Different? Same?

Written by Heather Tekavec

Illustrated by Pippa Curnick

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-565-7

32 pp.

Ages 2-6

May 2017

Maybe it's not really a book genre but I would call Different? Same? an interactive non-fiction book.  It's the kind of book that encourages young children to voice their observations in answer to the simple questions "How are these animals different?" and "How are these animals the same?"  And it's a lovely way of emphasizing the commonalities of animals while still appreciating the diversity of species that populate our world.

From Different? Same! 

by Heather Tekavec

 illus. by Pippa Curnick

For each double-spread, a series of animals are differentiated by their motility, habitat, textures, colours, sounds and other physical and behavioural attributes.  But a final statement at the bottom right corner instructs the reader to "But look closer now..." before sharing the similarity of note for that set of animals.

A final double spread illustration invites readers to seek other similarities, such as spots and webbed feet amongst the forty animals–insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals–depicted in the artwork.  It becomes a find and seek adventure for children, whether they read the book themselves or not. And, if they want to learn a little more, a note at the conclusion called "Why Animals Have the Characteristics They Do" clarifies the functionality of the characteristics noted, turning Different? Same? into a more serious science book for older readers.

From Different? Same! 

by Heather Tekavec 

illus. by Pippa Curnick

Heather Tekavec has published ten previous children's volumes including the popular Stop, Thief! (Kids Can Press, 2014) but this is her first non-fiction book. Still she retains her lively writing by turning Different? Same? away from pure information text and into a book of discovery.  UK illustrator Pippa Curnick furthers that intent with her amusing animals from all levels of the classification hierarchy.  All and all, Different? Same? shows us how distinct the animals in the world are while celebrating common ground, a lesson we should all accept and appreciate in our own world.

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

Written by Jess Keating

Illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

978-1-4926-4204-6

40 pp.

Ages 4+

June 2017

Eugenie Clark was born in 1922 and many, including her university instructors, probably believed she should have become a teacher or a secretary or something else deemed an appropriate occupation for the time.  Thank goodness she followed her heart and applied astounding determination to getting her education and pursuing her interest in sharks, helping her become the scientist she did. And thank goodness for Jess Keating who has brought Eugenie Clark's story to young readers so that they may learn and take example from this impressive role-model of a scientist.

From Shark Lady 

by Jess Keating 

illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

As a child, Eugenie Clark adored going to the aquarium and watching her favourite animals, the sharks.  She was compelled into learning all she could about them through books, though a gift of an aquarium from her mother gave her a chance to create an underwater world of her own, ripe for the study of other aquatic organisms. 

From Shark Lady 

by Jess Keating

 illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns 

Eugenie pursued studies at college, and, though many tried to dissuade her, she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees as well as her doctorate in zoology, and began her research career.  Through an illustrious career of discovering new species, diving in open oceans to experience her first encounters with sharks and training sharks, Eugenie Clark worked tirelessly to dispel countless myths about sharks and educate and protect the animals she loved so.

Author Jess Keating, a zoologist herself, comes from a place of knowledge, appreciation and empathy, allowing her to create an intelligent biography of Eugenie Clark.  We already know that, whether Jess Keating applies her zoological training and expertise to middle-grade fiction (How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes are Tied; How to Outswim a Shark Without a Snorkel; How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue) or children's non-fiction (Pink is for Blobfish), she knows what kids want to read about and she gives it to them in her entertaining and insightful writing. Shark Lady is her first illustrated biography, here of a courageous and determined American woman of science, whose story Jess Keating strengthens with two appendices, one about sharks that she calls "Shark Bites" and the other an infographic timeline of Eugenie Clark's life from birth in 1922 to her death in 2015. (My images below are only partial scans of both these components.)

From Shark Lady

by Jess Keating 

illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Illustrated in the bright, bold artwork of Spanish artist Marta Álvarez Miguéns,  Shark Lady both inspires and entertains with a story, albeit one based in facts, of a young girl's dedication to pursuing her personal interest in sharks and converting that into an extraordinary scientific career, while still cultivating an interest in learning more about Eugenie Clark and sharks.  It's a fabulous read that will have many a child rousing a parent or guardian for a visit to a local aquarium.  Indulge yourselves and go.  There may be another Eugenie Clark just waiting for the opportunity to dive into learning more.

