How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps

Written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-516-7

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

September 2023

 

Making a peanut butter and banana sandwich may never have been so complicated but it was probably also never so much fun and inclusive. 

 

As with any recipe, there is a list of ingredients. We might have suggested bread, peanut butter, and bananas would have sufficed for this sandwich but that's just not enough, apparently. Because it's a group effort, Bambi Edlund lists 19 things you will need, including a variety of animals to undertake the various steps. 

From How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps, written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

It is a complicated recipe–17 steps, after all–but it's not just putting stuff on bread. Nope, you need to get the bread first. How are these animals going to get the bread? These enterprising, and talented, creatures are going to work for it. The crows grab a hat (which they will ultimately return) in which the juggling raccoon will gather tips. The coins are used to purchase bananas, bread, and nuts. Now with the ingredients in hand, the peanuts are shelled and smooshed by a clog-dancing miniature mule, a knife whittled by a toothy beaver, and bananas peeled and sliced by crows and a badger. Then it's an assembly line to make enough for an all-inclusive park party.

From How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps, written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

I like how Bambi Edlund has kept her "recipe" story playful but nice. I've tired of movies, commercials, and stories in which bad behaviour, like lying, cheating, stealing, and rudeness, has become normalized to be seen as cute and funny. But Bambi Edlund keeps the cuteness without the foulness. Here she gives us an assortment of animals who work together, who earn the money to pay for the ingredients they take from the bakery, produce and nut stores, and who return things like a hat that they borrow. You can't convince me that that isn't charming in its sweetness and goodness.

From How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps, written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

Beyond Bambi Edlund's straightforward text, easily read by young children and understood by them, are her illustrations. Vancouver's Bambi Edlund keeps her art simple–each animal is easily recognizable–and the settings, whether outdoors or in a shop, are uncluttered and familiar. Young readers will be able to put the words with the pictures and see more in the story. It will entertain, give them smiles, and make them feel part of the process, especially the next time they might make their own peanut butter sandwich.

The Yellow Leaves Are Coming

Written by James Gladstone

Illustrated by François Thisdale

Red Deer Press

978-0-889956834

32 pp.

Ages 4-9

November, 2023

 

While some may think that reviewing a book titled The Yellow Leaves Are Coming in November, after many of our leaves have already fallen, may be ill-timed, the story within tells another story. That story starts now, as indicated by this first line:

The yellow leaves are coming, thought the last leaf just fell.

From The Yellow Leaves are Coming, written by James Gladstone, illustrated by François Thisdale

As a young boy and an even younger girl stand out in the grayness of a cool day, they watch a single yellow leaf fall. But as they walk away, accompanied by one of François Thisdale's ubiquitous animals, they anticipate the next seasonal change. They wait and watch as the empty branches do.

From inside they watch the snow come.

I see it falling, growing thick on a hundred cold arms

reaching out for a warm, winter-coat friend.

As the grayness of winter, still magical, passes into the melting season with old leaves revealed to return some colour, the children are again wearing bright rain gear.  Then kids are outside playing baseball without coats and the trees are festooned with green leaves. Even on the balcony of the children's plex, clay pots are again filled with greenery and flowers. And François Thisdale ensures that there's always animal to watch over the seasonal scene, from a black-and-white cat to a rabbit, a butterfly, and blue jay.

From The Yellow Leaves are Coming, written by James Gladstone, illustrated by François Thisdale

The seasons may be changing, with summer transitioning to a return to school and ultimately the return of the yellow leaves, but James Gladstone continues to give us a sensory experience of seeing, hearing, and feeling. He reminds us with every poetic revelation, of the kids listening to the soft rustle of new leaves, slopping through the melting, or watching old leaves floating down curb rivers. And everything will be familiar to many Canadian children, from feeling the weather changing, watching the natural world transform, and altering their own clothes and activities with those changes. But more than telling us about those changes, James Gladstone, who has always blended science with storytelling in a compelling way (see Turtle Pond and A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054), makes us feel the seasons' changes.

