To Be With You

Words by Dave Gunning

Illustrated by Meaghan Smith

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-405-8

32 pp.

Ages 3–7

September 2025 

 

Based on Canadian singer-songwriter Dave Gunning's song of the same title, To Be With You is a love song. It's the love of a dog for their child, and the unbreakable bond that connects them every moment of every day and every night.

From To Be With You, words by Dave Gunning, art by Meaghan Smith

In very simple rhyming text that young children will adore and repeat easily, the song (listen to it here) speaks to different dogs spending time with their children: playing, sleeping, eating together, going for walks, and touching. Its refrain, "All I want is to be with you," repeats over and over again, though the children and dogs vary. There's a girl in a wheelchair hugging a dog as big as herself, and a dachshund excited for a walk with their child who wears yellow rain gear. There's a girl with a leg brace running through a wildflower meadow with a large floppy dog, and a husky-like dog chasing bubbles that a small boy is blowing. All children are here as are all the dogs that bring them companionship, love, and safety. And Dave Gunning's words make it clear that,

All I want is to be with you

All day long and all night too

All I want is to be with you

All I want is to be with you 

From To Be With You, words by Dave Gunning, art by Meaghan Smith

Much of the sweetness in To Be With You comes from Meaghan Smith's illustrations. She may also be an East Coast singer-songwriter, but her art is what defines this book. (The first book I've reviewed that included her art was It Snowed (2025) which she wrote and illustrated.) She brings great softness and affection to her art. Most notably, though, we notice that we rarely see the child's full face. The emphasis is on each dog, speaking to the child about what they are feeling, demonstrating exuberance, love, and togetherness with every flick of a tail, tongue hanging out, and eyes wide open anticipating their next moment together. Meaghan Smith makes the story, and Dave Gunning's words, about the dog, and it's a joyous perspective.

From To Be With You, words by Dave Gunning, art by Meaghan Smith

For the child who loves their dog, and who loves them right back, To Be With You will become a lovely accompaniment to a bedtime routine, a walk in the park, or a wind-down song before a nap. Moreover, the words could just as easily be a love song between a parent and child—do listen to the song (link here again) because its melody is very catchy—and could become a new lullaby to share  in your home.

My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean

Written by Bill Richardson

Illustrated by Bill Pechet

Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides

978-1-998802098

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

May 2024 

 

With a mondegreen play of words on the traditional Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," Bill Richardson and Bill Pechet have given us another bunny story of a legendary incident. Like their earlier book Hare B & B (2021), readers are treated to a silly but playful adventure, this time one in which a stuffed rabbit endeavours to make its way home with a lot of help from a menagerie of animals. And it's all to the accompaniment of some talented singing seagulls.

From My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean, written by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Bill Pechet

When a bow-tied and sunglass-wearing bunny is abandoned at the beach and a seagull falls in love, a global escapade ensues. With a seagull bemoaning the stuffie's plight of being dragged out to sea, My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean becomes a lament.

My Bunny was wet and bedraggled,

My Bunny was dashed by the waves,

My Bunny was found by a starfish,

And that's how my Bunny was saved.

The words may not all be as we may have learned them but they certainly sound like they were made for a story about an errant bunny.

From My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean, written by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Bill Pechet

And, boy, does this bunny travel, and with the help of everything from a starfish and a whale, a tallship and a kangaroo, and more. Still when Bunny finally gets back to the family–who should be chastised for abandoning Bunny in the first place–there will still be someone lamenting Bunny's absence.

From My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean, written by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Bill Pechet

I defy you to read this story and not sing it to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." It's so easy to do with words that rhyme and flow, especially with a repetitive chorus. The story may be different and homophones used, but Bill Richardson, who does clever very well, keeps the rhythm and the momentum of the original and gives it the humour and cheekiness that will delight readers of all ages. Kids may sympathize with a lost stuffie, but adults will chuckle at the lovestruck seagull and the astonishing path of the bunny to its home.

