The Tallest Tree House

Written and illustrated by Elly MacKay

Running Press Kids

978-0-7624-6299-5

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

April 2019

Mip, the red mushroom-capped fairy, is a true kinesthete. She's always on the move, singing, flying and building. Her impetuousness has her challenging Pip, her book-loving, contemplative fairy friend to a tree house race after she sees him reading a book on architecture.

From The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay

Mip is all at it immediately, determined to make the tallest tree house ever and by sundown. Pip, on the other hand, sits on his rock among the Trillium, Erythronium and Aquilegia, and plans his build with precision and thoughtfulness.

From The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay

Slowly the two tree houses start to take shape, as Mip frantically and rather haphazardly builds and builds while Pip slowly but methodically creates his own.

From The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay

When "Gusts of wind send sprays of mist over the rocks" and "The leaves began to dance," Pip suggests Mip secure her tower. Of course Mip sees this as a ploy to slow her down and continues building. But when the wind and rain topple her tower into Pip's tree house and traps his wing, Mip comes to the rescue. Then, after the storm has passed, the two work together on a new tree house that incorporates both their structures into "a winning piece of architecture."

As her website's name and Twitter handle can attest, Elly MacKay truly creates theatre in the clouds. Through a laborious process that may appear to be like play–see full details at her website here–Elly MacKay blends inked figures and other structures cut from paper into a theatre in which she can manipulate the layers and lighting. It's a stunning blend of two-dimensional creations with three dimensions. Children are fascinated by the textures that come from her artwork and have been charmed by it in her picture books from If You Hold a Seed (Running Press, 2013) to her latter works including Butterfly Park (Running Press, 2015) and Red Sky at Night (Tundra, 2018). Couple that art with fairies and a competition that transforms into cooperation and partnership and The Tallest Tree House becomes a winner for all readers.

From The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay

The Pencil

Written by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-216-1

36 pp.

Ages 5-7

April 2019

Maybe you think a pencil is just a pencil, a utensil that is easily replaced and should be thrown away when it becomes too difficult to manipulate. But, for Susan Avingaq whose story this is, a pencil is so much more.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

When Susan's mother leaves their iglu to help a neighbour with a birth, she and her sister Rebecca and brother Peter are left in the care of their father. Play for the children includes having a jumping contest, a game of hide-and-seek and the two older girls practising their letters on the frost surface of the ice window. But when Ataata pulls out the pencil from the special box of Anaana's things, everything changes.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

The pencil is already very short from Anaana's writing of letters to people in other camps, using whatever paper she might save including from tea boxes and sugar bags, but it is still gold.

Anaana always said that we needed to be very careful with the pencil and that it wasn't a toy.

Ataata also gives Susan a piece of paper and suggests she draw pictures for her brother. Though nervous, she draws seals and caribou and her family. Then Rebecca practises her writing, and Peter draws some scribbles and their father draws different inuksuit.  The pencil gets shorter and Ataata has to sharpen it with his knife.

When their mother returns and is somewhat taken aback by their use of her pencil, she still cheers their efforts and is pleased that they'd had a good day.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

Susan Avingaq's reminiscence of that special day with a pencil is so charming. The children's reverence for that pencil is absolutely palpable. They know how important it is to their mother and that it is not a trifle. With every stroke of that pencil, they showed knowledge of their culture and respect for Anaana and her need to be frugal.  Together Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, who'd first collaborated on Fishing with Grandma (Inhabit Media, 2016) which was also illustrated by Charlene Chua, bring Inuit life on the land into a meaningful but genuine depiction in The Pencil. I have no doubts that Susan and her family, like many, had to be resourceful and careful with what they had and how it was used but The Pencil goes beyond a lesson in frugality and becomes a story of family, of play and of culture, which many children will appreciate. Charlene Chua, whose art has enhanced the stories of Akilak's Adventure (2016) and Elisapee and Her Baby Seagull (2017) among others, always finds a way to illustrate the love of family and the cultural wisdom of the storytellers.  Children will see the delight in Charlene Chua's characters when the pencil is brought out, when their father pretends to be a polar bear and the children's regret when their mother reminds them about using the pencil.

