On the Line: Cover and trailers reveal

 

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Authors

 

 Paul Coccia 

and

 

 Eric Walters 

are set to release their first collaboration

and I'm pleased to reveal its cover here 

and a video about the book.

 

Voilá!

 

 

ON  THE  LINE

Written by Paul Coccia and Eric Walters
Orca Book Publishers
978-1-45982-713-4
312 pp.
Ages 9-13
March 15 2022

Reviewed here

From my review of December 24, 2021:

What's on the line for thirteen-year-old Jordan Ryker? Everything. His parents can't stop arguing. The auto plant where his dad works, being the town's major employer, is shutting down. Even basketball, which is everything to Jordan and his best friend Junior, is somewhat tenuous with the school's new basketball coach who really doesn't know what he's doing. And now Jordan has to figure out how to work with new kids brother and sister Aaron and Tammy who are very different and both want on the boys' basketball team.  

...

This is the first writing collaboration between Paul Coccia and Eric Walters and, having reviewed books by both previously, I can attest to a new synergy to their writing as they bring their strengths in plotting, character development, and voice and meld them with LGBTQ+ issues and sports into something new and important. They've given us a story that challenges young readers to see beyond themselves and from different perspectives and with compassion for the struggles that others may be experiencing. With heart and intention, they've put themselves out there and helped us see from that angle what's really meaningful: friends, family, and fair play for all.

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I'd also like to share a couple of videos about the book. This first was prepared by author Paul Coccia and has been posted by publisher Orca at https://youtu.be/lHMFkieD4ZQ.

 

Posted by Orca Book Publishers on January 31, 2022 on YouTube.

 

 

This second book trailer, created by Daniel Rolo, has also been posted on the Orca YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/KjyDne1gJ7Q.

Posted by Orca Book Publishers on February 7, 2022 on YouTube.

 

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

 

March 15, the release date for On the Line, is just 6 weeks away 

so be sure to get your pre-orders in via Orca 

or your favourite book store.

At the Pond

Written and illustrated by Geraldo Valério

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-232-7

48 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2020

A visit to a pond teaches a young boy a lesson in securing friendship without subjucation in this new wordless picture book from Geraldo Valério.

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

In a grey forest of grabbing branches of trees, a dog is tied up outside a house. When a boy emerges to take the forlorn dog for a walk on its yellow leash, they are drawn to a brilliant blue pond rife with swans. When one of the swans approaches and takes the boy and his dog for a ride on its back, they float through spectacular landscapes of pink roseate spoonbills, frolicking rabbits and foxes, meadows of foxglove and a plethora of brightly coloured flowers.

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

But when the boy finally releases the dog to chase dragonflies, the boy chooses to place the leash on the swan. With that, Geraldo Valério's illustration turns dark once again, with only the blue of the panicked swans as they retreat. Thankfully the boy sees the hurt in the tearful swan's eyes and releases his new friend, returning the world to one of colour, joy and compassion.

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

As a wordless picture book, At the Pond teems with emotion, primarily through artist Geraldo Valério's use of colour, though also with line and shape. In his complex illustrations. created with pencil, acrylics, latex, markers and even gouache, Geraldo Valério explores what it means to be a friend. From that poor chained dog, almost insignificant in a bleak world of darkness, to the unconstrained life of the pond and its environs, Geraldo Valério makes it clear that friendship is not conditional upon control, though some might envision it to be so, and this boy certainly does at the outset of the story. Friendship is about allowing a dog or a swan to be free to be themselves and share in the wonder of that freedom. It is only with the banishment of the enforced bonds that a relationship of closeness and compassion can be realized. 

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

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For a treat, publisher Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press) has shared a video online at https://youtu.be/kZSv-KILJlg of author-illustrator Geraldo Valério bringing life, through pencil, to a pair of swans from At the Pond.

Drawing with author and illustrator Geraldo Valério

Uploaded by House of Anansi to YouTube on May 1, 2020

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.

Nothing Man and the Purple Zero: Book Launch (Toronto)

Join

Richard Scarsbrook

award-winning author of young adult books,

Cheeseburger Subversive (Thistledown, 2003)

Featherless Bipeds (Thistledown, 2006)

The Monkeyface Chronicles (Thistledown, 2010)

for the launch of his newest book

 

Nothing Man and the Purple Zero

Dancing Cat Books

978-1-770863118 

240 pp.

Ages 12+

on

Monday, September 16, 2013

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

at

The Melody Room

in 

The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West (at Gladstone)
Toronto, Ontario


Richard notes that, in addition to his reading of an excerpt from the book, "there will be a LIVE DRAMATIC PRESENTATION of a scene from the book, featuring LIVE PROFESSIONAL DRAMATIC ACTORS!"

(I'm so glad they're not DEAD professional dramatic actors. Whew!)

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Having not read the book yet, I can't say too much. But, the brief synopsis at the Dancing Cat Books website suggests a hilarious book about two teens who foil a robbery and then deal with the video of their feat going viral.

Read the synopsis at Dancing Cat Books website for all the reasons you'll want to get this book!

Vicki Grant's "Being 18" video

Motivated by the experience of saying good-bye to her 17-year-old son when he went to university several years back, author Vicki Grant created the accompanying video as a personal project.   

Vicki Grant, author of youngCanLit including  The Puppet Wrangler (Orca, 2004), Quid Pro Quo (Orca, 2005), Not Suitable for Family Viewing (HarperCollins, 2009), Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret (HarperTrophy Canada, 2011) and Hold the Pickles (Orca, 2012), is well-known for her quirky storylines and wonderful sense of humour.  So I was surprised and delighted by the video but curious about the provenance of its concept.  It seems that when her son went off to university, Vicki Grant could not stop crying when leaving him.  She was astonished to realize that her grandmother would have been saying good-bye to her seventeen-year-old son, Vicki's father, at that same age but he would have been heading off to war.

Vicki Grant shared that she met the female veteran who appears at the conclusion of the video while doing research for an upcoming mystery set in World War II Halifax, and that her daughter and nephew participated in the making of the video.  Even without these personal connections, the video Being 18 is poignant, sharing the message of differences between teens of different eras and most important that we should always "Remember Them". Enjoy the video and remember.

Being 18

Published on Nov 2, 2012 by Vicki Grant to YouTube

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse: Book Launch

The first of the Neil Flambé Capers

 won the 2011 Silver Birch Fiction award.

The second is nominated for 

a 2012 Silver Birch Fiction award

 and just won the District School Board 

of Niagara's own Silver Birch award.

Want to check out the newest, just released Neil Flambé Caper?

Join 

author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester 

on Saturday, May 12, 2012 

from 10:00 to 12:00 pm

at the Northern District Library

40 Orchard View Blvd. 

(one block north of Yonge and Eglinton)

Toronto

for the launch of  

Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse

Kevin Sylvester will talk with young readers and sign copies of his new book.

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Learn How to Draw Neil Flambé

While waiting for your chance to see Kevin Sylvester, check out this wonderful video that teaches you how to draw Neil Flambé.

 

Uploaded by  SimonSchusterCanada on March 19, 2012 

to YouTube

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Still MORE Neil Flambé!

Kevin Sylvester and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, 

have a great promotion called 

Take Neil Flambé into the wild!

 

Print out your own Flat Neil Flambé, 

cut him out, take him somewhere and photograph him.  

Then send your photo to audrey@simonandschuster.ca 

to add your photo to Neil's photo album!

See where others have taken Neil Flambé into the Wild already. Kevin Sylvester even took Neil to China on a recent trip.