Summer's On! A youngCanLit Picture Book list

Time to go on summer holidays, enjoy or endure vacations with or without family, and savour our Canadian summer, whether it be on the coast, in the city, in the north or in the bush, or even away.  Summer's on!

PICTURE BOOKS

Are We There Yet?

by Nancy Crystal

Scholastic

32 pp.
Ages 3-7
1991

Camping

by Nancy Hundal

Illustrated by Brian Deines

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

32 pp.

Ages 8-11

2002        

Checkers and Dot at the Beach
by J. Torres
Illustrated by J. Lum
16 pp.
Ages 0-3
2012

Dippers

by Barbara Nichol

Illustrated by Barry Moser

Tundra Books

32 pp.

Ages 8+

1997

The Fishing Summer

by Teddy Jam

Illustrated by Ange Zhang

Groundwood

32 pp.

Ages 4-9
1997

Goldsworthy and Mort in Summer Fun

by Marcia Vaughan

Illustrated by Linda Hendry

HarperCollins

64 pp.

Ages 5-6
1990

In the Tree House

by Andrew Larson

Illustrated by Dušan Petricic

Kids Can Press

32 pp.

Ages 5-10

2013

Kitten's Summer

by Eugenie Fernandes

Kids Can Press

24 pp.

Ages 1-4
2011

Mayfly

by Marthe Jocelyn

Tundra Books

32 pp.

Ages 2-7
2004

My Family Vacation   

by Dayal Kaur Khalsa

Tundra Books

24 pp.
Ages 6-9
2003

Nana's Summer Surprise

by Heather Hart-Sussman

Illustrated by Georgia Graham

Tundra Books

32 pp.

Ages 5-7
2013

A Prairie Boy's Summer
by William Kurelek
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
1975

Prairie Summer
by Nancy Hundal
Illustrated by Brian Deines
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
34 pp.
1999

Ready for Summer

by Marthe Jocelyn

Tundra Books

16 pp.

Ages 1-3
2008

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach

by Mélanie Watt

Kids Can Press

32 pp.

Ages 5-10
2008

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping

by Mélanie Watt

Kids Can Press

32 pp.

Ages 5-10
2013
Reviewed here

Simon in Summer

by Gilles Tibo

Tundra Books

24 pp.

Ages 3-8
1991

The Summer of the Marco Polo
by Lynn Manuel
Illustrated by Kasia Charko
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
2007

Travels for Two: Stories and Lies from My Childhood

by Stephane Poulin

Annick Press

32 pp.

Ages 5-8
1991

The Twelve Days of Summer

by Jan Andrews

Illustrated by Susan Rennick Jolliffe

Orca

32 pp.

Ages 4-8
2005

When We Go Camping

by Margriet Ruurs

Illustrated by Andrew Kiss

Tundra Books

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

2001

Zoe's Sunny Day

by Barbara Reid

Scholastic Canada

10 pp.

Ages 1-3

2001

Raging Star (Dust Lands, Book 3)

Written by Moira Young

Doubleday Canada

978-0385679244

448 pp.

Ages 12+

May, 2014

Proclaimed as "Better than The Hunger Games" (MTV's Hollywood Crush), Moira Young's trilogy Dust Lands embeds the reader in a dystopian world that has the characters struggling first with brutality then survival and finally retribution in this final book, Raging Star.  Set in motion with the abduction of Saba's twin Lugh in Blood Red Road (Doubleday, 2011; reviewed here), Saba has endured life as the cage-fighter known as the Angel of Death, met Jack and the Free Hawks who help her free Lugh, and then part ways as she and Jack attempt to rebuild connections with others, all within the threat of the Pathfinder's establishment of New Eden (Rebel Heart, Doubleday, 2012; reviewed here).

