Tundra Books Research Articles

Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet by S. O'Leary

O’Leary, Sara. Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet. Illustrated by Jacob Grant. Tundra Books, 2018.
 From first to last, the phonic examples in O’Leary’s alphabet book are disarming:
 “Aa
 Alligators think you’d like them if you got to know them.”
 “Zz
 Zebras would like to be first. Just once.“
 Unlike so many other authors of this genre, O’Leary rarely struggles to find simple, memorable examples of words that begin with the appropriate vowels and consonants. The sole exception in his work is the use of “Chipmunks” to illustrate the sound of the letter “C.” Child readers would have to be mature enough to recognize the digraph (ch) and be alert to its sound. That exception being noted, all of the other phonic illustrations—even the ones for the “difficult” sounds—are straight-forward, playful and engaging.
 “Qq
 Quail get quite tired of being told to be quiet.”
 “Uu
 Unicorns believe in themselves.
 “Yy
 Yaks giggle at their own jokes.”
 Joseph Brant’s illustrations are all that they ought to be: large, clear, colourful and, most importantly in this type of book, unambiguous. His depiction of voles for the letter “V” is particularly endearing. Those of us involved in the field of children’s literature might want this illustration and its motto on our flag:
 “Vv
 Voles always want just one more book.”
 In any case, we should ensure that this delightful book is on our children’s library shelves.
 Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie Aitken
 Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special and academic libraries. She was a Curriculum Librarian for the University of Alberta.

Smoot by M. Cuevas

Cuevas, Michelle. Smoot. Illustrated by Sydney Smith. Tundra Books, 2017. 
 Smoot is the story of an adventurous shadow that is attached to a rather unadventurous boy until one day Smoot finds himself detached and free to live out his wildest dreams. Even other shadows are inspired in this short but warm tale on the importance of childish joy in the simple things. Young readers will enjoy the 48 pages of colourful images that accompany the story though they would likely best enjoy the story read to them as some of the vocabulary may be tricky for young readers. The illustrations are similar to some of Tundra Book’s other publications such as If a Horse Had Words and will delight adults in addition to younger readers.
 This would be a lovely recommendation for any young reader who enjoys Peter Pan’s shadow since there are a number of similarities in the shadows’ demeanours. The slightly oversized size of the book makes this an excellent choice for classroom or library storytimes. In fact, this story could easily be used as part of a storytime program where children could be asked what brings them joy or even asked to act it out with their shadows. Overall, I would primarily recommend this book to parents and libraries though elementary teachers may find this work to be beneficial to start discussions about students’ hopes and dreams.
 Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Lorisia MacLeod

Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by L. Bailey

Bailey, Linda. Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein. Illustrated by Júlia Sardà. Tundra Books, 2018. 
 The subject of this book is the story-behind-the-story of Dr Frankenstein and his terrible creature. It is the story of how an 18-year-old girl came to write one of the best-known novels of all time, inspired by a friendly competition among a group of friends that included two of the most famous authors of the age (Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron).
 While on summer vacation in 1816, staying at Villa Diodati (a mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva), a dark and stormy night offered the ideal setting for Lord Byron to read aloud from a book of ghoulish stories called Fantasmagoriana and inspired him to propose a friendly competition in which each member of the assembled party would write a ghost story. Although it would take her almost a year to complete the novel, this competition was the beginning of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In a preface to the third edition, written many years later, the author describes these events to explain how a young girl “came to think of and to dilate upon so very hideous an idea.”
 Inspired by Mary Shelley’s preface, Linda Bailey has reimagined this well-known history in a way that is very relatable for young readers. Bailey explores some of the formative moments in Mary’s childhood—in particular, the death of her mother when she was only 11 days old—and some of recent scientific discoveries that were challenging old ideas, all to explain how Mary could imagine a creature “made of dead body parts, stretched out—and coming to life.” While not at all suitable for very young or very sensitive readers, this story will be inspiring for some.
 Perhaps the best part of the book, the gorgeously stylized illustrations by Júlia Sardà are powerfully evocative. Like the text, the illustrations are darkly appropriate reflections of Mary’s story without being overly gruesome.
 This is a wonderful book for the right reader. Tundra is marketing this book as being suitable for children aged 5-8, but the subject matter will be too dark for many in this age group. Somewhat older children may be better equipped to deal with the difficult elements of the story and they may be interested in the research notes at the back of the book. 
 Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Linda Quirk
 Linda taught courses in Canadian Literature, Women's Writing, and Children's Literature at Queen's University (Kingston) and at Seneca College (Toronto) before moving to Edmonton to become a librarian at University of Alberta’s Bruce Peel Special Collections.

