Rumie Goes Rafting

Written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-635-5

36 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2024 

 

 

To a child, everything can become an adventure with a little imagination. But when the excitement takes over, sometimes safety is forgotten.

From Rumie Goes Rafting, written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette

Rumie roams the forest, picking up curious bits that draw his attention. There's a red string, a yellow bread clip, a spruce cone, and more that Rumie gathers in his wagon. His curiosity takes him to a stream where he plays with a twig and then a toy boat, but he is dismayed that nothing will float very far. A ladybug on a leaf gives him an idea and he suggests to his Uncle Hawthorne that they build a raft. What an idea!

From Rumie Goes Rafting, written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette

And so, the two saw and hammer and construct a beautiful raft with ribbons dangling from a mast. Uncle Hawthorne insists on a safety test run with life vests, but Rumie is so excited and even more so when the rains come in the night and swell the stream. Though he never intends to set off on their raft, Rumie gets the raft ready for testing once Uncle Hawthorne awakens. But that slow moving stream is no longer and the current grabs the raft and starts taking Rumie along for an unexpected ride.

From Rumie Goes Rafting, written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette

What begins as a new adventure in sailing becomes a dangerous excursion from which Rumie is saved by his uncle, learning that patience could have saved him from disaster.

With spring streams and rivers becoming swollen with melted snow and rainwater, Rumie Goes Rafting is a valuable cautionary tale of the unpredictability of waters. Water will always draw children with its movement and opportunity for play but without consideration of safety, it can become a danger quickly and unexpectedly. Rumie's curiosity and imagination are laudable and nurtured by his uncle. He loves the outdoors and building and collecting. But he is impetuous, as we can all be when excited about something, and it is only his uncle's quick thinking and safety measures that saved the little mouse. 

Meghan Marentette, who previously wrote The Stowaways, a middle-grade novel about a sailing family of mice, may have revisited her theme of adventurous mice in Rumie Goes Rafting but her approach is quite different here. It is different is message, in audience, and in format, and it all works. Meghan Marentette created three-dimensional scenes and characters which were photographed, giving her story rich texture and immersive illustrations. Look for the details in Uncle Hawthorne's tail, the patch in his vest, the cone on a string for a life buoy, the tiny, crocheted pillow, and a home decorated with love. (Meghan Marentette is obviously skilled in making miniature models.) Because of the realism, young children will be inspired to create their own scenes with their small stuffies, build rafts to travel in puddles, and tell stories of sailing, and maybe flying, adventures. With Rumie's imagination and curiosity, I foresee further adventures on the horizon.

From Rumie Goes Rafting, written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette

No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons): 25th Anniversary

Written by Jean E. Pendziwol

Illustrated by Martine Gourbault

Kids Can Press

978-1-55074-571-9

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

Spring 2024 

(Originally published in 1999)

 

An important part of the primary curriculum is safety for children. And short of saying, "No!" or "Don't do that!" safety education by parents is often limited. A series of picture books (see below) by Jean E. Pendziwol and illustrated by Martine Gourbault from Kids Can Press offer a subtle but informative way of teaching everything from fire safety to stranger and water safety, and dealing with bullies. And this year, Kids Can Press is reissuing No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) for its 25th anniversary. 

From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault

A child and her mother head down to the bay for a day of fun on the beach. Along the way, the girl bumps into a dragon–we may need a book for safe driving of a wagon–and invites him to play. When their day in the sand is over and the family heads home, the child invites the dragon to join them for nibbles. All is going well until the child and dragon both sneeze from a generous sprinkling of pepper. But a dragon's sneeze is far more dangerous than that of a child, and when his sneeze causes the curtains to catch fire, it's mayhem. Thankfully, the child had learned well all the right things to do when a fire breaks out. From getting out fast and staying low to the ground, heading to the family meeting tree, and not going back inside, this child knows what to do. And with her knowledge, she helps the dragon who wants to hide and go back inside for its teddy bear do the right things too.

From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault

Learning fire safety is never outdated. As long as fires are potential hazards in any home, families with young children must be prepared. Jean E. Pendziwol's light rhyming story of a child and a dragon keeps the importance of the message without terrorizing young readers with the capacity for harm from fires. Much will be familiar to children from playing with friends, having a snack, wanting to hide when scared, and wanting to do back for a cherished toy. But the child has learned the most important rules of fire safety from a rhyme which Jean E. Pendziwol appends to her story. The five-verse rhyme begins as follows:

When the smoke alarm sounds, here's what you should do:

Leave your toys all behind, 'cause there's only one you.

