#CanLitChoices for Grade 2 novel studies: youngCanLit in series

There are a lot of teachers of students in Grade 2 (ages 6-7) who are eager to introduce their young readers to literature circles and the joy of reading that comes as a social activity (yes, reading is not necessarily a solitary activity).  But, most teachers have been forced to rely on the old standbys like Junie B. Jones, Jigsaw Jones, Horrible Harry, Katie Kazoo, Cam Jansen and Abby Hayes whose reading levels range from 1.8 to 2.9.

And though I believe that this is a very difficult age for whom to write, needing to limit vocabulary while presenting an interesting read in fewer pages (usually around 100 pages), I believe that there are more and more Canadian authors who are writing these books.  Some are a part of collections, like Orca Book Publishers' Orca Echoes (RL Gr. 2, IL ages 7-9) or Orca Young Readers (RL 2-4, IL ages 8-10) while some are series and others are stand-alone novels.  But, whatever your choice, there's something out there for the Grade 2 teacher interested in focusing on #CanLitChoices and for younger readers itching to read "novels" like older students.

Today's post will focus on early reader series of youngCanLit and a second post soon will focus on stand-alone novels for use in Grade 2 novel studies.

Here now are my favourite early reader series of youngCanLit:


Binky Adventures (Kids Can Press)
Binky, whose first book won the Ontario Library Association's Silver Birch Express award, is a sure winner for children who love cats and want a graphic novel format with their laughs

Binky the Space Cat
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
64 pp.
Ages 7-10
2009

Binky to the Rescue
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
64 pp.
Ages 7-10
2010

Binky Under Pressure
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
64 pp.
Ages 7-10
2011

Binky Takes Charge
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
64 pp.
Ages 7-10
2012

Binky: License to Scratch
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
64 pp.
Ages 7-10
2013







Canadian Flyer Adventures (Maple Tree Press/Owlkids)
Seventeen books in this early reader series by Frieda Wishinsky, and illustrated by a number of artists, cover the adventures of Matt and Emily who travel by a magical sled to different times in history at different locations

#1 Beware, Pirates!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2007
Aboard explorer Martin Frobisher's ship in the year 1577

#2 Danger, Dinosaurs!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2007
In the Alberta Badlands during the Cretaceous Period

#3 Crazy for Gold
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2007
During the late 1800s gold rush in the Yukon

#4 Yikes, Vikings!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2007
Traveling with Viking explorer Leif Erikkson to Vinland

#5 Flying High!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2007
First powered flight in Canada with Alexander Graham Bell in 1909 Baddeck, Nova Scotia

#6 Pioneer Kids
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2007
On the Canadian Prairies in 1910

#7 Hurry, Freedom
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
 2008
Traveling along the Underground Railroad across the Canada-U.S. border in 1858

#8 A Whale Tale
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2008
Traveling with explorer James Cook and the Nootka on Canada’s West Coast in 1778

#9 All Aboard!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2008
Building of the Canadian Pacific Railway at its completion in British Columbia in 1885

#10 Lost in the Snow
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2008
Quebec in the mid-1600s

#11 Far From Home
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2008
A ship on its way from London to Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia during World War II

#12 On the Case!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2009
The western town of Galbraith's Ferry in 1888

#13 Stop that Stagecoach!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Jean-Paul Eid
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2009
Ontario in the early 1800s when much of the province is still wilderness

#14 SOS! Titanic!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Jean-Paul Eid
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2010
Aboard the Titanic in 1912

#15 Make It Fair!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2010
Winnipeg in the early 1900s

#16 Arctic Storm
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2011
The Far North in 1976 with research scientists studying wolf and caribou migration and habitat

#17 Halifax Explodes!
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-9
2011
Halifax, Nova Scotia, just as the Mont Blanc explodes in the harbour

Elephants Never Forget (Kids Can Press)
A graphic novel series about Otto, an elephant, whose looking for his childhood friend, George, the chimpanzee

Big City Otto
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
88 pp.
Ages 8-11
2011

Big Top Otto
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
80 pp.
Ages 8-11
2013

Big Star Otto
Written and illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 8-11
2015

Jasper John Dooley (Kids Can Press)
Early reader about Jasper John Dooley for whom life just seems to be an endless stream of normal but hilarious events, from Show-and-Tell to hyperactivity.

Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press
128 pp.
Ages 6-9
2014
School, siblings and shenanigans

Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press
132 pp.
Ages 6-9
2014
Intergenerational relationship

Jasper John Dooley: You're in Trouble
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press
124 pp.
Ages 6-9
2015
Energy drinks and hyperactivity

Jasper John Dooley: NOT in Love
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press
132 pp.
Ages 6-9
2015
Boy-girl relationships

Jasper John Dooley: Lost and Found
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Mike Shiell
Kids Can Press
128 pp.
Ages 6-9
2015
Toys







Justine McKeen (Orca Book Publishers)
Series about a plucky girl with a mega-heart and keen sense of environmentalism.

Justine McKeen, Queen of Green
by Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers
56 pp.
Ages 7-9
2011
Recycling

Justine McKeen, Walk the Talk
by Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers
64 pp.
Ages 7-9
2012
Air pollution and idling cars

Justine McKeen, Pooper Scooper
by Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers
59 pp.
Ages 7-9
2012
School libraries and poop in parks

Justine McKeen, Eat Your Beets
by Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers
55 pp.
Ages 7-9
2013
Wasted food and homeless animals

Justine McKeen and the Bird Nerd
by Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers
64 pp.
Ages 7-9
2013
Birds

Justine McKeen vs. the Queen of Mean
by Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers
53 pp.
Ages 7-9
2014
Species loss and caring for the environment







Kung Pow Chicken (Scholastic Canada)
Funny graphic novel series about the crime-fighting chicken, normally a second-grader named Gordon Blue, and his sidekick/little brother, Egg Drop. Let's Get Cracking won the Ontario Library Association's Silver Birch Express award for 2015.

#1  Let's Get Cracking
Written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko
Scholastic Canada
80 pp.
Ages 5-7
2014

#2  Bok! Bok! Boom!
Written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko
Scholastic Canada
80 pp.
Ages 5-7
2014

#3  The Birdy Snatchers
Written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko
Scholastic Canada
80 pp.
Ages 5-7
2014

#4  Heroes on the Side
Written and illustrated by Cyndi Marko
Scholastic Canada
80 pp.
Ages 5-7
2014

Martin Bridge (Kids Can Press)

Two to three stories in each book, all about eight-year-old Martin Bridge who loves space.

Martin Bridge, Ready for Takeoff!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
120 pp.
Ages 6-8
2005

Martin Bridge, On the Lookout!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
144 pp.
Ages 6-8
2005

Martin Bridge, Blazing Ahead!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
112 pp.
Ages 6-8
2006

Martin Bridge, Sound the Alarm!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
110 pp.
Ages 6-8
2007

Martin Bridge, Out of Orbit!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
112 pp.
Ages 6-8
2007

Martin Bridge, In High Gear!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
112 pp.
Ages 6-8
2008

Martin Bridge, The Sky's the Limit
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
112 pp.
Ages 6-8
2008

Martin Bridge, Onward and Upwards!
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Illustrated by Joseph Kelly
Kids Can Press
112 pp.
Ages 6-8
2009

Morgan (Formac)
Part of Formac First Readers collection, many of the Morgan books which total seventeen have already been re-issued with new covers in 2013.

