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Noteworthy Books on the Family
English Titles - continued
 Denotes that the book is either a
translation or is available in translation.
Roses Sing on New Snow: A Delicious Tale
Paul Yee
Illustrations: Harvey Chan
Toronto/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre/A Groundwood Book, 1991
30 p. ISBN 0888991444
 Ages 5 to 10.
In her father's restaurant Maylin creates a delectable new dish
for a special banquet to honour the Governor of South China. Her
brothers try to take the credit for the dish but all attempts to
reproduce this New World dish, even those of the Governor
himself, end in failure so the Emperor in the Old World can never
taste or hear "Roses sing on new snow".
Chan's watercolours are effective in portraying variety and
strength of scenery and emotion.
Roses Sing on New Snow: A Delicious Tale text Copyright © 1991 by Paul Yee, illustrations Copyright © 1991 by Harvey Chan. Douglas & McIntyre/A Groundwood Book
Silent Words
Ruby Slipperjack
Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers, 1992
250 p. ISBN 0920079938
Ages 12 and up.
In northwestern Ontario in the 1960s a young native boy runs away
from an abusive home and through the various people who give him
shelter he learns the values and traditions of his own heritage
and an understanding of himself.
Courtesy of: Fifth House Publishers
Two Moons in August
Martha Brooks
Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1991
157 p. ISBN 0888991231
Ages 12 to 16.
Sidonie's family would be labelled dysfunctional in today's terms
because each member has not fully mourned the death of the
mother. Flashbacks of the happy highlights in her family's past
keep reminding Sid of her mother, and of how family love should
be.
Kieran, who arrives from Toronto to spend the summer with his
mother, also comes from a dysfunctional family. He, too, is
afraid to love, afraid that he is destined to become an abusive
alcoholic like his father. He spends many hours working off his
emotional turmoil by swimming. In the tense climax, he feels
such despair and helplessness towards his parents that he
attempts to swim the lake in a raging thunderstorm. Sidonie
saves him: theirs is more than a simple friendship.
It is the arrival of the aunts that turns things around for
Sidonie's family. They not only provide a firm and sensible
model of love, they also give of their own love freely. Thus the
emotional tenseness that has pervaded the home dissolves. With
the beginning of love, there is hope.
Two Moons in August Copyright © 1991 by Martha Brooks. Cover art by Judy Pederson. A Groundwood Book / Douglas & McIntyre.
Waiting for the Whales
Sheryl McFarlane
Illustrations: Ron Lightburn
Victoria, B.C.: Orca Book Publishers, 1991
31 p. ISBN 0920501664
Ages 5 to 8.
An old man, who lives by the sea, fills his days by tending his
garden and watching the whales when they return each year to swim
in the strait in front of his cottage. But his life takes on new
meaning when his daughter and her baby girl come to live with
him. As the little girl grows and learns from her grandfather, a
warm bond of love and companionship develops between the two.
When the old man dies, mother and daughter continue the tradition
of watching the whales.
Each of the award-winning illustrations, done with coloured
pencils on pastel paper, is beautifully planned and has a special
focus.
Courtesy of: Orca Book Publishers
Zoe's Rainy Day
Zoe's Snowy Day
Zoe's Sunny Day
Zoe's Windy Day
Barbara Reid
Illustrations: Barbara Reid
Toronto: HarperCollins, 1991
12 p. each volume. ISBN 0002237644, 000223758X, 0002237598,
0002237636
Ages 2 to 6.
These four books are wordless, board picture books, one for each
season. The main character is Zoe, a little girl who loves the
outdoors. All the activities take place in her neighbourhood,
especially in the park. There is a happy conclusion to each
story. A feeling of a close-knit family and community emanates
from the four little books.
Reid works in plasticine relief, an art form beautifully
perfected by her. Her characters breathe; her colours, rich and
bright, are excellent; and her detail is remarkable with an
immediacy especially appealing to young children.
Zoe's Rainy Day, Zoe's Snowy Day, Zoe's Sunny Day, Zoe's Windy Day. © 1991 by Barbara Reid. Photography by Ian Crysler. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
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