In addition to this summary rhyme, Jean E. Pendziwol includes a checklist of discussion points and actions for family to implement their own safety plan.

From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault

The same care that Jean E. Pendziwol takes to create an informative but gentle story about a not-so-trivial message is shown in the artwork of Martine Gourbault. Her use of coloured pencils brings the innocence of children or dragons at play but can still evoke the gravity of a fire in the home. The expressions on the faces of the child and dragon suggest fear but not panic, at least not on the girl's part. But with her well-rehearsed knowledge of what to do in a fire, she is calm enough to help a dragon who needs support to also do the right things.

From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since this story was first published and, though it could add the use of a cell phone rather than using a neighbour's phone or a phone booth, it's as relevant today as it was then. I would encourage parents and teachers to help little ones embed this learning, whether through the story alone or by learning "The Dragon's Fire-Safety Rhyme." It, like all the titles in the Dragon Safety series, could help save lives.

• • • • • • • 

 

Dragon Safety Series

No Dragons for Tea: Fires Safety for kids (and Dragons) (1999)

Once Upon a Dragon: Stranger Safety for Kids (and Dragons) (2005)

A Treasure at Sea for Dragon and Me: Water Safety for Kids (and Dragons) (2006)

The Tale of Sir Dragon: Dealing with Bullies for Kids (and Dragons) (2007)

 

• • • • • • •  

Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (Scaredy's Nutty Adventures)

Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Tundra Books

987-0-7352-6961-3

88 pp.

Ages 6-9

October 2023

 

In six perfect chapters, Scaredy Orville Squirrel (abbreviated appropriately as S.O.S.) prepares for Christmas. Starting in July, he makes a checklist to ensure a perfect holiday. Once December arrives, it's time to start checking things off his list. With a little help from his friends– Ivy, a rabbit, Rash, an armadillo, and Timber (Tim), a beaver–Scaredy gets to work with decorations. A mishap with a toboggan almost has their tree festooned in pickles and clown noses, but with some effort and a lot of paint, they get the perfect decorations.

 

Next Scaredy Squirrel enlists his friends to secure the area from holiday troublemakers like nutcrackers, abominable snowmen, last-minute shoppers, and elves.

 

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

His plan for a gingerbread house that will last forever–though Ivy questions that intent with "Seriously? I doubt gingerbread can last past Easter"–is put into action to construct a sturdy, albeit inedible, masterpiece.

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

While Scaredy has already gotten the perfect gifts for his friends, he gets to wrapping them as they debate what to get for him. Then it's only his Christmas Eve get-together, prepping for Santa's visit, and waking to Christmas morning surprises. Though he couldn't plan for everything, it still is a perfect Christmas for Scaredy Squirrel.

Two things about Scaredy: he's always prepared, and he always does things with safety in mind. Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive is loaded with checklists, plans, files, instructions, and profiles that ensure that things get done and done well and in a timely fashion. From "Scaredy's Christmas TO-DO List" to his instructions on "How to Wrap the Perfect Gift," Scaredy has it covered. (Mélanie Watt even gets the reader primed for Scaredy's predilections with "The Holiday Reader Quiz" before the story even starts, just to make sure the reader is prepared to proceed to the next pages. I got 5 points.)

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

As we learned in the first Scaredy Squirrel book, Scaredy is always scared about his safety, and that's why he insists his friends wear painter's suits when painting, why there's a fire extinguisher handy, why they wear masks while varnishing, and why he's so prepared. Still, with his friends who are all a little bit different, whether calm and wise, or bold and impetus, Scaredy is both given reasons to continue to be cautious and reasons to indulge a bit more.

Mélanie Watt has always taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to Scaredy's overcautious nature. Children reading her stories, whether the original picture books or whether the chapter book graphic novel series Scaredy's Nutty Adventures, will both see the wisdom of Scaredy's caution but will laugh at his extreme reactions, from panicking and playing dead when supposedly exposed to a pointy elf or wearing gloves to prevent paper cuts when wrapping gifts. They'll be familiar with many of activities Scaredy and his friends undertake in Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive and so will understand both the nature of his fears and the silliness of his responses, regardless of whether they are brash like Rash or guarded like Scaredy.

