A is for Arctic, B for Bering Sea, C for Clyde River – and Z for Zangeza Bay – all to be explored above the 60th parallel. From the Hardcover edition.
A Northern Alphabet
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Coyote Winter
In the worst winter in living memory. The people in the tiny northern Alberta Hutterite colony are confined by the relentless snow. Finally the thaw comes and the colony’s school children and their teacher are able to take their first walk of spring.To their dismay, the children discover a coyote caught in a trap. When they release it they are amazed to find that the animal makes no attempt to bite or to run away. Instead, it scampers like a dog, delighting in a freedom that every living creature can understand.The recording of this extraordinary event was the teacher’s dying wish. Her sister, Jacquelinne White, has told the story in evocative words and paintings.
The Delicious Bug
A pair of chameleons must learn to share and help each other when, during a fight over an insect that both caught at the same time, they wind up dangling from a branch above hungry crocodiles.
Willow’s Whispers
Willow’s voice, soft and shy as a secret, goes unheard by everyone at school and causes her to no end of troubles. (Having to drink orange juice at snack time when she has asked to nicely for apple is just one disappointment.) After a night of wishing, thinking and planning for a way to make louder words, Willow wakes the next morning with the perfect idea: a magic microphone! But although she fashions if from the sturdiest recyclables, her beglittered invention doesn’t last the school day. Will Willow find another way to make herself heard?
Luke’s Way Of Looking
Luke is frustrated by his conservative and overbearing art teacher, until he visits a museum and finds validation for his own special way of looking at the world.
The Legend Of Ninja Cowboy Bear
The ninja, the cowboy and the bear do everything together — they paint pictures, compare cloud shapes in the sky, fly kites and much more. Though each friend is very different from one another, they enjoy each other’s company. Until one day when they begin quarreling and compete to see which one is the best. The bear can pile up rocks the highest. The cowboy can collect the most raspberries. The ninja can catch the most rabbits. When each contest leads to more resentment, it seems the friends will never stop disagreeing. Only when they learn to be considerate of their differences do they finally realize how much they appreciate each other. The cute, yet stylized artwork combined with a fun story about friendship and celebrating differences make this legend an unforgettable one. This playfully illustrated picture book also includes instructions for the Ninja-Cowboy-Bear game, which is similar to Rock Paper Scissors except that kids use their whole body.
Nana’s Getting Married
A young boy disapproves of his grandmother dating her boyfriend, Bob, because she spends more time with Bob than with him, and he tries to find ways to separate them before their wedding.
The White Stone in the Castle Wall
It may not be true but it could be – this story of how a single white stone came to be in the wall surrounding Casa Loma, the magnificent medieval castle that stands in the middle of Toronto. John Tommy Fiddich lives in Yorkville, tends the family vegetable patch, and considers himself the “luckiest boy in town.” When a hailstorm wipes out the vegetables, he goes from being the luckiest to the unluckiest. Then word gets out that Henry Pellatt, the eccentric millionaire who brought light to the city and built Casa Loma, is offering one dollar for brown stones to place in the wall going up around the castle. After trudging through the city all day with his stone, John reaches the castle only to find that rain has washed it white. But Henry Pellatt accepts the stone for his wall, rewarding John for his hard work, making him again “the luckiest boy in town.” The trip through the streets of Toronto, from Yorkville to Casa Loma, makes for a book as enchanting to young and old as the fabulous castle that inspired it.
Pika: Life In The Rocks
A pika scurries across a rock pile high in the Rocky Mountians. He watches out for hungry hawks and weasels. Quickly, he nips leafy twigs off bushes and carries them to his rocky den. This hamster-size cousin of the rabbit is storing up food. He will build a “hay pile” as big as a bathtub. As summer changes to autumn and winter settles in, the pika feeds from his hay pile and tunnets through the snow. In the spring, he sings for a mate. Soon, pika pups are climbing on the rocks.
Stunning photographs catch the pike in the act of living naturally. A fact-filled text tells the story of how one of the world’s cutest animals can survive when life is pretty rocky.
A Pioneer Alphabet
A is for Abigail and Anna, Zebediah’s two sisters. He is making them an alphabet book. From B, which stands for bandalore, a forerunner of the yoyo, H for the hornbook that taught children to spell, and on through the pigeons that blackened the sky, to the uniform that Papa wore when he defended the king, right through to X for the eXhaustion of parents who are homesteading. This lovely romp through the seasons on a pioneer farm is full of fascinating information. Artist Mary Jane Gerber has placed numerous items in each of her paintings and detailed borders, and there is a useful list of them for readers to find. Author Mary Alice Downie has included detailed background notes, making this a sweet introduction to our history. From the Hardcover edition.