Big Birthday Wishes

Written by Yolanda T. Marshall

Illustrated by Daria Lavrova

Chalkboard Publishing

978-1-771058957

40 pp.

Ages 4–9

June 2025

 

Ah, if only those wishes made by blowing out a candle on a birthday cake could come true! For seven children celebrating their birthdays all on the same day, it would be an amazing surprise.

From Big Birthday Wishes, written by Yolanda T. Williams, illustrated by Daria Lavrova

When a new baker opens in Fitts Village, his display of BIG birthday cakes and the aromas emanating from within attract many a customer. In fact, the parents of friends Elijah, Noah, Lisha, Mia, Liam, Pierre, and Adeya decide to purchase a unique cake for each child, with Mr. Mayers, the baker, promising them, "Magic in every slice!"

From Big Birthday Wishes, written by Yolanda T. Williams, illustrated by Daria Lavrova

All the kids and their families and friends come together for one big celebration. After the birthday song, each child makes a wish and blows out the candles on their cake. With that, the mayhem begins. Elijah wishes for a colossal cake that drops from the sky and overwhelms the guests and the room. Noah wishes for super leaping powers which land him in the enormous cake. For each child, there's a BIG birthday wish and a POOF! as it comes true.

From Big Birthday Wishes, written by Yolanda T. Williams, illustrated by Daria Lavrova

What do the children wish for? Their wishes are only limited by their imaginations. Some wish for copious amounts of favourite foods, others for things for playful fun, and some go for the fantastical. But with each fulfilled wish, the chaos grows until they have "created a sticky, fiery mess, making everyone frazzled and uncomfortable." Unfortunately, the parents are displeased, and demand Mr. Mayers make restitution. Mr. Mayers finds a way to make things right but reminds them all: "Be careful what you wish for..."

From Big Birthday Wishes, written by Yolanda T. Williams, illustrated by Daria Lavrova

Kids will love the ridiculousness of a story in which birthday wishes come true. They'll recognize all the crazy wishes they might make given the chance. The silliness comes out in the realization that sometimes wishes go awry or aren't exactly what you thought they might be. Just as she did in her earlier books, including What's in the Cookie Tin? and Hot Cross Buns for Everyone!, Yolanda T. Marshall taps into children's imaginations and whims, giving us a story with the spirit of mischievous and creative thinking. That ebullience of spirit shows in the art of Amsterdam's Daria Lavrova. She uses colour and shape as if they were alive, springing from the pages in organized chaos, both joyous and amusing.

I'll be celebrating my own birthday this month and I could only wish for a big birthday cake similar to those in Yolanda T. Marshall's story, courtesy of Daria Lavrova's artistic flair. For a child having a birthday, Big Birthday Wishes will be a treat to read and to spark their imagination for that next big wish. Maybe their caregivers will help them bake a cake–recipe for yogurt-almond cake included–or try one of the other activities Yolanda T. Marshall suggests. Whichever way Big Birthday Wishes is used, it will inspire children to find the magic in their birthday wishes, real or not. 

Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities

Written by Casey Lyall

Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)

978-0-06-323987-6

288 pp.

Ages 8–13

May 2024

Bringing people back to life is an unusual service for a funeral home, but it is one my family did with great pride. (p. 1)

Twelve-year-old Kimmy Jones knows it's a privilege to have the Jones's gift of Waking those newly departed who have some unfinished business and to grant them one last wish. Her father, Nathan, now passed, had it and so does Kimmy's Grandma Bev on her father's side. In fact, Grandma Bev is training Kimmy now that the child has turned 12. Kimmy's mom Julia and her stepdad Alex know what Grandma Bev and Kimmy can do and allow them to perform Wakings at their Jones Family Funeral Home though they are cautious as Kimmy is still a trainee and everyone insists she honour the boundaries that have been placed on their gift. And though Kimmy is able to Wake, everything changes when Grandma Bev dies. 

 

When Kimmy tries to Wake Grandma Bev, knowing she had secrets still to share with Kimmy, including the recipe for her awesome cookies, all she gets is a nosebleed.

How could she let her spark move on and pretend she had no unfinished business?

She had me. (p. 57)

Worse yet, months afterwards, Kimmy is still having no success in Waking, though the power she used to feel in her chest when she was trying to Wake someone has become a "tug, tug, tug" that never leads to anything. 

When a boy around her age is found dead in the park, Kimmy is convinced that here is a soul who definitely has unfinished business i.e., revealing who murdered him. She breaks into the hospital morgue and, pushing harder than she ever has, Wakes Devon who doesn't know what happened to him. Surprisingly, Devon does not return to dead when Kimmy breaks the connection. Now Kimmy has a bigger problem: she's got a kid who is supposed to be dead but isn't and who can't go home, and she needs to figure out why he's still Awake and how did he die. 

With much humour and sharp investigative skills, Kimmy and Devon and a motley group of family and newly dead work to determine what is going on with the dead in their town of Basbridge, including Grandma Bev, and put things to right.