From My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean, written by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Bill Pechet

That cheekiness is seen in Bill Pechet's sketch art, from Bunny relaxing on a bed inside the whale's belly to seagulls singing atop the "Bunnilator" plane heading between signposts "Here" and "There." Sticking with his palette of pale turquoise, light lime green, and pale orange, Bill Pechet keeps us on that ocean, on the land, and in the air as Bunny finds its way home. And he makes us laugh.

 

Bunny may make it home via a prolonged path, but they will be prepared for another such eventuality. (Come on, it wasn't Bunny's fault that they were left behind.) And with a seagull singing its yearning for Bunny still, I suspect Bunny will never be alone again.

Alberta Blue: A prairie sky lullaby

Written by Pat Hatherly

Illustrated by Jesse Horne

Red Barn Books

978-1-98991-502-8

14 pp.

Ages 0-5

October 2021

 

As unhurried and melodic as the song written by Pat Hatherly and Jim Lewis, Alberta Blue lulls the young with the wideness of Alberta and the depth of its spirit.

 

With simple words and expansive images, author Pat Hatherly and illustrator Jesse Horne take us to a province of sweeping blue skies with impressive golden pink sunrises and dramatic northern lights. There are buffalo and tipis, trains and prairies, Rocky Mountains and cattle herds. This is an Alberta with its diverse landscapes and people and celebrated in natural rhyming text.

From Alberta Blue by Pat Hatherly, illus. by Jesse Horne

First the golden pink sunrise
warms the land with its hue.
Then a new day begins
wrapped in Alberta blue.

From Alberta Blue by Pat Hatherly, illus. by Jesse Horne

Albertans Pat Hatherly and Jesse Horne take us into the Alberta that is their home to see the colours that make it rich. We're not taken into the cities which could be from any province. Instead young readers are taken to the outdoors which could be past or present and always under that glorious blue sky. For young children in Alberta, the words will resonate but children elsewhere will get a natural feel for what the province has to offer. And with the vibrancy of her gouache colours and softness of line, even as she gives texture to her illustrations, Jesse Horne has matched her artwork fittingly for a board book and rhyming text aimed at the very young.

 

From Alberta Blue by Pat Hatherly, illus. by Jesse Horne

Whether you're an Albertan who is familiar with the song "Alberta Blue" which is performed by The Travelling Mabels, or a young child who is seeing the Alberta landscape for the first time, Alberta Blue will transport you to a province of vastness and colour, diverse in its places and people and story.

Greenbeard the Pirate Pig

by Andrea Torrey Balsara

FriesenPress

978-1-460285015

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

August 2016

Andrea Torrey Balsara, the illustrator behind my favourite Happy the Pocket Mouse series by Philip Roy (Ronsdale Press), has created her own lovable character in Greenbeard the Pirate Pig, a farming guinea pig entranced by the smell of the salty sea.  Greenbeard, so call because of the copious lettuce he eats which turns his beard a bright, leafy green, smells adventure and packs his bag with lettuce and carrots, dons his boots, a hat plumed with a lettuce leaf, his gardening belt into which he inserts a carrot sword (but not a sharp one because that would be dangerous), and heads to the shore.  There an elderly mouse sells him a decrepit ship for a song–which Greenbeard happily sings, not knowing the mouse means it's cheap–and proceeds to mend and patch and shine his new ship, The Golden Lettuce, until ready to sail.

From Greenbeard the Pirate Pig 

by Andrea Torrey Balsara

But what about a crew?  A gloomy rat, which the mouse owner introduces to Greenbeard as Snug Rumkin, is somehow shanghaied into accompanying Greenbeard, though his involuntary attendance becomes enthusiastic participation when he hears of possible treasure, as well as the adventure, that Greenbeard promises.