 "You know the reason we have to use our things very wisely is because they are quite difficult to get. We have only one pencil right now, and we won't be able to get another until we return to the trading post," she said.

A pencil may only be a pencil to many people, but it's an opening to a new world of connection to Susan and her family and deserving of being treasured.

From The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua

A Friend Like Iggy

Written by Kathryn Cole

Photographs by Ian Richards

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-084-1

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

April 2019

For children, new experiences would seem to be the norm. Meeting new kids, the first day of school, doctors' visits and such can cause anxiety and fear but children often become acclimatized to such events. But there are some experiences which children should never have to face but do. Such would be the turmoil of dealing with abuse and all its psychological and legal ramifications. Thankfully there are facilitator dogs such as Iggy.

A friend who helps small people feel bigger and big worries feel smaller. (pg. 6)

From A Friend Like Iggy by Kathryn Cole, photographs by Ian Richards

From an initial visit to meet Iggy and his handler, Maggie, a child is able to be comforted by the big dog, a cross between a Labrador and Bernese Mountain Dog, while going through the arduous process of investigation, trauma assessment, therapy and court preparation. If the child is being questioned by police and doctors or receiving support from other relevant personnel, Iggy is there too.

Iggy always listened and let me know he was my friend–no matter what. (pg. 16)

From A Friend Like Iggy by Kathryn Cole, photographs by Ian Richards

But, most significantly, Iggy is there in court when the child has to face "the person I didn't want to see or talk in front of." (pg. 19) Iggy's comforting demeanour and proximity can make all the difference in enduring difficult circumstances. Even after the formal process of investigation is officially completed, the child can still connect with Iggy with a keepsake photo and following him on social media.

From A Friend Like Iggy by Kathryn Cole, photographs by Ian Richards

Iggy is an accredited facility dog working for the BARK Program of Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre. Both programs provide innovative and worthwhile support to children dealing with abuse investigations. In an integrated approach, Iggy and another dog, Jersey, in the Boost Accredited Reliable K9s (BARK) Program, provide invaluable support as detailed by Kathryn Cole's straightforward text in A Friend Like Iggy. She takes the perspective of a child–Boost services children ages 3 through 17–and does not discuss the abuse, only what the child experiences with Iggy. It's what children feel and know and is appropriately told in Comic Sans font. Ian Richards's uncomplicated but informative photographs document all aspects of a child's interactions with Iggy, placing emphasis on the relationship rather than the circumstances which brought them together. 

A Friend Like Iggy, like the dog himself, will reassure and support and should be in all school libraries, hospitals, police stations, and medical offices. It might prompt a child to reveal truths they have been reluctant to speak while reassure them that there is support once they have.

Check out the BARK program at Boost at https://boostforkids.org/for-families/intervention-programs/bark-program/

Before You Were Born

Written by Deborah Kerbel

Illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-082-6

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2019

Books are wildly popular baby shower gifts and Before You Were Born will be a hit with parents and children alike so consider it your future go-to book for celebrating an upcoming birth.

From Before You Were Born by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

In gorgeous spreads of polymer clay illustrations by Suzanne Del Rizzo, animals including humans, foxes, bears, deer, whales and birds like the northern flicker are seen to make their homes but it's all about the anticipation of new arrivals. Deborah Kerbel begins to share the wonders that babies bring with her line, "Before, you were..." They are described as so many wondrous things, from "A song in our hearts" to "A star in our eyes" and "The sun on our faces." The lyricism begs to be put to music. 

From Before You Were Born by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Then, the text moves forward with "You were..." and a host of heartfelt sentiments about "A whispered secret that only we knew" before "And now..." Here is the culmination of that anticipation, the birth of new life, and "A new family dawns in the glow of your  birth."  Oh my. Before You Were Born is a love poem to a child, a pup, a cub, a nestling, a calf... It's a song to a baby born in love.