From The Yellow Leaves are Coming, written by James Gladstone, illustrated by François Thisdale

The illustrations have been created by artist  François Thisdale, a recent finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration (French language) for Boucar Diouf's book Le Bourlingueur de Matungoua. Blending drawings with photographs and acrylic painting as well as digital art, François Thisdale makes the illustrations both surreal and very personal. He makes us look closely but just as fittingly he makes us see the big picture. It's quite extraordinary. By giving us both the perspective from the children and of the children, François Thisdale evokes time and place while helping us see and feel what the children might. 

Our own yellow leaves are mostly on the ground now here in southern Ontario but, like the seasons that come and go and come again, I trust that they will appear again. No matter where young readers may be situated, they will recognize the cycle of seasons and nature, and anticipate the next, personalizing what they see just as James Gladstone and François Thisdale have done in The Yellow Leaves Are Coming.

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!

Written and illustrated by

 Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

Orchard Books (An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.)

978-1-338-57233-9

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

October 2023 

In yet another heartfelt book in his collection, Peter H. Reynolds, this time in collaboration with his son Henry Rocket Reynolds, shows us that the Beatles were always right: all you need is love, though a really soft pillow doesn't hurt either!

 

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! is a touching dialogue between Little One and their caregiver Poppy. As they are cutie-pie furry creatures, young readers can engender them or not, because it doesn't really matter whether Poppy is mother or father, grandparent, or older sibling. What matters is the love, and the love is stronger than the labels.

 

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

It all starts when Little One asks Poppy whether they need anything. That simple question leads to a sweet heart-to-heart discussion about what we really need. 

Little One,

I’ve got YOU!

We’ve got LOVE!

Love is all

we need!

But then Little One thinks about all the other things that might be nice to have, starting with a really soft pillow. Poppy always concurs with Little One’s ideas, from that pillow to a roof, walls, water and more. With each addition, Poppy acquiesces to Little One’s suggestions, recognizing that it would certainly be useful or sweet, something to add to their life together. Their simple life, now immortalized in a wall hanging, grows with their new shelter and water, as well as chocolate, a cooking pot, a bathtub, a toilet, vegetable garden and books. It’s a lovely life. That is, until a storm hits, and all is lost. Poppy reassures Little One that they still have each other and love, so that’s all they really need.

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

Disasters have always hit, from fires and floods to hurricanes and tornadoes, and people have experienced extraordinary losses. While never diminishing the impact of those disasters, Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds remind us that, even with the loss of our material things, with love, we can move forward.

Each day
is a new day.
A new chance to count
our blessings and
savor the journey with
those we love.

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! is a delightful take on being grateful for what you have and more importantly for the love and support you get. I know many adults who need to understand this message but entitled children who get whatever they want, framing their requests as "I need..." could also benefit from a read of All We Need is Love and a  Really Soft Pillow! Children see what others have and think they need the same, but if this picture book does anything it shows that a close caregiver-child relationship based in love can make room for other things but can also sustain itself with that affection.

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

Though Peter H. Reynolds often has stylized people for his characters (see some samples below), the warm-fuzzy creatures of All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! are anything but human. They may have two eyes, two arms and two legs and walk upright but their similarities to people end there. By drawing them as something other than humanistic, Peter H. Reynolds surprisingly makes the story even more inclusive. Children don't have to see themselves in the characters to empathize with their situations. They will simply understand what it could mean to feel love and to give love and to support those we love, even in times of great loss. Poppy and Little One could be any caregiver and young person, furriness or hairiness aside.

From All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds

There's an eyes-wide-open quality to Peter H. Reynolds's stories, demonstrating for us how we can be the best we can be, whether in pursuing our dreams, being ourselves, accepting others, or being grateful for what we have. In collaboration with his son, Henry Rocket Reynolds, Peter H. Reynolds has given us another important message and reminded us that, if we have love, we might just have everything.

