Winter YoungCanLit: Books of our Contentment

In the past week, we here in southern Ontario enjoyed our first hit of snow, and I've been reminded that without winter, we would not be Canadians.  And without winter, the following 50+ books would be irrelevant. And because winter is such an important season in Canada–though I'm sure that there are some who say that it is too pervasive but I wouldn't be one of them–I think we should celebrate winter in all its glory and splendour and joy and tragedy.  Winter has it all!  

PICTURE BOOKS

50 Below Zero
by Robert Munsch
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-8
1986

Bella's Tree
by Janet Russell
Illustrated by Jirina Marton
Groundwood Books
40 pp.
Ages 6-9
2009

Ben's Snow Song: A Winter Picnic
by Hazel Hutchins
Illustrated by Lisa Smith
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 3-5
1987

Cold Night, Brittle Night
by Richard Thompson
Illustrated by Henry Fernandes
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 6-8
1994

Emma's Cold Day
by Margriet Ruurs
Illustrated by Barbara Spurll
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
24 pp.
Ages 3-7
2001

It's Moving Day
by Pamela Hickman
Illustrated by Geraldo Valério
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-9
2008

A Letter from the Snow
by Ellen Bryan Obed
Illustrated by Gordon Hammond
Maine Authors Publishing
40 pp.
Ages 6-9
2015

Lily and the Paper Man
by Rebecca Upjohn
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
2007

Little Snowshoe
by Ellen Bryan Obed
Illustrated by William Ritchie
Breakwater Books
40 pp.
Ages 5-9
1984/2014

Making Grizzle Grow
by Rachna Gilmore
Illustrated by Leslie Elizabeth Watts
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2009

Mary of Mile 18
by Ann Blades
Tundra Books
40 pp.
Ages 5-10
2001

Nana's Cold Days
by Adwoa Badoe
Illustrated by Bushra Junaid
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2002

Northern Nights: The Soccer Trails
by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak
Illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 8+
1993

The Old Ways
by Susan Margaret Chapman
Illustrated by John Mantha
Fifth House
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2014

On a Snowy Night
by Jean Little
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Northwinds Press/Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 8-11
2013

Once Upon a Northern Night
by Jean E. Pendziwol
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Groundwood Books
36 pp.
Ages 4-7
2013

Painted Skies
by Carolyn Mallory
Illustrated by Amei Zhao
Inhabit Media
36 pp.
Ages 5-7
2015

Perfect Snow
by Barbara Reid
North Winds Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2009

Prairie Born
by David Bouchard
Illustrated by Peter Shostak
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 8+
1997

A Prairie Boy's Winter
by William Kurelek
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 9+
1984

SkySisters
by Jan Bourdeau Waboose
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2000

The Snow Cat
by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra Books
24 pp.
Ages 4-8
1999

Snow Day
by Werner Zimmerman
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2007

Snowy Sports: Ready, Set, Play!
Written by Yvette Ghione
Illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kid Can Press
24 pp.
Ages 3-6
2009

Stella, Queen of the Snow
by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2010

Sundog Rescue
by Alison Lohans
Illustrated by Vladyana Langer Krykorka
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
1999

Thomas's Snowsuit
by Robert Munsch
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-8
1986

Twelve Kinds of Ice
by Ellen Bryan Obed
Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Houghton Mifflin
64 pp.
Ages 6-10
2012

Winter Break Wipeout
by Gilles Tibo
Illustrated by Bruno St-Aubin
Translated by Petra Johannson
Scholastic Canada
30 pp.
Ages 6-8
2014

Winter Magic
by Eveline Hasler
Illustrated by Michele Lemieux
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
1989

Winter Moon Song
by Martha Brooks
Pictures by Leticia Ruifernández
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2014

A Winter's Tale
by Ian Wallace
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-9
1997






FICTION

Cold Midnight in Vieux Quebec
by Eric Wilson
HarperCollins
128 pp.
Ages 9-13
1989

Dancing Through the Snow
by Jean Little
Scholastic Canada
238 pp.
Ages 9-14
2007

Frostbite Hotel
by Karen Adams
James Lorimer
160 pp.
Ages 8-11
2014

Graves of Ice: The Lost Franklin Expedition, George Chambers, The Northwest Passage, 1845
by John Wilson
Scholastic Canada
208 pp.
Ages 9-12
2014

The Moon Speaks Cree: A winter adventure
by Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden
Illustrated by Bill Cohen
70 pp.
Ages 8-13
Theytus
2013

Northern Exposures
by Eric Walters
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
304 pp.
Ages 9-13
2008

Sioux Winter
by Bill Freeman
James Lorimer
141 pp.
Ages 11-14
1999

Trapped in Ice
by Eric Walters
Puffin
224 pp.
Ages 8-13
2008

What will the Robin do then? Winter Tales
by Jean Little
Penguin Books Canada
217 pp.
Ages 12-14
1998








