Steve, a Rare Egg

Written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-1300-4

64 pp.

Ages 6-9

June 2025 

 

Steve the Horse, being the pretty exceptional horse that he is (Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse), has starred in a number of picture books but now is being introduced to young readers in an early graphic novel series, of which Steve, a Rare Egg is the second. It's just another way for author-illustrator Kelly Collier to shine a light on this remarkable and unique and singular character. Steve is not just a horse. He's a headliner.

From Steve, a Rare Egg, written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

Steve is just trotting along, singing as he does, when he spots some remnants of a party in a trash can. There's cake and a party hat, and then he's distracted by an errant red balloon trapped beneath a stick. It's red and intriguing and Steve calls it fabulous, though his friends Gopher and Bob the Raccoon warn him to be careful. But it's Steve and his argument that it's a law that nothing fabulous is dangerous overrides all. Soon the friends are trying to name it, study its form and figure out what it is. And Steve is taking control and ownership of a red balloon he decides is an egg. In fact, it's a very rare Thingamabob Horse Egg and its parents must be found.

From Steve, a Rare Egg, written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

But until the parents are found, they must babysit this rare egg. That includes putting it down for a nap before Steve's "snuggum-wuggums becomes a cranky-panky." (p. 29) Young readers will know it's a balloon but will laugh as Steve decides that his rare egg is about to hatch and he's going to help nurture it, even incubate it, like a "mama horse-chicken." (p. 48) It's not until the inevitable happens that Steve accepts that the red thingamabob was not egg. But will Steve accept that his scientific process of observations and hypotheses and conclusions might not be the strongest?

From Steve, a Rare Egg, written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

Kelly Collier makes a simple discovery of an unknown object into an informal science experiment with a wild result. Steve and his friends make observations, hypothesize about the red thing's nature and even give it a name, and, based on those premises, Steve concludes what is needed to happen. Unfortunately, he is mistaken–something Steve rarely accepts–but turns it around to see himself in an ever-positive light. Surprisingly, it's Steve's antics that make Bob the best comedic foil, getting laughs with his composure and his insight. Steve's egocentricity–he always knows best–bring on the laughs but, with Bob and Gopher's as counterpoint, the story of Steve, a Rare Egg is hysterical. Steve is gullible and self-interested, but his pals show more insight and guide him to see different perspectives on the same circumstances. Steve may race ahead with all his ideas, but they rein him in as much as they can to keep him safe emotionally and physically.

 

The story of Steve, a Rare Egg is a funny one and it's all the better with Kelly Collier's digital artwork. She keeps her illustrations uncluttered so that Steve and his friends and the balloon, with only a few key embellishments, like a nest, a blanket and some lost posters, are the focus. That red balloon and the trio tasked to monitor it are everything. Even her choice of colours draw the eye to the white horse and the red balloon, the protagonists (?) of the story.  

 

Through her illustrations and dialogue, Kelly Collier gives young readers a story of colour and humour, and so many laughs, and even a bit of the scientific method. With a horse and a balloon, it's a rare combination but it's one that is successful in its silliness.

 

• • • • • • •

If you want to read more about Steve the Horse and his antics, both in picture book or in early graphic novel, or pre-order his upcoming story, here is a bit about the books in the series:

 

Picture books: 

A Horse Named Steve (2017)

Team Steve (2018)

 

Early graphic novels:

Steve, a Pretty Exceptional Horse (2024)

Steve, a Rare Egg (2025)

Steve, Born to Run (coming Sept. 2025)

 

Greetings, Floof!

Written by C. J. Hong

Illustrated by A. J. Smith

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0723-2

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

June 2024

A tiny pink fluff ball of an alien called Floof has arrived on our planet and scientific investigator Dr. Greta Goodnote is ready to meet and greet the explorer from Ploof. But it's going to take a little help from readers to really get to know the alien named Floof. 

From Greetings, Floof!, written by C. J. Hong, illustrated by A. J. Smith

First, though, Floof must come out of his spaceship. So, Dr. Greta encourages readers to give him a Ploofian hello by raising their arms and jiggling them. (Lucky we have a scientist to help guide us.) When Floof finally emerges, it's to cuddle a couple of bunnies the reader has pointed out to him. When the rain comes, readers are again enlisted, first to blow about the clouds and then to help a very fluffy Floof to return to his pre-ultra-poofing self. (This requires everything from blowing, and then closing and opening the book, and even shaking it gently.) And when he enjoys his first kiss, Floof is encouraged to pay it forward in his own Ploofian way.

From Greetings, Floof!, written by C. J. Hong, illustrated by A. J. Smith

By making readers part of the story, needing to help greet Floof, to locate animals to cuddle, to blow away rain clouds, to de-poof Floof, and more, C. J. Hong makes Greetings, Floof! an interactive story. While this is generally more difficult with picture books that are read aloud to children, rather than chapter books in which they might make choices of how the story continues, C. J. Hong keeps young readers enthralled, waiting for their next task in helping little Floof out. Not only are they learning empathy and cooperation, but they also see that science is something as basic as building knowledge through observation, experimentation, and application. 

