The Deakin Review of Children's Literature
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Bath Time/Play Time/Nap Time by S. Hughes
No full textHughes, Susan. Bath Time. Annick Press, 2017.Hughes, Susan. Play Time. Annick Press, 2017.Hughes, Susan. Nap Time. Annick Press, 2017. This is a set of board books on the activities of daily living: sleeping, bathing, and leisure. The concepts are introduced using high resolution stock images of animals paired with words related to the pictures.The “Bath Time” book illustrates the differences and similarities between humans and animals interacting with water. Actions like soaking and splashing are shown, and activities unique to animals like fluttering and licking are depicted. The “Play Time” book shows animals interacting in different environments: trees, snow, water, ice and grass. It also shows animals playing alone and together. The play-words used in this book can be applied to human interaction. The “Nap Time” book’s images show animals sleeping and yawning much like humans would, and shows the natural ways animals sleep that are different from humans (upside down, or in a tree). This book introduces synonymous words for napping like dozing and snoozing, and associative words like snuggling and cuddling.Each book concludes with the question “How do you nap/play/bathe?” which opens up opportunities to talk about these activities, learn word association, and learn about differences between animals and humans. These books bring a new perspective to these activities through the use of animal photos and would be appropriate for prekindergarten children. I would recommend them for public libraries.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Tabatha Plesuk Tabatha Plesuk, is a first year MLIS Student at the University of Alberta (who spends free time teaching dance to children ages three to fourteen) with an enthusiasm for children’s books
Stolen Words by M. Florence
No full textFlorence, Melanie. Stolen Words. Illus. Gabrielle Grimard. Second Story Press, 2017.Stolen Words is a sensitive and thoughtful story about the legacy and intergenerational impact of Canada’s residential school system, the reclamation of language, and the tender relationship between a seven-year-old nôsisim (granddaughter) and her nimosôm (grandfather). Florence draws on her own experience for the story, having never had the opportunity to speak to her own nimosôm about his Cree heritage.After making a dreamcatcher in school, Nôsisim goes to her nimosôm, asking how to say “grandfather” in Cree. Nimosôm replies that he “lost his words a long time ago.” He explains that he (and his words) were taken away from their home, “... to a school that was cold and lonely, where angry white faces raised their voices and their hands when we used our words.” Nôsisim wants to help Nimosôm “find your words again,” and the next day, brings home a Cree dictionary. Reading the long-forgotten words, Nimosôm’s language is reawakened, and he promises Nôsisim that he will teach her his words.Stolen Words does not shy from the realities and long-term impacts of the residential school system. However, Florence addresses these sensitively and age-appropriately. For example, Nimosôm talks about being separated from his family. While the pain of the separation is clear, Florence’s gentle prose ensures it is not overwhelming for young readers. Also, Grimard’s illustrations are evocative, highlighting the close relationship between Nôsisim and Nimosôm, and effectively showing how Nimosôm’s language was captured (and freed) using bird imagery.The phrasing of the sentences, and the inclusion of Cree words makes this a more appropriate read-aloud to younger readers, but it would be suitable for independent reading for students in mid-elementary school. While the subject matter is relevant for students in upper-elementary school, the text itself is below grade reading level. This book is highly recommended for both school and public libraries. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Andrea QuaiattiniAndrea Quaiattini is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta’s JW Scott Health Sciences Library. While working as a camp counsellor, she memorized Mortimer and The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch as bedtime stories for the kids. She can still do all the voices
Lots of Exciting Winter News!
