomination but her Princess Pistachio series (this is Book 3) takes us from the world of imaginative play into the realm of young school children trying to figure out how to get along with others.

Pistachio loves her Dog and just wants him to have a good life, and she's willing to help make that happen.  She's like a mother to him, arranging for play and opportunities and doing anything to get him back when taken.  But she's also smart enough to know when she's beat and it's evident what Dog enjoys doing most of all. And doesn't Marie-Louise Gay make him adorable!  With his patch around the eye, short tail and legs splayed out behind him when he flops down, Dog is every dog that is loved.

From Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent 

by Marie-Louise Gay

Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent is a worthy addition to this absolutely marvelously magnificent series that is ever entertaining and endearing!

Princess Pistachio (Pajama Press, 2014)

Princess Pistachio and the Pest (Pajama Press, 2015)

Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent (Pajama Press, 2017)

Musicality in youngCanLit

Making music may be an art form for which teachers and parents might not feel the need to scaffold learning with books, but I truly believe that any learning can be enhanced by great literature.  Here is an extensive list of books with music at their heart, whether the books be based on famous songs (like Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy or Stan Rogers' Northwest Passage); or on fictionalized or biographical accounts of famous musicians such as Oscar Peterson or Beethoven; or books that just having songs, making music, or performance as part of the story's plot.  This book list covers a wide range of musical topics and genres, some fiction and some non-fiction, some with CD accompaniment, and others with teaching guides.  There's a little bit of everything for the music lover and reader of youngCanLit.

PICTURE BOOKS

The Aunts Come Marching
Written by Bill Richardson
Illustrated by Cynthia Nugent
Raincoast Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2007

Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Written by Barbara Nichol
Illustrated by Scott Cameron
Lester Publishing/Scholastic
48 pp.
Ages 7-11
1989/1993

Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Written by Gordon Lightfoot
Illustrated by Ian Wallace
Groundwood Books
56 pp.
Ages 9-12
2010

Caribou Song
Written by Tomson Highway
Illustrated by John Rombough
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2013
Reviewed here

The Circle Game
Text by Joni Mitchell
Illustrations by Brian Deines
Dancing Cat Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2011
Reviewed here

The Fabulous Song
Written by Don Gillmor
Illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
26 pp.
Ages 2-7
1999

A Fiddle for Angus
Written by Budge Wilson
Illustrated by Susan Tooke
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-9
2006

The First Flute : Whowhoahyahzo Tohkohya
Written by David Bouchard
Illustrated by Don Oelze
Featuring the native flute of Jan Michael Looking Wolf
Dakota translation by Wayne Goodwill
Red Deer Press
40 pp. with CD
Ages 4-11
2015

Hallelujah Handel
Written by Douglas Cowling
Illustrated by Jason Walker
Scholastic
48 pp.
Ages 7-11
2003

Hana Hashimoto Sixth Violin
Written by Chieri Uegaki
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2014
Reviewed here

Jenneli’s Dance
Written by Elizabeth Denny
Illustrated by Chris Auchter
Theytus Books
44 pp.
Ages 6-11
2007

Long Powwow Nights
Written by David Bouchard and Pam Aleekuk
Art by Leonard Paul
Music by Buffie Sainte-Marie
Translation by Patsy Paul-Martin
Red Deer Press
32 pp. with CD
Ages 10-13
2009

The Man with the Violin
Written by Kathy Stinson
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2013
Reviewed here

The Mummer's Song
Written by Bud Davidge
Illustrated by Ian Wallace
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
2009

Northwest Passage
Written by Stan Rogers
Illustrated by Matt James
Groundwood Books 
56 pp.
All ages
2013
Reviewed here

Oscar Lives Next Door
Written by Bonnie Farmer
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2015
Reviewed here

Tchaikovsky Discovers America
Written by Esther Kalman
Illustrated by Rick Jacobson and Laura Fernandez
Scholastic
40 pp.
Ages 7-11
1995

Tomorrow is a Chance to Start Over: Bedtime Story and Dream Songs
Written by Hilary Grist
The Secret Mountain 
52 pp. with CD
Ages 1-5
2015

Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery
Written by Douglas Cowling
Illustrated by Laura Fernandez and Rick Jabobson
North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
44 pp.
Ages 7-11
2004





FICTION

Ace’s Basement (Orca Currents)
Written by Ted Staunton
Orca Book Publishers
107 pp. 
Ages 11-13
2013

Acting Up
Written by Ted Staunton
Red Deer Press
263 pp.
Ages 9-12
2010

Allegra
Written by Shelley Hrdlitschka
Orca Book Publishers
268 pp.
Ages 12+
2013
Reviewed here

