Arnold the Super-ish Hero

Written by Heather Tekavec

Illustrated by Guillaume Perreault

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0309-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

2021

Arnold works in the family business, and that business is one of superheroes. They are superheroes like his super strong cousin and his super fast brother and his super bouncy uncle. But Arnold doesn't have a super power, yet, so, as they all wait for it to show up, Arnold is their phone guy.

From Arnold the Super-ish Hero by Heather Tekavec, illus. by Guillaume Perreault

Then a call comes in for a superhero and no one responds when Arnold sounds the alarm. So, determined to follow the family motto of "Stop the bad guy from being a bad guy," Arnold dusts off his great-grandmother's mask and cape to find the crime. But just getting to the crime scene becomes problematic. As he speeds to the scene, as best he can after taking the bus, he comes across situations he misinterprets. A young man yelling at a woman in a wheelchair is actually a grandson trying to tell his grandmother who has lost her hearing aid to keep her hands off the tires so he can push her safely. Arnold's solution of giving the woman a stray kitten to hold works miracles for the grandson, grandmother and even the kitten. He sees a little girl throwing things in the water until she reveals she's trying to feed a baby duck before the more aggressive adults get the food. Arnold comes to the rescue again. 

From Arnold the Super-ish Hero by Heather Tekavec, illus. by Guillaume Perreault

When Arnold finally gets to the called-in crime scene, he realizes that he can use his phone message-taking skills to good use to solve the problem and make two little girls very happy, with one declaring him a super-ish hero. After a few more good deeds, Arnold returns home to witness his efforts lauded on TV, with his family unaware that the Super Nice Guy superhero was their own family member. And that's a secret he's happy to keep to himself. (Oh, look, another superpower: keeping secrets!)

Kids love the idea of superheroes who can do beyond the norm, usually to fight crime and evil. But, if the past two years have shown us anything, it's that heroes come with all kinds of abilities, and goodness and kindness may be the greatest of all of these. As such, BC's Heather Tekavec has given us a humble character in Arnold, one who just wants to emulate his superhero family, but learns unintentionally that kindness is his strength. Even without trying for the spotlight, just stopping to offer assistance wherever help is needed, Arnold has become a hero. He's every guy and, with him, Heather Tekavec has shown us that anyone can be a hero.

From Arnold the Super-ish Hero by Heather Tekavec, illus. by Guillaume Perreault

Quebec illustrator Guillaume Perreault gives Arnold a banal look that works with the common person image. Except for a top-knot, there's not much to distinguish Arnold from anyone, including the reader. He doesn't stand out except when he does something kind. Guillaume Perreault may make Arnold's family members unique in their dress and skills but he makes Arnold stand out for his originality. In fact, Guillaume Perreault gives the whole book an understated feel with his choice of colours-no emphasis on bold primary colours–and blend of picture book illustrations with graphic novel boxes. Unlike most comic books about superheroes that bombard you with flash and action, Arnold the Super-ish Hero has the same restrained and easygoing appearance as does Arnold himself.

With a message that kindness is a superhero talent available to anyone, even Arnold, young readers will cheer for him and anyone who does good, knowing that the goodness comes in the doing, not from the recognition or the celebrity.

A Sky-Blue Bench

Written by Bahram Rahman

Illustrated by Peggy Collins

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-222-6

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

 November 2021

 

Bahram Rahman, author of The Library Bus (Pajama Press, 2020), returns the reader to Afghanistan and offers another hopeful tale of resilience and courage, creativity and endeavour.

From A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, illus. by Peggy Collins

Aria is an Afghan girl with lovely new red shoes and a helper-leg that she got after an accident. (Bahram Rahman's appended notes talk of land mines and unexploded ordinance.) While she is eager to be returning to school after her lengthy hospitalization, Aria is apprehensive, especially as all the wooden school furniture has been destroyed for firewood and the children now sit with bent knees on a floor tarp, something she will be unable to do.

From A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, illus. by Peggy Collins

Aria contemplates not returning to school but rejects that idea and instead comes up with the "brave idea" to build herself a bench. Most of the girls laugh at her plan but Aria is determined and she and her lone friend scavenge the city for discarded wooden boards, broken pieces of furniture, and random nails and screws. Then, Aria and her mother visit a carpenter in the old city who, for the gift of a loaf of bread, loans her an assortment of tools and a can of sky-blue paint.

"Sky-blue is the color of courage, peace and," he tapped at his temple, "wisdom."

From A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, illus. by Peggy Collins

And so a bench is created, and with it an opportunity for Aria and the other girls to take control of their own schooling needs.

Though Bahram Rahman makes it clear from his notes about circumstances he and others experienced in his homeland of Afghanistan, he does not dwell on the horrors of land mines or the challenges of living with a civil war. Instead Bahram Rahman speaks to a girl's determination to get an education, be proactive and resourceful, and to challenge herself to meet her own needs. It's a brave commentary on focusing on what you can change, not on what you can't, and Aria demonstrates that the possibilities can be inspiring. 