No full textGreetings everyone! Well it seems winter weather has finally descended on much of Alberta. Before spring arrives there is still time to curl up under a quilt with some good books. In this issue’s news there are a number of new award winners and finalists you can look up to keep you occupied on snow days. There are also a number of events happening in late winter to early spring that you can put in your calendar to look forward to.2017 TD Canadian Children’s Literature AwardIn November the winner and finalists for the 2017 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award were announced. Jan Thornhill won the children’s book award with her book The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk. The book is a nonfiction picture book about the causes behind the North Atlantic Ocean bird\u27s extinction in 1844. Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading AwardsFinalists for the OLA Forest of Reading Awards were announced in October of 2017.The competition is currently in process and voting concludes in April 2018.The Vancouver Children’s Literature RoundtableThe Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable (VCLR) awarded the 2017 Information Book Award to Jan Thornhill for The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk. Rocky Mountain Book Award NomineesNominees are in for the the Rocky Mountain Book Awards, the Albertan reader’s choice book award for grades 4 to 7. The 2017 Gold Medal Award was awarded to Svetlana Chmakova, author of the graphic novel Awkward. Serendipity 2018The Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable (VCLR) is hosting a meeting on March 3, 2018 at UBC Robson Square; the theme is Serendipity: Beasts, birds, and words: The poetics of children’s books. The event features several authors, including Isabelle Arsenault, Robert Heidbreder, Kyo Maclear, Tiffany Stone, and Frédéric Gauthier of Les Éditions de la Pastèque. Please visit the VCLR website for full details. Freedom to Read Week: February 25 to March 3, 2018Freedom to Read Week promotes advocacy against censorship across Canada. Events are being held across Canada, some include children’s and young adult authors whose work has been challenged. On February 28, 2018 from 1:00-2:00pm Jillian Tamaki will be speaking at the Toronto Public Library to discuss her graphic novel This One Summer, which was considered controversial at its publication in 2016 for LGBT characters, drug use, and mature content. A Celebration of Bilingual Books and Latinx CommunitiesOn March 3, 2018 in New York City the Bank Street Center for Children\u27s Literature is hosting a Spring Mini-Conference. The keynote speaker is Duncan Tonatiuh.2018 Children’s & Teen Choice Book AwardsEvery Child a Reader Announces the Finalists for the 11th Annual Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards. Launched in 2008, these are the only national book awards voted on only by kids and teens. Voting begins March 1 and runs through May 6.Children\u27s Book Week April 30 - May 6, 2018Children’s Book Week will celebrate its 99th anniversary in May 2018. Established in 1919, it is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the US. You can learn more about events and how to host one through Every Child a Reader or the Children’s Book Center website. This year’s poster art can be downloaded here.Wishing you happy and warm reading for the winter!Hanne PearceCommunications Edito
Eve\u27s Ekg and Echocardiogram by W.J. Hall
No full textHall, Wendy J. Eve\u27s Ekg and Echocardiogram. Mediwonderland, 2018.
Another installment in her Mediwonderland series of children’s books intended to provide accessible and comprehensible knowledge of medical afflictions and tests, Wendy J. Hall’s Eve’s EKG and Echocardiogram focuses on the world of cardiovascular health-related tests. Beginning the story with the protagonist, Eve, suffering chest pains, readers see Eve being rushed to the hospital and undergoing several tests. Ending with the doctor’s prognosis that Eve’s chest pains are likely caused by overuse, the reader is left better informed and comforted. Although Eve was initially scared to do the tests, she is comforted by the doctor’s excellent bedside manner, and inevitably enjoys the process and the exciting experiences such as getting to see her heart beating in an echocardiogram.
Written mostly as a dialogue between Eve, her mom, and the various doctors and nurses, the text flows believably and is very easy to read. Hall uses emotion to engage with the reader. The font is large, clear, and well-spaced so that many young readers will be able to read it independently, or with moderate assistance. Although the medical terminology included is complex, all the tests mentioned are explained simply enough for a child to understand. Colour images accompany each page of text, and represent an overview of what happens on each page of the story to increase comprehension. Overall, Hall’s Eve’s EKG and Echocardiogram is an entertaining, educational must read!
Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Madeline C. Crichton
Madeline Crichton is a University of Alberta undergraduate student with a lifelong passion for reading. When she is not preoccupied with her studies, Madeline is busy volunteering in a variety of roles in her community
My Mom is Having Surgery (A Kidney Story) by B. E. Cortez
No full textCortez, Brenda E. My Mom is Having Surgery (A Kidney Story). Donate Life, 2015.
