Black History Month: Additional titles

In 2014, I posted my first listing of youngCanLit which could be read to commemorate Black History Month.  There were 54 titles in that initial listing which is posted here.






In 2016, I updated that listing, adding more titles of those recently published and those I'd missed, reaching a total of 76 titles.  That post is available here.




But the list keeps growing.  Rather than updating the list i.e., posting the previous list with new additions, I am going to just prepare a list of new titles that could be added to those previous lists.  Some were only published since my last book list was posted and others were just titles I missed. Hopefully this collection of titles, which includes both stories of history and those of contemporary experiences, will help to make my book lists for Black History Month more complete.  At least for now.


PICTURE BOOKS

Abigail's Wish
Written by Gloria Ann Wesley
Illustrated by Richard Rudnicki
Nimbus Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2016
Reviewed here

A Change of Heart
Written by Alice Walsh
Illustrated by Erin Bennett Banks
Nimbus Publishing
32 pp.
Ages 4-10
2016
Reviewed here

Community Soup
Written and illustrated by Alma Fullerton
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2013
Reviewed here

Freedom Child of the Sea
Written by Richardo Keens-Douglas
Illustrated by Julia Gukova
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 9-12
1995

Gift Days
Written by Kari-Lynn Winters
Illustrated by Stephen Taylor
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 7+
2012
Reviewed here

A Good Trade
Written by Alma Fullerton
Illustrated by Karen Patkau
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2012
Reviewed here

Grandpa's Visit
Written by Richardo Keens-Douglas
Illustrated by Frances Clancy
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
1996




Greetings, Leroy
Written by Itah Sadu
Illustrated by Alix Delinois
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2017
Reviewed here

In a Cloud of Dust
Written by Alma Fullerton
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2015
Reviewed here 

Malaika's Winter Carnival
Written by Nadia L. Hohn
Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
Groundwood Books
36 pp.
Ages 3-7
2017

Name Calling
Written by Itah Sadu
Illustrated by Rasheeda Haneef
Canadian Scholars' Press
34 pp.
Ages 4-8
1992

The Nutmeg Princess
Written by Richardo Keens-Douglas
Illustrated by Annouchka Galouchko
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
1992

Oscar Lives Next Door

Written by Bonnie Farmer

Illustrated by Marie Lafrance

Owlkids Books

Ages 4-8

2015
Reviewed here

The Stone Thrower
Written by Jael Ealey Richardson
Illustrated by Matt James
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-9
2016
Reviewed here

A Touch of the Zebras
Written by Itah Sadu
Illustrated by Stephen Taylor
Canadian Scholars' Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2003







NOVELS

Aluta
Written by Adwoa Badoe
Groundwood Books
216 pp.
Ages 14+
2016

Blue Mountain Trouble
Written by Martin Mordecai
Scholastic
341 pp.
Ages 9-13
2009

Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War
Written by Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Kids Can Press
48 pp.
Ages 10-14
2015
Reviewed here

The Journey of Little Charlie
Written by Christopher Paul Curtis
Scholastic Canada
256 pp.
Ages 9-13
2018







NON-FICTION

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13
Written by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
Christy Ottaviano Books/Macmillan
40 pp.
Ages 7-12
June 2018

From the Heart of Africa: A Book of Wisdom
Collected by Eric Walters
Tundra Books
40 pp.
Ages 6-10
2018

Runner: The Life of Harry Jerome, World's Fastest Man
Written by Norma Charles
Red Deer Press
208 pp.
Ages 12+
2017

Sadia: Blog Tour Guest Post by author Colleen Nelson

Yesterday I reviewed Colleen Nelson's newest novel, Sadia, from Dundurn Press. I adore Colleen Nelson's novels for their variety of themes and strong characters with voices that resonate with all.  Today Colleen Nelson shares a few things you need to know about Sadia, so please join me in welcoming her.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Colleen Nelson

Hello CanLit for LittleCanadians!

My newest book, 

Sadia

launches this month 

and 

 I thought I’d share

  5 Things you didn’t know about Sadia.

1. I hear voices. Yep, that’s how all my books start. The character talks to me when I’m doing random things, like washing dishes or driving to work, and all of a sudden a whole story is spinning in my head. I liked Sadia as soon as I heard her talking in my head and even more once I made her into a basketball player.

2. I don’t play basketball. I’m not good at any sports except yoga (and I don’t think that counts as a sport). But my husband went to Gonzaga University and I’ve been forced to watch many of their games. My boys both like basketball, so I asked them for help when it came to the basketball scenes in the book.

