The Deakin Review of Children's Literature
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Rez Rebel by M. Florence
No full textFlorence, Melanie. Rez Rebel. James Lorimer & Company, 2017.Narrated by Floyd Twofeathers, a young Cree teenager living on the fictional Bitter Lake Reserve, Rez Rebel sheds important and much-needed light onto the suicide crisis faced by Indigenous communities across Canada.Suicides on Bitter Lake Reserve are rampant. Though Floyd occupies a position of status in his community, with his father being the hereditary chief and his mother a traditional healer, he is not immune from the tragedy—his best friend Aaron had committed suicide. However, after a suicide pact leaves four young girls dead, Floyd’s father struggles to find a solution to help his community and its young people find opportunities and support. Floyd and his friends believe that by sharing their own talents and skills (writing, drawing, sports) with their peers, and giving kids the opportunity to learn their traditional knowledge and practices from the Elders, that this will help turn their community around. When Floyd tries to bring these ideas to his father, he is ignored. It is only with a bold act, and another suicide threat that brings about meaningful change on Bitter Lake Reserve.Given the timeliness of the subject matter, and the lack of books on this topic, this is a much-needed novel. However, the overall story itself is a bit uneven. The book opens with the suicide crisis, and the reader can feel the tension and urgency of the situation. There is a lengthy description of Aaron’s suicide, as well as a crisis in Floyd’s family that may be upsetting or triggering to some readers. The middle of the book loses a bit of its focus, with chapters showing Floyd and his friends being teenagers—hanging out, fishing, falling in love—with little connection to the broader plot. The final quarter of the story reconnects the reader with the suicide crisis and Floyd’s solution for his community. The prose and tone are realistic—teenagers will see themselves in the characters, and the language is simple and accessible.This book would do well in the young adult section of public libraries, as well as in junior high and high school libraries. Recommended: 3 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
Marie and Mr. Bee by M. Welwood
No full textWelwood, Margaret. Marie and Mr. Bee. Illustrated by Coralie Rycroft. Bomars Ventures, 2016.Very few children in Canada’s towns and smaller cities can buy a “locally” published picture book of reasonable quality. Happily for them, young children living in tiny Beaverlodge, Alberta (population, 2,327 as of 2016) can do just that.Marie and Mr. Bee is locally produced. Its author, Margaret Welwood, has teamed with Beaverlodge artist, Coralie Rycroft, to produce an enjoyable work for young children. Its publisher, Bomars Ventures, (also known as “Grandma’s Bookshelf”) appears to operate from Welwood’s address. The book is printed in Canada. It is a paperback, its sturdy, glossy pages stapled to its soft cover along the central fold (technically, “saddle bound”).Because this appears to be a self-published book, Welwood’s professional credentials should be noted. She holds a BA in Psychology and a Diploma in Adult Education, both from the University of Alberta. She is a member of the Writer’s Guild of Alberta, and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. For twenty years she has taught English as a second language at Grande Prairie Regional College. She edited Northwest Business Magazine; has contributed nonfiction articles to a variety of journals, e.g., The Alberta Report, New Trail, Christian Woman; and has reviewed books ranging from children’s picture books to Bible study materials. This experience culminates in a writing style well suited to engaging, entertaining, and instructing her intended audience.Her book is admittedly didactic in intent, but not in style. A “Note to Parents” [Inside front cover] identifies one of its themes, “…get your work done first, and then it’s time to play.” While this theme evokes the Protestant work ethic (and, indeed, the back cover of the book features an endorsement by the Christian Fellowship Assembly) Albertans of every faith would embrace it.Welwood’s storyline is simple but charming. Marie, like her small forest friends—the Squirrels, Little Bear, and Fox—is a model of industry until Mr. Bee corrupts her with his own carefree attitude to life: “I don’t have to make honey. The workers make the honey and I eat it!” [p.6] Ultimately, however, indolence proves painful for Mr. Bee, and tedious to Marie.A secondary theme is much more subtly explored. Marie is wheelchair-bound. No words allude to her situation; it is simply conveyed by the exquisite artwork of Coralie Rycroft. With ink and colour, Rycroft depicts Marie’s lifestyle in an idyllic log cabin surrounded by beautiful woodlands. Marie is independent, self-sustaining, and fully functioning; the concept is powerfully communicated.Beyond its intended messages, the book conveys a third by its very existence. Given a few individuals with gifts and initiative, a small community can develop its own “literary oeuvre”, enrich the lives of its citizens, and communicate its cultural norms in ways that the wider world can appreciate.Reviewer: Leslie AitkenRecommended: 3 stars out of 4Leslie 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
Artificial Eyes by B. Sheen
