The Comfort Tree

Written and illustrated by Holly Carr

Plumleaf Press

978-1-738165230

48 pp.

Ages 4-8

August 2024

 

For many people, a tree is just a tree. It's a woody plant that reaches above the ground. Sometimes it's green and sometimes it's not. But trees are so much more than just what we see. They are life. And this tree is a comfort tree to the many species that make the forest their home.

From The Comfort Tree, written and illustrated by Holly Carr

This tree is an oak and so it begins life as an acorn, dropped from the bill of a blue jay. It grows until it towers over the forest and is named the Comfort Tree by the forest animals.

From The Comfort Tree, written and illustrated by Holly Carr

For each animal, the tree provides comfort, whether for its views for Raven or its food and storage facilities for Squirrel. In different seasons, the tree provides shelter whether for Lynx who rests on the tree's limbs or in its fallen leaves like Rabbit and Deer. For some, its comfort derives from the aesthetic, Fox appreciating its fall leaves that match its fur or Blue Jays that enjoy playing in its branches. The Comfort Tree provides for all the animals in its own way throughout the year.

From The Comfort Tree, written and illustrated by Holly Carr

Holly Carr, an artist from Nova Scotia, is best known for her painting on silk, a unique medium that produces fabulous forms when paint is applied. Holly Carr's art in The Comfort Tree is extraordinary, intricate and textured, emulating the layers of leaves whether in the tree or in the litter beneath it, or the complexity of animal features like feathers. The patterning of tree and animal and scene require more than a cursory look. They demand the reader stop and look for the bees, the fungi, the butterflies, and more. Her art tells a story of a comfort but also of life cycles, the seasons, and the interrelationships of all living things. It's a big story. Holly Carr's remarkable art matches that story, page for page.

From The Comfort Tree, written and illustrated by Holly Carr

The story of the Comfort Tree goes beyond the forest, with Holly Carr starting dialogues about ways for children to comfort themselves. She acknowledges that there are different strategies, including breathing, going into nature, and stretching, that can all be helpful. (She provides QR codes to activities to help young people to stretch or to visit a forest and listen to Nova Scotian birds.) But first try a walk to the Comfort Tree with Raven, Blue Jay, Deer, Owl, and others to find comfort vicariously. It's as wonderful as forest bathing in vivid colours and the soothing shapes of the natural world, and you don't need to find transport to get there.

Maud of Green Gables: How L. M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World: Book launch (Eden Mills, ON)

 

Renowned Canadian author and illustrator Janet Wilson 

 is launching her newest book 

and it's a venture like none she's ever created.

 

 

Janet Wilson is well-known for illustrating books for Robert Munsch, Linda Granfield, Andrea Spalding, Sheree Fitch, and other Canadian authors.

 

She's also made her mark with several illustrated series of social justice books including her award-winning One Peace and Our Earth.

 

 

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery's birth in 1874, Janet Wilson will be launching a special limited edition picture book, Maud of Green Gables: How L. M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World.
 

 

Maud of Green Gables: 

How L. M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World

Written and illustrated by Janet Wilson 

39 pp.

The launch will be held 

on Saturday, September 7th, 2024

from 1 -3 PM

at the 

Eden Mills Community Club

104 York Street

Eden Mills, ON

There will be an exhibit of Janet Wilson's paintings and studies for the book,

and

some raspberry cordial, of course.

Details about the book, including some art and an excerpt, may be found at Janet Wilson's website at http://www.janetwilson.ca/new-maud-of-green-gables.html. (n.b. The book is currently only slated for availability through the author-illustrator herself. Contact information is provided through the link above.)

 

• • • • • • •

 

Lobster's Vacation: Greetings from the Coast

Written by Michelle Robinson

Illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-280-1

24 pp.

Ages 3-7

June 2024

 

Enjoying his ocean life with buddies Crab, Starfish and Whale, Lobster is shocked to be caught and transported to a chef's kitchen. But he's having none of it, jumping from the hot pot and making a run for it. It's time for him to get a break and take a vacation.

