The Puck Drops Here (Hockey Super Six #1)

Written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-6348-4

176 pp.

Ages 8-12

September 2020

I don't know if I can safely write this review. I had to take a solemn pledge to never repeat anything I saw to ANYONE under penalty of...I don't know since it's apparently TOO TOP SECRET. But, I'm going to take a chance and brave it because you really need to hear about this book. It's too good to miss. (Though I did read that "There was once a kid in grade four in Canmore who took just a glimpse of, a mere peek at, page one of this book and repeated a single word that appeared on that page. Notice we said, "Was."" Yikes.)

From The Puck Drops Here (Hockey Super Six #1) by Kevin Sylvester

Twins Jenny and Benny, and friends Mo, Starlight, DJ and Karl are all eager to try out for the GOOBERS (Greater Ottawa-Outaouais Brainy Educational Regional School) hockey but Coach Clapper feels they all need to work on something, whether it is teamwork (Benny and Jenny), speed (DJ), physique (Mo), attention (Starlight) or being Karl (yes, he's just too Karl). So, stealing the key to an underground, top-secret hockey rink from his prime minister mom, PM Pauline Patinage, Karl sneaks his friends in for some special practice time. However, unbeknownst to them, government scientist Clarence Crosscheck, who'd been pretending to work on an artificial rink that could be used year-round, has been plotting to take over the world with a freeze ray using special comet crystals called Frozeum 7.

From The Puck Drops Here (Hockey Super Six #1) by Kevin Sylvester

When the kids arrive, Clarence accidentally blasts them, imbuing them with energy that translates into new powers (well, all except Karl, apparently) that would make Coach Clapper thrilled. But Clarence Crosscheck, realizing his machine has failed and learning PM PP is approaching, takes off, but not before releasing his experimentally-developed and hungry Super-Giant Ice Squids from their cage.

From The Puck Drops Here (Hockey Super Six #1) by Kevin Sylvester

In an epic hockey challenge, the Hockey Super Six take on the Ice Squids and the only things they have in common are a passion for hockey and a hunger to win. (Actually the squids just want to win the challenge so they can eat the kids because they really are hungry.)

I need to thank Kevin Sylvester for The Puck Starts Here and for starting this new series. We so need to find laughter in our lives, and The Puck Drops Here had me snickering, giggling, and smiling the whole way through. From his distinctive sketches (very familiar to readers of his award-winning series Neil Flambé) and humour (like the tongue-in-cheek comments between the kids, and story elements like Clarence's one-eyed human-sized hockey puck robot named Ron), all embedded in a hockey story line, Kevin Sylvester ticks all the boxes for a belly-laughs middle grade read about a much-loved sport. It's a little crazy (like the goalies who "are universally understood to be weird"; pg. 24) and a whole lot of funny ("This isn't hockey! This is monkey in the middle!"; pg. 117) and allows hockey viewing via appropriate social distancing.

Young readers will undoubtedly love The Puck Drops Here and this series. (The second book in the Hockey Super Six series, On Thin Ice, dropped last month.) For Christmas, for hockey lovers, for middle graders looking for a laugh, this will be a barnburner for Kevin Sylvester. He definitely scores!

Raven, Rabbit, Deer: Q & A with author Sue Farrell Holler and illustrator Jennifer Faria

Written by Sue Farrell Holler
Illustrated by Jennifer Faria
Pajama Press
978-1-77278-136-6
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
November 2020

Reviewed here

Yesterday I reviewed Raven, Rabbit, Deer, a new picture book from Pajama Press, by author Sue Farrell Holler and illustrator Jennifer Faria. Today I am pleased to present an interview with the author and illustrator.

 

HK:  At its heart, Raven, Rabbit, Deer is the story of an intergenerational relationship. Did either of you have a significant relationship with a grandparent that helped guide you in the telling of this story in words or pictures?

 

Sue Farrell Holler:  Thank you for recognizing this as a love story – the love between grandfather and grandson, the grandfather’s love of the land and the grandson’s love of play.