• • • • • • •

Some books of the Peter H. Reynolds collection (with Orchard Books)

Happy Dreamer (2017)

The Word Collector (2018)

Say Something! (2019)

Be You! (2020)

Little Happy Dreamer (2020)

Our Table (2021)

Love You By Heart (2022)

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! (2023)

2023 Le Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse: Winner announced

On October 18, 2023, the Canadian Children's Book Centre and Communication-Jeunesse announced the five finalists for the $50,000 prize for le Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse.  This past Monday, November 6, the winner of this French-language book award was announced.

Congratulations & Félicitations!

 

 

WINNER / LAURÉAT

 Le Prix TD de littérature pour l'enfance et la jeunesse canadienne

 Seuls

Écrit par Paul Tom

Illustré par Mélanie Baillairgé

Éditions la courte échelle

 

 

 

2023 Governor General's Literary Awards: Winners announced

Earlier this month, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the finalists for its highly prestigious Governor General's Literary Awards. Of the seven categories of books, which are presented for both French and English titles, two categories are specific for books for young people, one for text and one for illustration. Yesterday, the winners of these awards were announced.

Hearty congratulations to all winners 

of this year's Governor General's Literary Awards.

WINNER
English-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

The Probability of Everything

Written by Sarah Everett

Clarion Books

 

 

 

 

 WINNER

English-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration) 

When You Can Swim
Written and illustrated by Jack Wong
Orchard Books (Scholastic)

Reviewed here

 

 

WINNER

French-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

Linoubliable
Écrit par Lou Beauchesne
la courte échelle

 WINNER

French-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration)

Le plus petit sauveur du monde
Écrit par Samuel Larochelle

Illustré par Eve Patenaude
Éditions XYZ

 

Naaahsa is an Artist!

Written and illustrated by Hali Heavy Shield

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-346-0

24 pp.

Ages 6-8

October 2023 

 

Hali Heavy Shield's story, the winner of the Second Story Press Indigenous Writing Contest, is a special one for the depth of the child-grandmother relationship, but it is given life, colour, and texture through the author-illustrator's artwork.

From Naaahsa is an Artist!, written and illustrated by Hali Heavy Shield

A child recalls spending time with her grandmother, whom she calls Naaahsa, an artist. Naaahsa doesn't just babysit her grandchild. She opens doors for creativity and connection to culture, always encouraging the child to try her best. They bead together, sing together, draw together, cook, and paint, and more. They take walks to inspire them, with Naaahsa telling stories in Blackfoot, especially meaningful for her as she had been prohibited from using her language when forced into residential school. Now Naaahsa makes art to help her feel better.

From Naaahsa is an Artist!, written and illustrated by Hali Heavy Shield

Her art is healing but it extends beyond herself, earning her accolades and a show at the National Gallery. She shares that experience with her grandchild, the two travelling by plane to Ottawa. The child hears the praise for Naaahsa, proud of her accomplishments and the recognition she deserves, but it's the little things like her hugs and her inspiration that mean all the world to this child.

Hali Heavy Shield is a member of the Blood Tribe of Southern Alberta and the daughter of an acclaimed sculptor and installation artist. Perhaps Hali Heavy Shield took seeds of her story from life with her mother or a grandmother or someone else but what parts of Naaahsa is an Artist! are true or imagined is irrelevant. (We never see the grandmother's artwork.) What is important is the connection the child has with her Naaahsa that inspires her to do her art, and perhaps fuels the author-illustrator in her own artwork.  Naaahsa was able to use her art to heal and live beyond the tragic circumstances of the residential school experiences, and find work and joy in her art, while imparting those important lessons onto her grandchild.

Art is a language everyone understands.

From Naaahsa is an Artist!, written and illustrated by Hali Heavy Shield

Hali Heavy Shield is a multidisciplinary artist who has used digital media here to evoke both the simplicity and the intricacy of this grandmother-grandchild relationship. Their togetherness may be set on a grassy lawn or against the important Chief Mountain, in a kitchen or in a hotel room, but those landscapes are austere to keep the emphasis on the two as they paint, or walk, cook, or travel. The economy of Hali Heavy Shield's art helps us see the patterns in the child's dresses, the love in their eyes, and the enormity of the world beyond them. They are in their own bubble of love and art. They are, in fact, both artists who create with the inspiration of the other and more.