From Lobster's Vacation, written by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

So, amidst all the tourists and locals, some with maps and cameras, others with dogs and their binoculars, Lobster takes off. His first stop is for a tartan cap and ice cream on the waterfront. Then he's onto a tour bus and seeing all the sights from the wrought iron gates at Halifax Public Gardens National Historic Site to a harbour bridge and the Viola Desmond ferry. 

From Lobster's Vacation, written by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

In the country, Lobster shares a campfire and some music with woodland animals. When the leaves start to change, there's berries to pick and hiking. But, as for most of us, Lobster's vacation becomes tiring, and he longs to see his friends.

Lobster's heading homeward.

So long, sandy shore!

 

Back home with his buddies

on the ocean floor.

At a time when many families are visiting Nova Scotia and other parts of Atlantic Canada for their summer holidays, Michelle Robinson has given them a picture book to take along and feed their travels. If you're fortunate enough to be in Halifax and environs, you may be able to pick out the very ice cream shop where Lobster gets his double scoop or the tartan shop. You'll certainly be able to watch popular kite flying and even board the Viola Desmond ferry. Lobster certainly sees all the sights, both touristy and local faves, but Michelle Robinson still gets Lobster home, and with a cheeky postcard to the fishermen who caught him in the first place.

From Lobster's Vacation, written by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

Paul G. Hammond, also a creator from Halifax like Michelle Robinson, makes Lobster's adventures whimsical and postcard-ready. Every illustration is like a cartoon of a photo from a vacation, showing a smiling Lobster enjoying the sights of Nova Scotia and the company of others. Bold, bright colours, fabulous lines and shapes and text (within the art) makes for a flashy adventure for Lobster and for the readers who get to travel with him.

If you're lucky enough to be visiting the East Coast this summer or another, take along a copy of Lobster's Vacation. Use it as a child's guide to Halifax and area. The kids will love the rhyming story, and especially Lobster's escape from the cooking pot, and will be able to read it for themselves soon enough. And if a trip to Nova Scotia cannot be on your schedule, visit it vicariously through Lobster's Vacation. It's just like being there.

The Blue Canoe

Written by Sheryl McFarlane

Illustrated by Laurel Aylesworth

Familius

978-1641709156

32 pp.

Ages 3-5

July 2024

 

For any child fortunate enough to spend time on a lake, The Blue Canoe will speak to them about the joy of being out on the water, watching wildlife, and contemplating life's many questions. But for this child, there are the special elements of being with her mother in their blue canoe, a ritual that only the two share, and of anticipating coming-soon baby's arrival. Will everything change? Will their special mother-daughter time be lost? What will coming-soon baby do to the family dynamic? And what about all the wonderful things big sister can introduce to coming-soon baby?

From The Blue Canoe, written by Sheryl McFarlane, illustrated by Laurel Aylesworth

From a small cabin on a lake, a mother and child, and diapered teddy bear, head out in their blue canoe as they often do. 

Every cabin day is a paddle-on-the-lake day.

 As they weave their way through the water, they enjoy the aquatic plants and animals that they observe. There are dragonflies and lily pads, pond skaters and mallards. There is a heron and trout, kingfisher and river otters, and more. And as their paddles dip and pull, the child wonders about their coming-soon baby, speculating on what they may be doing soon and what it will be like having a baby around.

"What if our coming-soon baby doesn't like canoeing?"

Mom has wise answers that reassure. She speaks to the possibility that the baby may be different than her daughter and that's okay. The baby will like somethings they do and not other things, just like Dad who doesn't like to canoe.

From The Blue Canoe, written by Sheryl McFarlane, illustrated by Laurel Aylesworth

Still as the child ponders and questions, the pair glide through gorgeous landscapes abundant with life, enjoying the natural wonders and their connection with each other and their endeavours.