From Greenbeard the Pirate Pig

by Andrea Torrey Balsara

Greenbeard is a delight, an innocent in search of adventure, hopeful of worldly voyages.  His intent is to explore the world and enjoy life, never to engage in the nefarious activities often associated with pirates.  Of course, he’ll have to curb the pirating enthusiasm of his first mate Snug Rumkin–probably already curtailed by Greenbeard’s singing of a song he deems inappropriate (n.b. music and lyrics are included in the book)–but that’s just part of his job as captain of The Golden Lettuce.  While I would have enjoyed sharing in one of Greenbeard’s adventures, slated to be told in the upcoming Greenbeard the Pirate Pig and the Isle of Lost, Greenbeard the Pirate Pig is a delightful introduction to Andrea Torrey Balsara’s guinea pig pirate captain.  In addition to charming young readers with her cartoon characters and  characteristic long curvy lines amongst the whiskers, fur and landscape of her drawings, Andrea Torrey Balsara offers colouring pages and puzzles available at www.torreybalsara.com and www.greenbeardthepiratepig.com to entertain and empower children to be more like the invincible Greenbeard the Pirate Pig, ready to pursue adventures at the drop of a carrot.

From Greenbeard the Pirate Pig

by Andrea Torrey Balsara

So Much Snow!

by Robert Munsch

Illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-4617-3

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

August 2016

The collaborative team that brought us Canadian classics The Paper Bag Princess (Annick , 1980) and Thomas’ Snowsuit (Annick, 1985) and so, so many more, have returned to celebrate the onset of the winter season with their newest release, So Much Snow!

From So Much Snow! 

by Robert Munsch, 

illus. by Michael Martchenko

Regardless of her mother’s concern of a coming blizzard, little Jasmine is determined to go to school.  After all, it’s Pizza Day and no one wants to miss Pizza Day.  So bundled up in her multi-hued coat and brightly-coloured hat, scarf, mitts, and boots, Jasmine sets out with enthusiasm amidst the early flurries, singing


“Neat! Neat! Snowy feet!
Snowy feet can’t be beat.
Neat! Neat! Snowy feet!
Snowy feet can’t be beat. 
Wintertime is fun!” (pg. 4)

Even when the snow starts accumulating, up to her knees and then up to her bum, she’s still singing a version of her “Wintertime is fun” song, though perhaps with a little less enthusiasm.  By the time she is in sight of the school, that final line of her song has become a question. And, when it is only the top of her hat that peeks out from the drifts of snow, Jasmine has revised that line to “Wintertime is no fun.” (pg. 13)

A frozen Jasmine is rescued by the snowshoed custodian and his St. Bernard, only to become the focus of the school staff’s efforts to defrost her.  The reader will soon realize that Pizza Day has become a snow day and the school is attended by a skeleton staff.  Still Jasmine came for Pizza Day and pizza is what she will have, though not as she expected.

From So Much Snow! 

by Robert Munsch, 

illus. by Michael Martchenko

In So Much Snow!, Robert Munsch brings his characteristic absurdity to a typical situation, bundling up his story of a child’s earnestness with a sing-song refrain that reveals much.  Playing on a child’s desperation to go to school for an anticipated treat, regardless of the weather, Robert Munsch makes what could have been a dangerous situation into one of silliness, even developing Jasmine into a character who begins to recognize the nonsense of her situation.  But it’s Michael Marchenko, whose artwork children always associate with Robert Munsch, who brings that folly to life, with his bold colours and textured details of clothing, blankets, and interior and exterior features. (Check out the principal’s checkered pants, the school nurse's flowered boots and the lost mitten pinned to the bulletin board.) Michael Martchenko, who has illustrated many children’s books beyond those of Robert Munsch (one of my favourites for teaching is Enough by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2000), will always be seen as the visionary behind Robert Munsch’s words; without his artwork, So Much Snow! would just be a cute story.  Together, though, Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko have created a snow day story to amuse children and gratify their teachers and parents who will understand completely the mind of a child determined not to missed out on something grand, regardless of a few metres of snow.