3. I would love to do a project like ‘If You Give a Kid a Camera’. I’ve done versions of photography projects with my elementary students. If any teachers want to try it, reach out to me. I’d love to see what your students come up with. Photography is such a powerful way to communicate ideas. A picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

4. The original manuscript was called ‘The Brilliance of Bees’ (The old cover is still floating around in cyber space), but had to be changed because it didn’t really capture what the story was about. Mr. Letner used to be an entomophile, which is a lover of insects. I sprinkled facts about bees throughout the book, but ended up deleting them. There are a lot of similarities between bee hives and classrooms: bees are hard-working and cooperate, everyone has a job and no job is more or less important than another’s. I now have a lot of bee facts ‘buzzing’ in my head so maybe they will appear in another book.

5. Sadia was written because a student of mine requested books with Muslim characters. I couldn’t find any in our library except Deborah Ellis’ ‘Breadwinner’ series, which she’d read. I asked other Teacher-Librarians and our local book seller, but no one had any suggestions. About the same time, I came across an article about a team of Muslim girls who sewed their own basketball uniforms so they could play games. From that point on, the plot came quickly and Sadia was written in six weeks over summer holidays.

I hope you enjoyed discovering more about Sadia.

Thanks for having me on your blog!

~ author Colleen Nelson

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

It is always my pleasure to welcome Colleen Nelson
to CanLit for LittleCanadians
and to continue reviewing her stellar YA novels.

Support Canadian authors and #youngCanLit
by checking out Sadia and Colleen Nelson's other books

Sadia (Dundurn, 2018)

Blood Brothers (Dundurn, 2017)

Finding Hope (Dundurn, 2016)

250 Hours (Coteau, 2015)

The Fall (Great Plains Teen Fiction, 2013)

Tori By Design (Great Plains Teen Fiction, 2011)

Sadia

Written by Colleen Nelson

Dundurn

978-1-45974-029-7

240 pp.

Ages 12+

February 2018

As I passed the classroom door, I caught sight of myself in the small pane of glass.  Was it the hijab that Mariam was running away from?  Seeing me must remind her of who she really was, who she'd always be.  I wished she'd realize that taking off her hijab wasn't going to change that. (pg. 82)

For Sadia's friend Mariam, de-jabbing i.e., removal of her hijab when at school and changing into more revealing clothes improper for a Muslim girl are the means to fit in and become recognized by athletic classmate Josh.  While Sadia would never contemplate doing the same, she tries to understand her friend's need to shed her headscarf and appreciate her perspective on being a Muslim girl in a Winnipeg high school.  And perspective is everything she and her classmates realize after their teacher—and also basketball coach—Mr. Letner gives them an assignment based on the premise of "If you give a kid a camera."  While Sadia and her classmates begin to take photos of their lives, they reveal much about what they experience at home and at school including family challenges, hidden passions and friendships lost and found.

While she undertakes her project, which evolves to include a passion project to help newly-arrived refugees, Sadia grapples with Mariam's de-jabbing and drive to fit in which becomes more complicated after Sadia is chosen for the school's All City Pre-Season Co-ed Basketball Team on which Josh plays.  Sadia is thrilled to be playing the game that her brother taught her and accepts the accommodations she must make to play–changing in private, covering up far more than her teammates, and wearing her hijab–but being on the team causes more friction with Mariam, especially after Josh's attentions are directed towards Sadia.  It all comes to a climax at the tournament when Sadia's hijab becomes a mobilizing force for family, friends, teammates and strangers.

Sadia addresses Sadia's honest acceptance of her Muslim culture but also how she finds the means to meld it with her love for basketball, rather than abandon one passion for another.  Sadia's self-acceptance is mature and extraordinary and she would be an impressive role model for Muslim girls trying to find their own way.  Without being deceptive or disingenuous, Sadia helps new Muslim girl Amira prepare for her new life in Canada and show Mariam that it is possible to be a practising Muslim and have fun.  Just like the photography assignment Mr. Letner gives his class, it is all about point of view.

Author Colleen Nelson continues to ramp up her writing, developing characters with whom all readers can identify.  From those dealing with bullying, guilt and grief (The Fall, 2013), or abandonment and discrimination (250 Hours, 2015), or with sexual abuse and drug addiction (Finding Hope, 2016) and poverty and violence (Blood Brothers, 2017), Colleen Nelson pens real characters whose decisions propel them into life-changing situations.  For the first time, Colleen Nelson has given Muslim girls a role model, a girl who recognizes that she has been accorded much attention and discrimination because of how others perceive her hijab, often incorrectly, but who appreciates what being a Muslim means and accepts those cultural traditions as the basis for whom she is.  Sadia does not struggle with wearing the hijab, as does her friend Mariam, but when thrust into the limelight where wearing the hijab might prevent her from playing basketball, she considers with great thought and insight what it means to continue wearing it.  Still she stays true to herself, empowered, not restricted, by her hijab or being Muslim.  For her, de-jabbing would be negating her true self, just as not playing basketball would.  In Sadia, being yourself is better than having it all and being Muslim is in itself empowering.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Check back tomorrow for Colleen Nelson's guest blog post titled "5 Things You Didn't Know about Sadia" and upcoming blog tour stops at Lost in a Great Book, MG Book Village and Dundurn Press.