From Before You Were Born by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Whether a house overlooking an ocean, forests of conifers or white birch, or the ocean depths, Suzanne Del Rizzo takes us to where animals make their homes. I wish I could show you every image in Before You Were Born because the breathtaking detail in the deer hidden amongst the leaves, the mother bear and cubs in the trees or the girl in the meadow watching the whales are spectacular. And the magnificent skies of blues and creams and purple-pinks? Heaven-sent, just like the little ones celebrated in Before You Were Born.

From Before You Were Born by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

This is the second collaboration for Deborah Kerbel and Suzanne Del Rizzo. Their first book together, Sun Dog (Pajama Press, 2018), is charming young readers as a Blue Spruce award nominee and Before You Were Born will undoubtedly captivate young children and the parents who adore them.

From Before You Were Born by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Dedicate a new birth with Before You Were Born, a book that is born in a celebration of life.

Anne's Kindred Spirits

Adapted by Kallie George

Illustrated by Abigail Halpin

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-932-4

64 pp.

Ages 6-8

May 2019

I think many people take the making of friends for granted, knowing that they will meet many at school, at work or at organized activities and, with social media, having many "friends" would appear to be the norm. But I think we forget that historically and especially in rural areas, making friends would have been a very big deal. How would you communicate with them? How would you visit? For many families, your siblings became your friends, but if you were an only child, that wouldn't have been an option. So, for L. M. Montgomery's Anne, who inspired this story, making a friend would have been momentous and something for which she'd yearn.

From Anne's Kindred Spirits, adapted by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin

Anne is excited to meet Diana Barry, a reader like herself, but with hair "black as a raven's wing, not red." (pg. 15) When she asks her to be her "bosom friend, a kindred spirit who would be her best friend" (pg. 6), Diana accepts and the two make plans to attend the upcoming Sunday School Picnic. The picnic is all Anne can think about, though she is distracted by Marilla's amethyst brooch. But when the brooch goes missing and Anne admits to touching it, she is sent to her room until she confesses to losing it. 

From Anne's Kindred Spirits, adapted by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin

When the day of the picnic arrives and Marilla is determined that Anne will not attend, the imaginative and impassioned young girl admits, in a gloriously elaborate tale, to taking and losing the brooch.

From Anne's Kindred Spirits, adapted by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin

Of course, Marilla punishes Anne by not allowing her to attend the picnic and Anne is heartbroken. But when Marilla finds her brooch snagged on her shawl, she relents and allows Anne to attend the picnic and spend time with her new bosom friend, eating ice cream and boating on the Lake of Shining Waters.

"One thing's certain," she said at last. "No house will be dull as long as Anne Shirley lives in it." (pg. 63)

Kallie George's adaptation of several important stories from L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables are blended so well and effortlessly and yet so completely that those young readers who are still too new to reading to dive into the original book will get to know the beloved character well. Anne's spirit for storytelling and uncontrolled commentary, as well as lavish vocabulary, comes through time and time again. She is a wordsmith and a creator of emotional story because everything she does is heartfelt. From admiring a brooch or dresses with puffed sleeves to being heartsick at missing out on a picnic, Anne feels everything deeply and profoundly and expresses her thoughts and emotions with ardour, and Kallie George makes sure the reader knows this about Anne.

Abigail Halpin, who illustrated the first book, Anne Arrives (2018), in this new Anne of Green Gables-based early reader series as well as a number of picture books, gives young readers authentic visuals of a red-haired whirlwind and her new family and friends. But beyond Anne and Diana whose characters are reflective of their similarities and differences, Abigail Halpin gives us time and place that are real and heartwarming. There are the lupines of PEI and picnics, plain dresses and ones with puffed sleeves, and homes plain and decorated. There is the contrast of households and children and a melding of both in friendship.

I love that Anne of Green Gables will reach a new set of readers in a collection that early readers can gather into a special library. With colourful and endearing illustrations and accessible text authentic to the original, Kallie George and Abigail Halpin have honoured and poised Anne's story to reach not just a new generation but a younger one at that.  Irresistible.