While there is a brightness and a child-like quality to her art, Peggy Collins (Harley the Hero, 2021) stays firmly in realism, but without immersing her art in the adversity of the situation. Aria's prosthetic leg is barely visible under her black dress and the challenges of the civil war are obscured by the vibrancy of the community in its activity and colour. Peggy Collins takes us into the Afghanistan of Aria's life, not of news reports: her school, her helper-leg, her mother and little brother, and her community. Her sky-blue bench is as assured as she is.

A Sky-Blue Bench may be a story from Afghanistan but its lessons about self-reliance and resourcefulness will speak to all children, especially those facing their own challenges, and encourage them to find solutions. With a desire, some hard work and a little wisdom, Aria was able to build something worthwhile, with wood and with vision.

A Long Way Home

Written by Jean Little

Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-4431-7091-8

32 pp.

All ages

February 2022

 

No matter how different they are, Maya and Jane become fast friends after Maya moves into the apartment building next to Jane's house. When they learn about animals like whales and polar bears under threat, the two girls vow to do something together.

From A Long Way Home by Jean Little, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

Jane's grandfather suggests they start close to home and do what they can for the monarch butterflies.

"...wishes don't come true without help..."

Learning of the monarchs' need for milkweed plants, the girls decide to start some plants in Jane's grandfather's community garden. Like good gardeners, they choose their site carefully, plant the seeds and tend to them. The waiting is tough but the girls fill their summer days with cycling and swimming until one day "A bright orange-and-black butterfly was fluttering flower to flower." With new watching and waiting, the girls see an egg become a caterpillar and then a chrysalis.

From A Long Way Home by Jean Little, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

Though they are anxious for the butterfly to emerge from the chrysalis and Jane considers helping it get out, they have learned that it will appear when it is strong enough to begin its long journey. It is then that Maya reveals that she knows about long journeys. And when the butterfly does emerge and the girls send it off with hearty goodbyes, anticipating its arduous migration to Mexico, Maya bravely discloses that she and her family traveled a long way over many years to escape hardships that threatened their lives. Her own experiences give them hope that their butterflies and others, including those they might save the following year, will arrive safely to their destination just as Maya did.

From A Long Way Home by Jean Little, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

For many lovers of Canadian children's books, Jean Little is a legend. When she passed in 2020, there was a great sense of loss for her relentless spirit and for any new books, resplendent in their compassion and heart-warming plots. With A Long Way Home, we get Jean Little back for a little while in this story that parallels the plight of the monarch butterfly with that of an immigrant family. While A Long Way Home will be a useful book for teaching STEM with its emphasis on the butterfly's life cycle, it goes beyond the science and evokes compassion for those who must escape troubling worlds and find refuge elsewhere and far away, often after much waiting. But in her inimitable style, Jean Little juxtaposes the story of the butterfly and of Maya's family without being too obvious or deliberate, letting young readers find the connection themselves, so they might understand what both have had to endure.

Gabrielle Grimard's artwork, which has graced many picture books including The Library Bus (2020), Stolen Words (2017), and  Not My Girl (2014), uses a mix of watercolours, gouache and oil to create warm and inviting scenes of children learning, playing and gardening. Her children are very real, with their fly-away hair, joyful camaraderie, and empathetic demeanours, and their efforts to help the monarch butterfly are just as honest. 

A Long Way Home is a triumphant story of a friendship born of acceptance for differences, of a compulsion to learn and help a threatened species, and of journeys taken. Moreover, with A Long Way Home, we are graced once more with a story from Jean Little whose vision is given colour and shape by Gabrielle Grimard. How wonderful for all young readers.

Upcoming releases for Winter and Spring 2022

With the new season and the new year comes a new selection of books set for release. I know things are still messed up with respect to publishing books and getting them from printers into the hands of readers but here's hoping that things start to get back to normal in 2022. (Fingers crossed.) That said, I came across numerous anomalies of books set for release whose release dates differ depending on my information source. Please recognize that the information presented here is as accurate as it can be at this time. Hopefully it will be sufficient to get readers excited about new books by their favourite authors and illustrators and about sequels in favourite series enough to pre-order or purchase when available.

What am I most looking forward to reading? There are too many to list but if I had to choose my top ten (and even those are very hard to choose), they would be:

• Eight Days by Teresa Toten (Scholastic Canada)
• Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes (Razorbill)
  
• The Fort by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)
• Me Three by Susan Juby (Puffin Canada)
• Murder at the Hotel Hopeless by John Lekich (Orca)
• The Oracle of Avaris by Alisha Sevigny (Dundurn)
• The Red Palace by June Hur (Feiwel and Friends)
• Step by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood)
• These Are Not the Words by Amanda West Lewis (Groundwood)
• The Weird Sisters: A Note, a Goat and a Casserole by Mark David Smith, illus. by Kari Rust (Owlkids)
• When the Wind Came by Jan Andrews, illus. by Dorothy Leung (Kids Can Press)
  

Ah. So many books, so little time to read. I wonder if I'll even get to these ten. Here's hoping you'll find something in this new season of books to tickle your funny bone, take you to new worlds, inform your curious soul, or even give you a tender cry. I know I will.

