When Pumpkins Fly

Written by Margaret Lawrence

Illustrated by Amanda Sandland and Margaret Lawrence

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-249-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2020

 

Though Halloween will be a very different holiday for many children this year, author Margaret Lawrence demonstrates for young readers how different it must always be in her territory of Nunavut when getting a pumpkin into the community is a very big thing.

From When Pumpkins Fly by Margaret Lawrence, illus. by Amanda Sandland and Margaret Lawrence

As always in remote communities like Margaret Lawrence's home of Sanikiluaq on Flaherty Island in Hudson's Bay, cargo flights play an important role in delivering much needed provisions. Getting a pumpkin is not as easy as heading to a field of thousands and picking out one.  When the pumpkins arrive and one becomes part of each class's celebrations, which includes carving and eating, a draw is held to select the lucky student from each who gets to take the carved pumpkin home.

As with all children who go out trick or treating, the children of the community dress up in the costumes but also in heavy coats and mittens and carry flashlights to ward off the darkness. But it's after the trick-or-treating and the community hall dance is over that young minds go to the dark places of the night.

From When Pumpkins Fly by Margaret Lawrence, illus. by Amanda Sandland and Margaret Lawrence

As I drift off, I think about the tunnaat who live out on the land. Halloween is a night to think about these ancient and wise beings that like to visit our community.

As the wind blows and temperatures drop, the child wonders about the pumpkin on the steps outside which may be appropriated by a fox or ravens but also perhaps tunnaat.

From When Pumpkins Fly by Margaret Lawrence, illus. by Amanda Sandland and Margaret Lawrence

The cargo planes may bring the pumpkins to Margaret Lawrence's home but When Pumpkins Fly brings all young readers to this Inuit community to experience a Halloween that is a little bit different. Though illustrator Amanda Sandland may live in the Toronto area, her artwork, with contributions from Margaret Lawrence, takes us to that cold climate for this annual holiday, ensuring authenticity of location with her landscapes and people. 

At its heart, Halloween is still an event of pumpkins and trick-or-treating for the children of Sanikiluaq and When Pumpkins Fly depicts it as such. But it is also a one-of-a-kind occasion for a community that enjoys the popular aspects of the holiday along with their own traditions. By allowing Inuit children the opportunity to see themselves and for non-Inuit children to learn about cultures other than their own, When Pumpkins Fly takes us all out on Halloween.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

When Pumpkins Fly is also available in Inuktitut from publisher Inhabit Media.

The Upside of Falling: Guest review

This review was written by teacher Elizabeth Cook.

 

Written by Alex Light

HarperTeen

9780062918055

288 pp.

Ages 12-18

February 2020

 

Also available as an audiobook from

HarperAudio

 Narrated by Caitlin Kelly and Austin Rising

6 hr 41 min

 

The Upside of Falling is a YA novel that focuses on two teenagers in high school who improbably come together under unique circumstances. Coming together is weird enough; staying together is another matter.

 

Brett Wells is the most liked guy in high school. He's captain of the football team and is helping the team achieve great success this year. Moreover he's a really good guy, known for being kind to everyone, a trait which he may have inherited from his generous parents who've just donated a ton of money to redo the football field.  Brett Wells would be considered the guy who had it all. 

 

Becca Hart would be the opposite. Few people at school would know who she is. A bookworm, Becca regularly has her nose between the pages of a book while she sits under a tree on the far side of the school property. Unlike Brett, Becca's life is one that is far from perfect. Her father left her and her mother five years ago and her best friend abandoned her for the popular crowd two years ago. It's no surprise that Becca prefers to shy away from any connections just to avoid being left behind and disappointed yet again.

When Becca finds herself being publicly accused of being a loveless loner by her former best friend, she lies that she is in a secret relationship. Brett, overhearing this declaration, steps in and puts his arm around Becca to save her from a horrible confrontation. Later, they agree  to continue the fake relationship so they might both achieve something they need: for Becca, to avoid being made into a laughing stock and for Brett, to appease his father about getting a girlfriend. Along the way, they both learn more about the other and what they need for themselves.

 

Written in the alternating voices of Becca and Brett, a style of writing I especially like and which was enhanced by the audiobook's dual narrators, Alex Light's portrayal of her characters was authentic and powerful. Becca's character especially resonated with me as, like many readers, Becca uses books as a personal means of escape. Her anticipation of the happy ending in her books is a balm to daily stresses, as it is for so many, and helps her deal with feelings of abandonment. It's no wonder she carries a book around everywhere, even to a high school football game where she's expected to be paying attention to her boyfriend.