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

The stories and the humour within have and will always delight young readers, but it's all so much more when Mélanie Watt adds her artwork. Her heavily-outlined characters and objects make them pop off the page but also complement the bold text of Scaredy's lists and instructions. There is nothing subtle about the illustrations or Scaredy so anything less than bold, bright, and lively just wouldn't work. Moreover, Mélanie Watt knows how to add the humour into her drawings, like the helmet Rash undoubtedly needs to wear to keep him safe, the cat mask Rash dons when he can't find a respirator mask when they're varnishing, or Rash's roving toad Chucky who seems to pop up in unexpected places. 

 

It's just the right time now to start your holiday season off, and, with Scaredy and his friends, it'll be easy to get festive. Just watch out for those pointy elves, and Gary the germ, and those last-minute Christmas shoppers, and...

• • • • • • • 

 

Scaredy's Nutty Adventures series

Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell

Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise

Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive

Everyone is Welcome

Written by Phuong Truong

Illustrated by Christine Wei

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-343-9

24 pp.

Ages 6-8

September 2023

The rise in hate messaging on social media and around the world, particularly against Asian community members during the pandemic, has been concerning and disheartening. Racism and prejudice against those who are seen as different–aren't we all different and unique?–is reprehensible and sadly growing. Phuong Truong and Christine Wei's picture book Everyone is Welcome speaks specifically to anti-Asian violence and how a child might be impacted by it. 

From Everyone is Welcome, written by Phuong Truong, illus. by Christine Wei

The eight-year-old narrator of Everyone is Welcome loves going to the Asian market with her family though she wishes that she were old enough to go alone to the corner store like her mother did when she was younger. Though it was a different time, when children could play on the street and go to the local store without supervision, her mother recalls being taunted for her Asian heritage with ethnic slurs and offensive gestures. Now the child hears of her grandmother's friend Mrs. Lee being pushed into the street and her brother tells her that some kids don't feel safe walking to school without support because of being targeted for being Asian. 

From Everyone is Welcome, written by Phuong Truong, illus. by Christine Wei

And then the child learns that a classmate is no longer allowed to play with her.

His dad told him that everything bad that's happened in the world is my fault. Mine and everyone who looks like me.

While there are no quick solutions, understanding and compassion from her mother and the opportunity to take a small step in helping go a long way.

From Everyone is Welcome, written by Phuong Truong, illus. by Christine Wei

All racism is abhorrent. Why are there those who target communities who may be different in their appearance, language, food and more and deem them less? It is hate, and it speaks more to ignorance than anything else. I'm sad to think that Toronto writer Phuong Truong and Vancouver illustrator Christine Wei and their families may have experienced such cruelties and felt unsafe. The message of Everyone is Welcome may be a simple one that we all belong. Period. It doesn't matter what we look like or where we come from or what languages we speak. The homes we make and the multiple communities to which we belong are ours and no less for being different than another. I know that much hatred percolates from fears and, for children, from familial directives but those offer no excuses. Christine Wei's dedication reminds us that there is still much work to do.

To that day we can all rewrite our fears of differences and celebrate them. – C.W.

While the premise of Everyone is Welcome–increasing violence against Asian communities–is a dark and sobering one, Phuong Truong and Christine Wei bring out the vibrancy of the child's communities at home, neighbourhood and school in their words and art. With her words, Phuong Truong shows us that there will always be compassion that will override the nastiness, and, with her art, Christine Wei brings us to the vivacity of that goodness of people.

For lessons in empathy, especially when needed to combat anti-Asian hate, Everyone is Welcome brings us to a place of both reality and promise. Hate has always been around, often just changing targets, but awareness and grace are universal, and they have and will overcome the worst when everyone is made to feel welcome.

On Baba's Back

Written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc

Princeton Architectural Press

978-1-61689-912-7

24 pp.

Ages 1-4

January 2022

In a sweet board book perfect for the very young and their caregivers, Marianne Dubuc charms with a story of family, protection, patience, risk-taking and letting go. And it's all with koalas!

From On Baba's Back by Marianne Dubuc

A young Koko enjoys being carried on Baba's back. But Koko does everything a little koala would do while on Baba's back: eat, play, pee, bathe, and go for walks.