• • • • • • •




Picture Books
I Love You More by Emil Sher, illus. by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada)
Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, illus. by Charlene Chua (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
The Magic Shell by Jillian Christmas, illus. by Diana G. A. Mungaray (Orca)
On Baba's Back by Marianne Dubuc (Princeton Architectural Press)
Noodin's Perfect Day by Ansley Simpson, illus. by Rhael McGregor (Flamingo Rampant)
Petal the Angry Cow by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Olga Demidova (Tundra)



Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction
Beatrice and Croc Harry by Lawrence Hill (HarperCollins)
Eight Days by Teresa Toten (Scholastic Canada)
Forever Birchwood by Danielle Daniel (HarperCollins)
The Ice Chips and the Grizzly Escape by Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor, illus. by Kim Smith (HarperCollins)>>>Book 5 in Ice Chips series
Metatron's Children by Chy Ryan Spain, illus. by Sydney Kuhne (Orca) >>> Book 1 of new series
The Oracle of Avaris by Alisha Sevigny (Dundurn)>>>Book 3 in The Secrets of the Sands series
Sneaks by Catherine Egan (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
WARNED: The Astrologer's Prophecy by Mahtab Narsimhan (Stardust Stories)>>> Book 1 in new series Eerie Tales from the East

Young Adult

Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes (Razorbill)>>> Book 1 in new fantasy

Like Home by Louisa Onomé (HarperCollins)

Mountain Runaways by Pam Withers (Dundurn)

The Red Palace by June Hur (Feiwel and Friends)

 

 

 

Non-Fiction
Big as a Giant Snail by Jess Keating, illus. by David DeGrand (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Kaakuluk: Orcas! >>> Kaakuluk 11
Kaakuluk: Walruses! >>> Kaakuluk 10
Muinji'j Asks Why The Story of the Mi'kmaq and the Shubenacadie Residential School by Shanika McEachern (Nimbus)
Ukaliq: Caribou! >>> Fun for Little Nunavummiut 6, activity book; Inuktitut and English edition
Ukaliq: Snowy Owls!>>> Fun for Little Nunavummiut 6, activity book; Inuktitut and English edition
Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis by Ann Eriksson, illus. by Belle Wuthrich (Orca) >>> Orca Issues 6
Where Did We Come From? by Chris Ferrie (Sourcebooks)







Picture Books
Calm by Dr. Jillian Roberts (Orca)
A Long Way Home by Jean Little, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard (Scholastic Canada)
Rodney was a Tortoise by Nan Forler, illus. by Yong Ling Kang (Tundra)
Hat Cat by Troy Wilson, illus. by Eve Coy (Candlewick)
I Can See You by Rosemarie Avrana Meyok, illus. by Michelle Simpson (Inhabit Media)
Midnight & Moon by Kelly Cooper, illus. by Daniel Miyares (Tundra)
Mina by Matthew Forsythe (Simon & Schuster)
Olivia Wrapped in Vines by Maude Nepveu-Villeneuve, illus. by Sandra Dumais (Orca)

Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction 

The Gift of the Little People: A Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak Story by William Dumas, illus. by Rhian Brynjolson (HighWater Press)

Giju's Gift by Brandon Mitchell, illus. by Veronika Barinova and Britt Wilson (HighWater Press) >>>graphic novel

The Overwood by Gabrielle Prendergast (Orca)>>> Orca Currents

Shooting Stars by Kevin Sylvester (Scholastic Canada) >>> Hockey Super Six series

Simon & Chester: Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson (Tundra) >>> graphic novel

Willpower by Marty Chan (Orca) >>> Orca Currents

 

Young Adult
The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian (Balzer & Bray)
Creeboy by Teresa Wouters (Lorimer)
Denial by Lorna Schultz Nicholson (Lorimer)
Depth of Field by Natasha Deen (Orca) >>> Orca Soundings
Face the Music by Lesley Choyce (Orca) >>> Orca Soundings
Grave Message by Mary Jennifer Payne (Orca) >>> Orca Anchor
In the Serpent's Wake by Rachel Hartman (Penguin Teen)
One Last Job by Sean Rodman (Orca) >>> Orca Anchor
The Ooze by Tash McAdam (Orca) >>> Orca Anchor
Trapped by Sigmund Brouwer (Orca) >>> Orca Anchor

Non-Fiction

5 Butterflies by Carol Pasternak (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

The Sixties Scoop and the Stolen Lives of Indigenous Children (Righting Canada's Wrongs) by Andrew Bomberry and Jane Hubbard (Lorimer)

