The Favorite Daughter

A father helps his daughter find pride and inspiration in this masterful picture book.Yuriko hates her name when the children make fun of it and call her “Eureka!” Though she is half Japanese, the teasing makes her want to hide, to retreat even from the art projects she used to love. Fortunately she has a patient, kind father who finds gentle ways of drawing her out and reminding Yuriko of the traditions they share that have always brought her joy: walks in lovely Golden Gate Park, lunch at their favorite sushi restaurant, watching the fog blow in off the bay. It’s enough… it’s more than enough to face down her challenges with confidence.From the incomparable Allen Say comes another moving story taken from his personal experience and translated to the universal. This tale, dedicated with love to Say’s daughter, is one for all parents who want their children to feel pride in their heritage, and to know their own greatest sources of strength and inspiration.THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER will be a favorite for years to come.

Chicken, Pig, Cow’s First Fight

Chicken, Pig, and Cow have always gotten along well—until the day Girl builds a big city out of blocks. Thinking something is missing, Chicken makes a leaf statue. Now the city is perfect. Pig loves zipping and zooming around the city. Chicken warns him to be careful, but Pig is having too much fun to listen. Then the inevitable happens: Pig zooms right into Chicken’s statue, destroying it. Chicken is furious! Pig’s attempts to fix the statue only make matters worse. In the end, he demolishes the entire city. Realizing what a mess he’s made, Pig hides while Chicken, Cow, and Dog rebuild the city. After a nap, Pig feels better and returns to apologize to his friends. They forgive him and invite him to join them in putting the finishing touches on the city. As with all the books in this popular series, Chicken, Pig, Cow’s First Fight offers young children a gentle message about teamwork and cooperation.

Canadian Children’s Annual

canadianPartial contents: — Princess Felicia and the dragon, by Wendy Rutherford. — The pink cube, by Monica Hughes. — Harry and the devil, by Angelo Furlan. — Pineyporc, by Lynn Davies. — Dragons at mooncastle, by Joanne Findon. — The day Ricky remembered the deer, by Sheryl McFarlane. — Those pictures, by Martyn Godfrey. — Flamingo the magic falcon, by Catherine Buckaway. — The mystical island, by J. M. Rattray. — Those big stinky cows, by Anita Krumins. — Cat Mundy’s magic, by Welwyn Wilton Katz. — How Elsa became an artist, by Mary Alice Thompson. — Ski lodge mystery, by Joan Weir. — Magic Mom, by Gillian Richardson. — Mother’s day card, by Shirlee Smith Matheson. — The horned helmet, by Joyce Barkhouse. — Diamond Ed, by Marjorie Holland.

When I Was Eight

Olemaun is eight and knows a lot of things. But she does not know how to read. Ignoring her father’s warnings, she travels far from her Arctic home to the outsiders’ school to learn. The nuns at the school call her Margaret. They cut off her long hair and force her to do menial chores, but she remains undaunted. Her tenacity draws the attention of a black-cloaked nun who tries to break her spirit at every turn. But the young girl is more determined than ever to learn how to read.

What the Snakes Wrote

Rufus the farmyard dog first notices the strangely shaped snakes on the ground outside his house. The word they form with their bodies, DOG, looks oddly familiar. As Rufus goes about his patrol, the snakes follow behind. Soon dozens of snakes join in, until the farmer’s field is covered in words. What are the snakes trying to tell Rufus?

The farmer, busy covering up an old well in a far corner of his field, doesn’t realize that his action will destroy the wintertime home of the harmless snakes. But Rufus’s determination helps the snakes find a way to tell the farmer their predicament and save their home.

Tina Holdcroft’s illustrations are an energetic and fun-filled complement to a charming story that subtly presents the benefits of literacy as well as the importance of preserving animal habitats. A brief afterword gives young readers additional information about snakes.

Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged

In 1946, Viola Desmond bought a movie ticket at the Roseland Theatre in Nova Scotia. After settling into a main floor seat, an usher came by and told her to move, because her ticket was only good for the balcony. She offered to pay the difference in price but was refused: “You people have to sit in the upstairs section.” Viola refused to move. She was hauled off to jail, but her actions gave strength and inspiration to Canada’s black community. Vibrant illustrations and oral-style prose tell Viola’s story with sympathy and historical accuracy.

Oy Feh So?

Every Sunday Aunt Essy, Aunt Chanah, and Uncle Sam drive up in the old Lincoln for the afternoon. They plop themselves down in the living room, and no matter what anyone says their response is always the same — “Oy,” “Feh,” “So?” One afternoon the three children try to provoke a different reaction. They fake a robbery, produce a terrifying child-eating dragon, and pretend to be kidnapped by space invaders, but their aunts and uncle remain unimpressed. In exasperation the children take to mocking them, and soon they are all laughing so hard they’re practically crying.