 

Casey Lyall, whose most recent book Gnome is Where Your Heart Is was nominated for a Silver Birch Fiction award, knows how to blend all the right elements for a comedic supernatural mystery, while making sure that readers understand how overwhelming death and grief can be. Still there is a message about life being for the living, except sometimes if you've been dead (!). Young readers on the Silver Birch Forest Kid Committee put this new book on their summer reading list of recommended Canadian titles for middle grade readers and they know great books when they read them. Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities is a fabulous read. It has laughter and magic, mystery and life lessons about death and grief and living. 

Devon stared at the sign. "You live in a funeral home?'

"Yup."

His eyebrows crawled up his forehead. "And you bring dead people back to life?"

"I told you!" I flung a hand in the air. "It's not usually permanent!"

"Terrible business model," he muttered. (p. 108)

For many young readers, Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities will be a can't-put-it-down read, especially once they get invested in the characters, most notably Kimmy and Devon. They'll want to know if Devon becomes a zombie, gets to go home or dies again. They'll want to know why Kimmy can't find Grandma Bev's spark to Wake her for her last few minutes or whether the gift of Waking has died for the Jones family. There is a mystery to solve–remember Devon was murdered–and some family secrets and legacy to sort out. Did I mention there was magic at hand too?

The story in Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities is rich, like Grandma Bev's complex cookie recipe that Kimmy just can't replicate. She tries but it's just so sophisticated that you can't always figure out why and how it works so well. That's what Casey Lyall's writing is like. I don't know how she does it, but Casey Lyall has always done mysteries well (see her Howard Wallace, P. I. series) but what brings everything to life–pun intended–is the way she weaves humour and compassion into her stories. Her books, like Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities, are complete packages that have everything to entertain, to inspire the imagination, and to subtly support middle graders who might be dealing with their own family issues, including grief. Casey Lyall may not purport to provide answers but it's more than enough that she can delight us with her clever plotting, her vibrant characters, and her ability to astonish with the supernatural that is still wholly believable.

Spider in the Well

Written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Katherine Tegen Books (An Imprint of HarperCollins)

978-0-063289475

48 pp.

Ages 4-8

March 2024

 

The people of Bad Göodsburg have a problem: their wishing well is broken. The newsboy who delivers the papers–and sweeps the chimneys, delivers the milk, and shines the shoes–is tasked with one more job: find out what is wrong with the well. And when he hears about the charitable wishes of the baker, the doctor, and the shopkeeper, he is determined to ensure those wishes are granted.

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Making his way to the well, the boy learns that a spider in the well has been responsible for the well not working. But, though the spider was just being a spider, building a web that happens to catch the coins, it's what he reveals to the newsboy that truly gets the boy irate and screaming, "Unbelievable!" and demanding justice.

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

But what justice needs to be achieved? And how will the town's newsboy and lackey ensure that righteousness prevails?

Without giving away the story of Spider in the Well, let me assure readers that this is more than a cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for. And it's not because wishes might be ill-advised. It's because people and their wishes are not always benevolent. Sometimes wishes are selfish and rooted in vanity, greed, and worse, and no one wants to be seen as less than virtuous. The fine citizens of Bad Göodsburg hide behind false virtues and are taken down by a spider and a boy who may be or may not be similarly ethically challenged.

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Jess Hannigan's tale of wishes gone wrong has the tone of a fable or even a fairy tale. It's told with a host of archetypes, from the self-righteous townspeople to the put-upon boy who overcomes unjust treatment to be rewarded in the end. There's even the anthropomorphic spider who helps the boy triumph. And for each one of these characters, Jess Hannigan gets the voices right, and gives the story a tone of reparation rather than of grifting. (You'll see what I mean when you read the ending.)

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Hamilton's Jess Hannigan is an illustrator–this is her first picture book as author-illustrator–and her digital artwork, strong in shape and colour, makes the story even more powerful. By creating characters and scenes that are both simplified and complex in content and perspective, Jess Hannigan draws us into the story and helps us to see the circumstances as the boy does. She has a striking style of soft but bold lines that create tension while keeping the reader sympathetic to the boy, something that is more easily achieved by drawing the townspeople as oddly shaped and weirdly coloured.

 

So, if there's a moral to the story of Jess Hannigan's Spider in the Well, it's to be careful what you wish for because you never know who may be listening. On the plus side, sometimes one person's wishes result in just rewards for another. Just ask the newsboy of Bad Göodsburg, now happily retired.

• • • • • • •

Consider checking out one of several book launches Jess Hannigan will have in Ontario for Spider in the Well.

 

Thursday, March 21, 2024

6:30 PM

Type Books Junction

2887 Dundas St. W., Toronto

 

Sunday, April 7, 2024

1 PM

Epic Books

226 Locke Street S., Hamilton

Julie and the Mango Tree

Written by Sadé Smith

Illustrated by Sayada Ramdial

Feiwel and Friends

978-1-250-80634-5

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

August 2023

 

Fresh fruits off the tree are a favourite all around the world. In August, many children in Canada will be craving peaches and cherries, while other parts of the world may be awaiting a crop of jackfruit or pineapples. Depending on the time of year and the location, there will be much anticipation for the first of favourite fruits to become available. For Julie in Jamaica, the time for her beloved mangoes can't come soon enough.