No full textSheen, Barbara. Artificial Eyes. Norwood House Press, 2017.Artificial Eyes is one of a series of non-fiction books called Tech Bytes, that “explores...new technologies and how they are changing the way people perform everyday tasks.” Barbara Sheen, author of almost 100 children’s books, explores the history of artificial eyes, how they are made, their effect on people’s lives, and future developments. This is a detailed work that is designed to be a reference or text book for Grades 4 – 6. It is an odd combination of factual presentation and anecdotal stories about individuals. For example, “When Teddy was two years old, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in his eye. To rid him of the disease, his eye was surgically removed.” Squeamish children may find some content disturbing. To balance the dense text, most pages have a photograph, diagram, or side-bar containing interesting information. There are also “Did you know?” boxes, which allow for some level of interaction. For example, “Did you know? Bionic eyes only provide black-and-white vision. Experts are working on software that would let wearers see colors.” The end of each chapter also has text-based questions and potential research projects. In this way it is more like a text book, but it is unlikely that a classroom would need textbooks on a subject this specific.While the short sentence and paragraph structures are appropriate for the upper elementary reading level, many of the words and word-combinations will be difficult for students in these grades. They may require help in understanding the content. There are few children’s books about artificial eyes, so this would be a good addition to public libraries and both elementary and junior high school libraries. Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sean C. BorleSean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety
Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga by J. Croll
No full textJennifer Croll. Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga. Illustrated by Ada Buchholc. Annick Press, 2016.Vancouver journalist and fashion historian Jennifer Croll, author of Fashion that Changed the World (2014), has here shifted gears to acquaint younger readers with the role of fashion in the history of women’s empowerment and liberation. Through the lens of biography, Croll traces the gradual rise of Girl Power reflected in, and partly driven by, the fashion choices of forty women, all of them “Style Rebels.” She divides them into ten categories that include Leaders, Modernizers, Instigators, Gender-Benders, Radicals, Decadents, and Freaks.Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra VII and England’s Queen Elizabeth I crafted their regal images partly through their fashion choices; Cixi, the Dowager Empress of China, also outlawed the binding and deforming of girls’ feet; the excesses of Frances’s Queen Marie Antoinette helped to seal her doom; Amelia Bloomer and George Sand (aka Aurore Dupin) scandalized nineteenth-century society by shunning traditional women’s clothing; Coco Chanel replaced traditional corsetry and petticoats with comfortable fashions (and gave the world an eponymous perfume); fashion magazine editors Diana Vreeland and Anna Wintour reigned as arbiters (many said “dictators”) of late-twentieth-century fashion; artists as geographically and culturally diverse as Japan’s Yoko Ono and Rei Kawakubo and Mexico’s Frida Kahlo influenced fashion with their idiosyncratic styles; movie stars such as Louise Brooks, Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Diane Keaton, and Cher Bono became trend-setters in fashion by expanding acceptable boundaries of femininity and gender; while pop-star singers Madonna, Lady Gaga, Björk, Rihana, Nicki Minaj, Beth Ditto, and the ladies of Pussy Riot pushed still further the limits of attention-grabbing self-expression in their attire (or lack of it).Croll’s cast of characters is a large one—this is only a partial list—but one that she stage-manages adroitly. It’s also one that could have been considerably expanded; one notes, for example, the absence of such iconic, fashion trend-setters as Katherine Hepburn and pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart. Book designer Natalie Olsen has provided a stunning layout, one awash in bold colours, and illustrated with both photographs and original, caricature portraits by Polish illustrator Ada Buchholc. In this serious contribution to social history, the author neither shuns, nor sensationalizes, but treats lightly some of her subjects’ love affairs, marital infidelities, sexual preferences, and the role and influence of Lesbian fashions. These nonetheless mark this excellent book as one best suited to older, the publishers suggest ages 12+, and adult readers. Recommended for all public, high-school, and academic curriculum libraries, as well as specialized women’s studies collections.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Merrill Distad Historian and author Merrill Distad enjoyed a four-decade career building libraries and library collections
Icky Mr. Fox and the Missing Friend by A. Bitskoff
No full textBitskoff, Aleksei. Icky Mr. Fox and the Missing Friend. IckyPen Ltd, 2017. Vers. 19.0.1. Apple App Store, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/missing-friend/id1236379583?mt=8.
Age range: 0-5Price: $2.79.Also available in a Lite version with ads at no cost.
This simple, quirky digital text takes children on a journey to rescue Mr. Mole from Icky Mr. Fox and builds early digital navigation and vocabulary skills. Children experience the story read aloud, with the text displayed on the screen along with charming illustrations.