From So Much Snow! 

by Robert Munsch, 

illus. by Michael Martchenko

Swimming, Swimming

by Gary Clement

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-449-7

48 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2015

It's summer and a boy who is obviously obsessed with swimming (note the posters hanging on the blue water walls of his room, his t-shirts, and the goggles and flippers on the floor) is just getting up, getting dressed, packing his backpack and meeting his friends. Any guesses where they’re heading?  Yep, it’s summer so it’s the local swimming pool.

And once they’re changed and pre-showered and on the deck of the massive outdoor pool, it’s time for the Swimming, Swimming song.  What? You don't know the camp song “Swimming, swimming, in a swimming pool?” No worries.  Gary Clement will take you along for a colourful and quirky illustrated rendition of the song, and even share with you, via video (which I've also shared below), the gestures that go with it.  Ready?  Sing!

Swimming, swimming
In a swimming pool.
When days are hot
When days are cold
In a swimming pool.
Breaststroke
Sidestroke
Fancing diving too!
Oh don’t you wish you never had anything else to do?

From the boy and his friends, to moms and dads with little ones, swimmers with balls, flutterboards, an innertube or waterwings, everyone is getting into Swimming, Swimming.  I defy you to not find yourself amongst the goggled, sunglassed, gotteed, bearded and clean-shaven, bikini- and tankini-ed, full-suited and trunked floaters and active swimmers at the swimming pool.  Gary Clement has included everyone!  And when the day is done and they leave the community pool, stopping at the Mister Ice Cream truck before heading home for dinner, the boy ends the day tending to a small orange swimmer for whom he is responsible, before he’s in bed resting so he'll be ready for another day of Swimming, Swimming in a swimming pool.

Many Canadian readers will be familiar with Gary Clement’s political cartoons in the National Post but I believe that his illustrations have that originality and funniness that are the heart of great humourous picture books.  Obviously others think so as well, since Gary Clement did win a Governor General’s Award for Illustration for his book The Great Poochini (Groundwood Books, 2010).  Just like his loveable relatives in Oy Fey So? (Cary Fagan, Groundwood Books, 2013), Gary Clement’s very real characters who are less-than-perfect-morphologically steal the story, again bringing all readers into the book, whether they want to go swimming or not. (And, for reference, the endpapers will show you the different strokes!)

(BTW, thanks, Gary Clement, for keeping the Speedo-ed strutter out of the community pool!)

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Swimming, Swimming Sing Along

Uploaded by House of Anansi on April 27, 2015 to YouTube.

Winter Moon Song

by Martha Brooks

Illustrated by Leticia Ruifernández

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-320-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

August 2014

Embed a story about the rabbit in the moon within the narrative of a young bunny's questioning about the magic of life and winter, then add the sweetness of a traditional song and illustrate with tender watercolours by Spanish artist Leticia Ruifernández and, like magic, you have Martha Brook's first picture book, the heartfelt Winter Moon Song.

Accompany a little rabbit "not so small as to be a still-doted-upon baby, yet not big enough to be noticed in any significant way" as he makes his way home from a choir practice of the ancient piece "Winter Moon Song".  In the stillness of the winter cold, he contemplates the upcoming gathering, the aging singers in the choir and the rabbit in the moon, and asks his mother how the rabbit got there.

After his mother shares the legend of another young rabbit's sacrifice to the Great Mother, Creator Rabbit, the bunny of our story recognizes that the "Winter Moon Song" can be "a magical path lighting the darkest month" and he sets about to make it so.

Winter Moon Song is as magical as the song within, lyrically written by Martha Brooks and set to the music of cool colour washes by Leticia Ruifernández.  As refreshing as it is share this picture book now, I encourage lovers of youngCanLit to purchase it and reread it with family and children during the dark months of winter when Winter Moon Song will truly raise its voice.