Little Cheetah's Shadow

Written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc

Princeton Architectural Press

978-1-61689-840-3

30 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2020

For most of us, our shadow is just something that follows us around when it is sunny and invisible when in the dark. For others, their shadow is something much more. It could be a companion, a sibling, a partner and someone that makes them better than when alone. These shadows, when absent, are truly missed. It's no wonder Little Cheetah is keenly aware when his shadow is not with him.

From Little Cheetah's Shadow by Marianne Dubuc

When Little Cheetah's shadow goes missing, he finds him saddened and sitting in a tree. When asked why he ran away, Little Shadow explains that Little Cheetah always gets to go first and always chooses where they go and then, to add insult to injury, Little Shadow's tail always catches in the door after they leave a shop.

From Little Cheetah's Shadow by Marianne Dubuc

Little Cheetah vows to change things and experiences what it has been like being Little Shadow, including his shadow's reluctance to enter the dark where he disappears. With a flashlight and sticking together, they are able to face the dark. Together they are better.

From Little Cheetah's Shadow by Marianne Dubuc

I'm always charmed by Marianne Dubuc's stories and her artwork. Though her characters are often animals such as cats or mice or lions and birds, she seems to see the world as young children might. In Little Cheetah's Shadow, the characters may be cheetahs but they are children at heart, children who aren't aware of how others perceive their actions or that their actions may actually be unintentionally harmful. Given an opportunity to show empathy and do what's right, Little Cheetah is happy to do so, learning first from Little Shadow's perspective before helping develop solutions that can work for them both.

Using pencil crayons and watercolours, Marianne Dubuc gives us a child-like glimpse at Little Cheetah and Little Shadow's world. The house is homey with its curtains, plants and furnishings, the town and its inhabitants adorable–bunny dad strolling with baby in a pram, a frog tipping his hat in greeting, and an armadillo going shopping–and the darkness oppressive without a light. It feels like a microcosm in which each part is important and contributes to the whole. Part of the wholeness is Little Shadow in Little Cheetah's life. With an awareness of Little Shadow and his perspective, Little Cheetah can ensure that his companion will always be by his side and not obscured in the darkness.

From Little Cheetah's Shadow by Marianne Dubuc

Kamik Takes the Lead

Adapted from the memories of Darryl Baker

Illustrated by Ali Hinch

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-266-6

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2020

Young readers first met the sled dog Kamik in Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story (2012), and were then invited to follow the young pup as he got his first sled (Kamik's First Sled, 2015) and joined others in a dog team (Kamik Joins the Pack, 2016). Now he's all grown up and ready to take the lead.

From Kamik Takes the Lead by Darryl Baker, illus. by Ali Hinch

Jake has been training his own dog team for a year, under the tutelage of Akkak (uncle). Always ensuring plenty of rest and water, he lets the dogs run with his ATV for the summer. Then in the fall, they increase the dogs' load to teach them to trot rather than run full out. Jake learns to always check that the dogs are well fed and healthy, but also to treat them with affection. In the winter, Jake and Akkak take the team out on longer distances with a sled fully loaded with supplies.

From Kamik Takes the Lead by Darryl Baker, illus. by Ali Hinch

The team pulls well together and Kamik is a true leader, listening to and following commands, and Jake and Akkak know the team is ready for their first community race.

Darryl Baker, a teacher, is himself a dog musher and learned about raising dogs and training a team while growing up in Nunavut. His reminiscences about his dogs and training them are the basis for Kamik Takes the Lead and abound with the respect and affection he has for his animals. This story does not end with a win–in fact, the outcome of the race is never revealed–suggesting that it's not the end result that is paramount. What is most important is the process and the care Jake and his uncle extend to the dogs and the learning that Jake acquires that makes the endeavour a successful one.

From Kamik Takes the Lead by Darryl Baker, illus. by Ali Hinch

Kamik's story, in Books 1 through 4, all also available in Inuktitut, has been told by multiple authors, all based on the memories of community members in Nunavut. Likewise, several illustrators have helped bring Kamik to visual life. Though artist, Qin Leng, gave Kamik his original persona, Ali Hinch, another Toronto illustrator and designer, has replicated him in a similar style. In fact, with a quick look, I was sure the illustrator had not changed.  Checking out other books illustrated by Ali Hinch (here is the link for her website), it is evident that she honoured the original Kamik while staying true to her own style. The dogs may be a working team but they have spirit and individuality in their fur colour, morphologies and expression. They run, they rest, they eat and drink, and they are loved. Ali Hinch lets Kamik and his teammates take center stage but makes sure to demonstrate their relationships with Jake and Akkak and the land.