Where Oliver Fits by C. Atkinson

Atkinson, Cale. Where Oliver Fits. Toronto, Tundra Books, 2017.
 Oliver is a unique little puzzle piece with a cute round head smattered with blue and orange. He wants to be part of a bigger picture and goes on a journey to find where he fits. As he finds different puzzles, he discovers that the other puzzle pieces are not like him at all. Some puzzle pieces complain that he does not have enough of the right colour to fit properly. Others say that he is not the right shape. Determined to find his place in the world, he decides that he needed to be more like others in order to be accepted.
 He uses creative strategies to change his shape and colour, however, after continuing to be rejected, he becomes desperate enough to create a disguise to finally fit into a puzzle. Although he finally finds his fit, Oliver begins to question whether or not it was right to pretend he was someone else and learns that it is better to be himself. 
 This is a wonderful story of imagination. Children learn through the eyes of Oliver that it is better to be one’s true self rather than changing to fit in. The illustrations are bright, colourful, and capture all the conflicting emotions that Oliver goes through. Designed for children ages 3-7, this book provides a good moral lesson in a fun and creative way. 
 Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Janice Kung
 Janice Kung is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta, John W. Scott Health Sciences Library. She obtained her undergraduate degree in commerce and completed her MLIS degree in 2013. She believes that the best thing to beat the winter blues is to cuddle up on a couch and lose oneself in a good book.

Collette’s Lost Pet by I. Arsenault

Arsenault, Isabelle. Collette’s Lost Pet. Tundra Books, 2017.In this attractive, graphic novel-style picture book, Canadian author and illustrator Isabelle Arsenault tells the story of Collette—the new girl at Mile End. Unsure of how to meet other children in her new neighbourhood, Collette invents a story about a lost bird. As more children are recruited to help search for Collette’s lost bird, the fib grows, too. Although children and adults of all ages will enjoy this book’s delightful illustrations, the text is best suited to more mature readers within and above the publisher-recommended age range of 4 to 8 years. Since many younger children are taught to always speak truthfully, this book is more suitable for older readers who can reflect critically on a white lie that is not punished, but instead elicits empathy and kindness. Additionally, much of the story is told through Arsenault’s illustrations, which invite readers to find meaning beyond the words on the page. However, this nuanced relationship between text and illustrations is balanced by familiar picture book conventions, such as the repetition of phrases.Collette’s Lost Pet explores the relatable themes of being new and trying to fit in, and the protagonist’s fanciful invention of an increasingly larger-than-life parakeet makes this book’s text as engaging as its illustrations. This story demonstrates the importance of welcoming newcomers and is sure to be an appreciated addition to school, public, and home library collections.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Samantha NugentSam works as a librarian at the Hinton Municipal Library.

ZAP! Nikola Tesla Takes Charge by M. Kulling

Kulling, Monica. ZAP! Nikola Tesla Takes Charge. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Tundra Books, 2016.In this, her ninth contribution to Tundra Books’ Great Ideas Series, prolific children’s author Monica Kulling distills and simplifies the life and inventions of immigrant engineer and scientist Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) for primary school readers. Confining her story to the first half of Tesla’s long life, from his humble origins in Slovenia (then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), to his achievements as nineteenth-century America’s foremost electrical engineering genius, Kulling has maintained a manageable length compatible with the attention span of her audience.The rivalry between Tesla and his one-time patron and employer, Thomas Edison, over the suitability of alternating versus direct electrical current (AC vs. DC) is described without exposing all the sordid details of their rivalry. The story then quickly moves on to Tesla’s partnership with George Westinghouse to illuminate the 1892-93 Chicago world’s fair site, and to build the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, employing alternating current, a system that allowed electricity to be transmitting over greater distances more cheaply and efficiently than Edison’s rival system. Kulling ends her story in 1898, when Tesla demonstrated a model boat controlled by radio waves, an invisible force that he suggested might also be used for wireless communication, a concept soon made real by radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi.Apart from an anachronistic use of the word “robot,” Kulling’s text is historically and scientifically accurate, clearly written, and age-appropriate, without being condescending. Bill Slavin’s illustrations are nicely evocative of the late nineteenth-century buildings and workshops, and are scaled large enough for story-hour readings to groups of children.Reviewer: Merrill DistadHighly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsMerrill Distad is Associate University Librarian (Research and Special Collections Services) and University Archivist, University of Alberta, and is the co-editor of Peel’s Bibliography of the Canadian Prairies to 1953 (Toronto, 2003). He is the author, most recently, of The University of Alberta Library: The First Hundred Years, 1908–2008 (Edmonton, 2009).