 

American artist A. J. Smith has created an incredibly cute alien in his digital artwork but Floof is still very different. So Ottawa's C. J. Hong's story of the little guy inspires inquiry, coupled with open-mindedness for those who look and speak differently. Because of that, C. J. Hong ticks off all the boxes for a story of science, communication, compassion, and acceptance while demonstrating that kindness can bridge worlds, even planets.

From Greetings, Floof!, written by C. J. Hong, illustrated by A. J. Smith

My River: Cleaning up the LaHave River

Written by Anne Laurel Carter

Formac

978-1-4595-0551-3

96 pp.

Ages 7-12

September 2018

Stella Bowles, her parents, younger brother William and dog Zappa live on the LaHave River in Nova Scotia. Though they have a wharf, a motorboat and her brother and father sail, Mom expects them to swim in their above-ground pool rather than the river where many swim regularly. After an issue with their septic system, eleven-year-old Stella learns that many people on their 97 km-long river, that runs from the Annapolis Valley to the Atlantic Ocean, still use straight pipes i.e., pipes that let toilets flush directly into the river.

From My River: Cleaning up the LaHave River by Anne Laurel Carter

After meeting Dr. Maxwell, a man who had been testing the water of the LaHave for several years and reporting it to the government without any action, Stella posts a large sign-"This river is contaminated with fecal bacteria"-to warn people about the dangers hidden in the river and begins a science project, under the guidance of Dr. Maxwell, to test the water for contamination. Readers learn much about the scientific method and Stella's experimental process while she endeavours to inform herself and others about the health of her river, garnering much attention both locally and online.

"My poop river project had gone viral." (pg. 43).

From My River: Cleaning up the LaHave River by Anne Laurel Carter

Though Stella finds much physical evidence of toilet waste (you don't really need the details), it's her test results for enterococci bacteria that are startling, revealing that several sites were not even safe for skin contact. Stella presents her findings at her local and regional school science fairs but the biggest hurdle is getting three levels of government to become involved in helping residents replace straight pipes with septic systems.  It's an arduous task, especially for one so young, but Stella Bowles is passionate about her river and getting it cleaned up.

Award-winning author Anne Laurel Carter caught wind of Stella Bowles's story after purchasing a property in the area in 2003. By telling Stella Bowles' story in the voice of the young teen, Anne Laurel Carter, best known for her acclaimed fiction, has made My River: Cleaning up the LaHave River a worthwhile read of citizen science and activism.

While My River does include some of the features of non-fiction text like photographs, information boxes and diagrams that can help provide clarification and greater depth to the story, it is the text of Stella Bowles's story of helping to put a stop to polluting practices on the LaHave River that carries the tale. It's the small steps in learning and discovery that make My River an exemplar of activism by young people with the message that, with perseverance and science, while looking in your own backyard, you can help change the world.

The Man Who Knew Everything: The Strange Life of Athanasius Kircher

Written by Marilee Peters

Illustrated by Roxanna Bikadoroff

Annick Press

978-1-55451-974-3

60 pp.

Ages 9-12

October 2017

Athanasius Kircher, born in 1602 Germany, dreamed of being someone extraordinary, perhaps a scientist or an author or a scholar.  The insatiably curious child who was prone to reckless behaviour to indulge that inquisitiveness would be proud to know that people regarded him as "The Man Who Knew Everything."

Asking questions about all he encountered, Athanasius Kircher chose to become a Jesuit at age 16 so that he might travel away from his village and experience everything the world might hold.  But with the onset of the religious war known as the Thirty Years' War, Kircher found himself evading the conflict by heading to the safety of the Roman Catholicism-based Rome where he became a professor of mathematics.  However, Kircher never limited his drive for knowledge to that field and pursued interests in everything.  From machines that transmitted sound to the secrets harboured within the earth, Kircher's pursuit of knowledge placed him in countless precarious positions.  It may have been the time of the Scientific Revolution when questions about the age of the earth and foundations of life were being asked but it was also the time of the Inquisition when the Church went after those whom they felt threatened their belief system.  Kircher persisted, embarking on dangerous explorations into the heart of a volcano, collaborating with scientists and priests around the world to formulate his ideas about the earth's development and publishing The Underground World, a compendium of his theories.  To share his ideas and display the many exotic oddities he discovered and was gifted, Kircher established a showcase for them, the Kircherian Museum in Rome.