At Ease (Orca Limelights)
Written by Jeff Ross
Orca Book Publishers
130 pp.
Ages 10-13
2015

Another Miserable Love Song (Orca Soundings)
Written by Brooke Carter
Orca Book Publishers
127 pp.
Ages 15-17
2016

Banjo of Destiny
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Selcuk Demirel
Groundwood Books
128 pp.
Ages 9+
2011

Battle of the Bands (Orca Soundings)
Written by K. L. Denman
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 12+
2006

Big Time (Orca Limelights)
Written by Tom Ryan
Orca Book Publishers
144 pp.
Ages 11-14
2014

Billboard Express (Orca Limelights)
Written by Sigmund Brouwer and Cindy Morgan
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 11-14
2016
Sequel to Rock the Boat

Blues for Zoey
Written by Robert Paul Weston
Razorbill
272 pp.
Ages 13+
2014
Reviewed here

Born With: Erika & Gianni
Written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Clockwise Press
231 pp.
Ages 13+
2016

Reviewed here

Dear Bruce Springsteen
Written by Kevin Major
Doubleday
134 pp.
Ages 12+
1987

Death Benefits
Written by Sarah N. Harvey
Orca Book Publishers
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2010

Drummer Girl
Written by Karen Bass
Coteau Books
240 pp.
Ages 14+
2011

Dunces Rock
Written by Kate Jaimet
Orca Book Publishers
224 pp.
Ages 10-14
2014

Emily's Piano
Written by Charlotte Gingras
Translated by Susan Ouriou
Annick Press
64 pp.
Ages 8-12
2005

Fishtailing
Written by Wendy Phillips
Coteau Books
196 pp.
Ages 14+
2010

The Frail Days (Orca Limelights) 
Written by Gabrielle Prendergast
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 11-4
2015

Freedom's Just Another Word
Written by Caroline Stellings
Second Story Press
232 pp.
Ages 12+
September 2016
Reviewed here

Hannah Waters and the Daughter of Johann Sebastian Bach

Written by Barbara Nickel
Penguin
192 pp.
Ages 9-12
2005

High Note (Orca Limelights)
Written by Jeff Ross
Orca Book Publishers
144 pp.
Ages 11-14
2016

Honeycomb (Orca Limelights)
Written by Patricia McCowan
Orca Book Publishers
152 pp.
Ages 11-14
2014

Hope Springs a Leak
Written by Ted Staunton
Red Deer Press
148 pp.
Ages 9-12
2002

M in the Abstract
Written by Douglas Davey
Red Deer Press
216 pp.
Ages 14+
2013

Reviewed here

The Man in the Moonstone (A Dinah Galloway Mystery)
Written by Melanie Jackson
Orca Book Publishers
144 pp.
Ages 8-12
2003

Millions for a Song
Written by André Vanasse
Translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou
Red Deer Press
118 pp.
Ages 12+
2013

Music by Morgan
Written by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013

Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl
Written by Emily Pohl-Weary
Razorbill
304 pp.
Ages 13+
2013
Reviewed here

Out of the Box
Written by Michelle Mulder
Orca Book Publishers
150 pp.
Ages 9+
2011

Reviewed here

Prairie Fire
Written by E. K. Johnston
Carolrhoda Books
304 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Sequel to The Story of Owen, Dragon Slayer of Trondheim

Power Chord (Orca Currents)
Written by Ted Staunton
Orca Book Publishers
113 pp.
Ages 10-14
2012

Queen of Disguises (A Dinah Galloway Mystery)
Written by Melanie Jackson
Orca Book Publishers
176 pp.
Ages 8-13
2009

Redwing
Written by Holly Bennett
Orca Book Publishers
208 pp.
Ages 12+
2012

Rock Star (Orca Soundings)
Written by Adrian Chamberlain
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 12+
2010

Rock The Boat (Orca Limelights)
Written by Sigmund Brouwer
Orca Book Publishers
119 pp.
Ages 11-14
2015

Seraphina
Written by Rachel Hartman
Doubleday Canada
480 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
Reviewed here

The Secret Wish of Nannerl Mozart
Written by Barbara Kathleen Nickel
Sumach Press/Three O'Clock Press

161 pp.

Ages 9-15

1996/2014

Shadows on the Train (A Dinah Galloway Mystery)
Written by Melanie Jackson
Orca Book Publishers
204 pp.
Ages 8-12
2007

Shattered Glass
Written by Teresa Toten
Orca Book Publishers
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Reviewed here

Sounding Off

Written by Ted Staunton

Red Deer Press

184 pp.