Let's launch Kamik Takes the Lead at the same time of year as Kamik and his teammates head out on their first official race and herald spring with cultural tradition, connection and kindness.

Kamik series of books

Rain Boy

Written and illustrated by Dylan Glynn

Chronicle Books

978-1-4521-7280-4

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2020

Rain Boy is not popular. When he's around, kids have to stop doing fun activities.

From Rain Boy by Dylan Glynn

But when the new child, Sun Kidd, arrives, everything is bright. She's very popular, especially at barbecues, at the beach and other outdoor events.

From Rain Boy by Dylan Glynn

Sadly, when Sun invites Rain Boy to her birthday party, something he'd never experienced before, the other kids freak out that he's ruining everything and shout at him, "Rain, rain, go away!" Sun Kidd is appalled by their behaviour and secludes herself in her bedroom while humiliated Rain Boy leaves. Then, "A storm began to brew."

At first the other children are negative and blaming, but as time passes, they "learned to live with wetness." They find beauty in the rain and puddles and natural world that comes alive with rain. And they find that "they were talking to each other a lot more."

From Rain Boy by Dylan Glynn

Eventually, Rain Boy, tired, peeks out, sees the world and the thunder and lightning stop. And even though there is still rain, it appears that people actually like having him around, and he is bold enough to go outside and play with other children.

Dylan Glynn is an award-winning artist of animation, illustration and fine art. In Rain Boy, the complexity of his art, rendered in watercolour, cut paper, pastels and coloured pencils, manifests in the emotional scenes and characterizations of Rain Boy and Sun Kidd who must be themselves, though they do attempt to hide away from others who label. There is anger in some illustrations, and brightness and joy in others. But when Rain Boy and Sun Kidd come together, something glorious arises.

So the next time you're feeling down and your world is dark and gray...
just look up.

Though Dylan Glynn's picture book is set for release in a few weeks, just in time for April showers, I think that it's a book we need to think about today. Many of us are trepidatious about something that is impacting the normal course of our lives. Some people are lashing out and showing insensitivity and selfishness when we should be extending kindness to everyone in these times of emotional thunderstorms and fears. Let's celebrate our differences not as challenges but as opportunities and come together to weather the storm as a united front.  And look up. Somewhere there is a rainbow.

From Rain Boy by Dylan Glynn

Teddy Bear of the Year

Written by Vikki VanSickle

Illustrated by Sydney Hanson

Tundra Books

978-0-73526-392-5

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

January 2020

If you're trying to stay sane and safe indoors with your little ones, consider reading Vikki VanSickle's latest picture book and partaking in a few of Tundra's activities with your children's own hard-working teddy bears.

From Teddy Bear of the Year by Vikki VanSickle, illus. by Sydney Hanson

Ollie is Amena's teddy bear and he loves his job and being on call weekends and weekdays from 3 p.m. until after breakfast the next day. One night, a shining silver sailboat appears outside the window while Amena sleeps, and a grizzled old teddy bear named Snuggles a.k.a. The Snug invites Ollie to the Teddy Bears' Picnic, an annual event to celebrate the year in teddy-care.

From Teddy Bear of the Year by Vikki VanSickle, illus. by Sydney Hanson

With attention to his ABCs (Always Be Cuddling), Ollie gives Amena a hug and travels through the sky deep into the woods where teddy bears of all shapes and sizes enjoy treats, competition and some bearaoke. Then the awards are given out for exceptional teddy-care. From Boo Bear and Fang, to The Snug, teddy-bears are singled out for their dedication, nobility, and devotion. Certain he was just an ordinary bear, Ollie does not expect to receive one of the shiny stars. But he learns that

Even the smallest actions–a cuddle, a kind word, a hug–have great impact.

and is awarded Teddy Bear of the Year.

From Teddy Bear of the Year by Vikki VanSickle, illus. by Sydney Hanson

In these tenuous times, when we are all feeling a little anxious and need of some TLC, whether from others or ourselves, Teddy Bear of the Year reminds us that small efforts pay off in big rewards. And for children, the attention given to and accepted from any stuffie can mean the world between distress and comfort. Vikki VanSickle balances a message about these life-saving creatures in children's lives with the charm of their personalities and individual morphologies. She recognizes that Amena and Ollie are everything to each other and that surely deserves recognition.