From The Man Who Knew Everything

by Marilee Peters 

illus. by Roxanna Bikadoroff

Marilee Peters ensures that young readers understand that this strange man, with his innovative and bizarre ideas, was imaginative, brilliant and ahead of his times in many ways.  He didn't always get things right, like the use of rocks to extract snake venom or a mammoth bone identified as that of ancient supersized humans, but his original thinking, definitely outside the box, allowed for new ideas to come to the forefront and be considered for future study.  He was a pioneer of the scientific method and probably originated the concept of promoting science by linking it with the wonder of its magic.  (The lobster statue "vomiting" water would be a prime example.) It's not surprising that the word "kircherize" was generated to mean the making of connections between unrelated things.

From The Man Who Knew Everything 

by Marilee Peters 

illus. by Roxanna Bikadoroff

As biography, The Man Who Knew Everything is somewhat a departure for Marilee Peters whose non-fiction for young people includes 10 Rivers That Shaped the World (Annick, 2015) and Making It Right: Building Peace, Settling Conflict (Annick, 2015) but her fastidious research and ability to bring imagination to her topics of study are definitely there.  The text, never extensive but always illuminating, is like a museum of information, short snippets of knowledge bites.  With Roxanna Bikadoroff's quirky illustrations (recently seen in The Alphabet Thief; Groundwood, 2017), The Man Who Knew Everything has a Monty Pythonesque vibe (recall their TV show of the 1970s): a little irreverent, a lot of details and a general impression of something innovative.  By encompassing lots of biographical info and scientific thought in an unconventional style, The Man Who Knew Everything works for a visionary whose unusual drive for knowledge opened many doors and left many open for further exploration. He might not have actually known everything, but he sure tried.

From The Man Who Knew Everything 

by Marilee Peters 

illus. by Roxanna Bikadoroff

Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs

Written by Helaine Becker

Illustrated by Marie-Ève Tremblay

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-570-1

36 pp.

Ages 6-9

April 2017

I love a good picture book biography!  It's an amazing format for telling a person's story without getting bogged down in the minutiae of historical details and trivia.  These books are great introductions and always provide relevant details and references in the appendices for those readers who want to dig a little deeper.  Helaine Becker, who has tackled all genres for young people, is especially well-versed in non-fiction writing including science books, math books and activity books like her award-winning Secret Agent Y.O.U. and Boredom Blasters, and she is no less skilled in telling the story of William Playfair.

From Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs 

by Helaine Becker 

illus. by Marie-Ève Tremblay

William Playfair, born in 1759 Scotland, liked to dream and play pranks but, after his father died and his older brother John took over his schooling, William was brought up on the scientific method and become an excellent mathematician.  At age 14, he accepted employment with the inventor Andrew Meikle where he learned to draw plans and make different machines.  But Will still sought the big dreams of riches, fame and glory and became the assistant to another inventor and engineer, James Watt.  If Will wanted to be somewhere where he could think outside the box and create and problem-solve, he found it in the workshop of James Watt.  Problem was that Will was too much in his own head to do the work his employer required of him and decided it was best to go out on his own.

Though he developed an effective silversmithing machine, Will's business acumen was negligible and this and multiple, subsequent businesses failed. So he wrote books about history, politics and economics to earn money.  When he didn't have sufficient information to complete a chart, he created a visual representation of the data so that he might extrapolate it from that available, and the first line graph, showing changes in export and imports over time, was born. He was so pleased by its efficacy he took it a step further and grouped information into chunks, thereby developing a bar graph based on countries importing and exporting goods.

Though awarded a French royal permit from King Louise XVI, the French Revolution had him scurrying home and exploring new ways to represent numbers in picture form, leading to the design of the pie chart.  Unfortunately because of his poor track record, Will's ideas were never accepted in his life time (he died in 1823) as valuable.  Thankfully, acceptance did come in time, allowing his ideas for graphs to convey numerical data in a bold and innovative way to be used throughout the world.

From Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs 

by Helaine Becker 

illus. by Marie-Ève Tremblay

Helaine Becker tells William Playfair's story with the upbeat air necessary for innovation and discovery, though she doesn't leave out the weaknesses in his life's drama.  It must have been difficult to decide what to share from his biography, but Helaine Becker has chosen wisely to share with readers that information which supports the basis for William Playfair's inventiveness and its value without dragging in tedious details of his life.  There's a playful tone to her text and Marie-Ève Tremblay's lively illustrations respect that.  Readers will enjoy seeing a larger-than-life William Playfair stepping out of the roof of his home, heading out to follow his dreams. And cooking up a pie chart while wearing an apron and oven mitt.  Even King Louis XVI losing his head is depicted lightheartedly!

From Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs 

by Helaine Becker 

illus. by Marie-Ève Tremblay

Though Lines, Bars and Graphs is the story of William Playfair and the development of graphs, Helaine Becker and Marie-Ève Tremblay make it into a whimsical story of thinking outside the box and persevering, even when failure seems to be the norm and dreams appear to be dashed, providing good life lessons for William Playfair and everyone.