Picture Books

Alphabet Antics by Robert Heidbreder, illus. by Philippe Béha (Tradewind Books)

Ben the Sea Lion by Roy Henry Vickers with Robert Budd (Harbour Publishing)

Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes by Mahak Jain, illus. by Anu Chouhan (Annick Press)

Daphne's Bees by Catherine Dempsey, illus. by Veselina Tomova (Running the Goat)

Dinosaur Dance-off by Jorden Foss, illus. by Sara Theuerkauf (Owlkids)

Grumble, Yawn by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Jacqui Lee (Orca)

Howdy, I'm Flores LaDue by Ayesha Clough, illus. by Hugh Rockwood with Keagan Starlight (Red Barn Books)

I'm Not Sydney! by Marie-Louise Gay (Groundwood)

I'm The Boss! by Elise Gravel (Orca)

It's Me Henry! by Stéphanie Deslauriers, illus. by Geneviève Després (Orca)

Journey of the Midnight Sun by Shazia Afzal, illus. by Aliya Ghare (Orca)

Kunoichi Bunny by Sara Cassidy, illus. by Brayden Sato (Orca)

Martin and the River by Jon-Erik Lappano, illus. by Josée Bisaillon (Groundwood)

My Delicious Garden by Anne-Marie Fortin, illus. by Julien Castanié (Owlkids)

A Park Connects Us by Sarah Nelson, illus. by Ellen Rooney (Owlkids)

Spring Song! by Sheree Fitch, illus. by Debbie Pestid (Nimbus)

Sweater by Emily Hepditch (Flanker Press/Pennywell Books)

Twelve in a Race by Catherine Little, illus. by Sae Kimura (Plumleaf Press)
Tug: A Log Boom's Journey by Scot Ritchie (Groundwood)

The Tunnel by Sarah Howden, illus. by Erika Rodriguez Medina (Owlkids)

This is the Boat that Ben Built by Jen Lynn Bailey, illus. by Maggie Zeng (Pajama Press)

While We Wait by Judy Ann Sadler, illus. by Élodie Duhameau (Owlkids)

Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction

Anne's Tragical Tea Party (Inspired by Anne of Green Gables) by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin (Tundra)

Fire on the Mountain by Pamela McDowell, illus. by Dana Barton (Orca) >>> Orca Echoes

For the Record by Monique Polak (Owlkids)

The Grave Thief by Dee Hahn (Puffin Canada)

HAUNTED: The Cursed Lake by Mahtab Narsimhan (Stardust Stories) >>> Book 2 in Eerie Tales from the East

Lark has the Shivers by Natasha Deen, illus. by Marcus Cutler (Orca) >>> Orca Echoes

Me Three by Susan Juby (Puffin Canada)

On the Line by Eric Walters and Paul Coccia (Orca)

Operation Do-Over by Gordon Korman (Scholastic Canada)

Putuguq and Kublu and the Attack of the Amautalik by Roselynn Akulukjuk and Danny Christopher, illus. by Astrid Arijanto (Inhabit Media)>>>Putuguq and Kublu 3

Sparks! Future Purrfect by Ian Boothby, illus. by Nina Matsumoto (Scholastic Graphix) >>> Book 3 in Sparks! graphic novel series

Step by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood)>>>short story collection

Water, Water by Cary Fagan, illus. by Jon McNaught (Tundra)

Young Adult
The Ribbon Leaf by Lori Weber (Red Deer Press)
Wrong Side of the Court by H. N. Khan (Penguin Teen)

Non-Fiction

Animals Move by Jane Whittingham (Pajama Press) >>> Big, Little Concepts 3

Baby Loon by Aubrey Lang, photos by Wayne Lynch (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Fashion Forward: Striving for Sustainable Style by Raina Delisle (Orca) >>> Orca Footprints 22

Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment by Megan Clendenan, illus. by Julie McLaughlin (Orca) >>> Orca Think 4

Haunted Canada 11: Frightening True Tales by Joel A. Sutherland (Scholastic Canada)

I Can't Do What? Strange Laws and Rules from Around the World by Heather Camelot (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Inuit Relocations: Resilience and Reconciliation (Righting Canada's Wrongs) by Frank Tester and Krista Ulujuk Zawadski (Lorimer)

Meet Mary Ann Shadd by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas (Scholastic Canada) >>> Scholastic Canada Biography

Salmon: Swimming for Survival by Rowena Rae (Orca) >>> Orca Wild 8

West Coast Wild at Low Tide by Deborah Hodge, illus. by Karen Reczuch (Groundwood)

Wildlife of the Rockies for Kids by Wayne Lynch (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Picture Books

Abalone Woman by Teoni Spathelfer, illus. by Natassia Davies (Heritage House)

Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza, illus. by Rafael Mayani (Annick Press)

