The Deakin Review of Children's Literature
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I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness by Kerascoët
No full textKerascoët. I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness. Random House Children’s Books, 2018.
This is a wordless picture book from French illustrators, Kerascoët. This husband and wife duo, Marie and Sébastien solely illustrate, without the use of text, the ability to combat bullying in modern society. They accomplish this difficult task by placing emphasis on the characters’ emotions through the use of distinct colour throughout the images, clearly depicting the story’s message. Because there are no words, this amazing resource provides students with the ability to interpret the book individually, creating unique perspectives such as an idea, "who else needs help other than Vanessa?"
This book provides fresh insight into how society can unite together by creating a positive chain reaction when faced with bullying. Throughout the illustrations, this team accomplished this task extremely well, by providing the audience with diverse characters, creating a sense of belonging. This allows the reader to view the characters as if they were looking at their own reflection, seeing into their lives, therefore enabling them to relate to the book. With this, I truly believe that it is essential for children\u27s books to act either as a window or a mirror for children.
Overall, I feel that this book is ideal for a target audience of pre-kindergarten to grade two. The drawings are simplistic, with few details, allowing children to predict the storyline easily, leaving a thorough investigation of the book. I cannot wait for students to "read" this book to me.
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Terri Beac
The Origin of Day and Night by P.I. Rumbolt
No full textRumbolt, Paula Ikuutaq. The Origin of Day and Night. Iqaluit, NV, Inhabit Media, 2018.
This book is another in Inhabit Media’s collection of works that document traditional Inuit stories. Origin stories, which explain why things are the way they are, are common in Inuit storytelling. This one tells us how night and day came to be. In the time when animals and words had special powers, the Tiri, the Arctic fox, and Ukaliq, the Arctic hare, both want to hunt. The fox can see in the dark, so he uses his words to keep the world dark. The hare needs light to see, so she uses her words to bring light. They change night to day and day to night, frustrating each other, until they agree to give each other “enough time to find a meal or two” before changing the light. As a result, we have night and day.
Lenny Lishchenko’s illustrations are simple, but support the story effectively. They are mainly in blacks, blues and whites, appropriate to night and day. The animals are outlined in black on white or white on black, with a few details added. There are a few reds and yellows, for the animals’ eyes, the sun, meat and berries.
This rendition of the story will capture the interest of the young children, who are the intended audience. Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries, as well as collections that specialize in polar children’s literature.
Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy Campbell
Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 
Deakin Interviews Author of "Fake News and Dinosaurs"
No full textDear Deakin Readers,
I recently had an opportunity to interview Dr Jason M. Harley (pictured in this editorial) about his new book, Fake News and Dinosaurs, and I am pleased to publish it below.
1. What compelled you to write a picture book about fake news? Is your book the first of its kind for young readers?
JH: The main motivation behind Fake News and Dinosaurs was the lack of resources about media literacy aimed at young people. Advertising, sure, but not evaluating information and news. This was particularly striking for me given how young people are now when they begin to interact with the Internet and associated devices. I found myself wondering what resources I could provide to some of my pre-service teachers (i.e., future elementary and high school teachers) in a course I taught at the U of A that covered media literacy. When I couldn’t find anything that would speak to young readers about fake news and media literacy—even with help from the Head Librarian of the Faculty of Education, Katherine Koch, back in the summer of 2017, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. By which I mean, I also roped my partner and professional illustrator, Daniel Beaudin, in to helping.
2. One of the key messages in the book is “just because all your friends agree with you doesn’t mean that you’re right” (44). Do you think young readers are learning enough about ideological echo chambers from their teachers or parents? Are you hopeful that more will be done to educate young people about the importance of fact-checking?
JH: The lack of books available for young people suggest that we need to do more. Providing resources is an important starting point. As it stands, many adults are also struggling with concepts such as echo chambers and biases. We hope our book appeals to both audiences so that teachers and parents can also identify teachable moments to bring these concepts up outside of planned lessons and talks. Media literacy and associated skills are practical ones and important to practice in order to cultivate. By helping teachers, parents, and peers become more familiar with good practices, such as fact-checking, skills can more easily become habit. And good media literacy habits are the best inoculation against fake news.