Based on the true story of author Brenda E. Cortez’s kidney transplant, My Mom is Having Surgery (A Kidney Story) describes the process of donating a kidney and offers encouragement for others to take steps and donate. In targeting her book at young readers, those who are just beginning to read independently, Cortez offers an educational overview of the process in the hopes of normalizing lifesaving procedures such as living organ donation. From reassuring her children, to explaining in detail why donating a kidney is the right choice, to the process of surgery, recovery, and returning home, My Mom is Having Surgery (A Kidney Story) offers a realistic look at the many stages of this procedure.
Aimed at audiences who are skilled and capable of reading independently, My Mom is Having Surgery is written in paragraph format with a medium sized font. By following the mother\u27s surgery through the eyes of her daughter, the book engages with children and shows them how to be both encouraging and how to cope with the difficulties faced by a parent undergoing this procedure. Each page of the book is accompanied by colour images which represent the activities described in the text. These images are aesthetically pleasing and would help solidify the message of the book for young readers. As a tool designed to change attitudes in an engaging way, this book is a must read for young children.
Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Madeline C. Crichton
Madeline Crichton is a University of Alberta undergraduate student with a lifelong passion for reading. When she is not preoccupied with her studies, Madeline is busy volunteering in a variety of roles in her community
Where Will I Live? by R. A. McCarney
No full textMcCarney, Rosemary A. Where Will I Live? Second Story Press, 2017.
In Where Will I Live, Rosemary McCarney uses 23 pages of images captured by a host of skilled photographers to convey the plight of the world’s refugee children. These images were provided by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. They depict children and their families as they flee in fear, cross hostile landscapes, live in tents and makeshift shelters, and dream of hope. In them, we sense the threat of violence, but we do not see violence itself. Neither do we see death. The lines of text with which McCarney captions the photographs are brief, pointed, sometimes sobering, always thought provoking.
“But where will I live? Will it be down this road…beyond this hill…past this fence…across this sea?” [pp.7-10]
McCarney is uniquely qualified to write on the global refugee crisis. As Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Geneva office of the United Nations and its Conference on Disarmament, and Past President of Plan International, she speaks with authority on the topic. This book is evidence of her ability to convey her message to child audiences. An accomplished author, her previously published works for children include the international bestseller, Every Day is Malala Day.
The global refugee question is a grim subject; this book, however, is not grim—partly because McCarney focuses not on the miseries of the refugees’ flight, but on their hopes for the future. This she accomplishes by means of a child’s question, “Where will I live?” Looking at the images the author has arrayed, reading her words, thinking of the work to which she has dedicated her life, we may venture a guess at the answer that lies in her heart: “Our doors are open.”
Where Will I live? could be read and understood by most children in grade three. Its subject matter, however, is also completely appropriate for discussion with older students—certainly, those in grades four to six. Finally, in classes where adult students of English as a Second Language have experienced the hardships depicted in the book’s pages, it could prove very successful in prompting dialogue.
Reviewer: Leslie Aitken Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4
Leslie 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
ZAP! Nikola Tesla Takes Charge by M. Kulling
No full textKulling, 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)
Mamaqtuq! by The Jerry Cans
No full textThe Jerry Cans. Mamaqtuq! Illustrated by Eric Kim. Inhabit Media, 2018.Mamaqtuq! means “delicious”. This delightful Inuit board book tells a simple story of hunting all day for seal, running out of provisions and finally finding and catching a seal. It is written in Inuktitut and English, appropriately, at an early reader level. Erik Kim’s cartoon-like illustrations are bright, fun, and representative of the hunters, their clothing, and the environment. The book contains images of people using hunting rifles, but there are no images of seals being killed. As a stand-alone book it is a very good presentation of traditional hunting. However, the book is just one half of the story. The authors, The Jerry Cans, are a band from Iqualuit, whose music is a “unique mix of Inuktitut alt-country, throat singing and reggae.” The words in the Mamaqtuq! are the lyrics to a song. You can see the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DueVqYKWQxE. The piece looks like a skit, with a cardboard boat and people waving cloth to make waves. The seal is played by a young man, so the shooting part is a little more disturbing than in the book. There is also a realistic scene of lead vocalist, Andrew Morrison, eating raw, bloody meat. However, the production is exuberant, even festive, fun, and true to the culture. The book is highly recommended for elementary school libraries and public libraries.Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy 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.