After It Rains: A Counting Book by Joanne Schwartz, illus. by Angela Doak (Nimbus)

As Glenn As Can Be by Sarah Ellis, illus. by Nancy Vo (Groundwood)

Bedtime in Nunatsiavut by Reann Brown (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Finding Moose by Sue Farrell Holler, illus. by Jennifer Faria (Pajama Press)

Flock by Sara Cassidy, illus. by Geraldo Valério (Groundwood)

Free by Barroux (Owlkids)

Give Me a Snickle! by Alisha Sevigny (Orca)

Great Job, Dad! by Holman Wang (Tundra)

Great Job, Mom! by Holman Wang (Tundra)

A Home for Us by Sharon Jennings, illus. by Eva Campbell (Red Deer Press)

I Make Space by Sara Cassidy, illus. by Jimmy Tigani (Orca)

In the Clouds by Elly Mackay (Tundra)

Just Bea by Kari-Lynn Winters, illus. by Nahid Kazemi (Tradewind Books)

The Magical Sturgeon by Joseph Dandurand, illus. by Elinor Atkins (Nightwood Editions)

Mermaid Lullaby by Briana Corr Scott (Nimbus)

The Moon is a Silver Pond and The Sun is a Peach by Sara Cassidy, illus. by Josée Bisaillon (Orca)>>> two stories in a flippable book format

Over by the Harbour: Counting by Outport in Newfoundland and Labrador by Dwayne Lafitte, illus. by Thérèse Cilia (Nimbus)

Pink Is for Everybody by Ella Russell, illus. by Udayana Lugo (Owlkids)

Quiet, Please! by Russ Willms (Orca)

Rainy Days by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Miki Sato (Pajama Press) >>> Book 4 in Weather Days series

Sun in My Tummy by Laura Alary, illus. by Andrea Blinick (Pajama Press)

The Three Bears and Goldilocks by Bee Waeland (Orca)

When I Listen to Silence by Jean E. Pendziwol, illus. by Carmen Mok (Groundwood)

Whirl by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Josée Bisaillon (Owlkids)

Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction

Abby in Oz by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic) >>> Whatever After Special Edition #2

The Amajurjuk by Levi Illuitok, illus. by Ben Shannon (Inhabit Media)

Bear in the Family by Eric Walters, illus. by Olga Barinova (Orca) >>> Orca Echoes

Bee & Flea and the Compost Caper by Anna Humphrey, illus. by Mike Deas (Owlkids)

A Bend in the Breeze by Valerie Sherrard (DCB)

Boy in the Blue Hammock by Darren Groth (Night Editions)

The Fabled Stables: Belly of the Beast by Jonathan Auxier, illus. by Olga Demidova (Tundra) >>> The Fabled Stables 3

Just Dance by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic) >>> Whatever After #15

Last Week by Bill Richardson, illus. by Émilie Leduc (Groundwood)

Lucy and Dee: The Silk Road by Kirsten Marion (Common Deer Press)

Moonwalking by Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann (Farrar, Straus and Grioux)

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei by Christina Matula (Inkyard Press)

Peanut Butter and Chaos: The Mythic Adventures of Samuel Templeton by Anita Daher (Yellow Dog)

The Science of Boys by Emily Seo, illus. by Gracey Zhang (Tradewind Books)

The Tales of Dwipa by Prajwala Dixit, illus. by Duncan Major (Breakwater Books)

These Are Not the Words by Amanda West Lewis (Groundwood)

The Triangle Secret by David Cole, illus. by Shannon O'Toole (Common Deer Press) >>> The Math Kids, Book 6

The Weird Sisters: A Note, a Goat and a Casserole by Mark David Smith, illus. by Kari Rust (Owlkids)>>>new mystery series

Young Adult

Boys and Girls Screaming by Kern Carter (DCB)

Queen's Hope (Star Wars) by E. K Johnston (Disney Lucasfilm Press) >>> sequel to Queen's Peril and Queen's Shadow

Sulfur Heart by Brooke Carter (Orca) >>> Orca Soundings

Version Control by David A. Robertson, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk (HighWater Press) >>> The Reckoner Rises 2

The Summer Between Us by Andre Fenton (Lorimer)

Non-Fiction

Dig, Dance, Dive: How Birds Move to Survive by Etta Kaner, illus. by June Steube (Owlkids)

Flowers Are Pretty ... Weird! by Rosemary Mosco, illus. by Jacob Souva (Tundra)

Same Here! The Differences We Share by Susan Hughes (Owlkids Books)

The Seal Garden by Ian McAllister and Nicholas Read (Orca) >>> My Great Bear Rainforest 3

Sky Wolf's Call: The Gift of Indigenous Knowledge by Eldon Yellowhorn (Annick Press)

Who's Looking? How Animals See the World by Carol Matas, illus. by Cornelia Li (Orca)