3. The character named Gill is described as “a gossipy neighbor and farmer” (11) who is shown to spread misinformation, and readers clearly see how distorted information can spread very quickly. Gill’s behaviour certainly gives one the impression that gossip has considerable potential to be harmful to others. Is there such a thing as “good gossip”? If so, what would you like your readers to understand about it?
JH: Gossip is typically characterized as being a less-than-reliable source of information. If there is a good side to gossip, it is the social component: an enjoyment of sharing information with other people. Communication with others is, in a broad sense, a generally healthy tendency—just like eating. But like eating, how “healthy” communicating might be (for oneself and others) often depends on what is being shared, under what conditions, and to whom. Media literacy provides a toolset to help foster a healthier exchange of information. In Fake News and Dinosaurs, Gill reminded us that false information isn’t always spread by malicious people, nor is it always spread through the web.
4. At what age do you think children are capable of becoming fact checkers? What can adults do to help the young people in their lives become better at fact checking?
JH: Checking facts can start with something as simple as looking for the name of an author or remembering where something came from. These lower-hanging fruits are strategies young people can start practicing relatively quickly. As they mature, so can the strategies they use. For example, rather than just looking to see if an author’s name is present, they might also reflect on what the author’s affiliations and credentials are and the role that these might play in helping them discern the credibility of a particular story.
5. Do you think young readers have heard or read that we are living in a “post-truth age”? How does your book handle this topic, if at all?
JH: One of the decisions Daniel and I made in creating Fake News and Dinosaurs was to use what is called a “secondary world”. In our book, this meant a world populated by dinosaurs rather than humans. Following the adventures of two young Troodons rather than humans was both more fun (we love dinosaurs) but also stands to help readers focus on the story and lessons it imparts without getting weighed down with associations with contemporary issues. We hope this helps make the book accessible and friendly to as wide an audience as possible—and help avoid it falling into an echo chamber.
6. How do you think your book will help young readers to be less vulnerable to the lure of fake stories?
JH: Research has shown that narrative (story) is a powerful way to teach. We hope that learning about media literacy with concrete but fun examples embedded in a dino mystery story will help young (and old!) readers remember, recognize, and appropriately respond to fake news.
7. Do you have any other book projects in mind for the future?
JH: We are currently working on a French translation of Fake News and Dinosaurs.
8. Do you encourage readers to get in touch with you?
JH: We are always happy to hear what readers think of our book through social media @JasonHarley07 and @DanielBeaudin3. Neither of us, however, are full-time writers/creators and both of us have demanding careers, so we are not typically able to respond to specific questions via social media (or otherwise), unfortunately. We do attend some writing conventions such as CanCon, however, and would be delighted to chat there (or at academic conferences)!
Links to get the book:
Fake News and Dinosaurs: The Hunt for Truth Using Media Literacy is available through Indigo-Chapters, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Friesen Press.
Links to prior interviews:
Links to media interviews about the book: Global News and the Toronto and Edmonton Star papers
 
The Whale Child by C. Simpson
No full textSimpson, Carroll. The Whale Child. Illustrated by Carroll Simpson. Heritage House Publishing Co. Ltd. 2016.
Simpson does not list an Indigenous community affiliation so I will be referring to this work as Indigenous-inspired based on the author information provided.
The Whale Child by Carroll Simpson is a story about a young girl who is swept out to sea after her village is destroyed and develops a connection with a whale to find her way back to her sister. It features Simpson’s signature West Coast First Nation inspired art style and style of storytelling creating a visually beautiful book that even younger readers might enjoy for the illustrations. Simpson acknowledges that this tale is not a traditional tale but rather one of her own creation with biological facts about whales at the end of the story; however, the artwork and phrasing in the story would likely mislead readers to believe it to be a traditional retelling. This is similar to her other titles in her Coastal Spirit Tales series which feature Indigenous-inspired art and storytelling making them a resource to be used only with critical thought.