Under the Bed Fred by L. Bailey

Bailey, Linda. Under the Bed Fred. Tundra Books, 2017.In this offering of the “monsters are not scary” genre, award winning author Linda Bailey has written a chapter book for newly independent readers. There are five chapters telling the story of Leo, who is afraid of the monster, Fred, who lives under his bed. Eventually Leo befriends Fred and discovers he is not scary. He takes Fred to school, where Fred defends him against the class bully, who is portrayed as a red-headed child with a green shirt. Most readers will relate to dealing with a bully at school.The book is well paced for a new reader’s daily reading time. The text is simple and nearly every page has an illustration. One can imagine a child in Grade 2 or 3 being able to read a chapter each day and feel success at having completed a 63 page book by the end of a week.The illustrations are comic style. The monster looks a lot like a brown bear. There are lots of action images, extreme expressions, and speech balloons. The text appears as a very large typeface to emphasize something scary or loud. Sometimes the text is printed at an angle and sometimes words like “KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!”, “GRRRRRROWWLL!” and “CRASH! OOF! POP!” are printed over images for effect.Overall, this is a good book and it is therefore recommended for public and school libraries. Recommendation: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sean C. BorleSean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety.

Hedge Hog! by A. Anstee

Anstee, Ashlyn. Hedge Hog! Illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee. Tundra Books, 2018.After Are We There, Yeti? and No, No, Gnome!, Canadian born author/illustrator/animator Ashlyn Anstee presents us with the delightfully punny Hedge Hog!. In this story, our titular main character Hedgehog tries to keep all the other yard animals away from his hedge. Can the other animals convince him to open up his doors before winter comes? Not if Hedgehog has anything to say about it. The author tells a simple, yet charming story that can be used to teach a young reader about the importance of sharing and caring for your neighbours or as a political allegory dealing with immigration. Some readers will also enjoy the tale for what it is, a fun and entertaining story. The art is the real strong point of this story. The charming and pleasant looking characters, and the world of the yard that the author creates are sure to appeal to anyone reading through this book. Just the cover art alone is likely to pique anyone's interest. The illustrations are not only cute, but they also do a wonderful job of conveying the story. Regardless of the reader's reading level, they are sure to get something out of this tale.With strong, yet easily digestible writing and charming illustrations, this story is perfect for new readers. Whether they are reading by themselves or along with their parents, there is lots to fall in love with here.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Adam CohenAdam has his BSc in archaeology from the University of Calgary and is a current graduate student in the University of Alberta’s Masters of Library and Information Studies program. He is also a member of Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom, and works as a metadata assistant at the University of Alberta Libraries.