Morgan Makes Magic
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
1997
School, peer pressure, magic

Morgan's Secret
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
58 pp.
Ages 6-9
2000
Secrets

Morgan Gets Cracking
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
61 pp.
Ages 6-9
2012
Teasing

Morgan and the Money
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Stolen money

Music by Morgan
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Floor hockey, piano

Great Play, Morgan
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
61 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Soccer

Morgan and the Dune Racer
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Emotions

Pucker Up, Morgan
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
School play

Campfire Morgan
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
61 pp.
Age 6-9
2013
Camping

Daredevil Morgan
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Fairs

Morgan's Birthday
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Birthday party

Morgan Makes a Splash
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Courage

Morgan Makes a Deal
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
59 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Paper routes

Super Move, Morgan!
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2006/2013
Action figures, stealing

Morgan's Pet Plot
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
64 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Pets, allergies

Morgan on Ice
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
56 pp.
Ages 6-9
2013
Skating

Morgan's Got Game
by Ted Staunton
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Formac
55 pp.
Ages 6-9
2014
Toys






Looney Bay All-Stars (Scholastic Canada)
A series of adventures by Reese McSkittles and Looney Bay All-Stars sports team as they encounter, via a magic coin, an assortment of historical characters.

#1 Pirate Power Play
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
61 pp.
Ages 7-9
2006
Hockey and pirates

#2 Attack by Knight
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
66 pp.
Ages 7-9
2006
Lacrosse and knights of medieval times

#3 The Vikings Have a Field Day
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
72 pp.
Ages 7-9
2007
Track-and-field and the Vikings at L'Anse aux Meadows

#4 Explorers Out of Bounds
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
72 pp.
Ages 7-9
2007
Soccer and John Cabot

#5 The Emperor Strikes Out
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
72 pp.
Ages 7-9
2007
Baseball and ancient Romans at the Coliseum

#6 Egyptian Slam Dunk
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
72 pp.
Ages 7-9
2008
Basketball and ancient Egyptians

#7 Final Face-Off
by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Sampar
Scholastic Canada
75 pp.
Ages 7-9
2008
Hockey and Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Drake, Martin Frobisher and the Spanish Armada






Princess Pistachio (Pajama Press)
A more challenging read than Marie-Louise Gay's much-loved picture book series about Stella and Sam, Princess Pistachio focuses on the very imaginative Pistachio and her family. 

Princess Pistachio
Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Pajama Press
48 pp.
Ages 5-8
2014
Family, imagination

Princess Pistachio and the Pest
Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Translated by David Homel
Pajama Press
58 pp.
Ages 5-8
2015
Siblings








A Sam & Friends Mystery (Kids Can Press)
A spooky graphic novel mysteries that features Sam, a sheepdog, whose neighbour Jennie can hear her thoughts, helping them to solve neighbourhood mysteries.

Dracula Madness
by Mary Labatt
Illustrated by Jo Rioux
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-8
2009

Lake Monster Mix-Up
by Mary Labatt
Illustrated by Jo Rioux
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-8
2009

Mummy Mayhem
by Mary Labatt
Illustrated by Jo Rioux
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-8
2010

Witches' Brew
by Mary Labatt
Illustrated by Jo Rioux
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 6-8
2011







Travels with my Family (Groundwood Books)
Delightful stories of holidays with mom, dad, two boys, lovingly illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay

Travels with My Family
by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel
Groundwood Books
120 pp.
Ages 7-10
2007

On the Road Again: More Travels with My Family
by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel
Groundwood Books
144 pp.
Ages 7-10
2008

Summer in the City
by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel
Groundwood Books
152 pp.
Ages 7-10
2012

The Travelling Circus
by Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel
Groundwood Books
144 pp.
Ages 7-10
2015





Look for my upcoming post about stand-alone novels that can be used for Grade 2 novel studies and are clearly great examples of #CanLitChoices.

Dojo Daytrip

by Chris Tougas

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-142-8

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

September 2015

They may be ninjas but they are still children:  boisterous, inquisitive, energetic and rowdy.  And a field trip with Master to a farm doesn't do anything but fuel their fires!  Remember Chris Tougas' six little ninjas from Dojo Daycare (Owlkids Books, 2014)?  Well, they're back and as effervescent as a newly opened pop bottle.

