2023 Joan Betty Stuchner — Oy Vey! — Funniest Children’s Book Award: Winners announced

This weekend, the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable announced the winners of its biannual Joan Betty Stuchner award for funniest children's books. Here are the shortlists for the two categories, picture or board book and chapter book, as well as the winners, all of which are a ready book list of titles to tickle your funny bones and make life a little better. 

 

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Picture or Board Book category:

 

This Is a Dog Book!

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by Julien Chung

Kids Can Press

Reviewed here

How to Party Like a Snail

Written by Naseem Hrab

Illustrated by Kelly Collier

Owlkids Books

Quiet, Please! 

Written and illustrated by Russ Willms

Orca Book Publishers

Crocodile Hungry 

Written by Eija Sumner

Illustrated by John Martz

Tundra Books

How to Teach Your Cat a Trick in Five Easy Steps

Written by Nicola Winstanley

Illustrated by Zoe Si

Tundra Books 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the WINNER is...

 

Quiet, Please! 

Written and illustrated by Russ Willms

Orca Book Publishers

32 pp.

Ages 3-5

2022

 

• • • • • • •

 

Chapter Book category:

Izzy’s Tail of Trouble 

Written by Caroline Adderson

Illustrated by Kelly Collier

Kids Can Press

Babble! And How Punctuation Saved It 

Written by Caroline Adderson

Illustrated by Roman Muradov

Tundra Books

Simon and Chester: Super Sleepover

Written and illustrated by Cale Atkinson

Tundra Books

Weenie featuring Frank & Beans: Mad About Meatloaf

Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Tundra Books

The Weird Sisters: A Note, a Goat, and a Casserole

Written by Mark David Smith

Illustrated by Kari Rust

Owlkids Books

Reviewed here

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the WINNER is... 

 

Weenie featuring Frank & Beans: Mad About Meatloaf

Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Tundra Books

56 pp.

Ages 6-9

2021 

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Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet: Guest review

This review was written by student Hasini K. 

 

Written by Adrienne Mason

Illustrated by Kim Smith

Kids Can Press

978-1-525305375

40 pp.

Ages 8-12

2022 

Many beings other than humans help to keep our beautiful blue planet safe and functioning. Whales are one of them.

From Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet by Adrienne Mason, illus. by Kim Smith

I present to you…Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer The Planet, written by Adrienne Mason and beautifully illustrated by Kim Smith. In a visually-appealing format, this book provides an abundance of information about whales and emphasizes their benefit to the ecosystem by exploring a variety of topics including climate change, threats, food webs, migration and more. (There is a glossary at the end of the book to help with any vocabulary. )

From Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet by Adrienne Mason, illus. by Kim Smith

There are over 50 unique species of whales, and the book goes through the information about how we can identify them. In addition to detailed information about each species, there are bonus facts on different types of animals, some related to whales, and some about other animals, and details about topics like migration and climate change.

From Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet by Adrienne Mason, illus. by Kim Smith

The extremely important topic of global warming is explained, including how it affects both humans and animals and how it relates to whales specifically. Adrienne Mason also explains about carbon emissions and processes like storing carbon thoroughly while using kid-friendly words, making it easier for younger ages to understand. By making the vocabulary not too challenging, the book will entice young readers as well as older ones.

If I was given an assignment to do on whales and only had this book as a reference, I think I'd get a great mark. Whales to the Rescue has lots of information and intriguing facts (some that may shock you) and it is organized in an appealing way, with mini-paragraphs, unique design, and easy-to-understand diagrams. The cover drew me in immediately, but I was expecting the book to be showcasing a decent amount of information; however, I was blown away by how well it balanced the elegant designs in the background with excellent information.

I would recommend this book to curious and avid readers who are looking for information about whales (with extremely gorgeous visuals by Kim Smith) but also to teachers who are searching for content for their classes regarding whales and their importance to the planet. You should definitely read this book if you want to learn about the value of whales and be blessed with incredible artwork.

 

~ Written by Hasini K., Grade 8

 

🐋 🐋 🐋 🐋 🐋

Flip Flop Flapjack: Wildhorse Jack and the First Stampede Breakfast

Written by Brenda Joyce Leahy

Illustrated by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle

Red Barn Books

978-1-989915-12-7 (hc)/978-1-989915-11-0 (pb)

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2023

 

Many families, especially those in western Canada, may be planning a trip to the Calgary Stampede this July and for those with children who'd like to throw in a literacy component that recalls how the first pancake breakfast arose, Brenda Joyce Leahy, granddaughter of its founder, Wildhorse Jack, has got you covered.

From Flip Flop Flapjack by Brenda Joyce Leahy, illus. by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle

As a child, Frankie Morton loved participating in the Stampede. She'd ride her pony Rosie in the parade alongside her family, enjoying the cheers her father, Wildhorse Jack Morton, drew from the crowds.

