The Bee Without Wings

Written and illustrated by Amberlea Williams

Princeton Architectural Press

978-1-797222509

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

March 2023

Though some parts of Canada will still be hit by significant snowfalls today, we'll all be anticipating spring and all that that season brings with it: bees, flowers, warmer temperatures, rain and so much more. But things aren't always as expected as Sasha learns.

From The Bee Without Wings by Amberlea Williams

While out with her cat Molly, Sasha finds a bee that is acting differently. She soon realizes it has no wings. She tries to help it, first by bringing it to a flower and then, when that is unsuccessful, by offering it sugar water. After a few sips, the bee is energized. But Sasha knows that, without wings, the bee's life will be very difficult. And so, Sasha takes responsibility for Bea, giving it shelter, food, and safety. Still Sasha knows that Bea longs to fly, and so she devises a contraption that would give Bea the pleasure of flight.

From The Bee Without Wings by Amberlea Williams

But bees do not live forever, and Sasha can see Bea slowing down and eating less. The loss is hard for Sasha and Molly, but they find a way to honour her, and, with much planning and research, Sasha does just that the next spring.

There are so many lessons that parents and teachers can take from The Bee Without Wings whether it be about a bee's life cycle or dealing with loss, but Ottawa's Amberlea Williams doesn't overwork those messages. Instead, she gives us a story of a compassionate child who loves being out in the natural world and recognizes a need to care for living things. In a world of "Me! Me! Me!" it's refreshing to see a child whose heart is full of wonder and empathy. From the child's words and actions to Amberlea Williams's gouache and coloured pencil illustrations, there is brightness and kindness. Even with the tragedy of a wingless bee and her inevitable passing, Amberlea Williams gives us lightness and joy, from eyes bright with curiosity and feeling, to landscapes magnificent in both flowers and snow.

From The Bee Without Wings by Amberlea Williams

Amberlea Williams appends her story with pages about caring for early spring bees and creating your own bee-friendly garden, thus giving young readers an opportunity to do good in the natural world themselves. But, even without those conservation efforts, young readers are encouraged to open their eyes and observe nature as it is. Sasha may have benefited serendipitously by her actions, making a friend in Bea, but her efforts were wholly altruistic, giving Bea sanctuary where her physical limitations may have hampered her. It's a feel-good story that confirms the insight of Laozi that "Great acts are made up of small deeds.”

• • • • • • •

 

An activity sheet from the book is available from the publisher for download here.

 

Oculum Echo: Guest review

This review was written by student Bronte L.

 

Written by Philippa Dowding

DCB

978-1-770866652

231 pp.

Ages 9-12

2022 

The robot Echo1 awakes from slumber and, with the help of Guide, a voice in its ear, and the robot bird Peregrine1, travels the continents’ four Oculum domes and the barren deserts. Echo1's task is to search for life and monitor the starting of a civilization of humans to make sure they don’t make the mistakes of the past. 

 

Outside of Oculum, Grannie’s farm is bombed, and Miranda1, Mannfred, and Grannie must lead the children originally from Oculum to safety. But their attackers, the UnRuly, are hunting them down, and they’ve got a new secret weapon. So, Grannie sends Mannfred and his friends to spy on the UnRuly, maybe even to try and stop them, but things soon go wrong. 

 

Meanwhile, after many weeks of travelling, Echo1 is starting to lose hope in finding life. Along the way, he learns much from his guide about Earth, humans, and his many special capabilities. But lots of questions remain unanswered, including what is life, what his name means, and what happened to the world of the Olden Begones? 

Oculum Echo by Philippa Dowding is the sequel to Oculum, the Silver Birch-nominated first book in The Children of Oculum series. It’s a middle school level dystopian, sci-fi novel, told from multiple points of view.  There's Miranda1, the oldest girl from Oculum, who now must help Grannie lead the rest of the children; Echo1, who is led by the voice in his ear and a robot bird that sends him videos of his surroundings; and Mannfred, who lived outside Oculum on the farm with Grannie before the UnRuly destroyed it. The book has important themes of leadership, curiosity, perseverance, collaboration, and showing the importance of taking care of our world and each other.