InvisiBill by M. Fergus

Fergus, Maureen. InvisiBill. Illus. Dušan Petričić. Tundra Books, 2015.The plot of this amusing picture book is simple: Bill would like someone at the dinner table to pass him the potatoes; he is repeatedly ignored. Bill mutters, “What am I. Invisible?... PLEASE PASS THE POTATOES!”In response, Mother continues checking messages on her “whatchamacallit,” and Father answers his “thingamajiggy.” (We have to admire the use of the terms “whatchamacallit” and “thingamajiggy;” Fergus deftly avoids the stale dating that comes with naming current technologies!) The story proceeds: Bill’s brother declares the scientific name for potatoes to be “SOLANUM TUBEROSUM.” His little sister begins to juggle the tubers. No one passes the potatoes. Bill’s fate is sealed; he becomes invisible.The romp through Bill’s family’s solutions and sorrows as they try to regain their invisible child and brother is complemented by the witty cartoons of Dušan Petričić. Only a few of these drawings are large and distinct enough to share in a group storytelling session; none-the-less, they would be much appreciated by the individual reader.That reader might easily be a child of eight years of age—the approximate age of “Bill,” as Petričić depicts him. By the end of grade three, and certainly at the grade four reading level, most children could handle independently such passages as the one below: Bill was in no mood to eat dinner with his family who had, after all, caused his invisibleness. So he took three peanut-butter-and-pickle sandwiches up to his room and spent the evening with his gerbil, Gerard.The humour in this story, however, is not for the exclusive delight of the primary school-aged; if you are a “middle child” of any age, you might just think that Maureen Fergus wrote the book with you in mind!Home, school, and public libraries should find this a popular addition to their collections. Depending on the ages involved, it might also prove a helpful gift for that once-youngest child whose family position has been “reordered” by a newcomer. Reviewer: Leslie AitkenRecommended: 3 out of 4 starsLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special and academic libraries. She is a former Curriculum Librarian for the University of Alberta.

A Bedtime Yarn by N. Winstanley

Winstanley, Nicola. A Bedtime Yarn, illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller, Tundra Books, 2017.This picture book explores the dreams of Frankie, a little bear who has trouble falling asleep at night. To help him sleep, his mother provides a ball of yarn for him to hold while she works on the other end, knitting a special surprise for Frankie. Each ball of yarn is a different colour with its own story that takes the young bear on incredible adventures. For instance, a sea-green yarn invokes a dream that takes him deep into underwater caverns and a brown yarn reminds him of cake as a result of his upcoming birthday celebrations. Every colour depicts a new dream and unique experience. The story concludes with Frankie’s mother surprising him with a multi-coloured blanket that was made from all the different colours of yarn that he held. Beautiful artwork illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller accompanies the story, including strands of coloured yarn that surround the images. The author creatively used colour as the starting off point for representing the wide variety of dreams that the little bear encounters. This children’s book teaches readers about different colours and the imaginative element of dreams. This book is suitable for children from Kindergarten to Grade 2. Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Janice KungJanice Kung is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta, John W. Scott Health Sciences Library. She obtained her undergraduate degree in commerce and completed her MLIS degree in 2013. She believes that the best thing to beat the winter blues is to cuddle up on a couch and lose oneself in a good book.

Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms by R. Weston

Weston, Robert Paul. Illus. Misa Saburi. Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms. Tundra Books, 2018.Sakura, a little girl whose name means “cherry blossom”, shares picnics and stories with her grandmother under the cherry blossom tree near their home in Japan. When Sakura and her mother and father immigrate to North America while her grandmother remains in Japan, the little girl deals with the challenges of adjusting to life in a new country and grieving when her grandmother dies. As the seasons change and spring returns, Sakura comes to understand her grandmother’s wisdom about the importance of friendship. Themes of intergenerational relationships, mourning the loss of a family member, cross-cultural friendships, and the healing power of time all are represented in this book.Author Robert Paul Weston uses a poetry approach to storytelling, a call-back one of his earlier books, Zorgamazoo. This time, the author presents Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms as a series of Tanka, a traditional Japanese non-rhyming form of poetry whose spare and brief structure is well-suited to depicting each event in the story. Weston includes an explanation of Tanka at the end of the book and encourages young readers to create their own poems following this format.The text and illustrations introduce readers to linguistic and cultural aspects of Japan, including traditional foods, clothing, games, and names. It captures the sense of loneliness, disconnection and culture shock people can experience in a new environment, and gently depicts the gradual healing process, culminating in Sakura blossoming with renewed energy, wisdom, and happiness.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Maria TanMaria is a health sciences librarian at the University of Alberta and a former editorial team member of the Deakin Review. She is the co-author, with Sandy Campbell, of A Selective Collection of Children’s Health Fiction 2014 – 2016, described in the Volume 6 (3) issue of the Deakin Review.