From Julie and the Mango Tree, written by Sadé Smith, illus. by Sayada Ramdial

Julie loved the way mangoes smelled and the way they looked and, of course, the way they tasted. But waiting for the mangoes to drop from the giant tree in her front yard was agony. Occasionally her father would climb up on a ladder to retrieve ripe ones from the top before they fell but, on one hot day when he was gone to town, Julie would have to wait for the tree to give up just one to her. But waiting was hard. When no mangoes were forthcoming, she tried to barter with the tree, plums for mangoes. Then she wrote a song pleading with the tree to give up a mango to her. Finally, she hugged the tree, all to no avail.

From Julie and the Mango Tree, written by Sadé Smith, illus. by Sayada Ramdial

But, when a rainstorm comes the next day, Julie finds the ground littered with her delicious mangoes. Finally, Julie could indulge in her mangoes, until she realizes she has a new problem.

From Julie and the Mango Tree, written by Sadé Smith, illus. by Sayada Ramdial

Though most of Julie and the Mango Tree is Julie waiting and hoping and anticipating the joy of biting into those juicy mangoes, Sadé Smith ensures that the child's experience with the fruit is paramount. For children, waiting can be so hard, whether it's for a birthday, a special treat, or the year's mango harvest. Julie's longing is honest but, like many, she will do whatever she can to dispel the delay, strategizing with good will, particularly for the tree. Not surprising that when she finds herself sated with mangoes, she looks outward to others and considers how she might share their fruity wealth. Author Sadé Smith, herself of Jamaican descent–her debut picture book Granny's Kitchen is also set in Jamaica–shows a child who is passionate about her mangoes but never selfish about the pleasure she derives from them.

 

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, now of the United States, illustrator Sayada Ramdial gives us a Jamaica of colours, warmth, life, and, of course, mangoes. It's as if everything, from the mangoes and the leaves in the trees, to Julie and her neighbours, are touched with the sun and given a vivacity of place. I'll bet even Julie's mangoes are far tastier than any we've ever imagined.

The joy of picking fruit from a tree is a rare one for many but, in Julie and the Mango Tree, Sadé Smith lets us experience what Julie does and allows us to imagine what wishes fulfilled with a bounty of sunshine and sweetness could be like.

Song for the Snow

Written by Jon-Erik Lappano

Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-268-6

44 pp.

Ages 3-6

September 2021

 

Here in our northern climate of Canada, we can almost always be assured of snow sometime in the winter season. One year may vary from the next in terms of snow load and snow type–fluffy or wet–but we know that in most places in Canada, snow will come. But what if it didn't?

From Song for the Snow by Jon-Erik Lappano, illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler

Freya loves the snow. She dreams of it and anticipates its return come winter. But it has been two years since the weather has been cold enough for the snow to come to her town and her memories of it are beginning to fade. 

Maybe the snow is lost, she thought.

At the market, where everyone is dressed in light jackets and sweaters and definitely no snow boots, Freya hears a tune that draws her to a trinket table with a woman holding a beautiful snow globe. She tells Freya that the song is very old and special, once sung every winter to call the snow home. Then she gifts Freya with the snow globe.

From Song for the Snow by Jon-Erik Lappano, illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler

At home, her mother recalls the tune and sings her the words her grandmother once sang.

"Come home snow," she sang.

"Fall from high...

cover the trees and fill the sky..."

From Song for the Snow by Jon-Erik Lappano, illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler

For days, Freya sings for the snow to come but there is still no snow. She fears it may be too far away or perhaps she isn't singing it right. Then she wonders if more voices are needed and she enlists the help of her classmates to spread the song.

As they sang, distant memories of cozy, snow-filled nights returned to their parents.

And those parents hum the tune as they go about their days, spreading the song into homes and hearts. What happens next is the stuff of legends.

Young readers may anticipate the ending for Song for the Snow but it is no less gratifying, especially for young Freya whose calling it was to bring the snow home. Her connection with snow drew her to the globe and sharing the song, all of which resulted–or did it?–in the return of the snow. Whether it is to be believed by readers or not, it happened, and Jon-Erik Lappano's telling of this fable makes it real. It tells children that it's possible to dream and to wish for things hard enough to make them come true. (I wouldn't be surprised if there are little ones out there who will want to know the tune so they can sing it when they too want the snow to return.) Jon-Erik Lappano tells the story like a recount, a tale passed down, like the song, through generations to remind young readers that they have the capacity to change things. In our tenuous environmental circumstances, Song for the Snow is a lovely push for children to do what they can to make the world the one they want. And it's told so tenderly, never harsh or in your face. Like a blanket of snow, it coats its message of caring action with patience and perseverance and connection.

The artwork by Byron Eggenschwiler gives Song for the Snow a Scandinavian feel from Freya's knitted sweater to the cable-knit feathers of herself as a dream bird. In fact, the art is very reminiscent of Jan Brett's winter tales, perfect for important messages and a cold landscape. Byron Eggenschwiler's digital illustrations are subdued and yet robust in their somberness, infused with a darkness of wishes unfulfilled with only flakes of lightness for the music and snow.