Don\u27t Wake Up Tiger by Britta Teckentrup
No full textNosy Crow Limited. Don’t Wake Up Tiger, 2018. Version unlisted. Apple App Store, https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dont-wake-up-tiger/id1336103707?mt=8
Suggested Age Range: Preschool (ages 3-5)Cost: $1.39
Don’t Wake Up Tiger follows the aesthetically inviting, kinesthetically engaging style and storytelling present in Britta Teckentrup’s 2016 picture book, Don’t Wake Up the Tiger. This iOS app includes an oral retelling (narrated by Charlotte Rose Allen) with kinesthetic prompts, as well as a song clip, and two themed games. A gentle story about animal friends working together for a tiger’s birthday surprise, this multimedia text is a virtually wordless version of the physical book. Embracing the narrative and interactive style common to Teckentrup’s other works, the user can see the effects of their actions animated, such as blowing on a balloon, rubbing Tiger’s nose and rocking him to sleep, rather than relying on illustrations in the book to mimic such movements through page turns. There are instances in which written text might have been more purposefully integrated for this audience, for example, including highlighted lyrics to the familiar Happy Birthday song or inserting key words during the story, such as “pop” when a balloon bursts. Prompts given during the story are only offered once orally by the narrator (accompanied by a vague visual aid), and are thereafter primarily text-based, possibly necessitating a supervising adult to intervene with additional prompting, particularly during the first play. Although these details do not detract from the overall quality of the app, such minutiae may deter first time users if they cannot complete the actions and play/listen/interact with the story intuitively on their own. Both games offered are themed with the characters and colour palette from the story, and are of varying levels of difficulty; Matching Pairs is a traditional flip and pair memory activity, while Spot the Difference is a side-by-side attention to detail task, comparing two images at a time and touching on the item(s) that are different.
Simple and charming, Don’t Wake Up Tiger is a lovely, low-key reinterpretation of the physical book, and would make a nice addition to any preschooler’s app selection. Recommended for public libraries and early childhood settings, this app is best suited for children aged three to five.
Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewed by: Alexandra Adams Alex is a busy mom and elementary school teacher, with a passion for early childhood education and the arts. She is currently working on her MLIS at the University of Alberta
Aluniq: and her friend, Buster by A. Pingo
No full textPingo, Anna. Aluniq: and her friend, Buster. Illus. Karleen Green. Inuvilauit Settlement Region, 2016.This is a simple story about separation of loved ones, a common, but none-the-less painful necessity in many remote communities. Aluniq is a little girl who lives with her Norwegian grandparents at the Qunngilaat Reindeer Station in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Aluniq has a pet reindeer calf named Buster. She has lived with her grandparents from birth because her mother has been away for years for tuberculosis treatment. Now that her mother is well and back in Tuktuuyaqtuuq, Aluniq must go to live with her parents, hundreds of kilometers away from the Station. But “Aluniq [is] frightened as she [doesn’t] know who these people [are].” Her grandparents are very sad to be separated from her and she is sad to be separated from them and from Buster. Although Aluniq does not recognize it at the time, this is also a story of reunion and of putting things right. Her parents are happy to have her return. This simple, but realistic story highlights the fact that many families in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and other remote parts of Canada have been disrupted when people have had to leave home to receive medical treatment. It is clearly written and readable at an upper elementary level. Karleen Green’s drawings are rustic and unsophisticated, but are delightfully representative of the Inuit world and accessible to children. Available in English, as well as all three Inuvialuktun dialects, these books are appropriate for elementary school and public libraries and any collection of Canadian children’s literature.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy 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.