The Fly; The Rat; The Slug; The Worm: Disgusting Critters Series by E. Gravel

Gravel, Elise. The Fly; The Rat; The Slug; The Worm: Disgusting Critters Series. Tundra Books, 2016.These paperback reissues of Governor General’s award-winning children’s author Elise Gravel’s Disgusting Critters series – one that includes further volumes devoted to the spider, the toad, and head lice[!] – serve to bring to an even wider audience Gravel’s whimsical illustrations and sense of humour. Translated from the original French, the captions offer a soupçon of homely scientific information about each critter’s contribution to global ecology. Gravel is also known for her cartoons and graphic novels, and her critter illustrations are mainly sight-gags. Thus, while these books are ideally suited for reading to children from 3 to 6, older children learning to read can/will understand and appreciate the jokes. Recommended for all public, school, and academic curriculum library collections.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Merrill Distad Historian and author Merrill Distad enjoyed a four-decade career building libraries and library collections.

Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story With Holes by F. Viva

Viva, Frank. Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story With Holes. Tundra Books, 2015.Frank Viva is an illustrator and designer, so design, rather than storyline, is the strength of this work. The illustrations are a simple, retro-modern, cartoon-like style. Viva uses a palette of five tints: blue, yellow, red, brown, and white. This gives Outstanding in the Rain a “vintage” look.This children’s picture book is a collection of oronyms, words or phrases that sound the same but have different meanings, woven into a simple story about a boy’s trip to the amusement park. For each oronym pair, Viva incorporates a die-cut hole into the text. Words from the following page are shown as part of the sentence of the page being read. When you flip the page, the die-cut reveals a different picture and the second part of the oronym is also revealed. For example, the words “night rain” in the phrase “The night rain is just beginning to fall” turn into “night train” in the text of next page, “The night train is coming-I hear its call”. The combination of die-cuts, oronyms, and rhyme is complex and clever. Even the title and subtitle, “Outstanding in the rain” and “A whole story with holes”, both include plays on words.Children will have fun playing with the words in the same way that Viva has played with them. This book would be a great tool for teachers to introduce having fun with language, specifically oronyms. Upper elementary children would have the most fun with the double meanings, but even adults would enjoy this book.Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Stephanie BorleStephanie Borle is a University of Alberta student of linguistics who enjoys working with children and new immigrants. She spent a year teaching English as a Second Language in Japan to kindergarten and junior high school students.

The Pirate’s Bed by N. Winstanley

Winstanley, Nicola. The Pirate’s Bed. Illustrated by Matt James. Tundra Books, 2015.Nicola Winstanley has produced a tale both whimsical and original in this picture book for children of kindergarten and primary school age. In brief, her story details the adventures of a seafaring bed that, by means of a shipwreck, escapes its obligations to a smelly footed pirate, washes ashore, and becomes the treasured hand-me-down of generations of landlubbers. Her story is strongly supported by Matt James’ boldly coloured, graphically descriptive, and humorous illustrations. There is an appealing, childlike quality to his various depictions: a bearded and gap-toothed pirate who sleeps with his teddy bear; waves that reach up with evil fingers to spill the pirates out of their ship; playful dolphins and a helpful gull who guide the bed through the waves. Observant children will notice, as well, that the bed is able to frown and smile as events unfold. The artist’s work would both engage and enrich the imaginations of most five-to-eight year olds. While Winstanley’s brevity of sentence length and simplicity of syntax are suited to the listening skills of most children in this age group, generally, only the older ones would have the reading skills necessary to handle such text as follows:“When the bed had lived on the ship, the nights had been full of the bright richness of the pirate’s life and imagination. Now nighttime was long and dark and empty….The bed floated, unencumbered, and wished for the weight of a sleeper” [p.20].Younger children would most fully appreciate the book in the context of a story hour or bedtime reading.Editor’s note: This book was also reviewed by students from the Child Study Centre’s Junior Kindergarten Program in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta in Vol 6, No 2 (2016) of the Deakin (http://dx.doi.org/10.20361/G2WP5H).Reviewer: Leslie AitkenRecommended: 3 out of 4 starsLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and university collections. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

