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This story follows a little boy as he spends the day at the bay on the lookout for frogs. As he paddles in a dinghy, explores the shoreline and swims under water, he spots a blue heron, a dragonfly and other creatures, but the wily frogs he seeks elude him. Muted coloured-pencil illustrations provide a gentle accompaniment to this story, told in rhyme. Young listeners will delight in spotting the frogs that have hidden themselves in each illustration, just out of sight of the boy who searches for them. At the end of the book, the perspective of the story changes to that of the frogs, providing a humorous conclusion. The boy's tranquil day of exploration demonstrates the joy to be found in exploring our natural environment.
Fifteen-year-old Rowan is left with her aunt and uncle for the summer while her parents, foreign correspondents, are on assignment in Africa. Naturally, she feels homesick and abandoned. But the charming antics of sea otters and the promise of a research project of her own allow her to cope with her feelings and ultimately to grow in the process. Set against the natural beauty of a small island near Tofino, British Columbia, this tale of environmental protection gives the reader an awareness of the fragile balance of marine life. Readers get a real sense of the landscape and will be drawn in by Rowan's thoughts, expressed in her journal entries. Her earnest fight to protect the sea otters, while camping alone on the island, is nicely balanced with humour in her interactions with her cousins.
Grandpa likes to share with his family his memories of the two world wars, of cod fishing and of the seal hunt. One morning early in spring, he wants to revisit another memory: the island across the bay where he spent most of his life and where his wife, his "comrade-in-arms" and "comrade-in-life," is buried. Twelve-year-old George takes him in the dory, but on the return trip a late winter storm vents its fury.... Remarkable full-page illustrations use clear, penetrating colours and strong, solid shapes to depict the power of the elements, the resilience of the Newfoundland people, and the essence of the story.
Did you know that the man who designed New York's Central Park also planned the park on Mount Royal? This is the story of Frederick Law Olmsted, an American who became the most famous landscape architect in North America. Inspired by a public park near Liverpool, a directionless Olmsted decided upon his calling and won the contract to design the yet-to-be-constructed Central Park. This new park transformed a squalid area in Manhattan, full of slaughterhouses and pigsties, into a beautiful haven in which people could escape the dreary industrial landscape of the city. Olmsted went on to design the grounds around the U.S. Capitol and the park on the American side of Niagara Falls, to name but a few of his accomplishments. This is an inspirational story of dedication and hard work being rewarded by success. Beautiful two-page paintings by Song Nan Zhang depict the glory of these created greenspaces and help the reader realize how precious these parks really are.
It's spring! Mary Margaret plants a tree in her garden, and, wonder of wonders, it immediately starts to grow. In a matter of minutes, it has become a magnificent towering tree. Mary Margaret climbs up to the top and from her perch, she observes all that nature has to offer. The seasons unfold. As autumn blows the leaves from the trees, Mary Margaret must hold on with all her might. She finally sails through the air on a leaf and lands in a cave. She is not alone. Cuddling up with some hibernating animals, she sleeps the winter away. In the spring, she wakens to find that her feet have grown roots and her fingers are sending out green shoots. Soon Mary Margaret, herself, has transformed into a full-grown tree. A call from her mother brings her back to reality. Drawson's work is a delightful fantasy that transforms a little girl into a magnificent full-grown tree. The change of season and the interaction between Mary Margaret and the animal life going on all around her are beautifully portrayed with richly coloured and textured illustrations by the author.
The Messenger of Spring is a tale of newness and of changing seasons. Mohawk author and artist C.J.Taylor adapts a Chippewa and Ojibwa tale to tell the story of New Dawn, a young Aboriginal messenger who visits Iceman at his camp. Iceman is dying; not long ago, his powers were substantial. When he commanded, leaves turned brown and fell from the trees. Bears hid in their caves. Ducks and geese flew away to distant lands. Even turtles and snakes hid in the mud. Iceman asks New Dawn what message he is bringing. New Dawn replies by standing. He begins to sing. He grows taller. A soft rain falls. The snow begins to melt. Tree buds burst open, and leaves grow. Birds appear, waxwings, grosbeaks, robins and more. The sun rises, and the earth warms. Then New Dawn dances until Iceman vanishes. A wild portulaca or "Spring Beauty" grows in the middle of Iceman's now extinguished fire. Iceman and New Dawn say goodbye to each other, only to meet once again next season.