Although I haven’t read Oculum, the book before this one, it didn’t take long for me to become invested in the storyline. Each character’s experiences are so wildly different and inspirational in their own ways that it makes for quite a fun read! My favourite part of the book was definitely getting to see the world through Echo1’s and Miranda’s eyes. The lives they are accustomed to are so different from our current world, and, even though their Earth was mostly destroyed, there are hints at what it was like before the disaster, with playgrounds, paper, drum kits, pigs, fish, and all kinds of other things we take for granted. I would recommend Oculum Echo to any sci-fi loving kid that enjoys adventures. 

~ Written by Bronte L., Gr. 9

The Children of Oculum, Books 1 and 2

Forest of Reading Kid and Teen Committees: 2023 Applications now being accepted

 

Do you love books?

 

Do you know Canadian books and authors?

 

Would you like to talk about books with other young readers?

 

How about contributing your recommendations to a summer reading list?

 

If you answered "Yes" to these questions, then have I got an activity for you!

Applications are now being accepted for the Forest of Reading's Forest Kid and Teen Committees. These committees bring young readers together to talk Canadian books and prepare summer reading lists for their peers. 

 

 

Who can apply?

There are three committees, based on grade level, who will meet on Zoom on different days in May. They are:

• Silver Birch Kid Committee (for Grades 3-6)
• Red Maple Kid Committee (for Grades 7-8)
• White Pine Teen Committee (for Grades 9-12)

 

When will they meet?

• Silver Birch Kid Committee: May 1, 2023 (9 AM- 12:30 PM EST)
• Red Maple Kid Committee: May 2, 2023 (9 AM- 12:30 PM EST)
• White Pine Teen Committee: May 4, 2023 (9 AM- 12:30 PM EST)

 

What happens during these meetings?

Young readers will meet on Zoom and share their opinions about recently published (from the last two years) Canadian books that they have read and enjoyed. These books should be appropriate for their age groups and not already been included on Forest of Reading nominated lists of titles. Under the guidance of Meredith Tutching, Director of the Forest of Reading, and a facilitator, readers will recommend titles, discuss their stories and the writing, and then vote on which titles, usually between 10 and 20 books, to include on the 2023 summer reading list. (Here's a pdf of a sample reading list from 2021.)

There are always special guests that drop in to speak to the committee and share their own recommendations. Past guests have included Kevin Sylvester, S. K. Ali, Kenneth Oppel, Kelley Armstrong, Eric Walters, David A. Robertson, Colleen Nelson, Zetta Elliott, Natasha Deen, Angela Ahn, Melanie Florence, and Gordon Korman.

How to apply?

Submit your application via Google form here.

Deadline for applying is April 1, 2023.

Readers will be asked to provide contact information, and information about favourite Canadian books and recently read Canadian books. (The key here is that the books must be Canadian, written by Canadian citizens or residents.)

Full details are available at the Forest of Reading website here.

Smile So Big

Written by Sunshine Quem Tenasco

Illustrated by Chief Lady Bird

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-4431-8767-1

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

March 2023

Most of us, adult and child alike, will see something less than perfect in our appearance: too wide, too short, too white, too dark, nose or teeth too big, eyes too widely-spaced. There’s always seems to something that we see that others may or may not. How to see the truth?

From Smile So Big by Sunshine Quem Tenasco, illus. by Chief Lady Bird

Challa has a big, toothy smile and when she gets teased about it, her mom reassures her and shows Challa a beautiful mirror with a thunderbird design and fringe. Her mother tells her that this family heirloom would show the holder's true self, but the rule was that they "had to say what they saw in the reflection." Challa looks into the mirror and sees all her attributes and says, "I'm smiling so big. I sure do look cute." With that, the beads around the mirror light up. Challa is delighted.