Whether you already have snow on the ground or are only wishing for it, Song for the Snow will give hope that wishing with action can make dreams come true. Freya proved it.

Peg Bearskin: A traditional Newfoundland folktale

As told by Mrs. Elizabeth Brewer

Adapted by Philip Dinn and Andy Jones

Illustrated by Denise Gallagher

Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides

978-1-927917-19-0

44 pp.

All ages

February 2019

Peg Bearskin may be big and ugly and hairy but she's clever and that gumption and canniness make all the difference to her life and those of others.

From Peg Bearskin, illus. by Denise Gallagher

Peg Bearskin is one of three daughters but, alas, her sisters are "pretty as ever the sun shined on" and Peg Bearskin is not. As they grow older, her sisters, like many people, want nothing to do with Peg but she persists in following them. It's lucky for them that she does as, when they spend the night at the home of an old woman, Peg's instincts and exploration lead her to discover the woman to be a witch who possesses a decanter that never empties, a lantern that shines for half a mile without fuel, and a swift horse with magic bells for wishing. Realizing that the witch intends to kill her sisters, Peg tricks the old woman and the three escape. 

When the three siblings get older, Peg goes to see a king with three marriageable sons. She promises the decanter to him if he'd allow her oldest sister to marry his oldest son. She only asks for a handful of pepper to achieve her task of acquiring the decanter for him. While the witch's old man uses the decanter, Peg throws the pepper at him and grabs the pitcher.  Similarly, she steals the lantern to secure a husband for her other sister. Finally, she does the same for herself, using a knife and saw to steal the horse with its magical bells.

From Peg Bearskin, illus. by Denise Gallagher

But, the third son is distraught to be married to Peg. Recognizing that perhaps making a wish on a bell might give him what he wants, Peg shares with him the secret of the bells, upon which he wishes for Peg to be beautiful. And, though the reader will see that Peg does not appear to be any different, the prince, who has turned big, ugly and hairy himself, sees Peg as "the most beautiful woman that water ever wet or the sun ever shined on."

Peg Bearskin may focus on Peg's appearance as defining how she is seen but it supersedes that characterization by showcasing how clever she is. She doesn't need to be beautiful in the same terms of her sisters, and Peg Bearskin justifies the phrase that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder because Peg is beautiful by her astuteness. Even in the end, when her husband wishes her to be beautiful, it's not her that must change. 

From Peg Bearskin, illus. by Denise Gallagher

This traditional Newfoundland folktale is derived from Mrs. Elizabeth Brewer's story told to a folklore student in 1976 and is part of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA) and shared in multiple editions of books on the folktales of Newfoundland. Philip Dinn and Andy Jones adapted it for a storytelling play in the late 1990s and several versions have been published over the years. This edition, illustrated by Louisiana artist Denise Gallagher, lends a folk art feel to the story. With its earthy green tones and beet red touches, Peg Bearskin becomes a true reflection of the folklife of Newfoundland while continuing to focus on the message that beauty should be accepted in its different manifestations. It's storytelling that can be heard in the Newfoundland vernacular of "mudder" and "et" and "spose" and in the supernatural elements of wishing for children, an evil witch, and magical phenomena. There is beauty in all of it and most of all in Peg Bearskin herself.

Moon Wishes

Written by Guy and Patricia Storms
Illustrated by Milan Pavlović
Groundwood Books
978-1-77306-076-7
40 pp.
Ages 4-7
March 2019

Everyone makes wishes to the light of the moon but what does the moon wish for? That’s the question Guy Storms and Patricia Storms answer in their first picture book collaboration with illustrator Milan Pavlović.

From Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

With a beginning that allows young readers to put themselves up in the night sky, Guy Storms and Patricia Storms introduce Moon Wishes with "If I were the moon ..." and then propose the loveliest of sentiments to brighten the world from the darkness that extends far beyond nightfall. There would be the creation of art by shimmering over waters teeming with fish and over "dreams of snow." It would "wax and wane over the Earth's troubles" to soothe and light the way for travellers including human, bird and marine and showcase those who play, sing and reside outside. And the moon would always shine with love and light.

From Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

In a series of glorious images, as iridescent with their glowing moons as the cover, Milan Pavlović gives these heartfelt moon wishes substance. They are no longer wishful thinking or dreams for something better. They are real. Readers can see the lustrous moon paving the way for lives to be lived. From refugees trekking across an expansive landscape to the trumpeter serenading delighted felines or the whales swimming in seafoam green waters, Milan Pavlović shows the smiling moon, serene in all its phases, making the world a brighter place for all.

From Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

I will be adding this book to my Read a Book of Bedtime booklist because it belongs among those titles that help ease little ones to slumber.  With its meaningful intentions and luminous illustrations, Moon Wishes will certainly hush children to sleep knowing that the moon is watching over all and wishing only goodness.

•••••••••••••••••••••
The book launches this Sunday (March 10, 2019) in Toronto. Details here.

The Doll's Eye

Written by Marina Cohen

Roaring Brook Press

978-1-62672-2040

208 pp.