Picture Books

All Cats Welcome by Susin Nielsen, illus. by Vivian Mineker (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome by Kat Zhang, illus. by Charlene Chua (Simon & Schuster)

And J. J. Slept by Loretta Garbutt, illus. by Erika Rodriguez Medina (Kids Can Press)

Another Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen, illus. by Mike Lowery (Kids Can Press)

Be a Good Ancestor by Leona Prince and Gabrielle Prince, illus. by Carla Joseph (Orca)

Bibi's Got Game: A Story about Tennis, Meditation and a Dog Named Coco by Bianca Andreescu with Mary Beth Leatherdale, illus. by Chelsea O'Byrne (Tundra)

Bye Bye Binary by Eric Geron, illus. by Charlene Chua (HarperCollins)

Charlotte Diamond's Animal Friends: A Collection of Songs by Charlotte Diamond, illus. by Eunji Jung (Orca)

A Day for Sandcastles by JonArno Lawson, illus. by Qin Leng (Candlewick)

The Family Tree by Sean Dixon, illus. by Lily Snowden-Fine (Tundra)

A Garden of Creatures by Sheila Heti, illus. by Esmé Shapiro (Tundra)

I's the B'y: The Beloved Newfoundland Folk Song, illus. by Lauren Soloy (Greystone Books)

The Language of Flowers by Dena Seiferling (Tundra)

Like Cats and Dogs by Mélanie Perreault, illus. by Marion Arbona (Second Story Press)

Little Pine Cone: Wildfires and the Natural World by Johanna Wagstaffe, illus. by Julie McLaughlin (Orca)

Lizzy and the Cloud by Eric Fan and Terry Fan (Simon & Schuster)

ka-aciwikicik / The Move by Doris George and Don K. Philpot, illus. by Alyssa Koski (Heritage House) >>> bilingual edition (Cree/English)

Nature is an Artist by Jennifer Lavallee, illus. by Natalia Colombo (Greystone Books)

Pugs Cause Traffic Jams by Jennifer McGrath, illus. by Kathryn Durst (Kids Can Press)

Runs With the Stars / Wiijibibamatoon Anangoonan by Heather M. O'Connor and Darcy Whitecrow, illus. by Lenny Lishchenko (Second Story Press) >>> dual-language in English and Ojibwa

Sitting Shiva by Erin Silver, illus. by Michelle Theodore (Orca)

Sun Wishes by Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlovic (Groundwood)

Sweetgrass by Theresa Meuse, illus. by Jessica Jerome (Nimbus)>>>Indigenous Knowledge Series

Tanna's Lemming by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, illus. by Tamara Campeau (Inhabit Media)

Up and Adam by Debbie Zapata, illus. by Yong Ling Kang (Kids Can Press)

Whistling for Angela by Robin Heald, illus. by Peggy Collins (Pajama Press)

Wildflower by Melanie Brown, illus. by Sara Gillingham (Greystone Books)

Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction

Alina in a Pinch by Shenaaz Nanji (Second Story Press)

Harvey Takes the Lead by Colleen Nelson (Pajama Press)

Hermit Hill by Mike Deas and Nancy Deas (Orca) >>> Book 3 in Sueño Bay Adventures graphic novel series

Hush, Puppy by Sigmund Brouwer, illus. by Sabrina Gendron (Orca)>>> Orca Echoes

Linty: A Pocketful of Adventures by Mike Shiell (Kids Can Press)>>> graphic novel

Project Bollywood by Mahtab Narsimhan (Orca) >>> Orca Currents

Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise by Melanie Watt (Tundra) >>>2nd book in Scaredy's Nutty Adventures graphic novel series

The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan by Salma Hussein (Tundra)

Shadow Grave by Marina Cohen (Roaring Brook Press)

She Holds Up the Stars by Sandra Laronde (Annick Press)

ValHamster by Angela Misri (DCB) >>> Tales from the Apocalypse

What the Dog Knows by Sylvia McNicoll (Dundurn)

Young Adult

The Backbone of Night by GMB Chomichuk (Yellow Dog) >>> Book 2 in The Automatic Age Saga

The Limitless Sky by Christina Kilbourne (Dundurn)

The Queen of Junk Island by Alexandra Mae Jones (Annick Press)

Rachel Bird by Becky Citra (Second Story Press)

White Lies by Sara de Waard (DCB)

Wish Upon a Satellite by Sophie Labelle (Second Story Press)

Non-Fiction

Animals Illustrated: Ringed Seal by William Flaherty, illus. by Sara Otterstatter (Inhabit Media) >>> Book 9 in series

The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything: The Story of Maria Mitchell by Laura Alary, illus. by Ellen Rooney (Kids Can Press)

Better Connected: How Girls Are Using Social Media for Good by Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Julia Kyi, illus. by Vivian Rosas (Orca) >>> Orca Think 5

City Streets are for People by Andrea Curtis, illus. by Emma FitzGerald (Groundwood)>>> ThinkCities 3