Away

Written by Emil Sher

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-483-1

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2017

There’s a looming red circle on the calendar and a family that knows that date is coming.  No one ever says but it’s evident from “discussions” a mother and child are having via sticky notes that it’s all about going away to camp for the first time. 

From Away 

by Emil Sher

illus. by Qin Leng

Though Mom is upbeat about having one last movie night, and buying bug spray and packing, her daughter is less so.  The child tells her mom she’s only borrowing the sleeping bag for one night; that Lester the cat would miss her; and that evidence from her grandmother suggests her mother's own childhood camp experience was traumatic.  Of course, her mother remembers it quite differently.

From Away 

by Emil Sher 

illus. by Qin Leng

Of course, as with many things, it’s the anticipation of the unknown that is worse than anything for the child.  Thankfully, a final series of notes on larger paper (this will undoubtedly be her letter home) about her camp experience indicate a charming reversal of attitude.

From Away 

by Emil Sher 

illus. by Qin Leng

Emil Sher's story about a young girl heading to camp for the first time is more about family and communication than it is about the camp experience.  The family's busy lifestyle requires them to communicate so much through their sticky notes but this does not affect their relationships but rather guide them in their activities, like a visit to the laundromat that includes math drill, and ensures connection even when apart.  Perhaps the child's reluctance is also associated with the fear that this connection could be lost with distance and time. Fortunately, Qin Leng's pencil and watercolour illustrations provide the softness of touch and brightness of affection needed to allay any family's trepidation about summer camp and reassure everyone–mother, child, cat, grandmother–that it's just like any other day (or week or two) but within a new location and some secondary characters.

Undoubtedly there will be many children who are already anticipating their own summer experience "away" and Emil Sher and Qin Leng have provided a wonderful literary grounding tool in Away that could help most overcome the worries about the unknown. The caring and affection are obvious in the notes and illustrations and will help push any child or adult from worry to acceptance and finally appreciation.  

Undiscovered Country

Written by Jennifer Gold

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-031-5

320 pp.

Ages 13+

April 2017

I feel the familiar wave of sadness overtake me, trapping me underwater, stealing my breath.  Here in the jungle, it is easier to forget my grief.  Sometimes, it feels like something I forgot to pack, something there wasn't room for in my suitcase, and I feel I've won, I've escaped.  Then I remember, and it feels as fresh and raw as it did the night she closed her eyes for the last time. (pg. 125)

Seventeen-year-old Caitlin Marks' grief is as raw and unrelenting as the environs of Bolivia  to which she has thrown herself as a volunteer for nine months with Students Without Boundaries. SWB is Cat's way of running from Ohio and the recent death of her mother from cancer and a father too wrapped up in his own anguish to be a parent to his daughter. But what Cat discovers is that grief resides everywhere, in different forms, and can travel as easily as she does.

Told in alternating perspectives of Before and After, Undiscovered Country is Cat's story of the months leading to her mother's death from cancer and then her experiences as a volunteer in the village of Calantes, a community of poverty, violence and political unrest. As the reader learns of Cat's mom finding the lump in her breast and subsequent gruelling chemo, loss of hair, struggle for dignity and affliction with brain cancer which ultimately takes her life, Cat struggles with balancing being the support her mother needs and going on with her own life, taking her SAT, dealing with peers who see her in terms of her mother's illness, and planning for school at Stanford.  Each step is a struggle of emotions and logistics, helped only somewhat by her sessions with Dr. Shapiro who diagnoses her with Bipolar II.  Bolivia undoubtedly seems like a chance to really help while escaping the overwhelming torment of her sadness.

Sadness is like cancer that way, an unwelcome guest that takes the body or the mind hostage, stripping the joy... (pg. 138)

In Calantes, Cat meets bunkmates Margo who's there to appease her ultra-competitive parents and outdo her cousin who just got into law school; Taylor who'd flunked his first year of college after coming out as gay to his wealthy family; and Melody, a devout Christian, whose self-righteousness masks hidden traumas. And, though everything reminds her of her mother–make-up, Diet Coke, pretzels–Cat soldiers on, meeting the handsome local Rafael and others in the village where she ends up working in the rudimentary infirmary.  But, as she and fellow SWBers  struggle with their emotional baggage, the people of Calantes must deal with their social and political strife, troubles which Rafael is adamant can only be solved with dangerous actions.