The Whale Child has all the trappings of a book that would be easy to use as Indigenous content in early grades; however, doing so would displace Indigenous voices that could be used so I would caution against using this title only because it fits the assumptions of what Indigenous works look like.
For both librarians and educators, I would recommend engaging with your Indigenous connections prior to using this book to ensure that it is catalogued or implemented into the curriculum appropriately. It is possible that there may be Indigenous voices that your community would like highlighted in place of Indigenous-inspired works and that should be something critically discussed when looking at this book as an educational resource.
Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Lorisia MacLeod
Reviewers Biography
Lorisia MacLeod is an Instruction Librarian at NorQuest College Library and a proud member of the James Smith Cree Nation. When not working on indigenization or diversity in librarianship, Lorisia enjoys reading almost any variation of Sherlock Holmes, comics, or travelling
Julian is a Mermaid by J. Love
No full textLove, Jessica. Julian is a Mermaid. Candlewick Press, 2018.
Jessica Love’s first book, Julian is a Mermaid, lives up to her last name: it is a book about love. Julian, a young boy, dreams of being a mermaid. He and his abuela (Spanish for grandmother) go swimming every weekend and on the way home, Julian watches women in their mermaid dresses on the subway. He dreams of becoming a mermaid too, and in the end (spoiler), although he worries about his abuela’s reaction to him dressing up as a mermaid, she embraces it and takes him out to what looks like a mermaid parade.
Love does not give the reader a lot of text, but the book is very easy to follow, and the images draw us in to what Julian is thinking and feeling. The muted colours used by Love for background images allows the focus to be drawn to the story itself and what Julian is both experiencing and imagining. The illustrations show us the feelings of the characters. Love manages to capture subtle body language to portray Julian’s emotions, such as him grabbing his arm in embarrassment when he is caught dressing up like a mermaid. The images remind one of the ocean, drawing us in to look deeper.
The book reminds us that gender norms can be broken, and that anyone can be a mermaid. It is a hopeful story about love transcending normative ways of being.
Children will benefit from reading this book as it will remind them that imaginations do not need to be constrained by strictly defined identity roles. Imagining possibilities of identities allows children to feel comfortable exploring identity.
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Emily Marriot
The Deakin Review Is Grateful to Lynne Wiltse for Her Guest Editorial
No full text***Access the interview with author Shelly Becker by clicking here.***
Dear Readers,
It is my pleasure to be contributing the editorial for this special issue of The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature.
My name is Lynne Wiltse and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. I teach courses in language and literacy and children’s literature. This is the third time that the graduate students in my Children\u27s Literature in the Elementary School (EDEL 510) course have participated in writing book reviews for a Special Issue of the Deakin Review; however, this is the first time that they have been joined by undergraduate students from my Teaching Literature in Elementary Schools (EDEL 409) course. This term, I taught a combined undergraduate/graduate course, and the editorial team of the Deakin Review generously agreed to a special issue featuring book reviews by my 10 graduate and 20 undergraduate students.