The app features some interactive elements. Many objects on the screen are clickable and the name of the object appears in writing and is spoken aloud. Other interactive elements include the ability to make the sun rise, turn lights on and off in a room, or move characters in one direction or another. The interactions are intuitive and young children should easily be able to identify the interactive features and navigate the interface. The app somewhat replicates the experience of reading a book, moving from screen to screen with the touch of an arrow.
The illustrations are highly appealing, with adorable characters, painterly background illustrations and harmonious colour schemes. The tone of the illustrations and sounds is gentle and pleasing, and would not stretch the tolerance of parents for annoying levels of noise. The language and storyline are simple and lack creativity, but keep the interest of a child with a certain level of suspense.
The app enables children to follow a story in sequence, to recognize the relationship between sound and text, and encourages them to build fine motor skills and touch-screen computer skills. Children touch the screen to make text and sound appear and swipe to make characters move. Children in the higher end of the age range may build early reading or text decoding skills through seeing and hearing words. The stated age range for the app is 0-5; children aged 2-5 would benefit most. This app is fun for both adults and children and is an engaging way for children to learn digital skills. Children can find more adventures featuring Icky Mr. Fox created by the same developers.
Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Merran Carr-Wiggin
Merran Carr-Wiggin’s experience at Edmonton Public Library includes positions as a Summer Programmer, in the Children’s Department, and at the Strathcona Branch. She is a candidate in the Master of Library and Information Studies program at the University of Alberta, and her work as an actor includes theatre for young audiences.
 
News and Announcements
No full textGreetings everyone! This issue of Deakin news focuses primarily on several events happening across Canada, including a few shortlist announcements.
Awards
Finalists for Newfoundland and Labrador Book AwardsFor a list of finalists read more at the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Website
VCRL 2018 Information Book Award Shortlist Announced
For a list of the 10 titles on the shortlist, see the VCRL website.Roundtables voting deadline: October 31, 2018Winner announcement: November 2018
Events
Telling Tales FestivalWestfield Heritage Village, Rockton OntarioSunday September 16, 2018
The Children’s Book Bank Presents An Evening with Emma DonoghueThursday, September 20, starting at 6:00 pm at Daniels Spectrum 585 Dundas Street East in Toronto, Ontario
Word on the Street TorontoHarbourfront CentreSunday September 23, 2018 (includes a “kids zone” area)
WordFest - Calgary, ABOctober 8-15, 2018Memorial Park LibarySee the Youth Program for details
The Annual VCLR Illustrator’s Breakfast: How do they do that?October 13, 2018 | University Golf Course | Vancouver BC
Breakfast & presentations: 8:00 am - 12:00 pmWorkshop: 12:30 – 1:30 pmEarly Bird Rates end September 23, 2018
Book Bash: Canadian Children\u27s Literature FestivalSaturday, October 20 from 12:00 - 4:00 p.mHarbourfront Centre
To conclude, I leave you with this quirky list of books from The New York Times entitled “Charming, Plucky Picture Books That Ease Back-to-Class Jitters.” All the best for an enjoyable fall and happy reading!
Hanne Pearc
Susanna Moodie: Roughing It in the Bush by C. Shields and P. Crowe
No full textShields, Carol and Patrick Crowe. Susanna Moodie: Roughing It in the Bush, adaptation by Willow Dawson, illustrated by Selena Goulding. Second Story Press, 2016.The long genesis of this graphic novel began more than two decades ago, when Governor General’s and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carol Shields began collaborating with Patrick Crowe to produce a screenplay based on Susanna Moodie’s classic account of pioneer life in early Victorian Upper Canada. Shields’ death in 2003 led Crowe to abandon the project, only to revive it a decade later in this illustrated format. Story editor Willow Dawson has extracted the most significant episodes from the screenplay, and Selena Goulding has provided running illustrations that fairly reflect the landscapes, buildings, home interiors, costumes, and technology of the period 1830–1867. Her style—not inappropriately—is reminiscent of the Classics Illustrated school of comic book art. This reviewer’s only criticism is the very occasional failure of the illustrations to accurately depict things referenced in the text.Appearing at a time when Canada celebrates 150 years of nationhood, this handsome production serves to provide older children and young adults with an appreciation of the hardships overcome by Canada’s pioneering women, such as Moodie, and her sister and fellow immigrant Catherine Parr Traill, whose very survival sometimes depended upon aid from their First Nations neighbours. As a succinct précis of Moodie’s classic memoir, it may even stimulate interest in reading the longer, original text. The Introduction provided by CanLit doyenne Margaret Atwood, alongside the content attributable to Carol Shields, render the book suitable not only for public and school libraries, but also for academic libraries and all serious collectors of those authors.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Merrill DistadHistorian and author Merrill Distad enjoyed a four-decade career building libraries and library collections
