children’s
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Picture Book Picks: Wintry Reads
There’s just something so welcoming about winter-themed picture books! Stories about polar bears, penguins and other winter creatures; stories about the changes of the season; stories about playing in the snow, going sledding, snuggling up by a roaring fire… Here, in no particular order, are some of my favourite wintry reads: Singing Away the Dark… Read more
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Spotlight: The Timmy Failure series by Stephan Pastis
As a big fan of Stephan Pastis’ acerbic yet contemplative Pearls Before Swine comic strip, I couldn’t wait to read Pastis’ middle-grade Timmy Failure series. I was in for a treat. Our protagonist, Timmy Failure, comes from a long line of Fayleures (his ancestors changed the spelling of their name). He lives with his mother… Read more
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Spotlight: Molly Idle’s ‘Flora’ Picture Books
Last year I read Molly Idle’s wordless picture book Flora and the Flamingo and it instantly became a favourite of mine. When I found out that another Flora book was planned, I was ecstatic…but wondered if a follow-up could be as magical, as lyrical, as the first. Well, I can tell you that Flora and… Read more
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Picture Book Picks: Halloween Ready Reads
It’s coming up on Halloween, so what better time to spotlight spooky, pumpkin-y, monster-y picture books? Here are some of my favourites- mostly comical and sweet, with a few shadowy and (only slightly!) scary: Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illus. Peter Brown The Boy Who… Read more
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Review: The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter
Review: The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter Source: Paperback, Published December 20th 2011 by Square Fish Verdict: Very Good Book Description: Life in a small town can be pretty boring when everyone avoids you like the plague. But after their father unwittingly sends them to stay with an aunt who’s away on holiday, the Hardscrabble… Read more
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Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio Source: Hardcover, Published February 14, 2012 by Knopf Verdict: Excellent Book Description: August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you… Read more
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Review: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
Review: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand, illus. Sarah Watts Source: Hardcover, Published August 28, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Verdict: Very Good Book Description: Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is… Read more
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Summer reading, had me a blast…
“I carried a watermelon” Do you have a particular genre or author(s) you favour over the summer months? I don’t entirely eschew heavier or darker reads over the summer, but I do have a tendency to enjoy comics, contemporary, old favourites, and the funny (…much like I do in the middle of our Canadian winters,… Read more
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Review: Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan Source: Hardcover, Published June 1, 2014 by Holder Children’s Division Verdict: Excellent Book Description: RULES OF SUMMER, is a deceptively simple story about two boys, one older and one younger, and the kind of ‘rules’ that might govern any relationship between close friends or siblings. Rules that are often… Read more
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