The Deakin Review of Children's Literature
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Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by M. Motum
No full textMotum, Markus. Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover. Candlewick Press, 2018.
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover, written and illustrated by Markus Motum, would be a welcome addition to any classroom’s library. With exceptional pacing and flow, Motum takes us through the true story of one of science’s great achievements: successfully landing a rover on Mars.
Many young readers have an inherent interest in outer space and science fiction. In this book, Motum expounds the science of science fiction in detailing the story of how Curiosity ended up on Mars (where it still roves today) in a somewhat narrative form. It would be appropriate for all grade levels, though younger grade students would likely need experienced help in order to read it. The font size and colour vary making them readable to most audiences, and they serve the story well.
The story is told from the point of view of the rover itself, named Curiosity. It begins by introducing itself as if it were a sentient creature before it goes back to the beginning, in a very cosmic sense, to plant its story within the wider view of space exploration in general. Motum’s choice in this case allows the reader to gain greater perspective for Curiosity’s story. Curiosity itself is as developed as it needs to be for the purposes of the narrative; that is to say, Motum does not imbue the rover with emotion or opinions within the story. However, the emotions and opinions of the astronauts, scientists and engineers who are namelessly featured throughout the story are indeed explored, which gives a sense of urgency and peril as we travel alongside Curiosity on its adventure.
In addition to authoring this picture book, Motum also illustrates it in a mixed media style that is both alien and historic. The solid colours and painted portions evoke the artistic style of old postcards from days gone by, while simultaneously making the Martian landscape seem exotic and alien, as if Mars were a travel destination, welcoming travellers like Curiosity. Though beautiful, the illustrations do not add much information to the story of Curiosity; in some instances, they provide some spatial context like when Curiosity tries to land on Mars. The illustrations lend a hand to create atmosphere, both in the context of the story and for the reader. Some of the text is also placed in unconventional locations on the page, so the text and the illustrations work together to create meaning and story. One finds that the eye is drawn to specific parts of the image on each page, and it is masterfully done.
For these and many other reasons, Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover is a great example of modern children’s literature. It is suitable for a variety of ages, and it is worthwhile reading in many ways.
Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Thomas Pasterfield
Thomas Pasterfield is a fourth year undergraduate student in Elementary Education at the University of Alberta. His reading interests include fantasy novels, vegetable gardening manuals, and religious books
How to Code a Sandcastle by J. Funk
No full textFunk, Josh. How to Code a Sandcastle. Illustrated by Sara Palacios, Viking, 2018.
How to Code a Sandcastle, written by Josh Funk, is endorsed as a “Girls Who Code” book. Founded in 2013, the mission of Girls Who Code is to close the gender gap in technology. One of the tools they use to help them reach their young female target audience is children’s literature. The story begins with the protagonist, Pearl, comically explaining a variety of challenges she encountered when building a sandcastle at the beach. Now, on the last day of her summer vacation, Pearl has decided to recruit the help of her robot, Pascal, to build her sandcastle. Pearl gives instructions to Pascal, using code, and explains the coding concepts of sequence, loop, and if-then-else to the reader as they relate to the task of building her sandcastle. These concepts are introduced and explained to the young readers in a fun and engaging manner.
The text features of this book are eye catching and educational. Josh Funk strategically changes the text color to highlight coding vocabulary and he draws the reader’s attention to coding commands by changing the text font when Pearl is giving instructions to Pascal. Speech bubbles are used throughout the book in an appealing, non-linear manner. The illustrations are interesting, colourful, and visually captivating to all readers, young and old. The images are crafted with purpose as they enhance the reader’s ability to make meaning of the coding concepts by providing them with visual information to complement and reinforce the descriptions given in the text. The last two pages of the book, Pearl and Pascal’s Guide to Coding, give a more in-depth explanation of the coding concepts, providing extra support for children and adults who may be new to coding. This book is an entertaining and educational must read!
Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Dannielle Sehgal
Dannielle Sehgal is a kindergarten teacher and graduate student at the University of Alberta. Dannielle is passionate about her career and loves discovering new picture books that she can bring to her classroom and read to her students.  
Island Born by J. Díaz
No full textDíaz, Junot. Island Born. Illustrated by Leo Espinosa, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2018.
Island Born by Junot Díaz tells the story of a young girl named Lola, who learns about her heritage from her friends and family. Island Born is the first children\u27s book by Dominican-American author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Díaz, with illustrations by Leo Espinosa. Díaz has said that the story was inspired by his own experience of growing up as a Dominican child in America. Díaz effectively captures both the joys and adversities of life in a diverse urban community.