I adored my maternal grandmother but, because we didn’t travel much when I was a child, I saw my grandparents only for about a week a year, yet I think I carry part of her spirit. She was a very quiet woman who liked to garden, to cook and to gather people in her home. I never had the sense that anyone was invited; it just seemed that her house was always filled with people coming and going and she fed them all.

I think there is something very special about quiet relationships, the comfort of being with someone and not feeling the need to speak. That’s how I felt around my grandmother.

I wasn’t conscious of that when I wrote the story, but certainly, that’s the type of relationship we see in Raven, Rabbit, Deer.

Jennifer Faria:  Let’s just say my family history is colourful and complicated. My closest grandparent, one of my step-grandmothers, sadly passed away during the making of Raven, Rabbit, Deer. It’s disappointing, because she was one of the only members of my family who was excited about and interested in the book, and she didn’t get to see the finished product.

I have always had a good relationship with my great-aunt Glenna, who is a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, as I am. She exposed me to countless cultural events in and around Toronto throughout my formative years, which likely set the stage for my artistic development. I based the look and feel of the grandfather character on her brother, my great-uncle Leonard, and she provided me with many reference photos of him.

 

HK:  Because the species highlighted in Raven, Rabbit, Deer occur throughout Canada, did you have a specific setting or location in mind when writing or illustrating the book?

 

Sue Farrell Holler:  Yes. I had a very clear setting in mind. The place is called Muskoseepi Park, which incidentally, means “Bear Creek” in the Cree language. It’s an 1100-acre mostly wilderness area that runs the length of the city where I live, Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Except for paved walking trails, this is primarily a natural park that’s populated by lots of animals – magpies, woodpeckers, ravens, sparrows, chickadees, geese, ducks, and herons in the summer. There are beaver, deer, moose, rabbits, muskrats, chipmunks, squirrels, mice and occasionally bear and cougar. But the animals I encounter most often are birds and mule deer.

The area is my favourite part of the city. It’s where I walk almost every day to keep tuned into nature.

Jennifer Faria:  Since Sue lives in Grand Prairie, Alberta, I assumed that some of the details of the walk in the story might be local to her, so at first I was going in that direction. However, in researching which animals I would use, I found that to get a raven, a rabbit, and a deer together in the same place, in winter, it would have to be set in Ontario. So that’s what I imagined.

 

 

HK:  One of the unique features of Raven, Rabbit, Deer is the inclusion of Ojibwemowin. Was the choice of Ojibwemowin related to either of your backgrounds? If so, how and was it a language spoken at home?

 

Sue Farrell Holler:  The inclusion of the First Nations’ language is one of my favourite pieces of this story. I’m a bit of a “language nut” and I love the unhurried cadence of many of the Indigenous languages. When they are written, they are these really big words that you have to slow down to sound out and to me, that’s exactly how the language sounds, as if every word is a story. 

Ojibwemowin is a new language to me, but my dad taught us a few words of Mi’kmaq – mostly the words that mean, “Hurry up!”

I am not of Indigenous heritage, but Jennifer is a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation.

Jennifer Faria:  I am technically a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, however growing up in Toronto, I was not raised in that tradition, so I don’t know the language myself. For that, I consulted with my second cousin Janice (uncle Leonard’s daughter) who is qualified and educated in these matters, and she kindly provided the translations.

HK:  Raven, Rabbit, Deer is very much a sensory experience, from the visual of footprints in the snow looking like two hot dogs with two marshmallows, to the characters’ puffing as they climb a hill  and the snow shower that tickles the child’s face and the cold that creeps down his neck. Even without the illustrations, your text is very evocative. Did you start the story with these sensory elements or did you start with a story arc into which they were embedded?

 

Sue Farrell Holler:  Thank you for that!

Stories for me always start with emotion. While Raven, Rabbit, Deer appears to be a nature story, it is something a little bit deeper.