Ages 8-12

February 2017

There’s a creepiness in the old house to which twelve-year-old Hadley Jackson and her mom, and mom’s new husband Ed Crenshaw and his six-year-old son Isaac have moved. 

A heaviness in the air seemed to press down on her.  And, despite the August heat, it was cold and clammy, like a years-unopened tomb. (pg. 2)

She even feels like she’s being watched, though it could simply be the doll’s eyeball she discovers beneath her bed.  But, with her mom giving the lion’s share of her attention to Isaac, a child with numerous food allergies, Hadley is feeling less than hospitable to Ed and Isaac.  When the girl discovers an old dollhouse, a replica of the actual house, with four carved dolls–a man, a woman, a little girl, and an older woman in the apartment over the garage– Hadley sees a perfect family, and wishes the same for herself.   But, as many a tale has taught us, you must be careful with wishes.

Though she still feels out of sorts–in fact, she’s feeling an odd numbness in her hand which is extending to other parts–Hadley meets a couple of individuals who make her start to feel at home: Gabe, a neighbour boy who knows everything about snakes and insects , and the elderly woman, Althea S. de Mone a.k.a. Granny, who lives over the garage.  Gabe comes over daily to play and take her on excursions into the ravine at the back and Granny invites her for tea and crumble and chats about the dolls which she admits to carving.

But things begin to get really strange when the people in her life begin to change as the dolls disappear and are replaced.  First, Ed and Isaac disappear like they’d never existed and all of Hadley’s mom’s attention is focused on her daughter.  Hadley knows it is related to her wish that Ed and Isaac had never come into her life and tries to make things right again but ends up with another more haunting scenario with a father she’d never known.  She knows it’s all tied to the doll’s eye and the dollhouse but making it right seems near impossible. 

Hadley barely made it to her bed before her knees gave out.  She lay for the longest time, thinking, rubbing her numb hands.  It was as though someone had wrinkled the fabric of reality, changing the pattern of its threads.  She closed her eyes.  Perhaps if she dozed off, she’d wake from the nightmare and things would be back to normal. (pg. 100)

As if.

In the subtle terror reminiscent of W.W. Jacob’s chilling short story "The Monkey’s Paw", Marina Cohen brings creepiness into making wishes and into a young girl’s desire for a perfect family.  Hadley is just a naïve young girl who thinks she knows what will make her life better, just like the young girl from the past whose reminiscences Marina Cohen includes throughout The Doll’s Eye. But, whether in the past or the present, the young girls in The Doll’s Eye make some selfish and poor choices that have impacts never imagined.

By implanting her story in the seemingly innocent entities of youth i.e., dolls and dollhouses, Marina Cohen will have young readers shocked when they enter the disturbing realm of horror. But I guess that’s what the genre is meant to do, frighten and disturb. Thankfully, it’s the right amount of fright for young readers, never too much or of the grotesque variety, and it will keep them edge-of-their-seats reading until the last page, never expecting the ending.  As a seasoned reader, I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t, and I expect younger readers won’t either, though they will be thrilled with Marina Cohen’s twisted take on making wishes and what a perfect family entails. But, more than anything, they will be beguiled with another offering by Marina Cohen to a genre rarely published for middle grade readers and a sensational and supernatural contribution at that.

Abigail's Wish

by Gloria Ann Wesley

Illustrated by Richard Rudnicki

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77108-439-0

32 pp.

Ages 4-9

2016

With Black History Month on the horizon, I think I will need to renew last year’s update of youngCanLit valuable for commemorating that important month to include, Abigail's Wish, a lovely picture book about a young girl of a Black Loyalist family.

From Abigail's Wish

by Gloria Ann Wesley 

illus. by Richard Rudnicki

It’s spring and young Abigail is witnessing the dawn of a new season in the world of her new homeland of Nova Scotia.  She still recalls the noise and fears endured during the American Revolution and their long journey by ship from New York in 1783 to the new colony of Birchtown. But she can see forward, looking past the hardships of little food and simple shelter, to the specialness of a day when a new baby would be welcomed.  Abigail’s Aunt Dinah is ready to give birth, and that birth

"…would mean a big celebration: people would bring what they could spare to eat, and the singing and laughter and dancing would be such fun.  Surely, a new dress was needed for such a celebration, Abigail hoped." (pg. 13)

That is Abigail’s wish, for a new dress, and she hopes her mother will use some of their payment of vegetables from cleaning Mrs. Spinney’s house for trade for some fabric at Mr. Tobin’s store.  But it is not to happen.  Returning home, the community has gathered to celebrate the birth of her new cousin, Isaac.  Still Abigail hopes, heading to the church with her mother to see if any donations had arrived from which a suitable dress might be found.  However, as it had been a cold spring and few had undertaken their spring cleaning during which donations often arose, Abigail finds nothing.  Still there is reason to celebrate and Abigail puts her efforts into sewing a quilt for her new cousin from bits and pieces of fabric.  It’s weeks after the celebration that a very special donation just for Abigail helps make her wish finally come true.