What Happens Next: Book launch (Toronto, ON)

Join 

author Susan Hughes 

and

 illustrator Carey Sookocheff 

for the launch of their first book together

What Happens Next

Written by Susan Hughes

Illustrated by Carey Sookocheff

Owlkids Books

9781771471657

40 pp.

Ages 4+

March 2018

on

  Saturday, March 3, 2018

2-4 p.m.

at

Queen Books

914 Queen Street East

Toronto, ON

It is a book about the bullied, the bully, the bystander and family.

This will be an important book

 for children to read, 

with which educators can teach and 

which can help parents relate to the emotions of one who is being bullied.

This trailer from Owlkids Books captures a glimpse of the book's message.

What Happens Next book trailer

 Uploaded by Owlkids to YouTube on December 22, 2017.

The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit

Written by Inna Gertsberg

Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-552-7

44 pp.

Ages 4-8

2017

I've waited too long to review this gem of a non-fiction book that can be used to teach transportation, mapping, communities and so much more.  With the stories and art blending together into a fascinating depiction of travel on water and land within the city of Zoom, The Way Downtown includes everyone and their need to get around safely and efficiently.

From The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit

by Inna Gertsberg 

illus. by Mike Lowery

(image from mikelowery.com)

Dr. Brodie is our first traveller, making her way from her island home by ferry and then cycling to the museum where she works.  In addition to learning about ferries and water transport, the reader learns about cycling and bike sharing.  Young Robbie is visiting his Aunt Raisa and he travels with her by bus and subway, all the while taking photographs of the urban wildlife.  Agent Theodore Rybka is on a mission to deliver an important package.  He takes multiple train and subway rides to remain incognito and confuse would-be followers of the spy. The busking Zanies family are heading to Great Park, like all our travellers, to perform.  Though public transit aficionados, using monthly transit passes, they lose Zach along the way and learn the efficiency of relocating separated parties. Finally, Boris, the guide dog, takes his visually impaired partner Guy via sidewalk and light rail train to meet their friend Leslie.

From The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit 

by Inna Gertsberg

illus. by Mike Lowery

These are but 5 stories out of a billion taking place because of public transit in the city of Zoom but they give a snapshot of how different people live their lives and get around, whether visiting, working, or playing.  Readers will learn about all manner of public transit: how to use it, what to expect, paying for it, etiquette, and more.  From Lost & Founds, to repairs that take place, as well as guide dogs, The Way Downtown is an informative and entertaining read about getting around in the city. It's a fun look at the everyday concept of travel by public transit (none of the stories have travellers in cars) to see the benefits and intricacies of urban movement from place to place. Though I might see Toronto, my hometown and the residence of author Inna Gertsberg, in the city of Zoom, I suspect that Zoom could be any and every city with multiple public transit provisions, a great park and other urban features likes hospitals, a zoo, museum and observatory.

From The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit

by Inna Gertsberg 

illus. by Mike Lowery 

(image from mikelowery.com)

Mike Lowery, who illustrated Maureen Fergus's award-winning The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten (Kids Can Press, 2013) and Andrew Larsen's A Squiggly Story (Kids Can Press, 2016), gets in the busyness and complexity of an urban centre like Zoom which keeps all its people moving via many modes of public transit.  There's lots to notice and details to pick out and Mike Lowery makes The Way Downtown an urban Where's Waldo? of movement and stories being lived.  The organization of the book which resembles a graphic novel with information embedded in maps, graphic organizers and more is both inviting and comprehensive, as well as engaging.

From The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit

by Inna Gertsberg 

illus. by Mike Lowery

Take a worthwhile foray into public transit, whether in a classroom with young students learning about transportation and communities (the glossary provided is worthwhile) or with your own children before a trip or to see themselves in and about their own neighbourhoods, by getting on board The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit.

Blood on the Beach

Written by Sarah N. Harvey and Robin Stevenson

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-1293-2

259 pp.

Ages 13+

2017

When eight “at-risk” teens accompany three adult counsellors to a remote island off the BC coast to participate in the week-long INTRO (=In Nature to Renew Ourselves) program, they probably never imagined graver risks than those they had already endured.  But,  when one of the teens goes missing, and everyone starts pointing fingers and suspicions grow between island-mates, Blood on the Beach becomes a YA Survivor x Lord of the Flies story.