From Smile So Big by Sunshine Quem Tenasco, illus. by Chief Lady Bird

When she shows her friend Neebin, who was always being teased about his long hair, Challa notices how he smiles and looks so cute when looking in the mirror. When he acknowledges aloud that he loves his long braid hair, not only do the beads light up, but the whole playground shakes and sparkles with magic! The same happens when her cousin Keggy recognizes how much she loves her dark skin and the house shakes and sparkles as it's enveloped in the magic of the thunderbird. When her friend Kiniw sees his own beauty and accepts his small size, the magic is revealed again.

From Smile So Big by Sunshine Quem Tenasco, illus. by Chief Lady Bird

Challa is perplexed why she only saw the beads light up, not the magic that came with it. She tries again to acknowledge her eyes, her nose, her hair, and her dimple but the magic doesn't appear until she feels and expresses real love for her smile.

Sunshine Quem Tenasco, Anishinaabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, brings young readers to an Indigenous community and yet the story she tells will be understood by all of us who may be teased, or worse, about some aspect of our physical nature. With a little help from a magic mirror and the support of those who love us and came before us, we can all see, accept, and appreciate who we really are. Whether there's a magical mirror in your life or not, there are those who help you see the beauty within and those people, whether in our lives now or gone already, are our greatest champions. It's not because of validating who we are; it's because they reflect who we are through their love. Sunshine Quem Tenasco's dedication includes the following words: "To all the Indigenous kids on Turtle Island and to all the boys with braids, you are so loved. You are important. You are powerful." Her words lift those to whom she has dedicated her book but also to every child who has the good fortune to read this picture book.

Chief Lady Bird, a Chippewa and Potawatomi artist who collaborated with Sunshine Quem Tenasco on Nibi's Water Song (2019), gives us both the realism and the magic in her illustrations. The boldness of her colour and shapes impress with their power of message about beauty and self, encouragement, and heritage. Chief Lady Bird gives life and context to Sunshine Quem Tenasco's words, and together Smile So Big is as enchanting as it is grounded.

For every smile hidden because of unease, and for every cruel teasing endured, Smile So Big gives young readers the courage to see their beauty as reflected in their own mirrors, magical or not, as held by themselves and those who love them.

Meet J. Armand Bombardier (Scholastic Canada Biography)

Written by Elizabeth MacLeod

Illustrated by Mike Deas

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-9133-3

32 pp.

Ages 6-10

2022

 

Learning and teaching about amazing scientists, athletes, activists and other important persons who have helped shape Canada's history have been made all the easier and captivating with Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas's illustrated biography series, Scholastic Canada Biography. Their latest collaboration highlights the inventiveness and achievements of Quebec's Joseph-Armand Bombardier, inventor of the snowmobile.

From Meet J. Armand Bombardier by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

Born in 1907 Valcourt, Quebec, Joseph-Armand Bombardier loved tinkering with machines and building things from a young age. At fifteen, he invented his first snow machine, though its success was very limited. Not surprising he apprenticed with a mechanic to develop his skills before studying mechanical and electrical engineering. But the idea of a machine that could float over the snow was always in the back of his mind.

From Meet J. Armand Bombardier by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

As he grew older and established his own garage, married and had kids, Armand found a new reason to pursue his snow machine when his young son could not get to hospital because of the snow. Using skis instead of wheels, repositioning the engine, and adding special toothed gear wheels, Armand's machine finally worked. It may not have looked like the snowmobile we know today, but it was the foundation for numerous other machines, from tractor track attachments and muskeg tractors to the famous Ski-Doo (only named this because of a typo of Ski-Dog).