 

There is more than a story here. There is storytelling. But it goes beyond words and is firmly planted in the artwork of Hali Heavy Shield. There is a new voice and artistry with Hali Heavy Shield's debut picture book and I look forward to seeing more of it,

• • • • • • •

 

The dual-language (Blackfoot and English) edition, translated by Norma Jean Russell and Faye Heavy Shield, is also available as Naaahsa Aisinaki! / Naaahsa is an Artist!

The Little Books of the Little Brontës

Written by Sara O'Leary

Illustrated by Briony May Smith

Tundra Books

978-0-7352-6369-7

40 pp.

Ages 5-9

October 2023

 

This is the story of four siblings who lived about 200 years ago. Their names were Charlotte, Bramwell, Emily, and the youngest was Anne. After their mother had died, as well as their two older sisters, they lived with their father, their Aunt Bramwell, a housekeeper named Tabby, and many pets. And they loved to read and tell stories.

From The Little Books of the Little Brontës, written by Sara O'Leary, illustrated by Briony May Smith

They read everything they could, from novels and poetry, to geography, the dictionary, and the Bible. And when they weren't reading, they were making up stories, creating characters, and acting out plays. And they wrote their own little books to share with each other. What a special gift to have a sister who would paint pictures and hand-stitch pages and give their lives a happily-ever-after. When Bramwell received a set of toy soldiers, which he shared with his sisters, they created even smaller books that would fit into the hands of the toy soldiers. These books were tiny but the worlds within were colossal.

They contain continents and oceans, love stories and battles. There are heroes and antiheroes. And sometimes those who die in one story are brought back to life in another.

Their little books and their stories sustained them and inspired them all to write, taking them to new worlds.

From The Little Books of the Little Brontës, written by Sara O'Leary, illustrated by Briony May Smith

The Little Books of the Little Brontës is not necessarily an illustrated biography of the four Brontë siblings though it does contain key biographical information about their home, the people in their lives, and their occupation with writing and books. But Sara O'Leary has not written this picture book to tell their biographies. She has written it to speak to the power of storytelling and the imagination to sustain us through challenges. There is much still left to tell of the Brontës' stories but those details can just as easily be discovered through research. Like the power of the Brontës' stories, Sara O'Leary takes the reader to see a different world, one in which travel to unknown places is possible, in which struggles are won, and in which lives may be happier, easier, and more exciting. That's the true story of the stories that the Brontës told. Their stories comforted them and fostered their creativity.

Briony May Smith, a British illustrator, uses mixed media to take us into the long-ago world of the Brontë children. She gives their world both historical accuracy but a sweetness of siblings reliant on each other for support and love. The softness of her pencil and digital media take away the austerity of the Brontës' lives and makes them rich in family and togetherness and, of course, literary creativity.

From The Little Books of the Little Brontës, written by Sara O'Leary, illustrated by Briony May Smith

I have reviewed a number of Sara O'Leary's earlier books (including When I Was Small, 2011; A Family is a Family, 2016; Night Walk, 2020; and  Percy's Museum, 2021) and, regardless of the story, there is a gentleness in her storytelling. It's in the choice of her words and the structure of her phrasing and in the choices she makes to tell or not tell. The timeline that appends The Little Books of the Little Brontës cannot help but speak to the losses the Brontës experienced in their short lives–the four who are featured in this book all passed in their 20s or 30s–but, though Sara O'Leary mentions the loss of the children's mother and their older sisters, she makes this story about the wonders of books and storytelling.

The Little Books of the Little Brontës will surely inspire young readers to delve a little deeper into the history of the Brontës but also to create their own little books–instructions provided–and find the wonder in making worlds for themselves and others.

From The Little Books of the Little Brontës, written by Sara O'Leary, illustrated by Briony May Smith