The ambiguity that is Cat is normal after a tragedy.

Sometimes it feels as if there are two Cats–the one who longs for love and companionship, who's lonely and desperate for affection, and the other one, who's desperate and desolate and pushes people away, almost determined to stagnate in her grief. (pg. 187-188)

It's unfortunate that Dr. Shapiro and others in Undiscovered Country are so quick to label sadness and grief as mental illness in need of medication.  Cat's foray into a third-world country to volunteer and ease her impotence in helping her mother may not be ideal for all but it works for her, allowing her to discover herself and others in new circumstances.  Without realizing it, Cat's explorations abroad and within challenge her to accept her new normal.

Jennifer Gold, author of Soldier Doll (Second Story Press, 2014), again takes the issue of grief and connections and creates a story of loss, confusion and redemption, with honest characters dealing with realistic challenges but this time in a contemporary setting.  Her characters are dealing with grief, cancer, sexual abuse, foster care, sexuality, family expectations and the teen angst of relationships, peer and romantic.  It's a lot for them to deal with and a lot for Jennifer Gold to tackle.  Still Undiscovered Country, unlike most of us and most definitely Jennifer Gold's characters, never stumbles, instead exposing different paths of salvation to life's struggles, some safer than others, but all viable and very real.

The People of the Sea

Told by Donald Uluadluak

Illustrated by Mike Motz

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-138-6

28 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2017

The supernatural can be frightening but all the more when based in a true story.  This is a true story.  It is the story that was told by Nunavut Elder Donald Uluadluak of a childhood encounter that revealed a bridge between the world of his Inuit life and the myths of his people.

From The People of the Sea 

told by Donald Uluadluak 

illus. by Mike Motz

Donald Uluadluak recalled playing with two friends on the beach and in the water near Arviat, Nunavut in 1940.  When a woman with long dark hair like seaweed and pale skin appeared in the water, watching the trio but never speaking, the boys ran away, back to their camp.  It wasn’t until much later that they shared with their families what they’d seen and were told they’d seen an arnajuinnaq, one of the sea-dwellers of Inuit myths.

From The People of the Sea 

told by Donald Uluadluak 

illus. by Mike Motz

Imagine seeing a supernatural creature. Donald Uluadluak and his friends must have been stunned to learn what they had seen.  Startlingly, he reveals that “Our parents told us that, in the past, people of the sea were easy to spot.  But by the time I was a boy, they had become rare and were not often seen.” (pg. 26) I don’t know why these creatures revealed themselves to the Inuit and specifically to Donald Uluadluak and his friends but The People of the Sea gives us a first-hand account like no other.  Whether the reader believes Donald Uluadluak's account or not, there is an honesty to his story, perhaps because of the playful innocence of the children and the earnestness with which they share the story with their families.  Still Mike Motz's illustrations convey a cool creepiness to the story and makes the reader think about the possibility that a supernatural creature visited three boys that day.

Inhabit Media co-founder Neil Christopher provides notes about his interactions and work with storyteller Donald Uluadluak, having helped put the Elder's stories, including Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story (Inhabit Media, 2012), to paper so that all might share in their knowledge and cultural importance.  Though Donald Uluadluak passed in 2014, his daughter Elizabeth Issakiark ensured his tales would not be lost.  Like Neil Christopher does in his introduction, I would like to thank Elizabeth Issakiark for her dedication to helping share her father’s stories and to Donald Uluadluak for revealing so much personal history and heritage for those of us ignorant of much but interested in learning.  I hope that The People of the Sea is but the first of more Donald Uluadluak’s stories that will be shared with the world.

Donald Uluadluak and daughter Elizabeth Issakiark 

from preface to The People of the Sea

Hit the road with youngCanLit: Travelling Canada through books for children

Just as books can be elixirs for the sleepless child, they can be a blessing for the bored child travelling with adults who already have their go-to in-flight, on-train or in-car activities.  What better way to occupy your child while engaging them than with a tome of youngCanLit (books for children and young adults by Canadian authors and illustrators)?