 

When Joseph-Armand Bombardier died in 1964, he left a legacy of extraordinary invention and Elizabeth MacLeod makes sure to tell that story in addition to his personal details. It's a rich legacy of vision and pursuit that impacted the individual as well as commercial enterprises from the oil fields and resource development to the military. Yet Elizabeth MacLeod still makes sure to give us the personal side of Bombardier's story, particularly the home life and education and tragedies that compelled him to invent a snow machine. (A timeline of key events in Joseph-Armand Bombardier's life and afterwards is appended to the story, along with several photos.)

From Meet J. Armand Bombardier by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

Though Mike Deas creates sketch-like illustrations, they are actually sophisticated art that blend watercolour, gouache and ink with digital means. As such, he gives both a gravitas and lightness to the story with his artistry. From Bombardier taking apart the family car as a child to children using a school snowmobile bus in the 1950s, Mike Deas gives his art some playfulness. But, recognizing the seriousness of a child's illness and the implementation of Bombardier's designs for all manner of machines, he also gives his art an authentic quality, as recording important milestones in Bombardier's life and inventing history. The illustrations help tell the story but never overwhelm or trample it with realism.

I recall teaching students about Canadian scientists and including the story of Joseph-Armand Bombardier but my students' learning would have been far greater if they'd had access to Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas's Scholastic Canada Biography of this inventor. They make him human and tell his story with completeness and consideration, and remind us of the heritage of the Bombardier name and his legacy.

• • • • • • •

With Meet J. Armand Bombardier, the Scholastic Canada Biography series by Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas now includes ten titles with an eleventh (Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie) scheduled for May of this year. I encourage schools and young readers to check out the whole series.

Meet Viola Desmond (2018)
Meet Chris Hadfield (2018)
Meet Tom Longboat (2019)
Meet Elsie MacGill (2019)
Meet Willie O'Ree (2020)
Meet Terry Fox (2020)

Meet Thérèse Casgrain (2021)

Meet David Suzuki (2021)

Meet Mary Ann Shadd (2022)

Meet J. Armand Bombardier (2022)

Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie (for release May 2023)

The Prisoner and the Writer: Guest review

This review was written by student Bronte L.

 

Written by Heather Camlot

Illustrated by Sophie Casson

Groundwood Books

978-1-773066325 

64 pp.

Ages 9-12

2022

The year is 1895 and Alfred Dreyfus is imprisoned on Devil’s Island off the coast of South America. The French government has accused him of selling military secrets to the German government. All he has are the books and letters his wife sends him and the memories. There are the memories of the day the stripes were ripped off his military uniform and his sword broken in two, and all the people shouting for him to be dead, because of the crime he did not commit, and because he was a Jew. And, of course, there are the memories of his children and wife back in Paris. Dreyfus had been sentenced here for life, and, although he knows he is innocent, there is nothing he can do.

From The Prisoner and the Writer by Heather Camlot, illus. by Sophie Casson

Back in France, in 1897, Emile Zola hears Dreyfus’ story. The newspapers say he is guilty, but many people think otherwise. Zola is captivated by this debate. He learns about the trial, searches for the facts, and eventually he is led to the truth that Alfred Dreyfus was innocent and a victim of antisemitism, now suffering for a crime he did not commit. Although Zola is a stranger to Dreyfus, and his successful career could be on the line, Zola decides to speak against the government, and tell the country what has happened. Emile Zola writes “J’accuse…!”, an open letter laying out all he has learned, and why Dreyfus should be released. This letter will change both their lives.

From The Prisoner and the Writer by Heather Camlot, illus. by Sophie Casson

The Prisoner and the Writer, written by Heather Camlot and illustrated by Sophie Casson, is a short, nonfiction picture book about the story of Alfred Dreyfus and Emile Zola. It tells how one stranger’s bravery and search for justice saved the life of an innocent man, and made news across the country. The book includes additional notes about this historical event, and teaches the reader how to identify disinformation and biased news, which is certainly an important skill in our current times.