I’m very much myself and very much at peace in nature. With this story, I was thinking of how I’d like to share my experience with children and to encourage them to explore the natural world. For many kids, that will mean a city park, but it’s amazing what you can find when you slow down and really look. Key to that, of course, is knowing what to look for.

  

 

HK:  How flexible does an author have to be with an illustrator’s visualization of their words? As your visions may be very different, how do you allow the two to merge?

 

Sue Farrell Holler:  A picture book is an interesting collaboration. The author and the illustrator work with the same text, but usually in isolation.

I’m probably not supposed to say this, but the illustrations are my favourite part of a picture book. The illustrations make the words that much richer.

I love knowing a story has spoken to an artist, then seeing how she brings her perspective and experience to my words.

When I saw Jennifer’s final illustration – the one of the boy and his grandfather cuddled together – I teared up. It’s so tender and so beautiful and totally captures what this story is about.

 
HK:  If you could ensure young readers take away one message from Raven, Rabbit, Deer, what would it be? 

 

Sue Farrell Holler:  I would hope that children come away with the sense of security and comfort that comes from loving someone.

 

 

HK:  Though you’ve worked as an artist, this is your first picture book.  How did you find the process of illustration from working with the text, and trying to honour the author’s message to being true to your own style and artistic expression?

 

Jennifer Faria:  Many stages of development went into the creation of the preliminary artwork, with lots of input from the art director to help interpret Sue’s message, so that aspect fell into place pretty organically over time. With regard to my style and artistic expression, I went with the more bold, clean, and intricate look that I usually use in my portraiture (using multiple layers of acrylic paint and coloured pencil), which was probably too labour-intensive and inefficient relative to my deadline. I think it worked. However, if I get the opportunity to illustrate more books in the future, I might like to experiment with a looser, quicker style, perhaps in watercolour.

 

HK:  It’s not unusual for authors and illustrators to look to those in their circles for names and traits. Do the grandfather and child in your illustrations reflect any family or friends?

 

Jennifer Faria:  As I said previously, the grandfather is modelled on my great-uncle Leonard, whom I only met and spent time with a handful of times (he lived in B.C.), but he was a very strong and delightful presence, full of warmth and good humour. I used some younger photos of my son as references for the boy, and the green bear in the book is based on
my son’s own green teddy bear.

 

 

HK:  I’ve seen two different book covers with different details of your name. Which is your professional artist’s name and which name do you prefer me to use in my post?

Jennifer Faria:  At first I was going to go with both my maiden name and husband’s last name, but later decided it was best to stick with just my maiden name, hence the change you mention. I didn’t want to rebrand, plus I have a lot of history and equity built into ‘Jennifer Faria’ as a professional identity, so that’s the name on the published book, and the one I prefer.

 

• • • • • • •

Thank you, Sue and Jennifer, for your candid answers to my probing questions about Raven, Rabbit, Deer.  These details about the book, both text and illustrations, as well as your own backgrounds, will undoubtedly enrich its storytelling for young readers.

Thank you also to Laura Bowman, Sales & Marketing Manager at Pajama Press, for facilitating this interview with Sue Farrell Holler and Jennifer Faria.

 • • • • • • •

Also, do check out my review of Raven, Rabbit, Deer yesterday for more details about the book and to see samples of its illustrations.

Raven, Rabbit, Deer

Written by Sue Farrell Holler

Illustrated by Jennifer Faria

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-136-6

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

November 2020

At its heart, Raven, Rabbit, Deer is a story about a grandfather and young grandson taking a walk in the snow. But simple pleasures and company are often bigger than they might appear, and that can be said for Raven, Rabbit, Deer as well. 

Though it is understood that the little boy is in the care of his elder, it's obvious that it's the child who is directing this day. He plops his boots on his grandfather's lap to suggest they go for a walk and he holds Grandpa's hand to ensure the older man's safety. Still, it's what his grandfather has to share that makes their hike all the more mutual.