From Abigail's Wish

by Gloria Ann Wesley 

illus. by Richard Rudnicki

Gloria Ann Wesley, poet and author of Chasing Freedom (Roseway, 2011) and If This is Freedom (Roseway, 2013), brings a story of the pioneering spirit and the joys of simple successes to the forefront of this picture book of historical fiction.  The birth of a new baby, a job well-paid in produce, a gift of a piece of licorice–all are riches to be appreciated for a Black Loyalist girl who’d already seen much horror in her short life.  A dress becomes the icing on a cake already enjoyed for its flavour and rarity.  Painter Richard Rudnicki, well known for illustrating Gracie, The Public Gardens Duck (Nimbus, 2007) and Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged (Groundwood, 2010), produces a fine mixture of realism and the divine, both which must have impregnated the experiences of Black Loyalists making their way to Canada to establish new homes.  Hardships are plenty but still there are opportunities for diversion and gaiety.  Richard Rudnicki’s art, steeped in the browns and taupes of the naturalness of the land, the everyday clothing and the wood-based interiors, still finds the means to add some mauves and blues, with some reds and yellows, to brighten the reality.  With his art, Richard Rudnicki is able to line Glora Ann Wesley’s story of toil with a quilt of simple joys and appreciation for the goodness of life, helping Abigail's Wish to bring young readers a new awareness of history.

The Wish Tree

by Kyo Maclear

Illustrated by Chris Turnham

Chronicle Books

978-1-452150659

40 pp.

Ages 3-5

September 2016

Kids make wishes on shooting stars, on birthday candles, on wish bones and even eyelashes but little Charles is convinced he’s going to find a wish tree, regardless of what his older brother and sister say.  So, dressed warmly for the winter cold and accompanied by his supportive Boggan (a toboggan), Charles sets out in search of this amazing tree.

The two friends make their way through snow-covered fields, up and down hills,  across ice and into a forest, with Boggan singing “Whishhhhh” along the way.  In their search they help a squirrel get his collection of hazelnuts home, transport a load of birch wood for a beaver, assist a fox in getting her berries to her burrow, carry carrots for some hares and apples for a deer, twigs for birds and more.  Not surprising that time passes quickly and little Charles and Boggan become tired, moving ever more slowly until the boy lays down upon the toboggan.  What happens as Charles sleeps is the miracle that comes of helping others and the discovery of the wish tree is but a fraction of the wonder that comes about that evening for Charles and Boggan.

From The Wish Tree 

by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Chris Turnham

Charles’s search for a wish tree seems more a quest for the hope of opportunity.  Though he and Boggan may become tired in their pursuit of that grail, it’s clear that only by making the wishes of others come true that they are able to realize their dream of locating the wish tree.  Charles does leave a wish on the wish tree (little ones can create their own wish tree upon which they post wishes using a downloadable activity from Chronicle Books at http://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Make-a-Wish-Tree-Activity-Kit.pdf) and, though the reader never sees what he has written, the illustrations indicate a fulfilled little boy making his way home at the end of the night.

From The Wish Tree 

by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Chris Turnham

Kyo Maclear’s story is very simple: a quest for a wish tree.  But she ties up that quest with doing for others, promoting generosity of spirit and effort as the means for personal fulfillment.  It’s a big message in a simple story but an important one for all dreamers and wishers to recognize.  That simplicity is emulated in American Chris Turnham’s illustrations, demonstrating that empowerment does not just come to the bold and brash but the quiet and determined as well.  I’m glad that Charles found his wish tree as he did; any other way would have been too contrived and unsatisfying.  And Kyo Maclear does not do contrived or unsatisfying.  As with her earlier books, including my very favourite Virginia Wolf (Kids Can Press, 2012), Kyo Maclear fulfills readers' own wishes by eloquently wrapping up big concepts in sweet stories that always charm us with their worthwhile life lessons.

Lesson for the Wolf

by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley

Illustrated by Alan Cook

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-005-1

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2015

Any book that can teach self-acceptance in a succinct but non-preachy manner is a keeper.  But, coupled with an appreciation for the Arctic and its innate beauty, Lesson for the Wolf is all the more poignant.

The story begins with the wolf “who disliked all the things that wolves enjoy” like running and playing and hunting and hanging with other wolves.  He’s a bit of a loner, preferring to study other animals including the wolverine and the snowy owl.  So overwhelmed by the beauty of the Land and compelled to feel part of it, not be “just a wolf”, he gathers some fallen caribou antlers, some wolverine hair and a feather from an angry owl and sings to the Land until “his own life moved with the life of the Land.”  Imbued with power, he is transformed into a wolf with an antlered head, a feathered body and a bushy orange and black tail.

Problem is that the wolf is no longer a wolf and not even a caribou, a wolverine or a snowy owl.  He is embarrassed and starving, and runs from the other wolves.  But they are his salvation.  They help him recognize “the greatest beauty that a wolf can know” and return him to his former beautiful self.