Twelve-year-old Tess has recently moved from Toronto to the family farm in Pitt Polder, B.C., and she is having a difficult time adjusting. She is apprehensive about starting at a new school, and she and her mother just can't seem to get along. Tess is also mourning the recent death of her grandfather, with whom she shared a love of bird-watching. Things take a further turn for the worse when Tess discovers that her uncle is working on a development project that gravely threatens the marsh habitat of her favourite type of bird, the greater sandhill crane. Gradually Tess makes friends with kids at her school and with Clara, a local bird-watcher. When Clara falls and breaks her ankle, Tess and her friends carry out Clara's plan to steal a crane's egg and to raise it on their own. Tess faces her greatest challenge when she attends a crucial town council meeting and confronts the developers, ultimately bringing about the defeat of their re-zoning application. Annette LeBox's obvious love of the marshland environment is evident in her vivid descriptions of Pitt Polder and the birds that inhabit it. Her depiction of Tess's struggle to make friends and deal with the cruel and racist behaviour of one of her classmates is true to life. This story takes on even greater poignancy when one learns in the afterword that Pitt Polder is a real place, and that the greater sandhill crane population there currently numbers between 13 and 19 birds only.
There is a palpable excitement as our young Ojibway narrator, Noshen, tells of his special day in nature with his grandfather, Mishomis. The two set out early one morning in Mishomis's birchbark canoe. Everything is silent on the lake except for the rhythmic dipping of the old man's paddle. Before long, they hear the call of a loon echoing across the water. As they get nearer, they see four loons - two adults and two fluffy grey babies on the mother's back. Noshen is frightened as the male loon moves close to the canoe and performs a spirited dance to tell them that this northern lake is his home. Later in the day, Noshen and Mishomis hike to and climb a rocky cliff. While they are enjoying the view from atop the cliff, a powerful, graceful eagle swoops down and combs through Noshen's hair with an indescribable gentleness. That night, under a full moon and starry sky, the boy and his grandfather travel into the woods. Noshen cannot hold his silence and excitement and asks Mishomis when they will see some night animals. Moments later, they encounter a pack of timber wolves. Noshen stands very tall and still until the wolves go away. Mishomis commends the boy for his bravery and compares the wolves to their ancestors, "moving freely about the land with their families." This is a depiction of a wise, patient and loving grandfather passing on his knowledge to his grandson. He helps the boy to appreciate and respect the natural world. The beautiful, warm illustrations add greatly to the story in their respectful rendering of the characters and their surroundings.
A is for Artwork and Alliteration A Mountain Alphabet is indeed a Book with wonderful Artwork and Alliteration as well as a delightful Book from Cover to Cover. There are 26 wildlife and outdoor paintings in A Mountain Alphabet, each dedicated to a letter of the alphabet. The paintings depict animals and plants whose names start with the same letter of the alphabet: Avalanche slopes are aglow with aspen in autumn, A black bear browses on berries in the boreal forest and Climbers cling to the canyon wall. As an added challenge for young readers, the featured letter of the alphabet is hidden in each picture. Artist Andrew Kiss vividly brings to life the many moods and dimensions of wildlife and shows some of the many ways humans interact with the outdoors. His artwork is expansive and swathed in colour and life. The author's alliterations are lovely, lyrical and luminescent. And her clever text captures and complements the artwork.
My Arctic 1, 2, 3 by Inuit author Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak, is both an introduction to counting and an introduction to Canada's North. The book is divided into two parts. The first helps teach small children their numbers, aided by beautiful watercolours of Arctic animals by illustrator Vladyana Krykorka. The reader is able to count, for example, one polar bear on an ice floe, six siksiks (Arctic ground squirrels), a pack of 20 wolves, and even one million ripened berries being gathered by northern inhabitants. The text in the counting portion of the book is in both English and Inuktitut. The second part of the book, in English only, is mostly text about life in Rankin Inlet and is interspersed by black ink drawings of Arctic fauna. Kusugak shares with the reader what it is like to live in the North, and tells about fishing and other encounters he and his family have had with the animals introduced in the counting part of the book. The final page contains a very short glossary of words introduced in the book, including "esker," "inuksugak" and "tundra." My Arctic 1, 2, 3 is an excellent tool for children in preschool and kindergarten who are learning their numbers. It also provides a wonderful glimpse into a part of Canada that most children (and many adults!) will not have seen before. |
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