Kiviuq and the Mermaids by N. McDermott
No full textMcDermott, Noel. Kiviuq and the Mermaids. Illus. Tom Feizo Gas. Inhabit Media, 2016.Following his previous works on Inuit culture including Akinirmut Unipkaaqtuat: Stories of Revenge (2006), and Unikkaaqtuat: Traditional Inuit Stories (2015), Noel McDermott, a retired professor of literature at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, Nunavut, focuses on one of the greatest and most important characters appearing in traditional stories of Inuit culture, Kiviuq, in Kiviuq and the Mermaids, a book for young readers.The story begins with a Grandfather speaking directly to the reader, introducing Kiviuq and his wandering life to newcomers and then getting directly into the action, wherein Kiviuq narrowly survives a storm during a seal hunt and is left alone at sea. Here he meets a tuutalik (mermaid) but it doesn’t go well at all as it begins to taunt Kiviuq and what begins as a strange encounter quickly becomes a matter of life and death.The story is an excellent introduction to one of the key figures in traditional Inuit stories, and the action, brought to life by Illustrator Toma Feizo Gas is both entrancing and sometimes quite frightening. Themes of personal responsibility, self-reliance and man versus nature work to introduce the reader to the character and promises of further stories may even have readers doing their own research into other stories of Kiviuq. A glossary of Inuktitut terms at the end of the book include a pronunciation guide and the story itself would work well for young students interested in the traditional stories of Canada’s Inuit peoples.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Kirk MacLeodKirk is the Open Data Team Lead for the Government of Alberta’s Open Government Portal. A Life-Long reader, he moderates two book clubs and is constantly on the lookout for new great books
Elisapee and her Baby Seagull by N. Mike
No full textMike, Nancy. Elisapee and her Baby Seagull. Inhabit Media, 2017.In this picture book, Nancy Mike tells the story of an Inuit girl who raises a seagull from a chick to adulthood and finally returns it to the wild. Through caring for Nau, the seagull, Elisapee learns “how to care, how to feed an animal and how to have patience.” Finally she learns to let go as the grown-up Nau joins the other seagulls. Mike’s text is simple and age appropriate for the intended lower elementary audience.Charlene Chua’s pictures fill most of the book with colour. The text is overprinted on the backgrounds. Her artwork is cartoonish. The characters have oversized eyes and tiny noses, reminiscent of Mickey Mouse or some manga characters. However, her images do capture the natural world of the Arctic environment. Chua has included some fun visual jokes, such as a large gull trying to fit into a small box and a krill jumping from a boy’s hand when he’s trying to feed the gull.This book gently introduces some life lessons in an Inuit context. Highly recommended for public libraries and school libraries and for libraries that collect Inuit children’s literature.Highly recommended: 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
Here’s a Brilliant Idea: Free Vending Machine Stories for Kids
No full textDear Readers,The New York Times recently published a fascinating article about a cylindrical kiosk that spits out short stories on strips of paper of varying length determined by your preferred reading time (one, three, or five minutes). The Short Story Dispenser was conceived and created by a French start-up publisher called Short Édition whose aim is “to adapt literature to the modern world by combining short literature, the community and technology.” Short Édition has more information on its website for anyone wanting to learn how the dispenser can “bring literature to unexpected places”. I was delighted to learn that the stories are offered free of charge and the publisher has already collected more than 100,000 submissions. The good news is that authors receive royalty payments each time their work is accessed via the dispenser. The machines have an attractive design and they have already been installed in over 150 international locations, including airports, cafes, hospitals, universities, and libraries. In fact, I was thrilled to discover that my local airport installed a dispenser last January to provide passengers with access to short stories written by local writers. According to the Times article, the dispenser is available for 190 per month. The publisher offers a variety of literary genres, so owners of dispensers can easily tailor their content offerings to different audiences. It would therefore be straightforward to offer free stories specifically for young readers. I sincerely hope that the dispenser continues to proliferate in locations where young people gather, such as libraries and schools. Perhaps this article will inspire some of you to advocate for a dispenser in your community. And perhaps others will consider writing receipt-sized stories for children that could be made available by Short Édition. Whatever you do, let’s take a moment to celebrate a new and innovative way of sharing stories with children and readers of all ages.Happy reading!Robert DesmaraisManaging Edito