Though numerous picture books, early readers and chapter books could be included here, and more so now with Canada celebrating 150 years and a plethora of new books slated for release, I’ve generally focused on books that would appease the youngest of travellers who might be less inclined to find their own entertainment without a little help from Mum or Dad (or Auntie or Uncle or Grandma or Grandpa …)

Whether a picture book that informs and entertains a non-reader about Canada or non-fiction books for pre-teens that cover geography and trivia across our country, this book list of youngCanLit for Canada may include the balm you’re looking for to satisfy your own young traveller.

ABC of Canada
Written by Kim Bellefontaine
Illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2004
Learn the alphabet from Arctic to Zamboni and all the letters in between for a colourful look at Canada by alphabet.

The Big Book of Canada (updated ed.)
by Christopher Moore
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Tundra Books
256 pp.
Ages 9-12
April 2017
Rich with photographs and illustrations, this book delves deep into Canada’s places and people.

Canada 123
Written by Kim Bellefontaine
Illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kids Can Press
24 pp.
Ages 2-6
2008
Counting from one maple leaf onward and back has never been so Canadian or fun!

Canada 123
Written and illustrated by Paul Covello
HarperCollins Canada
30 pp.
Ages 2-5
September 2017
Counting book from 0 degrees through 10 sled dogs, and 25, 50, 100 Canadian attributes, with endpapers that sum up our country.

Canada ABC
Written and illustrated by Paul Covello
HarperCollins Canada
28 pp.
Ages 1-3
2016
The alphabet provides the basis for a simple book of Canadian images like dogsled and Ottawa, with more hidden in the details.

Canada Counts: A Charles Pachter Counting Book
Written and illustrated by Charles Pachter
Cormorant Books
64 pp.
Ages 8+
2009
Artist Charles Pachter uses his uniquely Canadian artwork to cover numbers 1 through 20, with a couple of other important numbers like 1867 thrown in.

Canada Year by Year
Written by Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
Ages 9-13
2016
A book of history like no other, commemorating important historical events in politics, sports, the arts, and more from 1867 to 2017.
 

Carson Crosses Canada
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Kass Reich
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
May 30 2017
Annie Magruder and her dog Carson travel from BC to Newfoundland to visit Annie’s sister, enjoying the expansive scenery and attributes of Canada along the way.

Crazy Canadian Trivia
Written by Pat Hancock
Illustrated by Bill Dickson
Scholastic Canada
128 pp.
Ages 7-12
2009
Hundreds of quirky facts about Canada. 

A Day in Canada
Written and illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2015
Take a trip over the course of one day (timed delightfully by a clock) with various Canadian animals to stops at recognizable Canadian locales.

Do Beavers Eat Poutine?: Cool Canadian Quizzes
Written by Helaine Becker
Scholastic Canada
96 pp.
Ages 8-13
2017
Trivia, jokes, and puzzles that are all about Canada.

Eh? to Zed: A Canadian ABeCedarium
Written by Kevin Major
Illustrated by Alan Daniel
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2000
A rhyming alphabet book with images of quintessential Canadian icons and events, including a Mountie, soapstone carvings and a Montreal Canadian. 

Good Morning, Canada
Written and illustrated by Andrea Lynn Beck
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2014
Wake up with children across Canada and see the landscapes of each’s life.
 

Good Night, Canada
Written and illustrated by Andrea Beck
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2012
Follow a young boy's nightly ritual of adieus from coast to coast to coast, as he looks out his window at his country and wonders who else is going to bed.

Hey Canada!
Written by Vivien Bowers
Illustrated by Milan Pavlović
Tundra Books
72 pp.
Ages 8-12
2012
Gran takes her two grandchildren on a road trip across Canada, covering details about flags, terrain, points of interest and more.

I Am Canada: A Celebration
Written by Heather Patterson
Illustrated by Jon Klassen, Barbara Reid, Marie-Louise Gay, Danielle Daniel, Geneviève Côté, Ashley Spires, Qin Leng, Ruth Ohi, Irene Luxbacher, Cale Atkinson Jeremy Tankard, Eva Campbell and Doretta Groenendyk
Scholastic Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
May 2017
Multiple-illustrator version of Heather Patterson’s free verse poem I Am Canada (1996).