Sydney Hanson, a new illustrator for me, knows what teddy bears mean to all. Her bears are snuggly and cuddly and diverse in their shapes and colours and attire. (I've checked out her portfolio at https://www.shannonassociates.com/sydneyhanson and she can even make scary creatures like ghosts and dragons look soft and caressible.) The art in Teddy Bear of the Year was created with coloured pencils and finished digitally, giving it both an intimate and a polished appearance that will draw young readers to grab their own teddy bears to see if they are depicted within.

Time to have your own teddy bear picnic and give out a few awards for perseverance, resilience and compassion while offering and taking a cuddle or two to make everything feel like it's going to be alright.

From Teddy Bear of the Year by Vikki VanSickle, illus. by Sydney Hanson

🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻
The free activity kit from Tundra Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada) is available here.  They also have activities for other books available on their website. 

My Name is Konisola

Written by Alisa Siegel

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-119-0

176 pp.

Ages 9-12

March 2020

This is a story of generosity. Of how open-hearted strangers stepped into the life of a mother and a child. Of how remarkable coincidences, good fortune, and human connections rescued a young girl. And of how darkness became light. 

With this preamble, Alisa Siegel, a radio documentarian, begins the story of nine-year-old Konisola and her mother Abimbola as they escape an abusive situation in Nigeria and attempt to make a new life in Canada.

After an especially brutal attack by Konisola's uncle, their male guardian since the death of the girl's father, Konisola's mother stealthily grabs her child from school and they travel to Toronto. Their first bit of good luck comes when they meet Ayo, a fellow passenger, who gives them her address so they'd have something to tell the Canada Border Services agents. When Abimbola tells them "We need protection" and gives them the address, she is reassured that they will receive a notice about appearing before the Refugee Protection Division.

While staying with Ayo, Abimbola collapses and is taken to hospital. With Ayo's return to Nigeria, Konisola goes to stay with another woman who expects the girl to take care of the household and not go to school. After many weeks, Konisola contacts her mother's nurse, Colleen, and learns that her mother has advanced colon cancer. Though Konisola is ever hopeful that her mother will be with her soon, it becomes evident that Abimbola will never leave the hospital.

Colleen arranges for another nurse, Darlene, to take Konisola home with her. This is surprising to Konisola, as Darlene is white and already has her daughter Sara and grandson Kayden living with her. But over time, Darlene begins to feel like home.

As rife as Konisola's life is with worries of her ill mother and foreign living situation, some fortuitous circumstances ensure Konisola's safety, which is everything her mother wanted for her daughter. From meeting Ayo and then Colleen, and then Darlene, the right people found their way into Konisola's life. Her mother stays well enough to attend the refugee hearing and even make sure her wishes for Konisola's adoption are clear. At the hospital, Konisola meets Willson whose wife is also ill and this man, a retired lawyer, who was once the Children's Lawyer of Ontario, advises them through the legal adoption process.

From abusive circumstances in Nigeria to finding a new home with a new family, Konisola's story is one of angst and uncertainty. The child endures worries about her mother's health, the strangers in whose care she has been placed, the opportunities of going to school and being with other children and whether she'll ever be able to just be herself and a child. Imagine being a child and worrying that any pleasure you take in life, from play or laughter, is inappropriate. Even when she finally gets adopted–and there is a photo of an older Konisola and Darlene that proves the story is based in reality–she wonders, "Is it possible to find and lose a family at the very same moment?" (pg. 150)

Still Alisa Siegel, a true documentarian, develops Konisola's story with objectivity and distinction for her young audience. She tells it with accuracy from the perspective of a child who is often kept in the dark about adult problems but who shows the resilience and fortitude to endure.  I suspect Konnie has done well for herself, heeding her mother's sage advice:

Your present circumstances do not determine where you go, they merely determine where you begin. (pg. 133)

Rogue Princess

Written by B. R. Myers

Swoon Reads (An imprint of Feiwel and Friends)

978-1-256-30343-1

294 pp.

Ages 13-18

January 2020

There is no greater power than the power of choice. (pg. 175)

Delia is a princess who lives on the planet Astor. With turning 18, she must now choose a prince to marry. In fact, princes from the neighbouring planets of the Four Quadrants are gathering at the palace, ready to win her hand, including Prince Felix, a military man from Trellium, Armano from Delta Kur, Oskar from the Kalasta Belt, and the lovely Prince Quinton. Though Delia knows the importance of her ancestry and the traditions of Astor, as handed down from Arianna, the first queen of Astor, she aspires to more before she weds. This leads her to reprogram her android seamstress Marta so that she might escape, changing into the uniform of the Queen's Guard and hijacking a patrol ship.