The Global Ocean by Rochelle Strauss (Kids Can Press)>>> CitizenKid

Granville Island ABC: A Family Adventure by Alison Kelly, illus. by Linda Sharp (Heritage House)

Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by Myriam Daguzan Bernier, illus. by Cécile Gariépy, trans. by Charles Simard (Orca)

Our Green City by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illus. by Colleen Larmour (Kids Can Press)

Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam by Erin Silver (Orca) >>> Orca Footprints

Sand Between My Toes: Summer Activity Book by Erin Alladin (Pajama Press)

Trapped in Terror: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Franklin Expedition by Sigmund Brouwer (Kids Can Press)

West Coast Wild ABC by Deborah Hodge, illus. by Karen Reczuch (Groundwood)

Why Humans Work: How Jobs Shape Our Lives and Our World by Monique Polak, illus. by Suharu Ogawa (Orca) >>> Orca Think

Picture Books

First Broom by Kallie George, illus. by Joelle Murray (Cartwheel Books)

My LaLa by Thomas King, illus. by Charlene Chua (Tundra)

Room for More by Michelle Kadarusman, illus. by Maggie Zeng (Pajama Press)

Professor Goose Debunks Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Paulette Bourgeois, illus. by Alex G. Griffiths (Tundra)

Soccer Baby by Diane Adams, illus. by Charlene Chua (Viking Kids)

Tâpwê and the Magic Hat by Buffy Sainte-Marie, illus. by Michelle Allyn Clement (Greystone Books)

Tayra's Not Talking by Lana Button, illus. by Christine Battuz (Kids Can Press)

Una Huna?: Ukpik Learns to Sew by Susan Aglukark, illus. by Amiel Sandland and Rebecca Brook (Inhabit Media)

We Adopted a Baby Chick by Lori Joy Smith (Tundra)

Wheels, No Wheels by Shannon McNeill (Tundra)

When the Wind Came by Jan Andrews, illus. by Dorothy Leung (Kids Can Press)

Wild about Camping by Jane Whittingham, illus. by Bryanna Chapeskie (Nimbus)

You Are My Favorite Color by Gillian Sze, illus. by Nina Mata (Philomel Books)

Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction

Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux (First Second) >>> graphic novel

The Final Trial by Kelley Armstrong >>> Royal Guide to Monster Slaying, Book 4

The Fort by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)

Sloth Sleuth by Cyndi Marko (HMH)

Threshold by Angela J. Reynolds (Moose House Publications)

Wednesday Wilson Fixes All Your Problems by Bree Galbraith, illus. by Morgan Goble (Kids Can Press)>>> Wednesday Wilson Book 2

Wild Ghost Chase by Deborah Toogood (Nimbus)>>sequel to Chasing the Phantom Ship

Young Adult

Nathalie: An Acadian's Tale of Triumph and Tragedy by Debra Camelin (Ronsdale)

The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad by Natasha Deen (Running Press Kids)

TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jasmeen Kaur Deo (Viking)

When the Dikes Breached by Martha Attema (Ronsdale)

Non-Fiction

Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant, illus. by Kathleen Marcotte (Kids Can Press)

The Fossil Whisperer: How Wendy Sloboda Discovered a Dinosaur by Helaine Becker, illus. by Sandra Dumais (Kids Can Press)
Funny Gyal: My Fight Against Homophobia in Jamaica by Angeline Jackson with Susan McLelland (Dundurn)

Haunted Canada: The Third Terrifying Collection by Joel A. Sutherland (Scholastic Canada)
Inuunira: A Story of Survival by Brian Koonoo, illus. by Ben Shannon (Inhabit Media)

Picture Books

Akpa's Journey by Mia Pelletier, illus. by Kagan McLeod (Inhabit Media)

Amik's Big Day by Nancy Cooper, illus. by Joshua Pawis Steckley (Owlkids)

Blanket by Ruth Ohi (Groundwood)

Boobies by Nancy Vo (Groundwood)

Brady Brady and the Cranky Kicker by Mary Shaw, illus. by Chuck Temple (Scholastic Canada)

The Further Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels, illus. by Emma Block (Tundra) >>> collection

How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Kelly Collier (Owlkids)

Kindness is a Golden Heart by Jessica Kluthe, illus. by Charlene Chua (Orca)

The Late, Great Endlings: Stories of the Last Survivors by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Aimée van Drimmelen (Orca)

The Lonely Little Lighthouse by Lana Shupe, illus. by Maria Lesage (Nimbus)

Luna’s Green Pet by Kirsten Pendreigh, illus. by Carmen Mok (Sleeping Bear Press)

Sharon, Lois and Bram's One Elephant Went Out to Play by Randi Hampson, illus. by Qin Leng (Tundra)

A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall, illus. by Vera Brosgol (Greenwillow Books)

The Three Hunters by Raymond Gianfrancesco and Grade 4 Class of Leo Ussak School, illus. by Thamires Paredes (Inhabit Media) 