Papa enjoyed performing in the rodeo events and Frankie, her dad's biggest fan, was sure he'd win every event. But, from the Wild Cow Milking to the Wild Bronc Riding and the first Chuckwagon Race, Papa failed to win, though he entertained the crowd with his antics and always congratulated the winners. Frankie was devastated.

From Flip Flop Flapjack by Brenda Joyce Leahy, illus. by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle

The next day, Mama took Frankie and her sibs downtown to find Papa and his cowboys at a chuckwagon flipping pancakes and handing them out to the crowd. When Frankie wonders how he can be so cheerful when he'd lost all his events, he reminds her that...

"I might not be the best at bronc riding, or wild cow milking, or even chuckwagon racing. But I can be the best at having fun at the Stampede, and my kind of fun includes sharing what I've got."

From Flip Flop Flapjack by Brenda Joyce Leahy, illus. by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle

Flip Flop Flapjack may be a humourous take on a historic event, but it will also teach young readers that winning isn't everything. Brenda Joyce Leahy, whose mother was Frankie, has recounted, with some creative license, what she'd heard of that first Stampede breakfast from her family, focusing on both Wildhorse Jack and his popularity and the sharing of that first pancake breakfast. In addition to this whimsical story, Brenda Joyce Leahy shares information about and photos of her grandfather, Wildhorse Jack Morton, and about the Calgary Stampede, as well as providing a recipe for his pancakes.

From Flip Flop Flapjack by Brenda Joyce Leahy, illus. by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle

That same playfulness of text is emulated in the artwork of Alberta's Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle. She plays up the humour in the story–like Mama telling the kids that "This is the first time your father has cooked breakfast and I'm not going to miss it"–with her cartoon illustrations, from Wildhorse Jack's voluminous moustache to the family's enthusiastic pet badger Maggie and hilarious horses and cows. Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle, who is well-known for her coffee paintings as well as her Stampede-themed windows, obviously understands how to capture the colour and liveliness of the Stampede and she's making a visit to that event all the more fun in Flip Flop Flapjack.

It's hard to believe that this year marks the 100th anniversary of that first Stampede Breakfast. With Brenda Joyce Leahy and Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle's picture book, you can revisit that milestone of Stampede history. You can purchase the book earlier in prep for the Stampede, but I suspect that it might be a welcome distraction and break when running between events this year. Your choice but, with a stack of pancakes, it'll be a welcome treat.

Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer (Trailblazing Canadians)

Written by Haley Healey

Illustrated by Kimiko Fraser

Heritage House

978-1-77203-431-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

May 2023

 

It's Asian Heritage Month and I am pleased to present this picture book about Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer whose story of courage, resilience, and determination, along with a ganbaru spirit, propelled her to make a good life for herself, her family, and others.

From Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illus. by Kimiko Fraser

Kimiko Murakami was born in a coastal village outside of Vancouver and moved with her family to Salt Spring Island when she was five. There the family fished and then farmed, raising chickens and fruits and vegetables. When she married, she and her husband and children continued to work on the farm. That is, until World War II came, and all people of Japanese heritage were removed from their homes and interned at various camps both in BC and in Alberta.

From Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illus. by Kimiko Fraser

These times were difficult for Kimiko and her family, yet she never gave up, determined to be guided by the Japanese word "ganbaru" which means "to push through hard times and never give up." Through horrible living conditions and hard work and multiple relocations, Kimiko kept up her ganbaru spirit. 

Once WWII ended and they were still not allowed to return home, Kimiko's family opened a restaurant in Alberta, determined to save their money and return to Salt Spring Island. It took 12 years since they'd left to finally return, but return they did. Still, their land and belongs were gone, long ago sold, and racism was widespread. Nevertheless, Kimiko kept her ganbaru spirit while she and her family rebuilt the life that had been taken from them.

From Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illus. by Kimiko Fraser

While this is essentially an illustrated biography, Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer goes beyond the facts of Kimiko Murakami's life. Haley Healey may include a historical timeline from Kimiko's birth in 1904 to her death in 1997 but the author delves deeper, focusing on Kimiko's spirit and what enabled her to endure the hardships involved with the detention of Japanese Canadians. In fact, Kimiko and her family didn't just endure. They persevered and rose above the injustice of discrimination and maltreatment to regain the life they had earned and lost. Moreover, they remembered. And with those memories came a fundamental need to help others who also struggled. BC's Haley Healey tells us Kimiko's story but, more than that, she tells us about her.

BC artist Kimiko Fraser, who uses a variety of media in her work including watercolour, digital, ink and tea, was inspired by original images of the Murakami family from archives and museums. But her artwork goes beyond photorealism, as she depicts the heart of a family as they face uncertainty and persecution and still show strength and ganbaru. It's there in the faces and the way they hold themselves. So, Kimiko Fraser could emphasize the greys and browns of a challenging life of work and struggle, but she also gives the story colour with a hopeful branch of cherry blossoms, fruits and vegetables, and peonies. As Haley Healey does with her words, Kimiko Fraser does with her art, going beyond the worst and including the best.