From The Blue Canoe, written by Sheryl McFarlane, illustrated by Laurel Aylesworth

The introduction of a new baby can be challenging for families with young children. There can be much positive anticipation but also questions and concerns that cannot be alleviated until the baby has arrived and the children see how things may change but not necessarily mean there will be losses. BC writer Sheryl McFarlane has taken from her own experiences canoeing with her children to give life to The Blue Canoe. There are so many stories within The Blue Canoe: the mother-daughter connection, the activity of canoeing, the wildlife they see, and the discussions about the coming-soon baby. Readers will get a rich and multi-layered story in The Blue Canoe that can be enjoyed for any of those points of discussion, while enjoying Rhode Island's Laurel Aylesworth's serene scenes of time on the water. There is a calmness and uncluttered nature to her illustrations, ensuring that what we feel is the same tranquility that comes with canoeing on a calm lake. 

 

For me, The Blue Canoe was like forest-bathing: calming,  contemplative, and promoting consciousness of our natural environment. For a young family, it will also be a wonderful discussion starter about a coming-soon baby. If a discussion has to be had about an upcoming birth, there's a great way to initiate it with a virtual canoe trip of appreciation and familial connection as in The Blue Canoe.

Sea Snooze

Written by Sarabeth Holden

Illustrated by Emma Pedersen

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-442-4

28 pp.

Ages 3-5

July 2024

 

While a mother reads a bedtime story to her children perched in their bed, their imaginations are invited to soar.

From Sea Snooze, written by Sarabeth Holden, illustrated by Emma Pedersen

All aboard our little boat!

We'll sail all night. Let's see where we float!

In their dream boat, they travel far and wide, over mountains and icy seas, where the stars shine bright and guide their way. They see gulls and guillemots, minke whales and belugas, and seals.  As the animals play and feed, the children sail across the waves.

Minkes in the sound exhale from their spouts,

spraying drops of sparkling water all about.

From Sea Snooze, written by Sarabeth Holden, illustrated by Emma Pedersen

These are but their dreams, spurred on by their mother's reading and their own lives in an Arctic environment. In fact, their bedroom provides all the setting elements, from the animals in a mobile near the bed, to a wallpaper border of water and starry sky, and stuffed bears and narwhal. (If readers look closely, they'll see the patches on the balloon tethered to their boat match those of the well-loved stuffed narwhal toy on the bed.) Their dreams come from their lives: the bed is their boat, its blankets their sails, and their experiences, from snacking on seaweed and fish to watching the wildlife of their Arctic home, give texture to their dreams.

Soon the morning will come,

the sunshine glittering gold,

with all the wonders that

the new day holds.

What a lovely rhyming text to send your own young ones into their nightly respite! They may not know of an Arctic home with an ocean rich with wildlife both in the water and above it, but they'll appreciate taking a boat to a wondrous place with familiar elements from their own lives. Author Sarabeth Holden, who also wrote Please Don't Change My Diaper! and Benny the Bananasaurus Rex, both of which were also illustrated by Emma Pedersen, may currently live in Toronto but her experiences living in Nunavut and being a mother feed her stories. Sea Snooze speaks to parents putting little ones to bed and to those same little ones visiting dreamland via their own experiences. A co-founder of the Toronto Inuit Association, Sarabeth Holden embeds this story in modern Inuit life whose homes could be anywhere in Canada. But, by emphasizing the landscape that only those of the far north would understand and the inclusion of an occasional Inuktitut word, Sarabeth Holden helps us see that the dreams of these children are unique to their home, and all the richer for their familiarity with it. Yet, with her energetic rhyming that has us travelling with the children on their dream boat, Sarabeth Holden is singing a lullaby for children to rest, imagine, and enjoy their lives in a different way.

From Sea Snooze, written by Sarabeth Holden, illustrated by Emma Pedersen

Emma Pedersen keeps the playful in the soothing tranquility of children heading to sleep and into their dreams. From their colourful pajamas and bedding to their assortment of toys and art, these kids have wonderful energy to feed those dreams. And though their dreamworld is mostly one of dark turquoises and blues, not unlike the Arctic Ocean and a night sky, Emma Pedersen infuses those scapes with warmth in the playfulness of the animals and the whimsy in their faces and in the clouds. 