The wolf of Lesson for the Wolf is truly a creature of the Land, so filled with love for its beauty and creatures.  But, like so many of us, he cannot see the beauty within, not realizing until it is too late what he has lost by coveting the attributes of the other animals.  Lesson for the Wolf provides an Arctic-themed story for the idiom of “The grass is always greener” and it works so well because of the partnership of Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley.  Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley speaks from one who knows the Arctic, born in a wilderness camp and being of Inuit ancestry. Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley comes at the story from the folklorist side.  Together they make Lesson for the Wolf a story resplendent in a valuable lesson about self-acceptance and in the beauty of the Arctic Land and Sky and its creatures.  Alan Cook, who studied animation at Sheridan College, uses subtle colour and line to evoke an Arctic of contrasts: delicate and bold, elusive and obvious, precarious and inviting.  An amazing accomplishment with a limited palette of whites, browns and turquoises (except for the single spread in which the wolf transforms).  Still, the wolf and the other creatures and the landscape in Lesson for the Wolf are truly characteristic of the tundra and complement Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley’s newest foray into wisdom-sharing stories.

Princess Pistachio

by Marie-Louise Gay

Pajama Press

978-1-927485-69-9

48 pp.

Ages 5-8

For release October, 2014

For the child who is convinced that she is adopted because she has nothing in common with her parents or family who just don't understand her, Princess Pistachio will both charm her and divert her attention from that premise promptly!

Marie-Louise Gay, creator of the ever-popular Stella and Sam series of picture books, introduces Pistachio Shoelace, an orange-haired, freckle-faced moppet, to star in a new series of early readers.  In this first book, Princess Pistachio, Pistachio receives a golden crown in the mail with a card that reads, "Happy birthday, my little princess!" (pg.7)  Believing that it is from her real parents, the king and queen of Papua, an island she'd found on her map, Pistachio is convinced that they have finally found her after she'd been abandoned by a witch at the home of her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shoelace. Donning this crowning proof, Pistachio insists that her princess status be recognized.

Regardless of her newly-recognized regal status, Pistachio's life is still grounded in the daily grind of eating her spinach, watching her baby sister Penny and going to school.  And no one seems to pay homage to Princess Pistachio: not her parents, not her best friends, not Penny, and not even the two duelling boys who must be fencing for her honour!  Sadly, a surprising phone call and a errant little sister bring a new reality to Pistachio (even if Penny is still a pest).

Children have always been taken with Marie-Louise Gay's Stella and Sam series of books, by the wonder and wisdom of an older sister and the innocent inquiry of her little brother.  Now, these readers can enjoy Marie-Louise Gay's signature illustrations in the more challenging stories of Pistachio, the girl who is definitely more like a pixie than an angel.  She may still have Stella's dramatic flair but it's wrapped up in a scampish nature that is all Pistachio.

But, what will exalt Princess Pistachio to the upper echelons of early chapter books is the voice that Marie-Louise Gay has given the little girl and the richness of the text in general.  Delightful play with words and challenging vocabulary enriches Princess Pistachio above most early readers.

 "Princess?" Gabriel sniggers. "Even an ugly old toad would want nothing to do with you!"
"To die for a mustachioed pistachi-toad! Ugh!" Jacob cries out.
They run away laughing like monkeys.
"Brutes! Peasants!" Pistachio screams.  "I'll feed you to the lions!" (pg.22)

With a second book, Princess Pistachio and the Pest, already scheduled, I believe that Marie-Louise Gay and Pajama Press have just created an Anne of Green Gables for the very youngest of youngCanLit readers, and one who will poke at our hearts and funny bones alike.

The Night Gardener

Written by Jonathan Auxier
Puffin
978-0-670-06772-5
384 pp.
Ages 10+
May, 2014

Something wicked this way comes, and it's Jonathan Auxier's second book, The Night Gardener. Not a story for the faint of heart, it's fortunate that our narrators are the bold Molly and her younger brother Kip who learn all about what goes Thump, Thump, Thump in the night.

At fourteen, Molly is taking care of her crippled, ten-year-old brother whilst their parents are travelling to the New World to make a new life for them after the Irish potato famine drove them from their homeland. A born storyteller, she uses stories to distract, console, explain and protect her brother as they make their way to a posting at the home of Master Bernard Windsor, his wife Mistress Constance, and their children Alistair and Penny. Forewarned by locals of the sour woods and a mysterious family history, the two are still surprised by two ominous circumstances. First, a giant tree adjacent to the manor has breached the house via its trunk, branches and roots. Secondly, based on a large family portrait of the Windsors, it seems all four members of the Windsor family have succumbed to an illness that has paled their skin, dulled their hair and generally weakened them.

While Molly is diligent about taking care of her brother and acting as both sister and parent, she is very observant of the secretive Windsors and their manor. She notices discreet visits by the Master and Mistress through a locked green door, listens to Penny's admissions of a night man who leaves muddy footprints, and deals with her own alarming nightmares. But once Kip witnesses the same night man, Molly investigates the noises, wind and leaves that appear, and the shadows that haunt the house, as terrifying as they are.