From Raven, Rabbit, Deer by Sue Farrell Holler, illus. by Jennifer Faria

When they spot a raven, Grandpa tells the boy its name in English but also in Ojibwemowin, an Algonquian language. The boy takes note of the bird and what it looks like and the sounds it makes but just relishes making footprints and kicking snow. When they see marks in the snow different than their own, Grandpa says only, "Rabbit" and then "Waabooz" before the little boy is hopping.  And when deer appear in the woods, the child tries to count but, in mittens, it's near impossible. Fortunately, his grandfather can tell him that there are five waawaashkeshi.

From Raven, Rabbit, Deer by Sue Farrell Holler, illus. by Jennifer Faria

Still, when they see the tracks of a bird, the child correctly repeats the word for raven. He is mistaken however–the tracks are of a much smaller sparrow–but it's another teachable moment.

Finally the two return home, the elder to watch as the little one plays in the snow, until they both come in from the cold for cookies, a read and a snuggly nap together.

From Raven, Rabbit, Deer by Sue Farrell Holler, illus. by Jennifer Faria

Though Raven, Rabbit, Deer is culturally informative with its inclusion of Ojibwemowin, author Sue Farrell Holler has not created it as a picture book of vocabulary as much as a story of a touching inter-generational relationship. As grandfather and grandson walk and chat, they each give and take something different and yet together. The child finds everything about outdoors magical, recognizing the "snow shower that tickles my face and creeps cold down my neck" to trudging up the hill like tractors, making the letter "V" repeatedly with their boots, to the rabbit tracks that "look like two hot dogs with two marshmallows in the middle." The child sees the wonder of the natural world while the grandfather sees its reality, instead appreciating the wonder of his grandson's perspective. By focusing on the relationship and the sensory nature of that walk, Sue Farrell Holler makes Raven, Rabbit, Deer more personal and less informative than it could have been by another pen.

Similarly, debut picture book illustrator Jennifer Faria takes that heartfelt relationship and organic walk in a winter park and makes it into something warm and embracing. I defy young readers not to feel the cold and the damp of that walk and play and the glow of the hospitality of those cookies and fire. Using acrylic paint and coloured pencil, Jennifer Faria has given Raven, Rabbit, Deer a boldness of colour and shape but with an understated edge that complements Sue Farrell Holler's story and intensifies it.

 

In Raven, Rabbit, Deer, or gaagaagi, waabooz, waawaashkeshi as would be in Ojibwemowin, Sue Farrell Holler and Jennifer Faria have let us enjoy an outing with a grandfather and his grandson and feel the warmth of that harmonious connection between people and with place.

• • • • • • •

Look for my interview tomorrow with author Sue Farrell Holler and illustrator Jennifer Faria about this new picture book.

If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden

Written by Kay Weisman

Illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-970-6

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

September 2020

Sea gardens are man-made reefs traditionally constructed by Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples for cultivating clams and other shellfish. Some of these sea gardens which consist of boulders lined up at the lowest tide line have been around for thousands of years. They are significant cultural elements of the First Nations both for the food that is provided by the shellfish harvested here and the community that utilizes them and Kay Weisman brings readers to that community of gratitude with her words as Roy Henry Vickers delivers us to that sense of place.

From If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden by Kay Weisman, illus. by Roy Henry Vickers

If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden begins with a child and adult setting out in the early morning when the sea gardens are revealed by the lowest of tides. They take their canoe out at dawn and "Listen closely for the symphony of clams, welcoming us to their beaches. Here, there and everywhere they spurt and sputter, exhaling right on cue."

As they walk on the beach, the elder, whether grandfather or father, recounts the history of the sea gardens, around for thousands of years, sometimes built piecemeal over time, to give habitat to creatures including rock crabs, chitons, sea stars and, of course, butter clams, littlenecks and cockles.

Imagine the generations of First Peoples who have maintained this wall in order to feed their families. They have come here to build and care for the sea garden, harvest and eat clams, and share stories and knowledge about this special place.