But Delia is not alone. Unbeknownst to her, Aidan, a kitchen chore boy at the palace, has just stolen a dagger he found in a prince's room and is making his escape too. Aidan too has aspirations, helping himself to small trinkets so he might earn the money to leave behind the Dark District of Astor where he lives with his cruel stepfather and stepbrothers, Drake and Morgan.

This is Delia and Aidan's introduction to each other and one that will change their lives. He eventually learns that she is Princess Delia but, because he never tells her the truth, she believes he is a prince's bodyguard and then her secret bodyguard. Ultimately she returns to the palace and he to his home to slave to his family but they are thrown together time and time again, each trying to help the other and growing closer in their affections and admiration. But neither is as they appear. She is not the pretty princess who wishes to don beautiful gowns and live away from her people in her glorious palace. He is not just a simple servant. Together the rogue princess and the mysterious boy find their way to something extraordinary for themselves and the planet Astor.

B. R. Myers' new young adult novel of speculative fiction is dense with subplots, with nasty, odd and charming characters–I loved Delia's sister, Shania–

A double stranded necklace of colorful shells hung to his waist...He strode away, the shells clicking softly.
"I like a man who is also a wind chime," Shania remarked smartly. (pg. 13)

and with fantastic settings that my measly review cannot accommodate everything. I'd love to mention the pirates, the six-handed man, the sandworms and the plot to overthrow the Queen but there just isn't the space. But I can tell you that B. R. Myers has written a dashing version of Cinderella in which the princess doesn't need to be saved, that the bad guys are sometimes the good guys, and love can flourish under the oddest of circumstances. And she does it with humour and attention to detail that immerses the reader in circumstances rife with absurdity and tragedy.

"...but I'm hoping you can join me in dessert later."
"Join you in dessert?" Delia had an image of sitting in a large bowl of cream and berries with Prince Felix staring at her from the opposite side of the rim. (pg. 131)

The blurb on the back cover of Rogue Princess accurately describes the novel as a "gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of 'Cinderella'" but it's so much more. It's a romantic read in which the girl and boy save each other and a planet and their people by choosing to make paths for themselves while still honouring those who created them.

Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior

Translated by Faye-Lynn Wu

Illustrated by Joy Ang

Harper (An imprint of HarperCollins)

978-0-06-280341-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

2019

Mulan is a legend and versions of that legend have already hit the page and screen, with the newest, a live-action drama, hitting movie theatres in about two weeks. Though Mulan's story, that of a young woman who disguises herself as a male warrior in Ancient China, is an empowering one, it may not always be presented in a format for children. This translation of the legend by Taiwanese-born American Faye-Lynn Wu and stunningly illustrated by Canadian-born Joy Ang is perfect for conveying Mulan's story in a powerful but accessible way.

From Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, illus. by Joy Ang

The story begins with Mulan who lived with her family in a small village in northern China. When a decree comes from the emperor that all families must send their males to defend the country, Mulan goes in the stead of her sickly father and far-too-young brother. Dressing in her father's clothes, she joins the army, camping and travelling and battling their enemies. Always Mulan hears her family calling her name and knows she must serve to make them proud.

For twelve years, Mulan endures the hardships of a soldier, from battles to physical exhaustion and cold. She becomes a commander and receives accolades and treasures for her courage and service, all without her comrades or leaders ever knowing she was a woman.

From Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, illus. by Joy Ang

When the emperor chooses to honour her with an appointment to the high court, she declines, asking instead to be able to return home. It is at the celebration upon her return home when she reveals her gender to her fellow soldiers, reminding them that "One should not judge another by their appearance alone. When a pair of rabbits run side by side, can you tell the female from the male?"

From Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, illus. by Joy Ang

While Faye-Lynn Wu, the translator of Mulan's story, is not Canadian, the illustrator Joy Ang is Canadian born and an artist whose versatile work has graced picture books, animated TV shows, comics and video games. For Mulan, she relies on the earthy tones of woven fabrics, leather and aspects of natural world, with occasional reds and mauves to add a richness and an emotional element to her illustrations. Because the story of Mulan is so organic and palpable–a girl who becomes a warrior in Ancient China–Joy Ang's digital artwork reflects that reality. Still Joy Ang's shapes and lines are strong and authoritative, forceful and dynamic, and reflect the legendary warrior completely.

Consider introducing your young readers to the legend of Mulan via Faye-Lynn Wu and Joy Ang's picture book for a story that is perfect for them and honourable to a woman who did not let her gender stop her from doing what she chose to do for family and country.