Carson Crosses Canada by L. Bailey

Bailey, Linda. Carson Crosses Canada. Illustrated by Kass Reich. Tundra Books of Random House Canada, 2017.In this delightful picture book, Linda Bailey and Kass Reich combine their talents to produce an imaginary cross-Canada tour for little listeners and beginning readers. The work is age appropriate. The maps Reich creates on the front and back end papers present a simplified vision of our coastlines, territories and provinces. Throughout the pages, line drawings and colourful illustrations evoke our mountains, forests, plains and lakes. We see Canada from the highway, the campsite, the lakeshore and seacoast. Urban references are few. The journey starts in Tofino; it ends on an unnamed Newfoundland shore. En route, there is one nod to Winnipeg where the travelers have a cooling romp in the lake of the same name, and another to Quebec City where they feast on a tortière. For the most part, however, the densely populated cities, our usual obsession, are omitted. What the author and illustrator do offer is a heartwarming, humorous and engaging story.Annie Magruder, the central character, journeys eastward to help her ailing sister, Elsie, who lives on the Atlantic coast. Promising Carson, her little dog, a “surprise” when they reach their destination, Annie packs the essentials: camping equipment, baloney sandwiches, dog food, and “Squeaky Chicken” (Squeaky Chicken is the dog’s toy; each time he chews it he gets “a brand new noise”). Carson is both lovable and credible. On the dry plains of Saskatchewan he eats a grasshopper “for dessert.” In the scorching heat of southern Manitoba he droops. In Niagara Falls where Annie buys a souvenir he “leaves a little souvenir of his own,” and when the tide goes out in the Bay of Fundy, he rolls all over the seabed, the “best mud ever.” Annie’s promised “surprise” for Carson is also credible. (No disclosure, here. Read the book.)Kass Reich’s illustrations are a perfect match for Bailey’s text. That the work concentrates on storyline is a gift to the intended audience. That its inherent geography lesson is subtle and evocative (as opposed to blatant and didactic) is totally refreshing. This is a must for Canadian home, school, and public libraries.Reviewer: Leslie AitkenHighly recommended 4 out of 4 starsLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and university collections. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

The Good Little Book by K. Maclear

Maclear, Kyo. The Good Little Book. Illustrated by Marion Arbona. Tundra Books, 2015.In this work, Maclear uses allegorical techniques to expand on compelling themes. Her protagonist is unnamed; he is “the boy,” every boy who loves to read. The Good Little Book is every book that captivates a reader. Its author is unnamed. Its characters are not delineated. Only a captioned illustration, one of Arbona’s many colorful offerings, provides clues to the book’s plot and impact:“It carried him to the deep sea and steered him towards a faraway land. It dazzled him and stumped him and made him laugh and gasp. He read it through. Then he turned back to the beginning and read it again.”[pp.11-12]Humour is a feature of the work; Maclear likes to play with words--literary words. The Good Little Book resides with others, one of which has won the “Called a Cat” medal. We are informed, however, that “The good little book…had no shiny medals…it didn’t even own a proper jacket.” [p.3]The protagonist’s compulsion to read and reread his good little book introduces the first theme: books transport us to imagined worlds. When the book is lost, then rediscovered, a secondary theme emerges: books are to be shared.Text and illustration lead the reader to surmise that “the boy” is school-aged, a child physically mature enough to walk his dog while riding a skateboard. He is, of course, an avid and independent reader. Tormented by the loss of his book, he is old enough to hunt for it on his own, to scour crowded and heavily trafficked streets, to search the public library. Initially, he appears to have an age appropriate appreciation of the book’s capacity to occupy his mind, to move his thoughts.“The book the boy thought couldn’t do anything did many things.” [p.11] “It did become a loyal companion, there to see him to sleep and distract him when he had to “think things over.””[p.13].To this point, the boy’s relationship with the book seems in keeping with the primary theme: book as intellectual transport. Suddenly, his thought processes revert to those of a much younger child.“The boy worried. How would such a good and quiet book survive? What would it do if it found itself at the edge of the unknown? Or among frightful enemies?...the book did not have skills that would help it in the dangerous wild….”[pp.19-20 ]The story becomes even more anthropomorphic when the book is discovered by various creatures:“A squirrel thought it might be a thriller. A sparrow thought it might be a romance. A raccoon thought it might be a sandwich.” [p.29 ]These developments raise a question: “Who is the intended reader?” A child who has completed grade three would generally have both the ability and the maturity to read the book and to appreciate its messages. This reader might, initially, identify with the protagonist’s dilemma. But would this same youngster identify with thinking that becomes, in the lexicon of child psychologists, animistic? One can readily imagine a nine-year-old reader’s sudden dismissal of the work as, “…a little kid’s book.” One can also imagine that a preschooler would listen with rapt attention to the anthropomorphic sections, but zone out during the development of the book’s themes. Finally, it may be that only librarians, booksellers, and children’s literature specialists would appreciate the humour. In sum, maintaining a clear vision of the intended reader or listener is a requisite in any kind of storytelling; The Good Little Book falls short in this regard.Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Leslie AitkenLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and university collections. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