And Master must feel the same way as the six ninjas–never named but each unique and recognizable by hair or lack thereof–explode off the bus and begin to explore and cause ninja mayhem! But, it's Master who continues to find himself in buckets of awkwardness: falling in the pigs' trough, or running from a bull, or spooking a horse.  The little ninjas have just not been paying attention, distracted by the chicks, or other farmyard entities, and

It's a big barnyard disaster!
No one's there to save the Master.
The ninjas all forgot their creed:
Always help someone in need.

But after a few "Yikes!" and "Yee-ow!" moments, the ninjas realize the Master needs help and they jump in to make things right.  It's a full day of activities and activity and rhyming and word play, and it's not surprising that the little ones seem tired on the road home, though a taurine stowaway suggests more mayhem is in their future.

Dojo Daytrip is a fun romp at the farm with Chris Tougas' agile ninjas and their adult wrangler, reminiscent of many school field trips with their "if something can do wrong, it will" moments.  But Chris Tougas twists that story line by having the Master at the heart of the craziness and allowing the little ninjas to solve the problems and go beyond the call of duty.  The Master may be harping on the little ones forgetting their creed but they're just too busy having fun.  Chris Tougas' words are light and rhythmic and work so well with his bold characters and sparse settings.  It's a fast read, perfect for a read-aloud before a school trip, but take the time to notice all the details like the red scarf that riles the bull, or the one farting ninja, or the little chicks that wave good-bye, or the ninja teddy-bear.  There's a richness of details and facial expressions and such that add so much to the simple story of helping out those in need that Dojo Daytrip will be a fun keeper to use in the classroom for field trip prep, for rhyming exemplars and for a pastural past-time without getting on a bus.

Never Give Up & Reptile Flu

Never Give Up: A story about self-esteem

Written by Kathryn Cole

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Second Story Press

978-1-927583-60-9

24 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2015

Reptile Flu: A story about communication

Written by Kathryn Cole

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Second Story Press

978-1-927583-61-6

24 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2015

This new  I’m a Great Little Kid series from Second Story Press will be a bonus to teachers or parents looking for a literature-based lesson for teaching positive life values such as communication and self-esteem, especially as there are addenda called “For Grown-ups” that explain the concept on which the book is focused and provide guidance to addressing each.  Each book is a wonderful package of story and lesson, lovingly illustrated by Canadian artist Qin Leng whose artwork graces picture books from the quirky A Flock of Shoes (Sarah Tsiang, Annick Press, 2010) to light-hearted but poignant Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin (Chieri Uegaki, Kids Can Press, 2014) and Norman, Speak! (Caroline Adderson, Groundwood Books, 2014).  Now Qin Leng’s light touch will be recognizable as the one that lends an innocent air to the I’m a Great Little Kid series.  Lucky Kathryn Cole and Second Story Press.

In Never Give Up, Nadia watches as her friend Shaun continues to try to ride his two-wheel bicycle.  Learning that Shaun is good at skipping, the very skill she is trying to master, and that he does not give up on his bike and its training wheels, even after a bunch of kids laugh at him, Nadia enlists her father’s help to get Shaun balanced and riding successfully.  Reciprocating, Shaun helps guide Nadia, and funnily enough her father too, to become a successful skipper, even enlisting the help of those children who’d laughed at Shaun before.

With the class studying reptiles in Reptile Flu, Ms. Cosby, their teacher, plans a trip to the museum.  Kamal, for whom “The very though of reptiles sent shivers down his spine”, is less than thrilled.  But, he can’t find the words to tell his teacher, or even his classmates when they display their reptile drawings to him.  Instead, he endures nightmares and has ineffective conversations with his teacher, parents, sister and peers in an attempt to share his fears, all to no avail, until the day of the trip.  Finally, Kamal finds his voice and Ms. Cosby finds a way for Kamal to feel OK about his fears and even enjoy the trip.