From On Baba's Back by Marianne Dubuc

But sometimes the young want to do something different than what their elders have chosen for them to do. When Koko sees a blue butterfly, a "There!" signals to Baba what Koko wants.

From On Baba's Back by Marianne Dubuc

Still, Baba keeps walking so Koko climbs down to follow the pretty insect. And though taking a risk and leaving the protection of Baba's back might not necessarily be the safest decision, what Koko finds brings joy to both Koko and Baba.

From On Baba's Back by Marianne Dubuc

There will always be a time when a child will take their first steps to independence. It may come with first steps literally or by making choices different than their elders or by leaving the intimate protection of family. For Koko, it is all of these. And though Koko's self-assertion could've been a little scary for both Koko and Baba, there's a satisfaction that comes from taking those independent steps, especially knowing that the safety of family is still there at the end of the day. Though these steps can be milestones, Marianne Dubuc keeps the story very simple, with the text perfect for an early reader or for reading to a baby or toddler who will soon learn the limited phrases. Likewise, Marianne Dubuc doesn't overwhelm her artwork with too much of anything. The stars are Koko and Baba, clearly identifiable as koalas by their ears, with an emphasis on only a few other details like an ice-cream cone, a pee puddle, a ball or a butterfly.

While Baba is a term for father in a number of Asian cultures, it also can refer to a grandmother in eastern Europe. Either way, it is a loving elder who can provide protection for the youngest family members and that's what Koko finds on Baba's back: the security and freedom to learn to become independent.

Don't Stand So Close to Me

Written by Eric Walters

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-2788-2 (pdf)
978-1-4598-2789-9 (epub)

116 pp.

Ages 9-16

June 2, 2020

978-1-4598-2787-5 (pb) 
Available September 22, 2020

In a novel for right now, Eric Walters has found a way to reassure, inform, educate and entertain about life during the COVID-19 pandemic, and all within the safety of a new digital book for middle grade readers.

Thirteen-year-old Quinn along with her neighbour and best friend Isaac and their classmates in Grade 8 are anticipating their spring break and planning their spring dance when the COVID-19 pandemic hits North America. The young teens show a variety of responses to the news that spring break will start a little early and last for three weeks: ambivalence, concern, joy and anxiety. Not unlike most young people, their responses are varied and often contingent about what they hear from family and on the news. Because Quinn’s dad is a doctor and Isaac’s mom is a police chief, these two friends get a very different perspective on staying out of school. 

As the kids begin to accept their new reality which includes online schooling and social distancing, all the COVID-19 related issues are touched upon in a meaningful and authentic way in Eric Walters's story. We read about Dad’s need for PPE and consequent skin reactions, his long working hours and the need to isolate from Mom and Quinn. The very social Isaac must deal with the loneliness of staying at home by himself and find safe ways to connect with others. Their friend Reese is unable to visit with her grandmother in a long-term care facility but the kids find a way to reach out after learning how to make masks. The young people learn of the positives of social distancing and strategies for keeping spirits up and bodies healthy. They are exposed to misinformation and those who disregard protocols and protesters who want to reopen businesses.

When the rest of the school year is cancelled except online, the kids decide to stage a spring dance on their street that abides by the rules of social distancing (chalk drawn boxes on road, with kids bringing their own phones, ear buds, water and snacks), and made possible with a little help from parent chaperones, police, and a neighbourhood that gets on board with making it special. With a highly appropriate playlist including the titular "Don't Stand So Close to Me," Isaac DJ’s the night away, saving one final dance with Quinn.

I loved this story. It covers everything middle graders might be experiencing right now, especially the confusion with different perspectives about the COVID-19 pandemic, from parents, peers, news, social media, etc. and their anxiety for their new routines. Their concerns are very real though they are so different from those of the adults in their lives. Still the kids find a way to do the right thing time and time again and I applaud these fictional characters for their responsibility and humanity. I wondered how the story would end, knowing that we don’t really know how this pandemic will ultimately play out. But Eric Walters's ending was more sweet than bitter and I even cried when Quinn’s dad tells her:

...Don’t underestimate what you did. It was much more than a dance. Tonight, wasn’t normal, but somehow you made it work, and for a few hours, you gave hundreds of people some happiness.  You gave them joy.  You helped them to forget for a little while. And, not just your classmates, but hundreds and hundreds of people on our street.  You gave them hope. You gave me hope.  (pg. 114)

Don't Stand So Close to Me is a positive story about a very negative event. It will take middle grade readers into the pandemic of their experiences, offering them reassurance and hope while educating them about helping everyone survive this pandemic. (The discussion about what flattening the curve means is especially brilliant.) I suggest parents and teachers help bring this novel to the young readers in their lives to offer them the hope and wisdom we all need to get through this.