Counting With Barefoot Critters by T. White

White, Teagan. Counting With Barefoot Critters. Tundra Books, 2016.White’s counting book for young children begins with a good concept: make them want to turn the page. She accomplishes this by leaving a rhyme unfinished for want of a number that the listener must volunteer. This is a clever technique and will, undoubtedly, produce engagement. Unfortunately, White is not an effective poet; the rhymed couplets comprising her stanzas fail to exploit the power of verse for children.English is a language with stressed syllables. Rhythm, the arrangement of non-stressed and stressed syllables within a poetic “foot”, can draw attention to key words and concepts. It can also facilitate memory. For early readers, it can be a key to pronunciation. Combined with witty and inventive language, rhythm creates humor and/or suspense. (Theodore Geisel, “Dr. Seuss,” set the bar quite high in this regard.) Rhythm and foot in poetry can contribute to a child’s understanding of beat and measure in music, inviting a physical response. Too often, the couplets in White’s work sound rhythmically forced, as in this example-- which, incidentally, also fails as a pronunciation guide: “Surely we’ve earned a nice, peaceful rest Now that we’ve finished our daring conquest.” (Eight, [p.15])Flaws such as this weaken what could have been a superb book. White’s colored drawings are enchanting. They are detailed enough to invite the joy of discovery, but not so cluttered as to confuse. Her “Barefoot Critters” are adorable. The map that introduces their adventures is easily followed by the intended audience and is another clever way of inviting children to learn a number sequence. None-the- less, literary quality and artistic excellence should go hand-in-hand in books for children. Counting With Barefoot Critters has much of the second, and not quite enough of the first.Recommended: 3 of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie AitkenLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and university collections. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

Audrey (cow) by D. Bar-el

ar-el, Dan. Audrey (cow), illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. Tundra Books, 2014.In an amazing series of first person accounts, Dan Bar-el details the escape of a Charolais cow, Audrey, from her apparent destiny: the abattoir. Both her ordeal and her survival involve a huge cast of characters, some loving, some nasty, some honorable, some mercenary, some clever, some daft. Those most instrumental in Audrey’s salvation include Eddie, her devoted dog friend; Buster, a brilliant but introverted pig; Boris an outcast but ingenious skunk; and Fay, a warm hearted but political wily animal rights activist. Those at best indifferent to her existence (and, at worst, complicit in plotting her death) include Kasey the cattle truck driver, and Claudette, the cougar. There are, however, countless others who detail their role in Audrey’s harrowing adventure. Each role, in its own way, is significant in the course of events. The brilliance of Bar-el’s storytelling is that he gives every character a unique and engaging voice; in fact, the tale just begs to be dramatized or animated. Tatjana Mai-Wyss’s black and white drawings appeal to the eye, mind and heart. Some provide a necessary explanation for the reader. In particular, the drawing of the latch mechanism (p. 71) that Audrey must unhook to flee from the truck makes plausible the cow’s escape.Most independent readers (grades three to six) could handle the text and would find the story both emotionally engaging and exciting. It is, in fact, so suspenseful (and Audrey’s possible plight so horrifying) that a sensitive child might need reassurance that the final outcome is a happy one. Reading the story aloud to younger children could prove a challenge; without the visual clue of the speakers’ names (entered as subheadings)little listeners could lose their way in the multiplicity of first person accounts. However, if you are a storyteller who excels at “doing voices,” this book is for you; hesitate not to share it with the very young. Finally, a trigger warning: this book could lead to youthful declarations of vegetarianism!Reviewer: Leslie AitkenHighly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and academic libraries. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