We began our course by reading Kathy Short’s (2108) article, What’s Trending in Children’s Literature and Why It Matters. In her articles, Short identifies the increasing influence of visual culture in children’s books and continuing concerns about the lack of diversity in children’s literature as two recent trends. Regarding the first trend, the opportunity to evaluate picture books was linked to course content about visual storytelling and the design of picture books. In her article, Short makes the point that, because children are immersed in a visual culture, they find books with powerful visual images particularly appealing. This was certainly reflected in the selection of picture books, published in 2018, chosen by the 30 students in the course for review. An example can be found in Ocean Meets Sky, a finalist for the 2018 Governor General\u27s Literary Award for young people\u27s literature (illustrated books category), by brothers Eric and Terry Fan. You can read about the stunning visual images in this picture book about a young boy who sets sail to find the spot where the ocean meets the sky in Melinda Cooke’s review. Kathy Short notes that the influence of visual culture is evident in the increasing publication of wordless books in which the story is told completely (or almost completely) through visual images. In this regard, our collection includes I Walk With Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness, a wordless book by Kerascoet (the joint pen name of married illustrators, Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset). Terri Beach reviewed this book, told without words, about a girl who is bullied and then supported by school mates. That the students in this book comprise different ethnicities and races relates to the second trend in children’s books that Short highlights in her article. The author argues that the limited availability of books that reflect the diversity within society can be damaging for children who rarely see their lives represented within books. On this count, the books reviewed by my students were encouraging as they displayed diverse ways of being diverse, so to speak. Immigrant students may recognize themselves in Island Born, written by Junot Diaz and illustrated by Leo Espinosa, while young non-binary readers may identify with Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love. Girls, long underrepresented in children’s literature, may in particular be inspired by Roda Ahmedk’s and Stasia Burrington’s Mae Among the Stars, based on the first African American woman to travel in space, Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, written by Margot Lee Shetterly and illustrated by Laura Freeman, and Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger’s, She Persisted Around the World:13 Women who Changed History. I am hopeful that these and other books reviewed by my students indicate a positive shift in the second trend regarding the lack of diversity in children’s literature. Short’s view is that, as educators, we are often followers, rather than creators of trends. I am confident that the teachers, librarians and prospective teachers from my course will contribute to this shift by thoughtfully selecting children’s literature for our diverse society.
Writing reviews for this issue was a valuable learning experience for my students and we are eager to see the published reviews. I am grateful to the editorial team of the Deakin Review for their support, and a special thanks is extended to Kim Frail for assisting me with the process and my students with their reviews.
Reference
Short, K. (2018). What’s Trending in Children’s Literature and Why It Matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.
 
The Good Egg by J., J., and P. Oswald
No full textJohn, Jory and Pete Oswald. The Good Egg. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2019.
This imaginative picture book by bestselling creators Jory John and Pete Oswald uses beautiful illustrations and humour to tackle social and emotional skills. The Good Egg is the counterpart to the duo’s book The Bad Seed.
As the title suggests, the main character of this book is a good egg, “A verrrrrry good egg.”
The beginning of the book shows how the good egg stands apart from the rest of the rowdy dozen in his carton by trying to do good deeds—he’s rescuing a cat when we first meet him.
But as the story progresses, we see that the good egg is trying so hard to be good, while everyone around him is rotten, that he reaches a breaking point. The good egg literally begins to crack from all of the self-imposed pressure. Deciding that it is in his best interest to leave the carton, the good egg embarks on a journey of self-care, and self-reflection.
On his journey, the good egg finds peace by taking walks, reading, writing in his journal, and just breathing. Eventually, the good egg starts to feel like himself again. At the same time, he realizes that he is lonely without his friends. He learns that even though the other eggs aren’t perfect, he doesn’t have to be either. The good egg decides that it is much better to be with those you love than to be alone, so he returns to his carton.
The detailed and expressive illustrations by Oswald bring the characters in The Good Egg to life, making them relatable to kids. The story flows nicely with just the right amount of words, making it a good read-aloud, and useful for class and family discussions on topics like perfectionism, self-care, and accepting yourself and others as they are. It is one of those picture books that gives kids an opportunity to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and to empathize. Overall, The Good Egg reminds us of the importance of balance and self-care, and accepting those we love, even if they are a bit rotten sometimes.
Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Tara GordonTara Gordon is a University of Alberta SLIS student with a lifelong passion for children’s books. Outside of school, Tara enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. 
The Word Collector by P.H. Reynolds
No full textReynolds, Peter H. The Word Collector. Scholastic, 2018.
The story, written and illustrated by Peter Reynolds, is about a boy named Jerome and his discovery of words. While other children collect stamps, coins, rocks, and art, Jerome collects words. Words "catch his attention" and "jump at him." He collects "short and sweet words" and "two-syllable treats." He fills his scrapbook with all the "marvelous" words he hears, reads, and sees. But once while he’s transporting his collection, he slips and his words all get mixed up. In this jumbled up state, he starts noticing how they can be strung together to make poems and songs, and how he can use them in simple and powerful phrases. In the end, he shares his collection with children in the valley and he’s left with no words to describe how happy that makes him.