 😊•😊•😊•😊•😊•😊•😊

Look for my interview with author Eric Walters next here on CanLit for LittleCanadians and learn more about Don't Stand So Close to Me and getting this relevant book written and to press with remarkable efficiency.

😊•😊•😊•😊•😊•😊•😊

Information for teachers and schools:
Orca Book Publishers is offering classroom and school licenses to accompany the ebooks. A teacher who wants to use this book in their Google Classroom platform or enable their whole class to access it from home can buy one copy of the book with a classroom license for $29.99. A school license (so multiple classes in one school would have access to the book) is available for $59.99.  See details at the publisher's website at https://www.orcabook.com

The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids: Essential Skills and Recipes Every Young Chef Should Know

Written by Pierre A. Lamielle

Familius

978-1-64170-156-3

170 pp.

Ages 8-13

September 2019

As a teacher-librarian, I loved purchasing cookbooks for the school library. Kids love looking at photos of great food, dreaming about sweet desserts and baked goods, and emboldening them to try their hand at some kitchen magic. With Chef Pierre A. Lamielle's newest cookbook, this one for children specifically, they'll get a good start on developing their culinary skills and creating some tasty treats.

More than a recipe book, The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids covers important lessons, all told via quirky illustrations and a group of distinct characters called the Munchy Munchy Bunch which includes Sal, Pepper, Ragu, Ziti, Sage, Rose, and Bean. The first lessons focus on avoiding dangers that involve sharp objects, fire and hot items or sources of germs. From learning how to slice, hinge and saw with a knife, to dealing with burns and fires and avoiding Salmonella, Cyclospora and E. coli, Pierre A. Lamielle's "Safety Pages" are an excellent beginning to this cookbook.

From The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by Pierre A. Lamielle

While introducing the Munchy Munchy Bunch, Pierre A. Lamielle also presents the basic tastes of salty, bitter, sour, sweet and umami, and makes a case for ketchup–with recipe included–being a balance of all five tastes. (Who knew?)

From The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by Pierre A. Lamielle

The remaining sections–Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Sweets–focus on basic recipes but always offer up more. From cooking eggs six ways to making jam for breakfast, or preparing soup, salad, or sandwiches for lunch, and serving up schnitzel, butter chicken or pizza with homemade dough, each meal becomes an exploration of ingredients, techniques, history, and culture. The photographs, most of which are double-spreads that extend across the hardy hidden wire o binding (making scanning of the images near impossible for me), are appealing and never unsophisticated. The recipes are for restaurant quality food from the pumpkin pie soup to the soy delicious lettuce wraps, veggie chili with mini cornbread muffins and browneapolitan dessert. For vegetarian to meat-eaters, and those who prefer savoury to sweet or vice versa, everyone's tastes are covered within the recipes of The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids,

From The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by Pierre A. Lamielle

Calgary's Chef Pierre A. Lamielle, who has appeared on Top Chef Canada and Chopped Canada, has his spoon in a lot of creative bowls from cooking and writing, to illustrating and teaching, all related to art and food. By mixing both here in The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids, Pierre A. Lamielle has found a way to teach and entertain young readers with the promise of developing their culinary skills, of feeding themselves and others, and of making tasty food a source of sustenance and joy.

A youngCanLit booklist for World Refugee Day: June 20

People fleeing their home countries to find shelter from both man-created and natural calamities is not new. From Jews fleeing Spain in the 1400s to avoid conversion to Christianity to Syrian refugees displaced because of a war which started in 2011, the plight of refugees is historical and contemporary. Though a day designated for refugees was only designated in 2000, the United Nations created the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in 1950 and its purview continues to expand in scope. I hope this subset of youngCanLit titles will help young readers appreciate the scope of experiences by those displaced by conflict, persecution and natural disaster in seeking new homes across borders.