 

You might want to read Sea Snooze to your own little ones, perhaps before bedtime, so that they might be encouraged to use their imaginations to discover their own sleep journeys. Their beds may be different, their toys unlike those in Sea Snooze, and the animals they have seen a far cry from the narwhal and the minke whale, but hopefully they'll have their own foundation for dreams to bring joy and contentment and, of course, sleep.

Faker

Written by Gordon Korman

Scholastic

978-1-338826753

224 pp.

Ages 8–12

July 2024

 

As Dad always says, the intersection of too much money and too little know-how is the sweet spot of our family business. (p. 2)

That family business is conning rich people out of their money and Trey and Arianna's father is a master. The con always changes, just like their names and locations, but the kids, Trey who is now 12 and Arianna who is 10, have always been part of the operation. It's often Trey who makes the connections with worthy marks when he is sent to exclusive boarding schools, but Arianna is desperate to prove her worth too. Although Dad and the kids are a strong unit–Mom left when they were very young–Trey is always sorry when they must do a "Houdini" and disappear. He likes having friends and being part of something other than a family scam.

After returning from their latest Caribbean holiday after a necessary Houdini, Dad takes them to Boxelder, Tennessee where they become Davis Kirkwood II (Dad who is known as Junior), Trey is Davis Kirkwood III (get it? - Trey for three), and Arianna is Aryana Kirkwood (same first name, different spelling). They have a house in the exclusive The Pointe neighbourhood and the kids will be going to regular school. Before Dad has even devised a scam, Trey is making a connection with Logan Romano, a neighbourhood kid whose parents are art dealers. Never to be outdone, Arianna brings home Micah Zabrachian whose parents own the largest home around. Finally, Dad comes up with a scam that may be the Big Kahuna: an amazing electric vehicle that can go 1000 miles on a single charge. He calls it El Capitan and gets a guy he knows–Dad knows a guy for everything–to create El Capitan from parts of a Tesla and other cars. It may not do what he's telling everyone it can, but it's gorgeous and attention-grabbing and people want in on the investment.

Meanwhile, Trey is fitting in nicely at Boxelder Middle School and has even joined YAAP, the Youth Alliance for Albion Pond, an environmental group headed by Kaylee Novak who lives in the less-affluent community of Albion. He's a little smitten with Kaylee, whose father is Trey's social studies teacher, so he's happy to help support the remediation of Albion Pond.

But then things go awry when Dad has incidentally selected the location of Albion Pond as the future home of El Capitan's first, and fictional, factory. Trey may know the company isn't real, but Kaylee certainly doesn't and YAAP's fight suddenly moves in a different direction.

How does Trey support "the family business" and still have a cohort of friends, albeit one that will be abandoned when Dad calls the next Houdini? And what of Arianna whose petulance at not being considered a full partner is becoming exasperating? And then there's the emails from I.C. All that suggest the scam has been discovered. 

What a story! Trey is an average kid who wants to have friends and be liked, play sports and be appreciated by his family. He's often torn by the ethics of what his Dad does but he's not exactly in a position to challenge it. The cons are what feed them and provide for them. But Trey is starting to question things more, mostly courtesy of Mr. Novak's lessons on ethics and Trey liking Kaylee, but he knows no other life than that of the scam. Gordon Korman, the master of middle-grade novels with heart and humour, never makes us judge Trey's family though. The reader knows theft by con artists is wrong, but Faker is less about the criminality and more about the ethics of balancing family and what's right and wrong. Gordon Korman makes us empathize with Trey's dilemma–personally I found his younger sister more of a problem than the con–recognizing the familiar need to fit in. Trey may not realize he's becoming popular in his own right but he's a nice guy and fitting in might just become a problem for a kid who's not supposed to make real connections with people, only fake ones.