Saba has become the unofficial leader of a motley resistance group that includes Lugh, her younger sister Emmi, the deaf boy Tommo, the raider Creed, Free Hawk Ash, Ike's beautiful Molly and travelling medicine man Slim.  In secret collaboration with Jack who has infiltrated the Tonton, Saba works to sabotage the Pathfinder's (DeMalo's) plans for a new world he has envisioned.  While young teens are paired as Stewards to settle on plots of land in New Eden, babies and children are raised at Eden House to become Stewards, and slaves are used to construct roads and bridges, Saba is unsure of the efficacy of destroying the Pathfinder's work by violent means.  It doesn't help that she is conflicted by her feelings for Jack, who seems less loving to her, and DeMalo, who convincingly suggests that all her friends and family would be safe if she would agree to be his.

Still, encouraged by the very images DeMalo uses to impress others of his vision of a new world, Saba suggests the idea of using non-violence to ensure a New Eden that accepts all, gaining power through bringing families and loved ones together again.  As shrewd as that plan may sound, not everyone believes it to be so.  But Saba has grown as a sister, a leader, and a friend, and she knows to draw on all her skills and experiences to keep those she loves safe while offering hope for a better future. Sadly, as determined as she is, trust is an issue that she still hasn't resolved.

While dystopian literature is hot everywhere, only Moira Young takes readers into a society so unfamiliar in its way of speaking, vocabulary, and way of doing things that it becomes a true representation of life in a post-Wrecker world. We are the Wreckers, those who developed the technology and advances of planes and cars and structures that only exist as ruins or remnants. The Wreckers who dragged the world through global warming, leaving the land a dust bowl of sand storms and infertile soil. And with a crumbling society, education and schooling would have crumbled as well, leaving few characters speaking the English of our Wrecker world. Deciphering their literal and oral vocabulary, from shooters and firesticks to long-lookers and trackways, and spellings such as fer, yer, and git, make it clear that their world has been built on the vestiges of another time and culture. 

With Raging Star, Moira Young has ensured Dust Lands a critical spot on any top ten list of dystopian literature.  Don't be fooled by its lack of film adaptation, not yet any way.  Dust Lands will surpass all other dystopian literature by virtue of its chaotic world, fallible characters, including their relationships, and honest representation of the world we're bringing about through our actions, greed and arrogance.  We can only hope Dust Lands remains a world of literature, not our future.

Bye-Bye, Evil Eye

by Deborah Kerbel

Dancing Cat Books

978-1-770863941

168 pp.

Ages 9-12

May, 2014

How could summer be anything but blissful for thirteen-year-old Dani Price when she's taking her first plane ride to spend a three-week summer holiday with her friend Kat Papadakis in Greece at Kat's aunt and uncle's resort?  Even with Kat's superstitious mom as their chaperone, Dani is sure that it was

"going to be a summer to remember. I can feel it on my skin and in my bones–like that whispery tickle up your spine when something big's about to happen." (pg. 9)

Because Dani knows that she's fortunate to be popular and pretty, she is determined to help Kat get a little romance in her life, not just through the countless romance novels she reads and hides from her disapproving mother.  While her first steps included getting Kat into contact lenses and trendier clothes, she's now determined to help find the boy that will be Kat's first kiss.

Problem arises when Dani continues to be the one to draw boys' attention, starting with Costa, a young man who works at the resort, and then Nick Barbas, a fourteen-year-old friend of Kat's family who also arrives from Toronto.  Crushing on Nick, Dani makes sure that Kat is not feeling the same for Nick, though Kat doesn't seem to be interested in any of the boys Dani suggests for that first kiss.  Soon, Nick and Dani become inseparable, enjoying hanging out on the beach with Kat, chatting, swimming and even sneaking out for a real date.

But that bliss is tempered after days suffering with food poisoning, a fall that puts her on crutches, a bee sting, and finally the loss of her passport, preventing Dani from returning to Canada with Nick and Kat.  Though Mrs. Papadakis is generous with her mothering of Dani during her times of need, she is sure that the bad luck Dani is experiencing may be due to a terrible curse, the Evil Eye.  And even though Dani is not superstitious, her bad luck continues once she is back in Toronto.  While she doesn't want to admit to Nick that she believes in the curse, Dani consults with Kat and her mother on reversing the effects of the Evil Eye.