PICTURE BOOKS

The Banana-Leaf Ball
Written by Katie Smith Milway
Illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-12
2017
Reviewed here

From Far Away
Written by Robert Munsch
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
1995

From Far Away (new edition)
Written by Robert Munsch and Saoussan Askar
Illustrated by Rebecca Green
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2017

Mustafa
Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books
40 pp.
Ages 4-8
2018

My Beautiful Birds
Written and illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2017
Reviewed here

Out of the Blue
Written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2018
Reviewed here

The Roses in My Carpets
Written by Rukhsana Khan
Illustrated by Ronald Himler
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2004

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey
Written by Margriet Ruurs
Artwork by Nizar Ali Badr
Orca Book Publishers
28 pp.
All ages
2016
Reviewed here

Story Boat
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh
Tundra
40 pp.
Ages 3-7
2020
Reviewed here

The Walking Stick
Written by Maxine Trottier
Illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
22 pp.
Ages 6-9
1998





NOVELS AND SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

Blue Gold
Written by Elizabeth Stewart
Annick Press
304 pp.
Ages 13+
2014

A Cage Without Bars
Written by Anne Dublin
Second Story Press
160 pp.
Ages 10-14
2018
Reviewed here

Dance of the Banished
Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Pajama Press
288 pp.
Ages 12+
2014
Reviewed here

The Garden
Written by Meghan Ferrari
Red Deer Press
109 pp.
Ages 12+
2018
Reviewed here

A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk
Written by Jan L. Cotes
Red Deer Press
274 pp.
Ages 12+
2010

Manuelito: A graphic novel
Written by Elisa Amado
Illustrated by Abraham Urias
Annick Press
91 pp.
Ages 13-17
2019

Masters of Silence
Written by Kathy Kacer
Annick Press
265 pp.
Ages 9-12
2019

Mud City
Written by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
168 pp.
Ages 8-14
2003

Pieces of the Past : The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948 (Dear Canada)
Written by Carol Matas
Scholastic Canada
168 pp.
Ages 9-12
2013

Refuge Cove
Written by Lesley Choyce
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 12+
2002

Room for One More
by Monique Polak
Kar-Ben
232 pp.
Ages 12+
October 2019

Seeking Refuge
Written by Irene Watts
Illustrated by Kathryn Shoemaker
Tradewind Books
136 pp.
Ages 8-14
2016

Shanghai Escape
Written by Kathy Kacer
Second Story Press
240 pp.
Ages 9-12
2013

Walking Home
Written by Eric Walters
Doubleday Canada
304 pp.
Ages 9-13
2014

The Whirlwind
Written by Carol Matas
Orca Book Publishers
244 pp.
Ages 12+
2007







NON-FICTION

Children of War: Voices of Iraqi refugees
Written by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood
128 pp.
Ages 8-14
2009

Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival
Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch with Tuan Ho
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Pajama Press
40 pp.
Ages 6+
2016
Reviewed here

The Bite of the Mango
Written by Mariatu Kamara and Susan McLelland
Annick Press
216 pp.
Ages 13+
2008

A Cave in the Clouds: A Young Woman's Escape from ISIS
Written by Badeeah Hassan Ahmed with Susan Elizabeth McClelland
Annick Press
232 pp.
Ages 16+
2019

Rescuing the Children: The Story of the Kindertransport
Written by Deborah Hodge
Tundra
64 pp.
Ages 8-4
2012

The Ship to Nowhere: On Board the Exodus
Written by Rona Arato
Second Story Press
176 pp.
Ages 9-14
2016

Stay Silent: A Refugee's Escape from Colombia
Written by Natalie Hyde
Clockwise Press
144 pp.
Ages 10-15
2016

Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees
Written by Mary Beth Leatherdale
Illustrated by Eleanor Shakespeare
Annick Press
64 pp.
Ages 10-14
2017

To Hope and Back: The Journey of the St. Louis
Written by Kathy Kacer
Second Story Press
204 pp.
Ages 11-14
2011

Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to be Reunited with her Family
Written by Van Ho with Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Pajama Press
152 pp.
Ages 8-12
2018
Reviewed here

What is a Refugee?
Written and illustrated by Elise Gravel
Schartz & Wade
32 pp.
Ages 8-10
September 2019

Where Will I Live?
Written by Rosemary McCarney
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-9
2017
Reviewed here