Ages 10-14

2004

The Story of Owen, Dragon Slayer of Trondheim
Written by E. K. Johnston
CarolrhodaLab
306 pp.
Ages 12+
2014
Reviewed here

Strings Attached
Written by Diane Dakers
Orca Book Publishers
144 pp.
Ages 11-14
2017

Stuff We All Get (Orca Currents)
Written by K. L. Denman
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 10-14
2011

Summer Days, Starry Nights
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Scholastic Canada
219 pp.
Ages 10-14
2013

Reviewed here

Taking a Chance on Love
Written by Mary Razzell
Ronsdale Press
156 pp.
Ages 14+
2016
Reviewed here

The Throne
Written by Beth Goobie
Red Deer Press
281 pp.
Ages 14+
2013

Reviewed here

Thunderbowl (Orca Soundings)
Written by Lesley Choyce
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 12+
2004

Totally Unrelated (Orca Limelights)
Written by Tom Ryan
Orca Book Publishers
120 pp.
Ages 11-14
2013
Reviewed here

Trap Jam (Sidestreets)
Written by Steve Barwin
Lorimer
189 pp.
Ages 14+
2016

The Truth Singer
Written by Barbara Haworth-Attard
Roussan
141 pp.
Ages 10-13
1996

Under the Dusty Moon
Written by Suzanne Sutherland
Dundurn
268 pp.
Ages 12+
2016

Reviewed here

Vinyl Princess
Written by Yvonne Prinz
HarperCollins
320 pp.
Ages 13+
2009

Way to Go
Written by Tom Ryan
Orca Book Publishers
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2012
Reviewed here

Whiteout
Written by James Houston
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2002

NON-FICTION

Aboriginal Biographies: Musicians
Written by Kaite Goldsworthy
Weigl Educational Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 8-12
2013

For Those about to Rock: A Road Map to Being in a Band
Written by Dave Bidini
Tundra Books
144 pp.
Ages 12-17
2004

Give Me Wings: How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World
Written by Kathy Lowinger
Annick Press
144 pp.
Ages 10-15
2015

Justin Bieber (My Life)
Written by Anita Yasuda
Weigl Educational Publishers
24 pp.
Ages 7-10
2012

The Kids Can Press Jumbo Book of Music
Written by Deborah Dunleavy
Illustrated by Louise Phillips
Kids Can Press
208 pp.
Ages 8+
2001

Legends, Icons & Rebels: Music that Changed the World
Written by Robbie Robertson, Jim Guerinot, Sebastian Robertson and Jared Levine
Tundra Books
128 pp.
Ages 8+
2013

Music is for Everyone
Written by Jill Barber
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Nimbus Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 2-7
2014

Nelly Furtado (Remarkable Canadians)
Written by Heather Kissock
Weigl Educational Publishers
24 pp.
Ages 8-13
2009

Oscar Peterson: The Man and His Jazz
Written by Jack Batten
Tundra Books
165 pp.
Ages 12-16
2012

Our Song: The Story of "O Canada" The Canadian National Anthem 
Written by Peter Kuitenbrouwer
Illustrated by Ashley Spires
Lobster Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
2004

Stay Strong: A Musician's Journey from Congo (Arrivals)
Written by Natalie Hyde
Clockwise Press
160 pp.
Ages 12-16
2015

When I Get Older: The Story Behind Wavin’ Flag
Written by K’NAAN with Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Guttierez
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 7-12
2012





FILM

Bach's Fight for Freedom
Directed by Stuart Gillard
Produced by David Devine and Richard MozerScript by David Devine and Richard Mozer
National Film Board of Canada
53 min.
Ages 9+
1995

Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Directed by David Devine
Produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer
Music production by Susan Hammond
Script by Heather Conkie based on the original work by Barbara Nichol
Eros Financial Investments in association with Classical Productions for Children Inc.
52 min
Ages 9+
1992

Bizet's Dream
Directed by David Devine
Produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer
Script by David Devine and Richard Mozer
National Film Board of Canada
52 min.
1995

Handel's Last Chance
Directed by Milan Cheylov
Produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer
Script by Marlene Matthews
National Film Board of Canada
51 min.
1995

Liszt's Rhapsody
Directed by David Devine
Produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer
Script by Heather Conkie
National Film Board of Canada
48 min.
1995

Rossini's Ghost
Directed by David Devine
Produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer
Script by Heather Conkie
National Film Board of Canada
49 min.
1995

Strauss: The King of Three Quarter Time
Directed by Kit Hood
Produced by David Devine and Richard Mozer
Script by David Devine and Richard Mozer
National Film Board of Canada
48 min.
1995

n.b. All these stories are available as audio CDs from Classical Kids and have been released with new covers and as DVDs as well as a collector's set called The Composers' Specials. Teaching guides are also available.