Before reading this book, I had never heard of Dreyfus or Zola, or their incredible story. I can’t believe that’s the case, because it is such an inspirational one! Heather Camlot’s poetic writing, paired with Sophie Casson’s cool pastel illustrations, with dashes of fiery reds and glowing oranges, make you feel as though you’re watching a historical drama. The author’s notes on the affair and issues in the press today were just as essential, tying the story to the work we still have in improving our media, and in becoming more inclusive.

I give The Prisoner and the Writer a rating of 4.5 out of 5. I would recommend it to Grades 4 and up; to anyone trying to teach kids about disinformation, media, or persuasive writing; to those with a passion for history; and, of course, to anyone who hasn’t heard the sensational story of Emile Zola and  Alfred Dreyfus! 

 

~ Written by Bronte L., a Grade 9 student

The Pancake Problem: Weenie Featuring Frank and Beans #2

Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Tundra Books

978-0-7352-6794-7

48 pp.

Ages 6-9

January 2023

 

In this second Weenie Featuring Frank and Beans story from Maureen Fergus, a dachshund named Weenie, a cat named Frank and a guinea pig named Beans navigate a typical day but one in which their person, Bob, is more interested in sleeping than feeding the ever-hungry Weenie. But what will they do when Bob's #1 Rule is to "Never, ever, ever wake Bob up early on the weekend" and #2 is "Always follow Bob's number one rule." Certainly, it's certainly a dilemma for the trio.

From The Pancake Problem by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Alexandra Bye

Though Frank and Beans offer Weenie sage advice when Weenie contemplates breaking the rules, Weenie's enthusiasm for his breakfast supplants all wisdom. Eventually, Weenie realizing that Bob will not get up–and yes, he tries to encourage him to do so–Weenie brings out his Supersonic Pancake Maker, intent on making his own breakfast.

From The Pancake Problem by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Alexandra Bye

But, Weenie's very slick invention, using a multitude of Bob's things from his underwear and lightbulb to his car's steering wheel, doesn't exactly work as it might. Instead of pancakes, the invention pops out Brussels sprouts and a wagonload of them. Now, the ever-resourceful Weenie must come up with a plan to get rid of the Brussels sprouts. But one bad idea leads to another and another, though the Brussel sprouts eventually find a grateful recipient and Weenie and friends get their pancakes.

From The Pancake Problem by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Alexandra Bye

For a little dog, Weenie has big ideas, and he has no problem implementing them, whether it's inventing a machine to make pancakes, holding a yard sale, or passing off Brussels sprouts as art. He's a little over the top but Maureen Fergus makes him so lovable in his logic and attitude that readers will smile at his antics and wonder what he'll try next. Thankfully Maureen Fergus gives him the wisdom of his friends as Frank and Beans can see through much of his naivete though they never stop him from implementing his wacky plans. They do, however, question him and make pointed comments that suggest they always know better.

New Hampshire's Alexandra Bye brings the lightness and fun of an early reader graphic novel. Her animals are simple but quirky, and she keeps the backgrounds uncluttered, only including what is necessary to carry the story. That doesn't mean her illustrations are austere. No, she includes little details like a calendar which includes a haircut for the almost bald Bob, a mug for Frank that reads "Coffee Right Meow" and a pink and purple monster apparently hiding beneath Bob's bed covers.

The Pancake Problem is not meant to teach any lesson or send a message about following rules or eating in excess. It's just a fun read about a wiener dog who must deal with a typical problem–waiting to get fed–but who finds an atypical solution that causes more problems. Even with his sidekicks offering an opportunity for banter and insight, Weenie's problem is solved by a fluke, and he happily gets his pancakes in the end. Hopefully his machine will be fixed or redesigned as I suspect that, since The Pancake Problem is a sequel to Mad about Meatloaf, there will be more food calamities in Weenie's future, with Frank and Beans always there to offer their loyalty.

Weenie Featuring Frank and Beans series

#1 Mad about Meatloaf (2021)

#2 The Pancake Problem (2023)