The book begins with a refreshing bout of diversity, “Every kid in Lola’s school was from somewhere else ... hers was the school of faraway places.” When Lola’s teacher, Miss Obi, asks her students to draw a picture of the place they are from, Lola realizes she does not have any memories of the island where she was born. Miss Obi reassures Lola that there are other ways she can remember. She suggests Lola ask her friends and family to share their memories of the island. In doing so, Lola quickly learns about her family’s past, and the joys and struggles that are familiar to immigrant families.
The images in this book harmonize with the text in a playful way that fully engages the reader in the story about the island. Colombian-born illustrator Leo Espinosa’s images celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the immigrant community through the depictions of Lola’s classmates, and neighbourhood friends on her journey through self-discovery. Espinosa colourfully, and vibrantly mirrors the island Lola comes from in a lively manner. The story, however, takes a somber twist when Lola learns about the dark history of her nation. Nonetheless, the serious messages continue to be presented in a cheerful kid friendly manner due to Diaz’s choice to depict a serious political leader as a legitimate monster who terrorized the people on the island.
Multicultural representation in children’s literature is vital; however, it is something that is lacking in the majority of classrooms. Classrooms are rapidly becoming more diverse, and Island Born reaches to this. Children learn powerful lessons about who is valued or devalued in society through the literature they are exposed to. When children are unable to find reflections of themselves in classroom literature, they internalize that they are not a valued member of society. However, Island Born offers a glimpse, whether it be through a mirror or a window, into the life as an immigrant student. When students are able to see something of themselves represented in classroom literature, they are able to connect back to and value their identity, culture, and experiences.
Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Kristin Robb
Kristin is an After-Degree student in the Bachelor of Education program at the University of Alberta. Kristin has a passion for reading, and when she is not preoccupied with her studies you can find her volunteering in elementary school classrooms
When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon and Garfunkel by G. Neri
No full textNeri, Gregory. When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon and Garfunkel. Illustrated by David Litchfield, Candlewick Press, 2018.
The legacy of folk-rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel lives on in When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon and Garfunkel, a non-fiction illustrated story/biography. It details the friendship and success shared by two boys from a Jewish neighbourhood in Queens through their passion for music. Opposites in height, confidence, and interests, Paul and Artie are drawn together by each other’s humour, talent, and shared dream of hearing their songs on the radio. This beautiful story celebrates the ups and downs the boys experience through the decades as they draw inspiration from rock legends like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, rockabilly pioneers like Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis, and folk activists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
Written in free-form prose, each spread of this book features one large illustration, each titled with a Simon and Garfunkel song name. David Litchfield’s illustrations are almost animated in nature—they are imaginative, complex, and emotionally evocative in their use of perspective, shadow, and colour to convey a mood. Neri’s words are just as artistic, using adjectives such as “cascading,” “rapturous,” “blistering,” and “crooning” to describe the music experienced and created by Paul and Artie. The prose is rich and descriptive, though perhaps better suited to grade five and older due to the advanced vocabulary and the occasionally mature content.
This story is one that can be shared between adults who grew up alongside Paul and Artie and children who have yet to hear this timeless story about two Jewish boys rising to stardom.
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Emma Ferguson
Emma Ferguson is a second-year Master of Library and Information Studies student at the University of Alberta. She is an avid reader when she is not working on school work, and her greatest joys in life include colourful yarn for knitting and weaving, kitschy mugs (preferably full of coffee), and melancholy folk songs
The Muskox and the Caribou by N. Mike
No full textMike, Nadia. The Muskox and the Caribou. Illustrated by Tamara Campeau. Iqaluit, Nunavut, Inhabit Media, 2017.
In simple, sensitive, and well-structured prose, Nadia Mike relates the story of a lost muskox calf that is adopted by a female caribou. Her own fawn, like the other newborns in the herd, is short haired, long legged, and agile. The musk ox calf, by comparison, is shaggy, stocky, and stumpy. The herd’s young caribou tend either to ignore or reject him. The doe, however, instinctively protects him until he is mature enough to find his way to a muskox herd.
The story is not sentimentalized; neither is it excessively anthropomorphized. Admittedly, the young caribou “giggle” as the muskox attempts to splash in the pond with them and the little muskox wonders, “Why do they make fun of me?” Anthropomorphizing to this degree seems reasonable in conveying to young children that animals of one species are instinctively cautious, sometimes hostile, toward those of another.