Young Adult

Fifth Business
by Robertson Davies
Macmillan Canada
273 pp.
Ages 15+
1970

Frost
by Nicole Luiken
Great Plains Teen Fiction
158 pp.
Ages 13-17
2007

Frozen (HIP Xtreme Novels)
by Lori Jamison
Illustrated by Charlie Hnatiuk
H.I.P. Books
75 pp.
Ages 11-17
2012

Frozen Fire
by James Houston
New York Atheneum
139 pp.
Ages 12+
1984

I am Algonquin
by Rick Revelle
Dundurn
280 pp.
Ages 12+
2013

Peak Survival (Take it to the Extreme)
by Pam Withers
Walrus Books/Whitecap Books
155 pp.
Ages 13-17
2004

The Wolf and Me (The Seven Sequels)
by Richard Scrimger
Orca Book Publishers
229 pp.
Ages 12-15
2014







NON-FICTION

Here is the Arctic Winter
by Madeleine Dunphy
Illustrated by Alan James Robinson
Web of Life Children's Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-8
2007

How Cold Was It?
by Jane Barclay
Illustrated by Janice Donato
Lobster Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
1999

The Inuit Thought of It: Amazing Arctic Innovations
by Alootook Ipellie with David MacDonald
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 9-11
2007

Snow Watch: Experiments, Activities and Things To Do with Snow
by Cheryl Archer
Illustrated by Pat Cupples
Kids Can Press
56 pp.
Ages 8-11
1994

Who Likes the Snow? (Exploring the Elements)
by Etta Kaner
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2006

Winter: A Guide to Nature's Activities and Fun
by Dianne Hayley and Pat Wishart
Illustrated by Jo-El Berg
Lone Pine Publishing
170 pp.
Ages 9-13
1993

Winter’s Coming: A Story of Seasonal Change
by Jan Thornhill
Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2014

Winter Friends
by Jean Stoick
Photographs by Carl R. Sams II
Carl R. Sams II Photography (Distributed by Scholastic Canada)
14 pp.
Ages 2-5
2003

Within the Stillness: One Family’s Winter on a Northern Trapline
by Keith Olsen
Your Nickel's Worth Publishing
191 pp.
Ages 10+
2011

Clockwise Press: Fall Book Launch (Toronto)

Canada's newest publisher for young people

Clockwise Press

Turning young readers into lifelong readers 

with the right book, at the right time

is having a

Fall Book Launch 

for

Missing Nimama

by Melanie Florence

Illustrated by François Thisdale

Clockwise Press

978-0-9939351-0-7

32 pp.

Ages 8+

October, 2015

Reviewed here

and

Stay Strong: A Musician's Journey from Congo

by Natalie Hyde

Clockwise Press

978-0-9939351-2-1

141 pp.

Ages 12-16

August, 2015

on

Monday, November 30, 2015

 at 6:30 p.m.

at

Mabel's Fables Bookstore

662 Mount Pleasant Road

Toronto, Ontario

(416) 322-0438

Authors Melanie Florence and Natalie Hyde 

will be in attendance 

(and undoubtedly available for signing books)

and

there will be mulled wine, gingerbread and cake!

RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/clockwisepress/

Once Upon a Line: Book Event and Art Exhibit and Sale (Toronto)

Join 

award-winning author, illustrator and artist 

Wallace Edwards 

for a special event to celebrate his newest picture book

Once Upon a Line

by Wallace Edwards

Pajama Press

978-1-927485-78-1

32 pp.

Ages 6-9

Released September, 2015

Reviewed here

on Saturday, December 5, 2015

from 2-4 p.m.

at

Ingram Gallery

24 Hazelton Avenue

Toronto, ON

In addition to a book signing 

(books will be available for purchase) 

and reception, with refreshments,

there will be an exhibition and sale 

of the original picture book art

(which will run until December 10)

Having met the lovely and talented Wallace Edwards and appreciated his artwork for many years, I am most excited about the art exhibit! Imagine an opportunity to purchase original art work from a work of youngCanLit that is sure to be on award lists in the upcoming year.

RSVP at bit.ly/OnceUponALine

Get more news from publisher Pajama Press about this event and book and more at http://pajamapress.ca

2015 TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards: Winners announced

Last night, a spectacular youngCanLit celebration was held at The Carlu in Toronto.  It was the 2015 TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards and it was grand.  Hosted by the Canadian Children's Book Centre and the TD Bank Group and emceed by Shelagh Rogers from CBC Radio One's The Next Chapter, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards honoured a plethora of youngCanLit authors and illustrators and shared those honours with their peers and a multitude of publishers, publicists, literacy experts, librarians, teachers and bloggers who sang their praises.

The evening started with the presentation of the Fan Choice award, young readers' selection from the finalists for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award.  The winner, presented by the darling seven-year-old Nora Julia Vukadinovic from Calgary, was

Any Questions? 

Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay

Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

Then the winners of other eight major children's book awards were announced (though the winner of the Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse had been awarded last week in Montreal).