As a young adult novel, The Upside of Falling offers a fabulous read while addressing important and true-to-life issues of belonging, divorce, relationships, and love, and still giving readers the happy ending Becca always looked for.

 

~ Reviewer Elizabeth Cook is a teacher in the Halton District School Board. She is an avid reader and fan of Canadian literature.

Dual Book Launch: Teaching Mrs. Muddle & Glory on Ice: A Vampire Hockey Story (Online)

If you didn't live in Winnipeg, 

it would be a shame to miss this book launch.

 

But with the need for physical distancing,

everyone can make it to Manitoba virtually to check out

a couple of funny children's picture books by Canadian authors

 

with this free online book launch.

 

 

Join authors Colleen Nelson and Maureen Fergus 

 

for the launch of their new picture books

Teaching Mrs. Muddle

Written by Colleen Nelson
Illustrated by Alice Carter
Pajama Press
978-1-77278-131-1
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
October 2020

Reviewed here

and

Glory on Ice: A Vampire Hockey Story

Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Mark Fearing

Knopf Books for Young Readers

978-1-524714512 

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

October 2020

on

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

at

7:00 pm CDT (note the time zone)

The link for registration, 

which is required to directly participate in the Zoom webinar, 

can be found at McNally Robinson Booksellers website here.

The event will also be lived streamed 

(and then available for viewing afterwards) 

by McNally Robinson Online Events 

at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DevF-aKwP-w

 

 

 

Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds

Written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

HarperAlley (HarperCollins Canada)

978-0-06-298222-3 

64 pp.

Ages 5-9

October 2020

 

Elise Gravel has endeared herself to young readers with her Disgusting Critters series but her new series, Arlo & Pips, undoubtedly will draw in more children particularly those early readers intrigued by graphic novels. With a pair of new feathered friends to teach through sharing, and Elise Gravel's trademark humour and artwork, Arlo & Pips will swoop onto bookshelves everywhere.

From Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel

Arlo is a crow and Pips is a little yellow bird. When they meet, Arlo seems to think he is the grandest of birds. In fact, he claims the crow is the "king of the feathered world," hence the crown he places on his head. But little Pips is both curious and diplomatic, asking questions of the crow, rather than shaming him for his bravado. (Though, even after his little feathers get a  tad ruffled upon hearing Arlo sing, all Pips says is "You have an unusual voice.")

From Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel

After the first story–the book is set up with three connected stories–which introduces Arlo and Pips and focuses on establishing some background about crows, like their ability to mimic sounds and to count because of their bigger brains, Elise Gravel has Pips take the newcomer Arlo on two trips, one to the big city and another to the beach.  In the city, Arlo is introduced to the noisy and littering humans before he enjoys some fries and uses his impressive acting to thwart a looting by another crow. In addition, readers will learn of crows' eating preferences and their predilection for shiny objects, of which Arlo has a remarkable collection.

From Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel

 

At the beach, after tricking some awk-ing gulls and displaying his fine memory, Arlo becomes fixated on a shiny fork which he uses to pry open a shell before gifting it to Pips. The little yellow bird is most appreciative though Pips does make a point of telling Arlo, "You know, you really brag too much."

 

From Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel

I think Elise Gravel is going to have a long and multi-volume relationship with Arlo and Pips as she blends a perfect combination of information, graphics and humour into her storytelling. Though Elise Gravel periodically notes key features of crows (red stars in the text are linked to a footnote with related details), it's the dialogue between the two unlikely friends that truly drives the story. The play of bravado and sarcasm with mutual respect helps teach and entertain. Moreover, as the digitally-rendered illustrations consistently place the emphasis on the main characters, Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds is all about the birds. But with Elise Gravel at the drawing board or rather her computer, learning is fun and funny, and I look forward to more learning with Arlo and Pips in their second book, Join the Crow Crowd!

Teaching Mrs. Muddle

Written by Colleen Nelson

Illustrated by Alice Carter 

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-131-1

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

October 2020

As a teacher, I know we have a lot to learn from our students. If you're a really good teacher, and I believe Mrs. Muddle will be someday, you listen.