Mike’s storyline is expertly enhanced by the line drawings and delicate colour palette of Tamara Campeau. An experienced wildlife illustrator, Campeau presents a realistic picture of both Canada’s tundra, and the animals which inhabit it in spring and summer.
As well as a heart-warming story, there is an introduction to the natural sciences here, an opportunity to discuss the concept of species, to study a little further our northern ecosystems, and to explore the mothering instinct that leads a female of one species to temporarily adopt the infant(s) of another.
Primary school teachers, school and public librarians, and parents across the nation would find this book an excellent introduction to the nature and culture of Canada’s Arctic. Hats off to Nunavut’s first independent publishing house for this fine piece of children’s literature.
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie Aitken
Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special and academic libraries. She was formerly Curriculum Librarian for the University of Alberta
That’s Not Hockey! by A. Poulin
No full textPoulin, Andrée. That’s Not Hockey! Annick Press, 2018
This picture book tells the story of the famous hockey player, Jacques Plante, who loved hockey as a child, but had to improvise because he did not have a lot of hockey gear. The title phrase “That’s Not Hockey” appears when Jacques uses a ball because he didn’t have a puck, uses a tree root for a goalie stick and has goalie pads made out of potato sacks and wooden slats. Andrée Poulin uses the bold-face phrase, “Hey, that’s not hockey” throughout the book, as though it had been shouted at the young Plante to indicate that people were not happy with his changes to the game. This foreshadows the reaction to one of Plante’s greatest and most memorable contributions to the game—the introduction of the goalie mask. While Plante initially faced booing, teasing, and taunting from “reporters, players, goaltenders and crowds”, helmets and facemasks became standard equipment in hockey and players now have far fewer head and face injuries as a result.
Félix Girard’s cartoon illustrations capture pond hockey in rural Quebec well. Girard also accurately portrays a bare-headed 1959 era hockey team hoisting the Stanley Cup.
This is a good story about a Canadian hockey legend that also carries a lesson about continuing to work at making things better, even when most people seem to be against you.
Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: 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.  
We\u27ve Got Lots of Good News for You!
No full textGreetings everyone!
Welcome to another issue and a round-up of children’s literature news. It has been a long and cold winter in Edmonton, but it seems to be finally winding down. There are some award and event news to share with you as well as some podcasts.
I happen to be a big podcast lover and and my favourite ones help me get through the winter darkness with insightful ideas and discussions. It thought it would be fun to highlight a few children’s literature podcasts that may interest our readers. Here’s wishing you all a warm spring!
AWARDS
Alberta Literary Awards were announced by the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. The books shortlisted for the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature include:
Jenny Keith (Edmonton) – Day Cat, Night Cat
Mike Kerr (Calgary) – Crafty Llama
Nhung Tran-Davies (Calmar) – Ten Cents a Pound
Shortlist reading events will be held this spring in Edmonton on May 5 and in Calgary on May 15.
The BC Book Prize shortlists have been announced, and titles shortlisted for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize include:
Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mather
The Journey Forward, A Novella on Reconciliation: When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! / Lucy and Lola by Monique Gray Smith and Richard Van Camp
Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
Very Rich by Polly Horvath
Those shortlisted for the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize include:
The Nameless City: The Divided Earth by Faith Erin Hicks,
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature by Margriet Ruurs Illustrated by Robert Bateman,
Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson; Sparks! by Ian Boothby Illustrated by Nina Matsumoto
Sterling, Best Dog Ever by Aidan Cassie
Full details can be found at the BC Book Prize Website.
EVENTS
Me and Mr. Carnegie: 16th Albert Lahmer Memorial Lecture
The Osborne Collection of Early Children\u27s Books, Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library
April 25, 2019, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
See more at: Canadian Children’s Book Centre
CHILDREN’S AND YA PODCASTS
YA Write
Every month, Amy Mathers talks to YA writers about their inspiration as a writer and their latest books.
Picturebooking
A Podcast About Creating and Sharing Picture Books
The Yarn
A narrative adventure. The Yarn takes listeners behind the scenes of children\u27s literature, and lets them look at all the threads that must be weaved together to create a book.
The Children’s Book Podcast
Hosted by Matthew Winner, elementary school librarian and co-founder of All The Wonders. The Children\u27s Book Podcast features insightful and sincere interviews with authors, illustrators, and everyone involved in taking a book from a drawing board to bookshelf.
Books Between
A podcast about books for tweens around the ages 8-12. The podcast offers trending topics, author interviews, and recommendations
Penguinaut by M. Colleen
No full textColleen, Marcie. Penguinaut. Scholastic, 2018.