Congratulations to the following winners

(as well as the finalists from which the winners were chosen!

TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($30,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group

The Night Gardener

Written by Jonathan Auxier

Puffin Canada

Reviewed here

Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse ($30,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group

L'autobus

Written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc

Comme des géants

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000) Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie

Nancy Knows

Written and illustrated by Cybèle Young

Tundra Books

Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000) Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation

Why We Live Where We Live

Written by Kira Vermond

Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Owlkids Books

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000) Sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund

Dance of the Banished

Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pajama Press

Reviewed here

John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000) Sponsored by John Spray of Mantis Investigation Agency

Julian

Written by William Bell

Doubleday Canada

Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000)  Sponsored by HarperCollins Canada

The Night Gardener

Written by Jonathan Auxier

Puffin Canada

Reviewed here

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000) Sponsored by Amy Mathers' Marathon of Books

What We Hide

Written by Marthe Jocelyn

Tundra Books

Reviewed here

I've already said it, but this was a spectacular evening of celebrating youngCanLit but it was a great chance for people-watching for the who's who in Canadian children's literature.  Although I was only able to speak with a handful of illustrious authors and illustrators, I saw the following in attendance, in no particular order:  Kenneth Oppel, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Caroline Pignat, Sigmund Brouwer, Bill Swan, Wesley King, Nancy Hartry, Lesley Livingston, Adrienne Kress, Wallace Edwards, Gisela Sherman, Sylvia McNicoll, Gillian Chan, Patrick Bowman, Vikki VanSickle, Eric Walters, Matt James, Don Cummer, Marina Cohen, Deborah Kerbel, Jan Dolby, Marthe Jocelyn, Jess Keating, Marie-Louise Gay, Cybèle Young, Rona Arato, Kathy Stinson, Peter Carver, E. K. Johnston, Hugh Brewster, Eugenie Fernandes, Cary Fagan, Natalie Hyde, Kari-Lynn Winters, Lena Coakley, Anne Laurel Carter, Teresa Toten, Karen Krossing, Karen Patkau, Patricia Storms, Barbara Reid...but there were 600 people there so I've undoubtedly missed a few hundred!

If you're interested in youngCanLit, become a member of the Canadian Children's Book Centre and you too will get an invite to this event and be able to participate in its workshops and such, as well as receive copies of its publications Canadian Children's Book News and Best Books for Kids & Teens.  Maybe I'll see you next year! (And many thanks to those lovely people who came up and introduced themselves to me.  It was a pleasure making the acquaintance of more lovers of youngCanLit!)

Mayann's Train Ride

by The Honourable Mayann Francis

Illustrated by Tamara Thiébaux Heikalo

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77108-348-5

32 pp.

Ages 4-9

October 2015

The Honourable Mayann Francis, first female African-Nova Scotian to hold the position of  Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, was once a young girl who took a memorable train trip with her family and, while seeing important sights, learned what it means to be part of a warm and open-hearted community.  This is her story.

In the 1950s, when she was just 9 years old, Mayann accompanied her parents and sister Isabel on a trip to visit family in New York City where her father, George Francis, archpriest of the African Orthodox Church of Whitney Pier (Sydney), Cape Breton would also speak at a Harlem church.  This was a big deal for the little girl for, though she lived in a diverse community that exposed her to people from faraway places, she was going to travel by overnight train, stop in Montreal to visit old friends and, almost most importantly, she got to carry a very-grown-up purse she had purchased using her savings.  

There is a reason I write “almost most importantly.” Though she appreciates all who notice the beautiful green purse in which she carries a small notebook recording all she experiences on her trip, “dreaming of showing off the purse to my family in New York”, Mayann she loses it on a subway after a trip to the Bronx Zoo.  No matter the efforts to locate it or to console Mayann, it “was gone forever, along with the five-dollar bill and my notebook full of memories.”  However, the congregation at the church in Harlem help Mayann see that it’s people that make things important, not the items themselves.

Going beyond one’s comfort zone to experience new and wonderful places and people is what Mayann’s Train Ride is all about but it’s also about milestones in one’s life, whether it be carrying one’s first purse or experiencing the Statue of Liberty or seeing your first black doll.  The Honourable Mayann Francis shares these moments with young readers and offers a sweet story of humble beginnings for a woman who achieved so much.  I don’t know Tamara Thiébaux Heikalo’s artwork but I should have as Mayann’s Train Ride is the ninth book for which she has provided illustrations.  Her ink-outlined watercolours provide a charming nostalgic quality to the story, perfect for the 1950s.  From the girls’ clothing and the bows in their hair, to their mother’s prim and proper suits, and of course the purses, Tamara Thiébaux Heikalo gets the tone and the colours and the quality of the setting and characters perfect, as are her depictions of important places like Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.

Mayann’s Train Ride may be a trip down memory lane for The Honourable Mayann Francis but it will read as a new adventure for children who will recognize its importance, right down to the little green purse.