She wiped the perspiration from her palm and adjusted her grip on the candlestick. "Master Windsor, is that you?" she said as bravely as she could.
The footsteps stopped.
The wind stopped.
Her heart stopped. (pg. 74) 

The secret of that green-doored room, the night visitor, and the diminishing health of the Windsors and then Molly as well are woven with wishes and dreams and haunting supernatural elements. Jonathan Auxier blends the innocence of the poor and orphaned children (Molly and Kip) with the suspicious activities of the wealthy Windsors to tell a story based on the paradox of being careful what you wish. The Night Gardener is the grim reality of those wishes and Jonathan Auxier's darkly atmospheric writing will lead readers with trepidation into the sour woods and within grasp of the far-reaching tentacles of a frightening entity that exploits wishes. But I suspect that Jonathan Auxier's purpose is not to frighten (though he is very good at that) but to help, just as Molly admits in her differentiation between storytelling and telling lies:

"A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens 'em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide." (pg. 288) 

Like Jonathan Auxier, Molly is a bonafide storyteller, but she needs her encounters with the night gardener to recognize the need for honesty, even if it makes for an unnerving tale. But making a reader uncomfortable is a sure sign that the storyteller has made a connection and created an opportunity for learning, whether it be for Molly, Kip or the reader of The Night Gardener. Something to ponder as you wait for your heart to stop racing.

 

The Night Gardener   The Night Gardener   The Night Gardener

I'm sorry that, because of this tardy review, I missed the launch (on May 31, 2014) of The Night Gardener as announced on Jonathan Auxier's website at http://www.thescop.com/. But don't let that stop you from checking out his website that includes his bio, videos, and other scoops from this scop.

Curse of the Dream Witch

by Allan Stratton
Scholastic Canada
978-1-4431-1937-5
266 pp.
Ages 8-12
September, 2013

While Allan Stratton has demonstrated a craft for social justice fiction writing with Leslie's Journal (Annick, 2000), Chanda's Secrets (Annick, 2004) and Chanda's Wars (HarperCollins, 2008), last year's The Grave Robber's Apprentice (reviewed here) has grounded the author's writing feet firmly on middle-grade turf.  With Curse of the Dream Witch, Allan Stratton has secured himself a position in MG youngCanLit.

In the Kingdom of Bellumen, it is the twelfth year of the Great Dread, a time in which parents fear for their children's safety, with boys and girls disappearing at night or in the woods.  All is blamed on the Princess Olivia, whose parents King Augustine and Queen Sophia had sought the help of the Dream Witch in having a child.  The Dream Witch had only asked for a small keepsake which she demands at their daughter's christening: the heart of their daughter, Princess Olivia.  But, Olivia is protected by a dozen pysanky (decorated eggs) gifted to her from Ephemia, the court wizard, and the Dream Witch angrily curses them,

"By the morning of the princess's thirteenth birthday, these twelve pysanky will be destroyed and I will have her heart. Until it beats in my hand, none of your children will be safe." (pg. 11)

So the Great Dread began, with curfews and restrictions placed on the children of the Kingdom, including Olivia, so that they may be kept safe from harm, though many children do go missing and their family homes burned.  By the time Olivia is 12, there is only one of the delicate pysanky left unbroken and she is locked in a turret cell with it and only her books and pet mouse, Penelope. 

Milo, a farmer's son born on the same day as Olivia, is desperate to leave his tedious life of corn farming by day and locked in the house at night.  Accidentally, Milo ventures into the woods and is taken by the Dream Witch, awakening in a glass jar, one of many with children from which she takes gratings for her spells. Using a drawing to transport Milo to the armoire in Olivia's turret, the Dream Witch threatens Milo with his parents' lives if he does not bring Olivia to her.  It is fortuitous that Milo is there in the armoire when Olivia decides that she must runaway rather than going with the disgusting and arrogant Prince Leo of Pretonia and his uncle, the Duke of Fettwurst, ostensibly to keep her safe but ultimately for marriage.

So the adventure begins, with everyone tackling their fears, Olivia trying to evade Leo and the Dream Witch, Milo struggling with his need to save his parents but not get Olivia harmed, Penelope showing herself to be...(you'll discover this when you read the book) and Leo and the Dream Witch manipulating everyone with lies and magic.  For Olivia, Milo and Penelope, it's a perilous escapade through repugnant heaps of earthworms, demon dolls, deceiving look-alikes, and other beasts, with only fear, friendship and courage to guide their actions.

Curse of the Dream Witch is a cautionary tale that illustrates, as the Dream Witch so aptly recognizes, "Dreams can become nightmares" (pg. 4) with Allan Stratton's imagery so visual that the nightmare is almost tangible. From the Dream Witch's nose that was,

"Longer than an elephant's trunk, and twice as wrinkled, its base spanned the width of her forehead, descending between her eyes to her waist, where it coiled around her body and looped itself into a belt." (pg. 4)

 to Leo who was "... slimy, with spots. Sweat dripped from his pasty cheeks, while his pimples glistened like ripe cherries" (pg. 59) and a beast with, "Claws attached to tentacles with suckers the size of plates." (pg. 152-3) Yuck, right? In the true spirit of folktales and fairy tales, children's stories that include supernatural elements such as the magic of the Dream Witch, Curse of the Dream Witch does more than teach about perseverance and self-respect and caring for others (that's the teacher in me talking): it entertains with humour, irreverence and surrealistic repugnance, without the violence.  I can already hear the laughs and "Yucks" soundtrack that is sure to accompany any reading of Curse of the Dream Witch.