In the book Penguinaut, Marcie Colleen uses the story of a hopeful penguin to convey a message about adversity to young children. It is a story about a small penguin named Orville who overcomes challenges in order to achieve his big dream of going to space.
Emma Yarlett’s illustrations are creative, entertaining, and fun. They help the reader understand just how small little Orville is in comparison to all of his other animal friends, reinforcing the idea that one should not be afraid of failure when achieving their dreams, despite any challenges they may face.
It is evident that Marcie Colleen decided to use the style of text, paired with the illustrations, to help add enthusiasm, detail, and voice. The words “big” and “bigger” are in large capital letters, and sound effects are bolded. Speech bubbles are used for dialogue instead of quotation marks. The sentence “He was all alone” is accompanied by an illustration of stars in the dark outer space. And a picture of a note given to Orville by his friends to show their support is written in handwriting, including a hand-drawn picture.
Penguinaut is a heart-warming book that offers lessons about adversity, resiliency, and friendship. Considering the length of the book, I believe there is room to explore these topics by including some additional detail to the story of Orville, the penguin. The messages this book conveys makes Penguinaut a good addition to an elementary school or public library.
Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Erika Metcalfe
Erika is a grade one/two teacher in Edmonton and is currently completing her Master of Education at the University of Alberta. When she is not teaching or studying, Erika is on the hunt for new books to read to her students
Windy Wyndham and the Wagon Who Couldn’t Swim by P. Gould
No full textGould, Peter. Windy Wyndham and the Wagon Who Couldn’t Swim. Bassendean, Western Australia, Peter Gould and Donna Franklin, 2018.
This is the sixth volume in Peter Gould’s Stories from the Engine Shed series. These books tell the stories of the train engines and cars of the Bennett Brook Railway at Whiteman Park, near Perth in Western Australia. Apart from being a fun series of children’s books, this series is important because it demonstrates that the concept of anthropomorphized train cars is generic and does not belong to any particular franchise. The series has its own cast of characters and a unique Western Australian world in which they operate. While earlier volumes have been set in Whiteman Park, this is a story told by the large diesel locomotive, Windy Wyndham that harkens back to a time when Windy worked at the harbour in the northwestern Australian coastal town of Wyndham.
The book is full of Donna Franklin’s brightly coloured pictures. The style of illustration varies significantly, even within pictures. Some of the images, particularly those with machines and people, are quite cartoonish. Drawings of people sometimes lack detail. However, when the subject is something in nature, Franklin’s work is stronger. Her rendition of a turtle, a crocodile, magpie-larks and seahorses are lovely.
Each page is a picture with text overprinted. The text includes local references, such as the Freemantle Doctor, the cooling breeze that comes from the Indian Ocean. There are also some railway-specific words, such as “buffer beam”, “shunter”, and “cow catcher.” These words are explained in the glossary, “Ashley’s Railway Words”, at the end of the book.
While not widely distributed, the series is available through the Bennett Brook Railway. This volume includes a loose single page insert that explains the history of the real Windy Wyndham engine, which has been at Whiteman Park since 1984.
Overall, this is an excellent series, which is suitable for elementary school libraries and public libraries.
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. 
Down by the River: A Family Fly Fishing Story by A. Weiner
No full textWeiner, Andrew. Down by the River: A Family Fly Fishing Story. Harry N. Abrams, 2018.
This is a beautifully illustrated book that tells a simple story about a boy, Art, who goes on a fly-fishing trip with his mother and grandfather. The story recalls a time when Art’s grandfather taught his mother to fish. April Chu has used a subdued palette for her two-page riverine landscapes, with lots of green and rich autumn colours in the environment. The book has a calm and peaceful feel about it that mirrors the contemplative nature of fly-fishing.
The text is simple and descriptive of a day spent on the river. The reading level is too difficult for the intended Kindergarten to Grade 2 audience, so an adult will need to read the book aloud, especially those sentences that could confuse young readers with difficult concepts or complicated jargon: “The line arced forward and the fly landed softly a few feet above the rock. It drifted with the current past the rock. There was a splash and the line went tight.”
The last three pages contain information about fly fishing, the clothing worn by fly fishers and where to get more information about the sport. The end pages are decorated with images of intricate flys with such fun and mysterious names as: “Ian’s Crunch Caddis,” “Black Fur Ant,” and “Purple Parachute Adams.”
This book is a good introduction to fly fishing for younger children that also tells a charming story. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.
Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: 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.