I suspect that Kimiko Murakami's story is better known on Salt Spring Island and in BC than other parts of Canada but, with Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer, her story can be appreciated far and wide for Asian Heritage Month and always.

Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out Your Bottom (A Gross Science Book): Guest review

The review was written by Grade 4 student Bradon M.

 

Written by Edward Kay

Illustrated by Mike Shiell

Kids Can Press

978-1-525304132

48 pp.

Ages 8-12

2022

 

The name of this book is what made me want to pick it up!  I have never really learned about poop and am always told we can’t do “toilet talk” since it isn’t polite. This book was finally my chance to learn all about poop. This non-fiction book will cover everything you want to know about poop…and maybe some things you don’t!  Each page has a couple of headings that are hilarious. For example, I really like “Funky Frass” and “Super-Duper Poopers and Tiny Turd Makers”. These headings made me want to read each section. Edward Kay's writing reeks of funny facts that now I can never unlearn, and I definitely learned a lot about poop!

From Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out of Your Bottom by Edward Kay, illus. by Mike Shiell

The disgustingly weird and funny cover page for this book made me want to read it right away. The pictures inside the book are just as entertaining because each one will make you explode with laughter. I couldn’t help but stare at some of the pictures. They were so outrageous. For example, there is a cartoon of a man picking his butt, another with a man riding on a flying toilet over the city who looked like he just had explosive diarrhea, and then one of a bear with a cork in his bum. The cartoons are really hysterical, but they are also really well done. You can tell that the illustrator, Mike Shiell, took their time. Each one is unique and eye-catching. This book definitely won’t be a waste of your time! 

From Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out of Your Bottom by Edward Kay, illus. by Mike Shiell

This book would be great for anyone over the age of seven. They will laugh at all of the pictures like I did and love the information they will learn. As I was reading the book, I felt I had to share every fact with my family…especially the gross ones! This would often cause a lot of laughter and some facts were shocking to them. When my family wasn’t around me reading Poopy Science, they could hear me laughing as I read each page. I loved this book so much that I think it should be in all classrooms, libraries, and bathrooms. My rating for this book is 5 poop emojis out of 5 💩💩💩💩💩!  A must read for everyone.  Pull up a stool and get a whiff of this book! 

~ Written by Bradon M., Age 9

 

• • • • • • •

Poopy Science is the latest book in the Gross Science Book series.

Stinky Science: Why the Smelliest Smells Smell So Smelly (2019)

Germy Science: The Sick Truth about Getting Sick (and Staying Healthy) (2021)

Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out Your Bottom (2022)

The Not-So-Perfect Plan (A Holly-Mei Book)

Written by Christina Matula

Inkyard Press

978-1-335-42917-9

240 pp.

Ages 8-12

April 2023

 

Holly-Mei thinks she has it all worked out. When she sees how exceptional her field hockey teammate Saskia is, and how much time her best friend Rosie is spending with her crush Henry, and the accolades her younger sister Millie gets for her baking, Holly-Mei is determined to shine too. She plans on organizing her friends into a team for the Grade 7 Inter-School Tri-Tournament that includes an open water swim, a race and a Dragon Dash around Hong Kong. And she plans on them winning it.

But life cannot be sweet all the time (pg. 26)

When Christina Matula introduced Holly-Mei in The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly Mei last year, the twelve-year-old was trying to find a foothold in her new home of Hong Kong and make friends. She made great friends in cousins Rosie and Rhys, in Henry and his cousin Theo, girlfriends Rainbow, Snowy and Gemma, and even field hockey player Dev who gives her great advice. But we all know that making friends is just the beginning. It's keeping the friends that can be the hardest part. And when all her friends have different plans for the Christmas break, Holly-Mei feels abandoned. Even when everyone returns from their fabulous holidays around the world, Holly-Mei feels left out as they continue with their rugby, ballet, eco-art club and more. So, when the posters go up for the Inter-School Tri-Tournament, Holly-Mei's plan is to bring her friends–or at least Theo, Dev, Gemma, Rhys, Rosie, Rainbow and Snowy–together, to excel and to win. For her, it's all about the win.

But Holly-Mei is so determined to win that she forgets about the fun. She wants to practise swimming and quiz her teammates on Hong Kong trivia to ensure a win. Unlike Saskia whose parents drive her to succeed, Holly-Mei's friends are looking for activities that bring them joy and that doesn't always work with Holly-Mei's plan. Worse yet, Holly-Mei keeps putting her foot in her mouth every time a friend chooses to do something other than practice or drill. Will she hold onto the very friends she is desperate to keep, or will Holly-Mei end up losing those friends in her efforts to win at all costs?