Kathryn Cole’s messages in Never Give Up and Reptile Flu are so positive and told in such familiar scenarios that all young readers will easily find themselves empathizing with the characters who try to develop new skills or face difficulties with communication.  And, even better, they will actually see themselves in the book, so incredibly inclusive in the families displayed and the skin, clothing, names, and body types of the children within.  There’s Lin, Kamal, Claire, Nadia, and Shaun.  There are children in leg braces, in head scarves, with glasses and not, thinner, heavier, white, brown, black, poorer, richer–everyone is there!  And they are all given voice to share their likes, their fears, their needs. There is no better way to learn a life lesson than by seeing yourself, sort of, within the safety of a book, where no one can laugh at you or see your mistakes or weaknesses.  If Never Give Up and Reptile Flu are an indication of the wisdom and significance of the I’m a Great Little Kid series¬–even the series name works to promote a positive message!–I think all youngCanLit readers and their parents and teachers should be anticipating more worthwhile titles to add to their libraries, personal and school.

Eco Warrior

by Philip Roy

Ronsdale Press

978-1-55380-347-8

200 pp.

Ages 10+

March, 2015

If readers were ever trepidatious during Alfred’s world-wide adventures in the first six books in Philip Roy’s Submarine Outlaw series, nothing will match the opening scenes of Eco Warrior. In all Alfred’s zealousness for safety and for anticipating all possible outcomes, he could never foresee being set adrift in the ocean, watching the sub still runnng and pulling away from him.  It’s a shocking beginning but brings Alfred to a new appreciation for all he has.

Not surprising that the sixteen-year-old, already on a quest to become an environmentalist, is overhwlemed by the pessimism of an elderly sailor, Margaret, who believes “You can’t save the oceans now.  Nobody can.  It’s too late.” (pg. 30), though she is still impressed by his hope.  That hope takes him to Australia where he meets a passionate barrister who’d fought, unsuccessfully, to prevent a tanker from heading illegally into the Southern Ocean to refuel Japanese whaling ships that actually claim to be doing research!  That innocent conversation has Alfred suspected of sabotaging that tanker, and an outlaw again.

As he evades authorities in Australia and then Tasmania, Alfred becomes enmeshed in the anti-whaling activities of the Sea Shepherd Society, and accepting risks that he normally would not.  And between being swayed repeatedly by a persuasive environmentalist-inventor named Merwin, stalking and then colliding with a tanker, enjoying the company of a mother blue whale and her baby, and witnessing illegal activities asssociated with whaling, Alfred’s experiences in the Southern Ocean are more than plentiful.

It’s exciting to travel alongside Alfred, Hollie and Seaweed in the sub, and to visit continents and oceans worldwide.  Best is that Philip Roy is able to embed the reader in those adventures and onto the sub so easily.  As he has consistently done in all his Submarine Outlaw books, Philip Roy simply tells a story that includes making the setting more than just the time and place.  It is an integral character in the story, creating plotlines that are more than just the filler of many books.  While books can often take readers to new worlds that they could never imagine, Philip Roy takes those same readers to worldly situations and places they might someday experience but get to enjoy safely from within the pages of his books.  Some of those situations are truly harrowing, like Alfred’s near-death dumping into the ocean or the altercations of environmentalists with the illegal whalers and co-conspirators.  Luckily, young readers can immerse themselves in these same scenarios without tragedy and even face them as Alfred does, with the uncertainty of youth  but the wisdom of a seasoned traveller.  An extraordinary feat for Eco Warrior, a book of a mere 200 pages but a captivatingly deep one just the same.

Buddy and Earl

by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Carey Sookocheff

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-712-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

August 2015

I’m sure that most friendships don’t start out that way.  There may be those encounters by which individuals become “fast friends” but I suspect many friendships  begin slowly as each tries to figure the other out. Friend? Foe? Agenda? Danger?  In fact, in Maureen Fergus' Buddy and Earl, when Meredith brings a mysterious open box in, Buddy the dog probably wasn't thinking "friend" at all but rather "what?"