Deborah Kerbel enjoys flavouring the sweetness of young love and the exoticism of a Mediterranean holiday with much humour. Take Dani's descriptions of her holiday activities to which she offers some semblance of education, all to appease her mother.

"Dear Mom, yesterday I learned all about traditional Greek food and beverages and fishing techniques.  Today Kat and I plan on studying local beach life in its natural habitat..." (pg. 31)

Hard to believe that Dani's actually writing about enjoying a huge Greek meal, tasting the aperitif ouzo, learning that Costa lost several fingers when his dad used dynamite to fish, and then going out for the day at the beach for suntanning, swimming and boy-watching! And, when Dani is convinced she's cursed and needs a surefire remedy, her attempts, here with garlic, lean towards the hilarious!

"If three cloves are good, six will be even better. As per Kat’s instructions, I peel them and stick them all over my clothes. One in each pocket, one tucked into my underwear, two in my T-shirt pocket. I have one left over, so I put it in my mouth and swallow it" (pg. 135)

Even with a plot based on superstitions, Bye-Bye, Evil Eye is a totally believable story.  Young teens trying to navigate relationships with friends, mothers, boys, and new situations are liable to grasp onto any explanation they choose if it fits their way of thinking at that moment.  Given some time, perspectives will undoubtedly change, explaining why the spontaneous and lively Dani changes her mind about curses, and why the more traditional Kat is less than open about sharing details that could be relevant to their situation. As middle grade fiction, Bye-Bye, Evil Eye will give young readers a bit of escapism (holiday in Greece!), a bit of boy-girl crushing, a little girl drama, and some mother issues.  Reality and fancy all wrapped in a delightful tale in which not everything is as it seems.

Peach Girl

by Raymond Nakamura

Illustrated by Rebecca Bender

Pajama Press

978-1-927-485-58-3

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

May 2014

Here is the story that will bring a smile to every reader's face and teach the value of seeking the truth rather than paying attention to rumours.  It's a sweet story about a brave little girl named Momoko who bursts forth from a peach deposited at the door of a childless farming couple, determined to make the world a better place.

Momoko waits only long enough for her new mother to make clothes for her from the peach skin, for her father to construct a helmet and shield from the peach pit, and for peach dumplings to be made to stave off hunger on her journey.  

"Peachy," said Momoko. "Now I'm ready to go."

Her first goal in making the world a better place is to locate an ogre purported to eat small children.  Along the way, Momoko encounters Monkey, then Dog and finally Pheasant, all who tell her where they believe the ogre lives and the horrors of his size, his teeth and his eyes.  Though each is nervous, the promise of dumplings that the animals can see and smell convince them to join her.

Working together to reach the ogre's island castle, the bravado each exhibits dissipates quickly, except for Momoko, whose sureness of purpose and diplomatic inquiries welcome the truth of the ogre.

Based on a traditional Japanese folktale about a peach boy named Momotaro who fights demons, Raymond Nakamura updates the story with a strong female protagonist as an activist, rather than a warrior.  Her no-nonsense attitude and tact are the armaments of her endeavour, ones she embodies rather than carries. 

However, I have to say that her outfit and accessories are rather peachy, and her face inspiring, all courtesy of illustrator Rebecca Bender, art director at Pajama Press.  The realism of Rebecca Bender's artwork is not weighed down with excessive detail, though it is sufficient to engage the readers in a storytelling that could be real, until the ogre shows up, of course.  

Momoko's disregard for rumours and the directness of her engagement with everyone, from her parents to the animals and the ogre, can certainly teach us all a lesson or two.  With fortitude and respect (she never negates the animals' stories of the ogre), and a healthy dose of trust, Momoko is able to make a start on creating a better world.