From If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden by Kay Weisman, illus. by Roy Henry Vickers

Like the many to have come to the sea garden, they tend to the garden, returning stray boulders to the wall, clearing away debris and giving new opportunities for the sea garden to thrive. And then, with the tide, it is gone from view, until its next revival.

Kay Weisman makes this pilgrimage to a sea garden a sacred experience for people and the environment. From the interaction between child and adult, solemn and instructive, to the awe-inspiring landscape of forever, Kay Weisman is respectfully informing her readers and honouring the legacy of sea gardens.

From If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden by Kay Weisman, illus. by Roy Henry Vickers

With Roy Henry Vickers's illustrations, which I have admired since reviewing his earlier books (Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak; Hello Humpback; One Eagle Soaring), If You Want to Visit a Sea Garden is elevated. I learned from Kay Weisman's words but they are given life with Roy Henry Vickers's artwork. Using vector illustration tools, Roy Henry Vickers gives a smooth power to his images. While the people are kept in shadows, the scenes are bold and spirited and important symbols of Indigenous cultures are highlighted. The art both gives life and takes our breath away.

If you want to visit a sea garden and cannot tour the West Coast, I suggest a stroll with a child and guardian in Kay Weisman and Roy Henry Vickers's captivating picture book. It's a safe and vibrant way to understand the magic of these amazing sea gardens.

Canada Fun!

Written and illustrated by Paul Covello

HarperCollins

978-1-4434-5811-5

30 pp.

Ages 0-4

October 2020

It doesn't matter whether there's snow on the ground or leaves in the trees, Paul Covello's latest volume in his Canada series of board books–which includes Canada Animals and Canada 123–shows young readers that there's lots to do in all parts of our country, no matter the season.

 

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

In single page illustrations or sweeping double-spreads of multiple activities, Paul Covello highlights a plethora of pursuits that young people, with or without adults in tow, can undertake. From hockey and cross-country skiing in winter or lacrosse and kayaking in the other seasons, Paul Covello covers all manner of endeavours, both organized and not. After all, isn't there as much fun making snow angels and building snow people, or leaf jumping and making maple syrup as playing on a sport?

 

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

Even better are the cultural and regional activities that he includes in his Canada Fun! treatise. There's attending a powwow or a ceilidh, watching the northern lights in the north, Winter Carnival in Quebec, whale watching on the coasts or checking out the polar bears. Everywhere that Canadian kids are having fun, Paul Covello makes sure to include them.

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

But it's the art–it always is–that will draw young readers. While teachers and reviewers will appreciate the diversity of Paul Covello's characters, scenes and activities, young readers will enjoy the vivid colours, the polished lines and the energetic shapes depicting all children having fun indoors and out in Canada.

From Canada Fun! by Paul Covello

Whether it's to help children see all the fun they can be having–just hand them the book when they start complaining that there's nothing to do!–or to introduce them to activities new to them, Canada Fun! covers it all with gusto and colour, as vibrant and varied as our country and its people.

What Do You Want, Little Friend?

Written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc

Princeton Architectural Press

978-1-61689-944-8

24 pp.

Ages 0-4

October 2020

At its simplest, What Do You Want, Little Friend? is a story about a kitten trying to help a fly and listening to what the fly needs. In twelve short lines of text, a relationship is formed and compassion extended. Ah, if all interactions were this positive.

From What Do You Want, Little Friend? by Marianne Dubuc

While flying a kite, a little kitten steps on a fly that is on the ground. Desperate to make things okay, the kitten encourages the fly to walk like the ants or to fly like the birds but there is no response from the fly. Each time, the kitten comes back to ask the fly, "Don't you want to?" to check with the fly as to its needs.

From What Do You Want, Little Friend? by Marianne Dubuc

It's only when the kitten stops to listen, that things are made right for the fly and thus for the kitten as well. By speaking up, the fly gets what it needs, and by listening, the kitten gets to help.