The Ugly Place by Laura Deal, illus. by Emma Pedersen (Inhabit Media)

When Spider Met Shrew by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Geneviève Côté (Groundwood)

Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction

Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan by Caroline Fernandez, illus. by Dharmali Patel (Common Deer Press)

Autumn Bird and the Crow by Melanie Florence and Richard Scrimger (Scholasatic Canada)

Berani by Michelle Kadarusman (Pajama Press)

Boldly Go by Eric Walters (Orca) Book 2 in Teen Astronauts series

The Book of Elsie by Joanne Levy (Orca)

Burt's Way Home by John Martz (Tundra) >>> graphic novel

Crimson Twill: Witch in the City by Kallie George, illus. by Birgitta Sif (Candlewick)

Forever Truffle by Fanny Britt, illus. by Isabelle Arsenault (Groundwood) >>> graphic novel

Horror House by Jeff Szpirglas (Scholastic Canada) >>> Countdown to Danger

Luna by Loraine Kemp (Crwth Press)

Made 4 You by Eric Walters (DCB)

Nosy Parker by Lesley Crewe (Nimbus)

The Return of the Mummy by Dom Pelletier (Scholastic Canada) >>> The Lunch Club #5 graphic novel series

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second) >>> graphic novel

The Stone Child by David A. Robertson (Puffin Canada) >>> The Misewa Saga, Book 3

Winterkill by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (Scholastic)

Young Adult
Careful What You Wish For by Mahtab Narsimhan (Orca)
Faded Glimpses of Time by Nyah Nichol (Common Deer Press) >>> The Tempus Trilogy Book 2
Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan (Scholastic)
Murder at the Hotel Hopeless by John Lekich (Orca)
Then Everything Happens at Once by M-E Girard (HarperTeen)

Non-Fiction

Baby Alligator by Aubrey Lang, photos by Wayne Lynch (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

The Girl Who Built an Ocean by Jess Keating, illus. by Michelle Mee Nutter (Knopf)

Kid Trailblazers: True Tales of Childhood from Changemakers and Leaders by Robin Stevenson, illus. by Allison Steinfeld (Quirk Books) >>> Kid Legends series

• • • • • • •

Enough? Yes and no. This listing will give readers a wonderful glimpse of books coming out in 2022 but, and it's a huge but, I know that there are more written by Canadian creators that I have missed, especially released by non-Canadian publishers, and there are many more titles that will be revealed as the year progresses. (I know many publishers are being cautious about release dates with delays due to supply chain disruptions.) Look for my July 1st posting with the releases for the last six months of 2022. Until then, happy reading!

Catalina

Written and illustrated by Lori Doody

Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides

978-1-927917411

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

August 2021

 

If I have to close out the year with one book with a positive message, let it be Lori Doody's Catalina, a picture book about acceptance and adaptation. Isn't that one that needs to be told as we enter a second year of a pandemic? And it all comes from a tale of a cat and three puppies.

From Catalina by Lori Doody

Catalina is a contented cat. She's happy in that she loves her life as it is. Her life is her own. She eats, plays and sleeps when and where she wants. Of course, there are times when she's a little lonely when her people aren't at home and she's alone but still "Catalina lived a purrfect life." And then everything changes.

From Catalina by Lori Doody

Her people bring home three Labrador Retriever puppies. Catalina is not amused. They are everywhere in her house: where she eats, what she plays with and where she sleeps. They're bigger than her, louder than her and rambunctious. She just can't get away from them and she doesn't like the way she feels: crooked (Newfoundland-speak for in a bad mood, according to the glossary).

From Catalina by Lori Doody

And then she notices a few things. The pups are willing to share with her and keep her company and she was no longer lonely.

Lori Doody gives us a quaint story of introducing new pets into a household already established for another. Many pet owners know the potential difficulties of doing so, whether with the same or different species. Catalina was content with the status quo even if there were things missing for her, like friends. It wasn't until she met the new dogs that she realized what it was that was missing in her life: companionship. But Lori Doody has given us more than a story about a cat and three dogs. In her folk art style, Lori Doody has given us a metaphor for accepting change and adapting to it, even if the benefits cannot be perceived initially. Catalina thought her life was "purrfect." It wasn't though. That became obvious once she embraced the Labs as there to stay, and she gained friends, playmates, cuddle buddies and more. If she'd closed herself off from the unfamiliar, she would have never realized the gifts the puppies brought into her life.

It's a simple story: cat meets dogs, cat is annoyed with dogs, cat learns to love dogs, and everybody is happy. But Lori Doody tells it as a lesson in colour and affection. She does it with softness of line, a landscape of patterns, and the warmth of a hospitable palette. As Catalina learned to love something new, so should we try when presented with something new. Different is not always bad, as we may anticipate. It's just different, and, as Catalina learns, it may even be wonderful.