Lumière (The Illumination Paradox, Book One)

by Jacqueline E. Garlick

Amazemo Books

978-0-99216300-6

458 pp.

Ages 12+

December 2013

"How much do you trust me?"

When you have a secret that could lead to your hanging from the gallows, dipped in hot wax, or discarded with criminals and the Infirmed to a societal wasteland, you're very careful with whom you place your trust.  But at some time, everyone needs a little (or a lot!) of help and you need to trust someone.  

Fortunately for Eyelet Elsworth, her father, a famous inventor, who perished the Night of the Great Illumination, and her mother, who is put to death on the charge of being a shape-shifter and killing the royal baby, always looked for ways to protect her and even reverse her affliction.  Sadly, she lost her father when she was but eight years of age, and her mother nine years later.  Now at 17, Eyelet is running away from her home in Brethren, where she attends (attended!) the Academy of Scientific Delves and Discoveries, pursued by Professor Smrt and soldiers called Brigsmen.  Challenged as exhibiting madness but really hunted for her father's notebooks, Eyelet only has her mother's necklace with an hourglass-shaped vial containing an emerald light, and the location where her father's invention, The Illuminator, is stored.

Though Eyelet may not believe it, she is fortunate to discover her father's invention being  removed from the warehouse.  Grabbing hold on the carriage in which it's been taken, Eyelet is taken by Urlick Babbit to the safety of the home he shares with his father in the Ramshackle Follies, a scorned land beyond the limits of the Commonwealth.  Though Urlick is perennially focused on his face of raised purple scars and blemishes that he believes marks him as a monster, Eyelet sees beyond this, curious about the plethora of gadgets, the restrictions he places on her if she is to stay, and the location of her father's Illuminator. 

But both Eyelet and Urlick are keeping secrets and unknowingly creating misunderstandings that may put their relationship and even their lives in danger.  Neither can guess the other's intentions but each is convinced that they do. Readers will celebrate each forward step of Eyelet and Urlick's adventures, all the more so because they demonstrate great strength of purpose but are emotionally weakened by their perceived debilitations.  Fortunately, the intervention by a secondary cast of characters and a little honesty go a long way in bringing Eyelet and Urlick together, emotionally and strategically, to achieve something grand. Urlick's simple kindnesses towards Eyelet and Eyelet's disregard for his facial features will have you cheering for their inevitable romance so charmingly evoked by Jacqueline E. Garlick's rhythmic imagery.

"All the blood in my body tingles.  Not in the cool metallic way it does when I'm falling into an episode, but warm and cursive, like fancy handwriting over fine parchment paper, all loopy and beautiful, seeping in and out of every pore." (pg. 373)

The plot developments in Lumière will keep readers riveted, as will the imaginative gadgetry–a cigarette holder and flame thrower, for example–that enriches the steampunk genre. But, for me, sharing Eyelet's and Urlick's perspectives, usually in alternating chapters, and their witty repartée took me from beginning to end in two short readings.

"Ohmilord, ohmilord, ohmiLOOORD!" I scream.

"What are you doing?" Urlick shouts.

"Saving you?" I gulp as I swing past. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Have you lost your mind?"

"No, not yet. But soon, I suspect." (pg. 345)

Book Two in The Illumination Paradox series is set to be titled Noir (another title based on Eyelet's father's notebooks) though there is no ETA for it yet, though I will continue checking Jacqueline E. Garlick's website at http://jacquelinegarlick.com/, as I recommend you do, because Lumière leaves Urlick just about at his end.  And we wouldn't want anything to separate them when he's just found the "only girl I ever believed could understand me" (pg. 204), would we?

Taking the Reins: Guest Review

by Dayle Campbell Gaetz

Coteau Books

978-1-550-505528

232 pp.

Ages 10-14

2013

Taking the Reins was a great, enjoyable book that had me sitting on the edge of my seat for the whole book. As an avid historical fiction reader, this book surpassed my expectations, and gave me more of a knowledge about the difficulties and hardships girls living in these times had to face. 