Today is a good day to bury bad habits, attitudes and relationships so you can give birth to a new you. (pg. 45)

It seems that those in authority–parents and the court system–believe that the four girls and four boys sent to INTRO need to “change” their ways.  There’s Alice, the daughter of a cop, who was tagged for underage drinking; a depressed Tara who seems fearful of life; the flirtatious Mandy whose risky behaviour has lead her to theft; the misleading Imogen whose vice is drugs; B & E proficient Jason; Caleb who assaulted his mother’s abusive partner; weed-dealer Chad; and Nick whose parents want him to not be gay.  Under the care of former cop Warren and his psychologist wife Claire, as well as newbie counsellor Rahim, the kids are brought together to discuss their feelings, do chores like cooking and cleaning, and clearing of brush for a trail. But when Tara disappears the second day on the island and the radio is damaged, most of the kids want answers and actively pursue them.  Everyone is on edge, but especially Alice who unearths clues to Caleb’s possible involvement and Caleb who realizes Alice and Imogen are treating him with distrust.  The situation is all the more tenuous because of Warren and Claire’s reluctance to contact authorities and get assistance.

Through the alternate voices of Alice and Caleb, the story of Tara’s disappearance and the program’s participants coming together to solve the mystery is revealed.  But Blood on the Beach moves from mystery to thriller when a death occurs and suspicions are ramped up.  Everyone is looking over their shoulders for the culprit, not knowing enough about anyone to feel safe.    

From reviews of Sarah N. Harvey and Robin Stevenson’s most recent books (Spirit Level and The World Without Us, respectively), we know that the two BC writers can pack a lot of plot punch and strong characterizations into their YA novels.  Together, they are powerful.  They have created a wild assortment of characters and exposed them to  a more tenuous situation than those from which they came.  I suspect the community that thought INTRO was a good idea might want to rethink the benefits of a program that doesn’t adhere to the bioethical maxim of “do no harm.”  Scarier still is the belief that the adults would know what they’re doing when it’s actually the kids who show the maturity and conscience to fully resolve the mystery and mitigate the threat.

Like the little paper boats the teens construct with messages of their pasts to release to the sea, these teens leave behind their pasts and demonstrate courage and resourcefulness to secure their present and even look forward to positive futures. 

Book or Bell?

Written by Chris Barton

Illustrated by Ashley Spires

Bloomsbury

978-1-68119-729-6

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

2017

What reader does not know the agony of having their reading interrupted?

Henry is one such child.  Picking up a book about a bike at his school library, Henry is captivated, taking the book outside for recess, annoyed by the bell that calls them outside and then in. At lunch, when the bell rings again, Henry stays at his desk and continues to read.  This seems to concern his teacher and the principal and even the children in the cafeteria whose actions are disrupted by Henry's absence.  The visiting mayor recommends a louder bell which the school implements the next day.  While everyone is disturbed by the new bell, Henry stays put and continues reading. (What is this book?!) Consequences to his classmates repeat in art class.

From Book or Bell? 

by Chris Barton 

illus. by Ashley Spires

Mayor Wise (yes, that is his name) seeks the governor's suggestion which is a louder bell ("...the percussion-bomb bell was replaced by an avalanche-inducing contraption flown in from the Alps.") Still Henry continues to read, amidst the shambles of a classroom in which birds flit around the boy and letters are propelled from the page.  Yet again, class goes awry and the senator recommends, you guessed it, something even louder.  It's not until a simpler solution that feeds Henry's interest is undertaken, courtesy of Henry's teacher, that everyone can enjoy the day to its fullest.

American author Chris Barton's story is clearly a satire of those in authority suggesting outrageous schemes that are ineffective.  From Mayor Wise to Governor Bright and Senator Brilliant, the cast of administrators is wholly inept.  It is only Ms. Sabio (Spanish for "wise") who truly has the answer, though her reach is discreet.  Still it is Canadian Ashley Spires's illustrations that charm Book or Bell? from parody to entertainment.  Her children are diverse and inclusive, imbibing the story with tolerance and acceptance amidst the idiotic ideas of those in power.  The chaos of classrooms run amok and clothes launched from the vibrations of loud bells are hysterical.  Ashley Spires never disregards the importance of details: the principal's hairy legs, a bird in a shoe, training wheels flung from a bike, and the frazzled hair of all, including the principal's combover, in reaction to the piercing bell.

From Book or Bell? 

by Chris Barton 

illus. by Ashley Spires

No school should ever make a child choose between book or bell but, if there's ever a concern, Book or Bell? makes it clear that looking to those in authority is not necessarily a wise idea.  Looking inward is much more productive and effective.