I Didn't Stand Up

Written by Lucy Falcone

Illustrated by Jacqueline Hudon

Clockwise Press

978-1-98834-706-6

32 pp.

Ages 5+ (really all ages)

December 2018

In the aftermath of World War II, a Protestant pastor in Germany, Martin Niemöller, popularized a poem called "First They Came" about the abuses enacted by the Nazis upon different groups of people like socialists, trade unionists and Jewish people and how many would not stand up to protect the innocent. Using that text as a model, Lucy Falcone wrote I Didn't Stand Up about not standing up to school bullies who target those they see as different. It's a lesson in compassion and courage to defy oppression and persecution.

From I Didn't Stand Up by Lucy Falcone, illus. by Jacqueline Hudon

The book begins with

First they went after Jamal.
But I'm not black –
so I didn't stand up for him.

It continues with similar verses about Duncan who is targeted as a geek, Shyanne who is poor, Mariana who is an immigrant, Jason who is gay, Aisha who is Muslim and wears a headscarf, Liam who uses arm crutches, transgendered Alexis and overweight Marvin, And then they come after the narrator. Finally the child wants to be part of that larger group that might support them. Fortunately they do.

The text is minimal but says so much about how little it takes for a bully to select a victim and for bystanders to do nothing. Lucy Falcone wallops the reader with the intensity of each situation, seemingly innocuous but always devastating to the victim. The weighting is in Jacqueline Hudon's illustrations, depicting large-eyed victims of bullies who harm with words and actions.

From I Didn't Stand Up by Lucy Falcone, illus. by Jacqueline Hudon

The prevalence of yellow throughout the book can't help but be noted. Yellow, like most colours, has dual symbolism. It can represent enlightenment, as from the sun's light, as well as warmth. But, as with traffic lights, it is the colour of caution, and negatively it has also been used to signify cowardice and betrayal. I like to think that like the children in I Didn't Stand Up, the colour yellow evolves, becoming activated to do something positive.

From I Didn't Stand Up by Lucy Falcone, illus. by Jacqueline Hudon

Lucy Falcone is already known to middle-graders as L. M. Falcone with her award-winning fun and spooky reads like Walking with the Dead (Kids Can Press, 2005) and The Midnight Curse (Kids Can Press, 2010). So it's highly appropriate that Lucy Falcone has chosen a different moniker for her first picture book and one so impactful with its message of social justice and community. With I Didn't Stand Up, illustrated by Jacqueline Hudon who created the artwork for Bye, Bye, Butterflies (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012) and Charlie's Dirt Day (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2015), Lucy Falcone has opened up a new window of writing for herself while shedding light on the damage of being a bystander to bullying and the need to step up and forward for all.

Sophie Trophy: Book launch (Coquitlam, BC)

Join author

Eileen Holland

for the launch 

of her novel for early readers

Sophie Trophy

Written by Eileen Holland

 Crwth Press

978-1-7753319-3-3

120 pp.

Ages 7-9

March 2019 

on 

Saturday, April 6, 2019

2-4 p.m.

at

Coquitlam Public Library 

(City Centre Branch)

 1169 Pinetree Way

Room 136

Coquitlam, BC

From Crwth Press's website:

Sophie is thoughtful and funny and full of ideas. When her friend Brayden brings a spider to school in a jar, Sophie’s excited to study it. But then a classmate frees the spider in the Grade 3 classroom.

Their teacher, Miss Ruby, is terrified of spiders. Sophie wants to save her teacher from the eight-legged intruder without getting Brayden into trouble for bringing it to school. That means getting the spider out of the classroom without letting Miss Ruby know what’s going on.

This is no easy task, and soon Sophie's wacky plans and wild imagination land her in the principal’s office—and hanging upside down outside his window.

Young readers will love Sophie’s antics, her loyalty to her friends and her determination to do the right thing at any cost.

Retrieved from https://www.crwth.ca/sophie-trophy/ 

on March 22, 2019.