The Kids Book of Canada
Written by Barbara Greenwood
Illustrated by Jock MacRae
Kids Can Press
60 pp.
Ages 8-11
2007
Compendium of facts about each province and territory, including geography, history and symbols.
 

M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet
Written by Michael Ulmer
Illustrated by Melanie Rose
Sleeping Bear Press
40 pp.
Ages 8+
2004
A classic alphabet book illustrated by scenes of key Canadians and circumstances like Terry Fox and Anne of Green Gables.

M is for Moose: A Charles Pachter Alphabet
Written and illustrated by Charles Pachter
Cormorant Books
64 pp.
Ages 10+
2008
Artist Charles Pachter lends his own artwork to depicting the alphabet in this sophisticated book for older readers.

My Canada: An Illustrated Atlas 
Written by Katherine Dearlove
Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
May 2017
A picture book atlas covering each province and territory with icons and labels of key cities, landmarks, etc.

That’s Very Canadian:  An Exceptionally Interesting Report about All Things Canadian, by Rachel
Written by Vivien Bowers
Illustrated by Diane Eastman
Maple Tree Press
96 pp.
Ages 8-12
2004
This is Rachel’s school report on Canada in which she covers all things Canadian, with the help of  Moose, Goose and Bucko Beaver.

Where Are You, Bear?: A Canadian Alphabet Adventure
Written by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Sean L. Moore
Owlkids Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-5
As Sophie sets out on her cross-country trek from Newfoundland to BC, her Bear has his own adventures as he chases after her.

Wow Canada!: Exploring this Land from Coast to Coast to Coast
Written by Vivien Bowers
Illustrated by Dan Hobbs and Dianne Eastman
Owlkids Books
160 pp.
Ages 9-12
2010
Take a road trip with Guy, his sister Penny and their parents to learn all about Canada’s special points of interest and symbols, through photos, stamps and illustrations.

Where Will I Live?

Written by Rosemary McCarney

Second Story Press 

978-1-77260-028-5

24 pp.

Ages 5-9

April 2017

The loveliness of this young girl's face masks the concern for her fate.  As with all refugees, the question of Where Will I Live? is a monumental one, though based on the simple human necessity for shelter and safety.  Shamefully, while many of us are striving for bigger and better in our homes, there are many who just want someplace they might find lodging and sanctuary.  This is the story that Rosemary McCarney tells in her empathetic text below the powerful images of photographs taken for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Photograph UNHCR/Mark Henley 

from Where Will I Live? 

by Rosemary McCarney

From terrifying scenes of fleeing in the darkness or facing armed soldiers, these families set to their journeys by various means–on foot, in trucks, by boat–over all manner of terrain and water, in all kinds of weather, looking for some place to rest and inhabit.  It might be under stairs or in a city of tents or in the middle of the street.  It might be alone or amongst countless others.  Photographs of children show them watching, waiting, enduring, hoping for someone to say, "Welcome home." Few words are needed to tell the plight of those in Jordan, Rwanda, Lebanon and elsewhere when the photographs, taken by Sebastian Rich, Mark Henley, Andrew McConnell, Shawn Baldwin, Ivor Prickett, and more, expose the desperation of the refugees in all the rawness of their circumstances.

Photograph UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

from Where Will I Live? 

by Rosemary McCarney

Rosemary McCarney, formerly of Plan International Canada and currently Canada's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament, has penned numerous books for children that emphasize social justice themes (e.g., Every Day is Malala Day; Being Me; Tilt Your Head, Rosie the Red; Because I am a Girl I Can Change the World).  Where Will I Live? supports that same theme by focusing on the plight of many who are ripped from their homes by war and terror and seeking refuge, supported by the photographic evidence of their struggles to find home.  Yet from beginning to end, Rosemary McCarney offers a message about the resiliency of children to endure their struggles and make temporary abodes wherever and whenever necessary until they can find a forever home, thus making Where Will I Live?  a telling story that goes beyond loss and into the realm of hope.

Photograph UNHCR/Shawn Baldwin

from Where Will I Live? 

by Rosemary McCarney