From Teaching Mrs. Muddle by Colleen Nelson, illus. by Alice Carter

 

First day of school can be an exciting day but also a trepidacious one, especially for new students such as kindergartners like Kayla who are already nervous about getting lost and missing their mothers.

Mom didn't look ready to say good-bye. I didn't know what she'd do without me all day.

But Mrs. Muddle is certainly muddled. First she mixes up all their nametags–Kayla is most definitely not Jeremy–and then she reads Kayla's favourite book upside down and tells it wrong. Fortunately, Kayla is very helpful and corrects her teacher without embarrassing her.

From Teaching Mrs. Muddle by Colleen Nelson, illus. by Alice Carter

When they head out for a tour of the school and Mrs. Muddle confuses the library for the gym, mistaking the bookshelves for an obstacle course, and a Gr. 5 classroom for the music room and then must repeatedly ask for directions to the bathroom, Kayla helps the teacher out, though Mrs. Muddle doesn't always recognize her slips.

"Mrs. Muddle, maybe you should let me handle this," I said.

"But it's your first day. You might get lost."

Even on my first day, I didn't think I'd get more lost than Mrs. Muddle!

It's the little ones who listen and follow Mr. Brown's gym rules–Mrs. Muddle can't seem to manage that–and Kayla who comes to the rescue when Jeremy hurts his knee on the playground. Finally, after a full day of guiding Mrs. Muddle, Kayla realizes it's time to go home and she has successfully gotten through the first day of kindergarten along with her classmates but also her teacher.

From Teaching Mrs. Muddle by Colleen Nelson, illus. by Alice Carter

Without making Kayla precocious or Mrs. Muddle outrageous, Colleen Nelson creates a very relatable school situation that is both engaging and charming. It's giving Kayla and every child the opportunity to see that they embody far greater capabilities than they imagine they possess. Though this is Colleen Nelson's first picture book, her impressive repertoire of both middle grade novels such as Harvey Comes Home and YA novels like The Fall, Finding Hope and Sadia have always cheered young people for their ability to face challenges, find solutions and make better lives for themselves than their circumstances might dictate. Even in a light but big-hearted story about finding your own way by helping others, Colleen Nelson drives home the conviction that young people can do so much.

From Teaching Mrs. Muddle by Colleen Nelson, illus. by Alice Carter

 

That brightness of Colleen Nelson's story and message about children's potential to lead is emphatically portrayed in Alice Carter's illustrations. Rich in the primary colours which will appeal to young children, Alice Carter makes what could have been a gloomy story about making mistakes or an incompetent teacher into an energized lesson in helping with heart and being confident.

Teaching Mrs. Muddle should become a must-read for parents sending little ones off to kindergarten but it will be also become a favourite for young children who will laugh at the muddled Mrs. Muddle and applaud Kayla for her cleverness and subtlety, recalling their own first times in new situations and satisfaction at handling them as well.

The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Marie Lafrance

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0154-4 

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2020

 

"Let us set this

upside-down

world right again

by starting with

the children.

They will show

the grown-ups

the way to go."

– Jella Lepman, 1943

 

So begins Kathy Stinson's homage to Jella Lepman, creator of the International Youth Library and a key player in the founding of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). But while The Lady with the Books honours her efforts to bring books to children, Kathy Stinson's newest picture book is much more than a biography. It is a tome of hope that books have the promise to nurture during difficult times.

 

From The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Marie Lafrance

In the aftermath of World War II, a little girl, Anneliese, and her younger brother, Peter, wander the streets of Munich looking for food. What they do find, in addition to a bit of orange peel, is a line of people heading into a great hall filled with books. With memories of going to a library with their Papa, now both gone, the children are captivated and time flies until Anneliese and Peter are told by a kind lady that the exhibition was closing.

 

From The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Marie Lafrance

 

The next day they return to hear the same lady reading The Story of Ferdinand and are touched by the titular bull's pacifism, especially Peter who is drawn to flowers like Ferdinand. When this lady suggests that Anneliese might enjoy another book about a clever Pippi, Anneliese begins to imagine beyond the desolation of their daily lives, especially the struggle for food. The stories they hear at the exhibit and those that Anneliese weaves at night for her brother become a new source of sustenance, offering hope where there had been little.