Faker is a fabulously real story of a middle-grade kid caught between a rock and a hard place who finds out that things aren't always as they appear. His dad may be responsible for much of the deception but, when you're loyal to a person whose vocation is to rip-off people, it's hard to know what's right or wrong. Fortunately, even at age 12, Trey finds a way to see past the fakery and come out from that uncomfortable position and ascend to a place of decency.

Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale?

Written by Caroline Woodward

Illustrated by Claire Victoria Watson

Pownal Street Press

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

June 2024

 

With humour and rhyme, Caroline Woodward, who wrote the text for beautifully illustrated picture books  A West Coast Summer (2018) and Singing Away the Dark (2017), again takes us to her beloved West Coast to really take in all the sensory experiences that life there offers. We will hear, and see, and smell, and taste, and learn and wonder at the unique ecosystem that is the ocean and its coast from those who live and enjoy it.

Have you ever heard a whale exhale

and SLAP the water with its tail?

Breathing in after breathing out,

heaving WHOOSH with a mighty spout!

Our visit to the West Coast has us listening to a whale as it breaches, breathing and tail slapping and spouting. Its behaviours may be typical but to any observer they are captivating and revealing. Such are the actions of the seals who spy-hop to see what's going on–one with a monocle suggests they are paying close attention–or of the oystercatcher, a shore bird, who can pry open molluscs.

From Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale? by Caroline Woodward, illus. by Claire Victoria Watson

And what of the smelly sea lions and the squawking seagulls, eagles and dolphins? All have their place and ways of living that intrigue and reveal life on and near the ocean. But Caroline Woodward also includes humans who are invited to think about what it means to be these animals and the ocean and what living on it and near it is truly like.

From Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale? by Caroline Woodward, illus. by Claire Victoria Watson

By phrasing her text as a series of questions, Caroline Woodward invites the reader to think about the ocean, its animals and their behaviours, including those of humans on the water, at a campfire or something else. Questions like "Have you ever felt the freezing north wind blow...?" or "Have you ever wondered why eagles love to fly..?" encourage young readers to look and smell and feel a little deeper about the coast and its inhabitants and not take for granted that which makes the West Coast their home.

From Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale? by Caroline Woodward, illus. by Claire Victoria Watson

Like Caroline Woodward, illustrator Claire Victoria Watson is a creator in British Columbia. Her visual art blends a variety of media including pen and ink, watercolours, and acrylic, with some digital design. Though the media she uses are plentiful, there is still a simplicity to her art that helps the readers focus on the smells–wavy lines emanating from the sea lions make this clear–or the sounds or the visuals of the scenes depicted. And though she follows Caroline Woodward's text to bring life to Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale?, Claire Victoria Watson also adds her touches of humour. There are the cormorants with the clothespins on their noses, the gray whales fine dining on herring roe, and a cowboy-hatted octopus square dancing or at least trying to. The message about the ocean and the diversity of its animals is never lost but it is told playfully as well as naturally.

From Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale? by Caroline Woodward, illus. by Claire Victoria Watson

Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale? may not cover every animal that lives in the ocean or near it, but it does cover an important message of appreciating our natural world so that we might protect it and all its inhabitants.

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Picture Book Giveaway 📫📘

 

Because I was fortunate to receive two copies of this lovely picture book,  I would love to share one with a reader of CanLit for LittleCanadians. (Only Canadian addresses are eligible to apply. Sorry.)

 

Leave a comment about the ocean (whether you've visited one or not) for me on X (formerly known as Twitter) by tagging me @HelenKubiw or on Bluesky at @hkubiw.bsky.social and using the hashtag #HaveYouEverHeardAWhaleExhale. I'll log all comments until Friday, July 26th, 2024 at 12 noon (EST) and then do a random draw. If you are selected, I will DM you to let you know and get details about where to send the book.

 

Good luck everyone! 

 

 🐋🦭🌊