Another favourite of mine is horses, so the blend of historical fiction and horses was a perfect fit for me. Not many books have this unique feature, so it has become one of my favourite books I have ever read!

I loved this book because I could clearly connect to Emma’s reluctance to keep Nugget’s name the same because I am very stubborn, but normally, like Emma, I can be persuaded. The only feedback I would give you is that if I had a horse that I loved, like Katherine and Nugget, I would not have sold him as quickly as Katherine did. I know that Katherine's family needed the money, but if I were in her shoes, I would have gotten a job so that I would be able to keep my horse and still help my family.

Thank you so much for writing this amazing book and I am crossing my fingers that there will be more awesome books like this one! 

Grace D., Age 12

Taking the Reins

by Dayle Campbell Gaetz

Coteau Books

978-1-550-505528

232 pp.

Ages 10-14 

2013

Though only fourteen, Katherine Harris has already felt the need to take the reigns, figuratively- and literally-speaking, in order to help her family who'd come from England to make a new life for themselves in Canada.  The family's hopes had been dwindling, along with their savings, since an extended stay in San Francisco (before they reached Hope, BC) when they all had fallen ill and Katherine's older sister Susan died.  Then starting their farm, for which they are sorely ill-prepared, Katherine's father is mauled by a bear and requires medicine, and Katherine must retrieve her nineteen-year-old brother George who has run off in search of gold in the Cariboo.  Returning home on her bay mare, Nugget, Katherine's adventure masquerading as a boy and travelling with a guide, William, must be forgotten as she must return to behaviour befitting a young girl and think about selling Nugget for some much needed money.

Fortuitously, the man who purchases horses from miners returning from the Cariboo and takes them to Victoria for wealthy buyers is Mr. Charles Roberts, the very man who had given her Nugget as a thank-you for her sister Susan's devotion to his niece Baby Rose when his brother's family was also travelling from England.  Katherine hatches a plan with Mr. Roberts to enlist her parents to care for his store so that he might travel to Jamaica to visit his brother and family, that her parents might leave the farm even temporarily (though George would remain behind to tend to it), and that she might go to school in Victoria. And since Nugget would be sold in Victoria, Katherine might have opportunities to visit him.

Meanwhile, Emma Curtis, who is just shy of 14 years of age, is gifted with Nugget from her newly-found father, Tall Joe, who'd left her and her mother in England to find his riches in the new world.  Left destitute, and her mother dead, Emma had accepted the  opportunity to travel to Canada via brideship, although she skirted marriage by taking a position at the home of Governor and Mrs.Douglas.  Still too proud, too angry and too scared to show herself as she is, Emma is reluctant to accept Nugget, though her father insists she learn to ride as he intends to travel to the interior next spring to start his own farm.

Emma and Katherine become acquainted at Beckley Farm, where Nugget is boarded, and become friends, though they each keep secrets about themselves, afraid of being judged for their heritage, their weaknesses, and griefs.  But the two girls must sidestep those issues in order to work together to find the happiness they both deserve.

You will hear me say time and time again that I am not a horse person.  My greatest affinity is to cats.  And, though I will always share an affection and compassion for all animals, my understanding of horses is negligible.  But Taking the Reins allowed me to share in the bond between Katherine and Nugget, while understanding Emma's initial trepidation for this large animal.  Even more, though, Dayle Campbell Gaetz made Taking the Reins into a story about facing an uncertain future in the context of prejudice and insecurity, emotional and financial, and allowing others into your life so that you might move forward.  Nugget is the bridge that allows Katherine and Emma to share of themselves and see beyond their needs and instead focus on what others need.  It's an inspiriting story that could be from any time, but told especially well in the tumultuous settlement times in British Columbia in the 1860's when new ways had to be built on the land and between people in order to survive.  Fortunately, women such as Katherine and Emma, as well as Susan and Mrs. Douglas, showed the courage and good will to take the reigns for more than just themselves.