Kathy Stinson's stories have always found ways to offer hope and comfort, easily getting into the heads of her characters and recognizing what is important to them. Whether it's colour (Red is Best) or music (The Man with the Violin) for children or a squirrel to The Dog Who Wanted to Fly, Kathy Stinson's picture books help children realize the importance of their dreams. At the onset of The Lady with the Books, Anneliese wonders why the women are clearing away rubble with their bare hands and sweeping the pavement when "Couldn't they see that the street would never be what it had been before the war?" However, by the story's end, she decides "she would join the women with their brooms. She would help clear the street around the damaged library. And maybe someday, the building would again be filled with books." There was hope again.

Marie Lafrance's illustrations, rendered in graphite pencil and coloured digitally, may reflect the devastating impacts of war, from bombed buildings to hunger, but the hope of Kathy Stinson's text and Jella Lepman's work–discussed in notes at the conclusion of the story–is there in the life peppering the scenes. From hardworking women with brooms, and men with wheelbarrows, trees and flowers growing out of rubble, markets of bright food, and books, books and more books, Marie Lafrance offers that buoyancy to the story, letting readers know that there is life and goodness out there.

Jella Lepman extended a hand to children after World War II, recognizing that more than food fed lives. Through book exhibitions, donations and ultimately the establishment of the International Youth Library, the largest international collection of children's books in the world, she nourished young lives, especially those disrupted by war and other disasters, to hope for better and more.

From The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Marie Lafrance

Hatch

Written by Kenneth Oppel

HarperCollins Canada

978-1-44345-688-3

416 pp.

Ages 10-14

September 2020

 

When readers first met Anaya, Petra and Seth in Bloom, Book 1 in Kenneth Oppel's The Overthrow trilogy, the three teens were helping to battle an alien invasion of plants–black grass, vines and pit plants–that threatened their community on Salt Spring Island and around the world. They had also discovered that they all dreamed of special powers–running, swimming and flying, respectively–that corresponded with the unusual growths that had plagued their bodies, namely claws and excessive hair for Anaya, a tail and scaly skin on Petra, and bony growths akin to wings for Seth.  Now a new threat has arrived.

From a weird rain that deposits eggs, strange new creatures develop that Dr. Weber and the others look to study. But then the military, as led by Colonel Pearson alongside the new Dr. Ritter, having learned of the kids' cryptogenic DNA, announce that brain scans reveal transmitters in their brains, and fear that they have been communicating with the cryptogens who intend to invade. The kids are "detained as a threat to national security under the War Measures Act" (pg. 33) at a secret underground bunker with other young hybrids who are numbered and classified as runners, swimmers and flyers. 

This did not seem like a good sign. If you gave someone a number, it was because you were taking away their home. And once you took away someone's home, it was a lot easier to take away whatever you wanted. (pg. 41)

Under the direction of Dr. Ritter, the young people are measured and tested and drilled to develop their skills. Meanwhile, Anaya, Petra and Seth make new friends within their groupings, with Petra meeting the muscular Darren who is convinced they are being trained to be soldiers and Anaya making the acquaintance of the brilliant Charles. But it's Seth fraternization with the quiet Esta that becomes the most intense, as he makes a real connection with her though she evokes dissension between the friends with claims of the flyers' superiority.

But everything changes when Anaya is taken to the surface and allowed to connect with the cryptogens to pinpoint their location. Instead she learns that they can communicate telepathically and she is able to do so with a cryptogen, learning why they are targeting Earth and involving the hybrids.

Kenneth Oppel got our attention with Bloom but he keeps us breathless with the unrelenting action in Hatch. From dealing with dangerous and toxic plants to evolving insects of massive destruction force (the worm has a mouth with "spiraling blades that looked like the turbine of a drilling machine"; pg. 10) and the protagonists learning more about their capabilities, and sadly also their shocking predilections, Hatch reveals a precarious world where aliens i.e., cryptogens look to communicate with humans through hybrid beings like Anaya, Petra and Seth. But who is friend and who is foe both on earth and from other worlds is ever-changing and poses problems for all as the kids try to do the right thing for their families, communities, planet and themselves.

Hatch, as did Bloom, brings one story to an end but introduces a new one with its last words. When the third book in the trilogy, Thrive, finally drops in May 2021, we hope Kenneth Oppel will finally share with young readers the true nature of the aliens and whether they, or even some of them, offer hope or harm. Eight months seems almost too long to wait when the world is in the balance because of an alien invasion.

 

The Overthrow series from Kenneth Oppel:

Bloom (February 2020)

Hatch (September 2020)

Thrive (May 2021)