From What Do You Want, Little Friend? by Marianne Dubuc

Although Marianne Dubuc's premise may be a simple one of showing caring for others, What Do You Want, Little Friend? reminds us that sometimes the best way to help others is to listen. Not to decide what is best for them. Not to always offer suggestions as to what they would do. Not even to advise them as to the most logical action to take. It's just to listen. Whether an injured fly, a weeping child or a depressed person, sometimes just offering support by listening will make things better. As the little kitten realizes soon enough, a solution is at hand if they only listen and hear. (Of course, it is also incumbent upon the fly to ask.)

Like many of Marianne Dubuc's picture books (see Little Cheetah's Shadow, The Fish and the Cat, and The Lion and the Bird), What Do You Want, Little Friend? is about the interaction of two unlikely allies. The story that results from their meeting is the stuff of legends. It's simple but powerful, all the more so because of Marianne Dubuc's uncluttered illustrations. There is a lightness in the austerity of her shapes and colours which brings focus to the text and the kitten's expressions. (We never see the fly's visage.)

The messages are clear in What Do You Want, Little Friend? First, if you do harm, make it right. Secondly, ask and listen to those who might need help. These mighty messages may be aimed at our youngest children because of the delicate board book in which they are found but they are messages which we should all heed.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass

Written by Adan Jerreat-Poole

Dundurn 

978-1-45974-681-7

328 pp.

Ages 13+

September 2020

 

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass is a book of contradictions. That beautiful cover belies the harshness of a girl cobbled from hawthorn berries, beetle shells, spider webs and glass and the darkness of the plot within. Of course, I should have been prepared when the titular girl stabs a man in his skull on page 3. At least you'll be prepared.

Eli is a witch's tool, created by the witch Circinae, whom she calls "Mother," to carry out missions for the Coven. She travels from the City of Eyes through the Vortex into the City of Bones to assassinate ghosts who've taken over the physical bodies of humans. But when Eli realizes she has killed a human rather than a ghost, she is unnerved, especially as it could result in her being "unmade." Surprisingly she is promptly sent out on another mission. Again something seems amiss. Fortunately, she makes the acquaintance of Cam and Tav in the human world who help her out when the Vortex prevents her from returning to her own world.

They take her to the Hedge-Witch, the leader of a group of rebels, who offers to help Eli if she would help Cam and Tav get around the City of Eyes. But there's much secrecy about their mission and even more confusion about who or what Tav is.

A boi who could see ghosts and wasn't afraid of Eli's strangeness, didn't run from the yellow eyes. Who could, with one touch, make Eli's bones sing and her hands tremble. (pg. 125)

What Adan Jerreat-Poole has created in The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass is a dark fantasy of two worlds, connected and not, as they seek control over self and others. But it's also a love story. As a witch's tool, Eli had found intimacy with Kite, an enigmatic witch and Heir to the Witch Lord. But when she meets Tav, Eli is confused and attracted to them. How can the charge she feels from touching Tav make any sense, especially as they seem to be more than human? Moreover, knowing that they are each tasked with missions that might challenge what the other is doing, both Eli and Tav tend to keep their secrets close to their chests. But, in the worlds of The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass, that's not unusual. Whether human, tool, witch or ghost, all seem to keep secret who they are.

Sometimes if you looked carefully, you could see the true colour of intention in the movements of the people who were supposed to love you. (pg. 15)

This is Adan Jerreat-Poole's debut novel and, with it, they have created contrasting worlds of chaos and fear, power and struggle. Their characters are complicated, not only because of their fantastical natures but also because of their personalities as reflected in their behaviours, including their desires and motivations. And they're all just trying to figure things out.

Eli's hand clenched and unclenched around the dagger as she warred with herself, caught between bloodlust and love, between past and future. (pg. 218)

Readers will need to wait until next May when the book's sequel, The Boi of Feather and Steel, is scheduled for release to learn what will happen to Eli, Tav, Cam, Kite and everyone in The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass. Until then, introduce yourselves fully to the darkness and the fantasy within The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass, knowing there's more to Adan Jerreat-Poole's worlds than meets the eye.