The accompanying illustrations are bright, colourful, and detailed in terms of visualizing the text. With illustrations showing diversity in characters, dialogues are written in speech bubbles while Jerome’s "words" are shown on the pieces of rectangular paper he writes them down on. The jacket illustrations show Jerome standing with a bright blue background behind him and his numerous words flying around him. The inside hardcover is yellow with only the word slips jumbled around. The last page in the book is Peter Reynold’s own words strung together to give an inspiring message: “Reach for your own words. Tell the world who you are. And how you will make it better.”
Inspiring and easy to read, this is a delightful book to help children discover the magic and power of words. Teachers and parents can help children in activities inspired by the book to play around with words and build their vocabulary.
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Komel Ahmed
Komel Ahmed is currently working towards her B.Ed. in Elementary Education at the University of Alberta. She loves reading with her two amazing children
Florette by A. Walker
No full textWalker, Anna. Florette. Illustrated by Anna Walker, Clarion Books, 2018.
Written and illustrated by Anna Walker, this picture book’s fresh, beautiful watercolour images match the joyful feeling this story will leave you with. Follow Florette on her quest through a sterile city to find a garden in place of the one she left behind in her family’s move. Not only did she leave behind a garden filled with apple trees and butterflies but also all her friends and fun adventures. Find out how Florette navigates this new world and finds joy in her own way not only for herself, but for everyone around her.
This book compels readers to consider the world surrounding them and what it might be missing. Its illustrations emphasize the stark difference in feeling between the man-made and natural worlds while suggesting a beautiful way to combine the two. The text is simple and expanded upon using emotive pictures, making this book an easy, satisfying read for young and old readers alike.
Although Florette does not openly talk about her feelings, we can observe the loneliness that follows the character in this new city surrounded by packing boxes and concrete. This book would resonate with any child who has felt that loneliness in any sense of the word and offers an easy solution of seeking out those things that bring us joy.
A beautiful fusion of friendship and nature, open this book and watch something meaningful grow.
Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sara Petrunia
Sara Petrunia is a University of Alberta undergraduate student excited to use literature in her future elementary classrooms. When she is not preoccupied with her studies, Sara is busy working as a hairdresser or enjoying a trip somewhere far away
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by M.L. Shetterly and W. Conkling
No full textShetterly, Margot L and Winifred Conkling. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race. Illustrated by Laura Freeman, Harper, 2018.
Based on The New York Times bestselling book and Academy Award-nominated movie, this historical picture book was inspired from the true story of the first four black women who worked at NASA. Author Margot Lee Shetterly follows the careers of these women who were really good at math, and their achievements as black women. Hidden Figures is illustrated by Laura Freeman, who has illustrated over twenty children’s books. To illustrate this book, she read the original book, watched the movie, and did research on NASA’s website to view archival photos. Freeman’s in-depth research has resulted in powerful images that enable the reader to feel the racial discrimination of the time. In addition, through the illustrations, the reader is able to see what the machine computers looked like at the time. An illustrated timeline and glossary page are provided at the end of the book; these pages will help readers to visualize the story. These illustrations will provide interest for all ages.
The text is written in simple English. However, there are some scientific terms. Therefore, for younger children, reading this book with adults or reading buddies is recommended. Moreover, going over the glossary pages with children before they read the book will help children to understand the story better. Overall, this book will help children to be aware of sexism and racism and the achievements of black women in the past.
Hidden figures is highly recommended for school libraries. Teachers can use this book as a cross-curricular resource for social studies, language arts, and health classes. The message from this book is for readers not to give up on achieving their goals. When children read this book, they can substitute their own difficult situation and get the courage to overcome obstacles.
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Melanie Kim
Melanie Kim is a University of Alberta Bachelor of Education undergraduate student, who encourages children to learn about children’s literature. Melanie thinks the best way to learn requires reading.