The Darkest Dark by C. Hadfield & K. Fillion

Hadfield, C., & K. Fillion (2016). The Darkest Dark, illustrated by T. Fan and E. Fan. Tundra Books, 2016.The Darkest Dark takes us into the adventures of young Chris the astronaut. Together with his dog Albert, Chris is busy exploring Mars and saving the planet from aliens. Chris is so busy being an astronaut that he even has trouble sleeping at night, when the dark corners of his bedroom reveal aliens and monsters of all kinds. Chris’ parents are a bit dismayed that Chris cannot sleep in his own bed and they try a number of tricks to teach Chris that his bedroom is perfectly safe from aliens. Then on a July evening Chris and his family go to the neighbours to watch the most spectacular event: men landing on the moon. Witnessing this modern miracle Chris is so inspired that he finds himself changed, and no longer afraid of the dark. This touching story is based on the childhood of astronaut Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space. Hadfield and Kate Fillion have captured a story that is simple in many respects, however singularly inspiring, as it shows how Chris grows to overcome his fears and to realize his dreams. The graphite illustrations by Terry and Eric Fan are remarkably rich in detail. The subtle colours and contrasting dark tones bring a young child’s imagination to life. The imagery of the Hadfield cabin on Stag Island at times seems so real you can almost hear the water lapping and the crickets in the distance. This would be an excellent book for young children between the ages of 4-12, especially those interested in space or experiencing fear of the dark. Parents can appreciate the lovely illustrations as well as the historical photos and factual information at the end of the book.Reviewer: Hanne PearceHighly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsHanne Pearce has worked at the University of Alberta Libraries since 2004. She has continuing interests in writing, photography and graphic design. She is currently working towards completing a Masters in Communications and Technology.

The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by A. Michaels

Michaels, Anne. The Adventures of Miss Petitfour, illustrated by Emma Block. Tundra Books, 2015. The winner of numerous awards, Anne Michaels has earned her place among Canada’s most talented wordsmiths. Long a respected Canadian poet, her brilliant debut novel—Fugitive Pieces (1996)—brought her international acclaim. The Adventures of Miss Petitfour is Michaels’ first book for children. Emma Block is a young freelance illustrator who has already established a reputation for delicately feminine and delightfully quirky illustrations. Her work can be seen in children’s books, Hallmark products, and in tableware. This book represents a nearly perfect partnership between the author and the illustrator.Among other things, this is a book about the stories we like to tell and read. The books in the village bookshop near Miss Petitfour’s house are divided into two sections: ho-hum and hum. The former are books in which nothing ever happens, but are “full of interesting facts that would never come in useful” and the latter are adventure books.This charming little book is certainly not ho-hum, but neither does it offer grand adventures. The adventures of the unconventional Miss Petitfour and her sixteen fun-loving cats—all of whom go everywhere with her, quite literally wherever the wind takes them—are adventures of "just the right size—fitting into a single, magical day." These little adventures demonstrate that sometimes “the best things happen” when “things work out differently than you expect.”Young bookworms and aspiring writers will be delighted to find that Michaels offers them a peak behind the curtain, one that reveals some of the key elements in the construction of a story, and explains how these elements function with clarity and wit. For example, in the midst of a major digression in a story about a trip to buy marmalade, we are told that a digression is “when the story wanders off the point and gets lost” and that it can be the best part of a story. Several digressions follow naturally and are clearly marked as such. In another story, we are told that a coincidence “is something that happens at just the right moment,” and that stories use them “to fix up tricky tangles”, following which, coincidentally, the story—about a confetti factory explosion—cleverly and humorously demonstrates the technique several times in rapid succession.The name of the main character—Miss Petitfour—is somewhat unexpected, but the delicate and ornate nature of the French pastry known as a petitfour makes it a suitable metaphor at the heart of a little book that celebrates little everyday adventures, decorative language, and fanciful illustrations in a way that is light and sweet and fun. This book is very highly recommended for children of all ages and is well suited for reading aloud.Highly recommended: four stars out of fourReviewer: Linda QuirkLinda taught courses in Canadian Literature, Women's Writing, and Children's Literature at Queen's University (Kingston) and at Seneca College (Toronto) before moving to Edmonton to become a teaching librarian at University of Alberta’s Bruce Peel Special Collections. Her favourite children's book to teach is Hana's Suitcase, not only because Hana's story is so compelling, but because the format of this non-fiction book teaches students of all ages about historical investigation and reveals that it is possible to recover the stories of those who have long been forgotten by history.