I try so hard, but I feel like no one sees me and I get left behind. (pg. 108)

Though Holly-Mei is living a very privileged life with a loving family, private school, wealthy friends and family, and many, many opportunities, she is still struggling to appreciate herself, both strengths and weaknesses, and accept that others may be different from her. Her "knowledge of self" (pg. 108), as her Ah-ma calls it, is negligible and it drives her to envy and, worse, jealousy and selfishness. But, as with every coming-of-age story, there's the beginnings of self-awareness that will lead to greater maturity and understanding of self and others. Christina Matula lets us follow along with Holly-Mei as she learns about herself and how she interacts with others, becoming a more positive version of herself as a friend, a sister, and a daughter. And she, Christina Matula, makes that journey of self for Holly-Mei and her friends more than lesson-learning. That would be a win in itself, but that accomplishment of self-discovery is achieved through a series of fun ventures that take young readers along the Eight Immortals Trail, to Repulse Bay and Man Mo Temple and enjoying xiao long bao, egg waffles, and bubble tea. (Two recipes, one for Candy Cane-White Rabbit Chip Cookies and the other for Millie's award-winning Chocolate Avocado Cake, are included.)

I think middle-grade readers will enjoy exploring Hong Kong further with Holly-Mei in The Not-So-Perfect Plan but they'll also grab a lesson or two about being a friend and becoming self-aware and that's a gold-medal achievement.

• • • • • • •

 

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei (2022)

The Not-So-Perfect Plan (2023)

🤫 n.b. I just learned there will a third book, titled The Not-So-Simple Question, in the Holly-Mei series.

The Woman and Her Bear Cub

Adapted and retold by Jaypeetee Arnakak

Illustrated by Dayna B. Griffiths

Inhabit Media

978-1-772274660

36 pp.

Ages 3-6

April 2023

 

Many children take it upon themselves to adopt animals they believe have been abandoned. They do it with the best of intentions, though sometimes without regard for the bigger picture. The Woman and Her Bear Cub is a traditional Inuit story of such a fostering but with the wisdom that comes with living in conjunction with the natural environment and not overriding it.

From The Woman and Her Bear Cub by Jaypeetee Arnakak, illus. by Dayna B. Griffiths

A child and her mother are out on the ice hunting when they discover a polar bear cub stranded behind some broken ice. The mother wisely looks for tracks and evidence that the mother bear is nearby but can find none, so they help the cub from its location and take it home.

From The Woman and Her Bear Cub by Jaypeetee Arnakak, illus. by Dayna B. Griffiths

The child calls the cub her baby brother and their bond is as strong as siblings. They spend time together, playing and such, with the bear becoming an integral part of their family, even bringing back seals and fish that he has caught for them.

From The Woman and Her Bear Cub by Jaypeetee Arnakak, illus. by Dayna B. Griffiths

But when the cub is no longer a baby bear, and he becomes so big that the others in the village are concerned, the mother prepares her child for the time he would have to leave them. Still, it isn't until her brother bear returns from hunting one day with his own mother that the mother and child are able to say goodbye.

From The Woman and Her Bear Cub by Jaypeetee Arnakak, illus. by Dayna B. Griffiths

Jaypeetee Arnakak is a multi-talented Inuit linguist, translator, educator, and writer who grew up in Clyde River on Baffin Island. He has edited a collection of traditional stories from oral recordings of Inuit Elders and adapted several into picture books. The Woman and Her Bear Cub is one such traditional story and one that tells of compassion for living things and letting go when the time is right. There is no willful removal of a wild animal to provide companionship or entertainment. Neither is there a selfishness to take and keep what does not belong to them. The mother and her child give sanctuary to a lost bear cub only until he is reunited with his mother. It's not about their needs but about his needs. 

That quietness of purpose and landscape is portrayed in the illustrations of The Woman and Her Bear Cub by artist and designer Dayna B. Griffiths of Toronto. By creating art that appears stark, with a restrained palette of blue, white, and grey-brown, Dayna B. Griffiths makes the Arctic landscape of blue sky and white snow dotted with an occasional qarmaq (dwelling) very powerful. As such, the interjection of a white bear and grey-brown-clad people, with the occasional dog of both grey and white, in that landscape makes them both an important and insignificant focus.

As with most traditional stories, even those that may take on fantastical proportions, there is a germ of truth, and I suspect this one is based in reality. Adopting a lost animal and caring for it until care is no longer necessary is a story for all times. Here, a polar bear and an Arctic landscape may make this story unique, but its premise is grounded in the authenticity of compassion for those in need and dictated only by the one most affected. It is a lesson in selflessness and benevolence and a true reflection of the graciousness of Inuit values.