A few pokes  and an amiable introduction between Buddy and the rounded creature who identifies himself as Earl has the two chatting away.  But still Buddy doesn't know the "what" that is Earl.  He asks but Earl has an odd assortment of answers to, "And what are you, Earl?" He could be a race car, or a giraffe, or a sea urchin, a talking hairbrush–definitely plausible–or a skyscraper, rhino or mouse.  Nothing seems to work for Buddy who is clever enough to know what Earl isn't.  But when Earl suggests that he is a pirate and Buddy his first mate, the two go off on an adventure that has Mom shaking her head and the two bonded with friendship.

I've adored Maureen Fergus' YA books (The Gypsy King, Razorbill, 2012; A Fool's Errand, Razorbill, 2013; Tomorrow's Kingdom, Razorbill, 2014) but she's showing her versatility in writing picture books, recently winning the Ontario Library Association's Blue Spruce readers' choice award for The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten (Kids Can Press, 2013), and Buddy and Earl displays the same wonderful voice of innocence and discovery, with a touch of parental attitude.  Whether Buddy is a real dog and Earl another family member, I have no doubt but it really doesn't matter.  The two dissimilar pets demonstrate the ability to make friends no matter where and no matter with whom just by being themselves.  It doesn't really matter whether Earl is a hedgehog, though I suspect he is, and prone to imaginative bursts of creative play or steadfast and thoughtful like the loyal Buddy. The two come together and make something better and bigger:  a friendship.  And that's all it takes to identify Earl in the end and to add a new moniker to Buddy beyond "dog".

I don't know Carey Sookocheff's work but I think we all will soon.  Buddy and Earl is her first picture book and I believe the simplicity and retro style of her artwork, here in muted creams, khaki, orange and powder blue, will endear her work to many.  It has the effortless ambience of child's play to which young children will be drawn.  I imagine that the young will be as charmed by Carey Sookocheff's illustrations as they are to the guessing game that Buddy and Earl play whilst the two strut into their new friendship.  Even better, we've got more adventures to which we can look forward with the two new friends getting into new situations in Buddy and Earl Go Exploring (March, 2016) and Buddy and Earl and the Baby, both from Groundwood Books.

Secrets Blog Tour is coming!

Sh-h-h...  but tell everyone:

Secrets

to be revealed

September 29, 2015

The newest series of seven books, orchestrated by Eric Walters for Orca Book Publishers, is on its way, ready to tell the seven concurrent stories of seven young women raised at the Benevolent Home for Necessitous Girls in the town of Hope, Ontario.  The year is 1964.  When a fire rips through the building, the seven oldest girls–Toni, Sara, Betty, Tess, Malou, Dot and Cady–are each given an envelope with some things, perhaps clues, from their pre-orphanage days.  And therein lie the stories of Secrets.

And if you're the only one who hasn't seen the fantastic notice for the series, here it is:

Starting next Tuesday, blogs across the internet will host the blog tour for the release of Secrets.  I'm pleased to announce that I will be hosting a review of My Life Before Me and a Q & A with the book's author, Norah McClintock.  I was thrilled to be asked and delighted to share the honour with readers of CanLit for LittleCanadians.

Here are the list of books and their stops on the blog tour:

Innocent 
by Eric Walters

Hosted by Lost in a Great Book
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Shattered Glass
by Teresa Toten

Hosted by Spellbound Book Reviews
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Unquiet Past
by Kelley Armstrong

Hosted by Ya Book Shelf
Thursday, October 1, 2015

Stones on a Grave
by Kathy Kacer

Hosted by teenreads
Friday, October 2, 2015

My Life Before Me
by Norah McClintock

Hosted by CanLit for LittleCanadians
Saturday, October 3, 2015

A Big Dose of Lucky
by Marthe Jocelyn

Hosted by Lost in a Great Book
Sunday, October 4, 2015

Small Bones
by Vicki Grant

Hosted by Pop! goes the reader
Monday, October 5, 2015






Mark September 29-October 5 on your calendar and please join me and others in celebrating the release of a series that is sure to get readers (ages 12+) excited about reading, a different era, and the secrets that make for great stories.