Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

Canadian Railroad Trilogy

This lavishly illustrated book brings Gordon Lightfoot’s heart-stirring song to readers. Commissioned by the CBC in 1967 to mark Canada’s centennial year it eloquently describes the construction of the transcontinental railway, a great feat of nation building that changed Canada forever. Award-winning illustrator Ian Wallace brings the song to visual life with his sweeping landscapes and evocative portrayals of the people who lived the building of the railroad. The book includes Gordon Lightfoot’s music and lyrics, a brief history of the railroad and notes on the illustrations.

Garmann’s Street

After succumbing to peer pressure from a bully, an unusual friendship between Garmann and the Stamp Man arises out of a near-disaster.

In Front of My House

A whimsical celebration of a child’s imagination and all the places it can travel. Filled with inventive twists, this charming circular story begins and ends in a tidy front yard, but in between winds its way through the wilds of a magical reality.

The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon

Crackpot notions, community spirit, and sky-high aspirations transform a quiet boy’s life in this whimsical tale from the stellar team of David Almond and Polly Dunbar. There are some strange ideas floating around in Paul’s apartment block. There’s Mabel, who now calls herself Molly and whose brother hides under a paper bag. Then there’s Clarence, the poodle who thinks he can fly. But the strangest notion of all is Paul’s. You see, Paul believes that the moon is not the moon but a great hole in the sky. And he knows that sausages are better than war. How on earth (or not) will he find out if he is bonkers or a genius? With a few equally bonkers (or genius) helpers and a very long ladder, that’s how! From a master of magical realism and a celebrated artist comes another delightfully outrageous expedition.

I Know Here

The little girl in this story lives in a trailer near a forest where her father is building a dam. Everything in her world is familiar and precious to her. But the family is moving to the city, which the little girl knows only as a place marked by a big red star on the map at school. The teacher suggests that she draw something that she wants to remember to take away with her when she leaves, and the little girl decides to draw what she knows — her road and everything her world contains — so that she can keep it with her always.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 2

The Rabbit Problem

In Fibonacci’s Field, Lonely and Chalk Rabbit meet, snuggle together, and then spend a year trying to cope with their ever-increasing brood and the seasonal changes that bring a new challenge each month. Presented in calendar format with one pop-up illustration and other special features.

April and Esme Tooth Fairies

Two young tooth fairies make their first lost-tooth collection. April Underhill, seven-year-old tooth fairy, gets a call on her cell phone. April and her little sister, Esme, must convince Mom and Dad to let them take on the task all by themselves. But soon, two tiny fairies fly off into the night, over a highway of thundering eighteen-wheelers, eager to prove how grown up they can be. As always, the charm is in the visual details: the pony-tailed, winged dad in baggy jeans; the snug fairy house with teeth dangling from the rafters like wind chimes. Once again, Bob Graham has crafted a tale of heartwarming adventure, magical yet very real.

Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool

The Bell family’s ancestors were showered with honors, gifts and grants of land. In exchange, they have bestowed a Gift, once every 25 years, on the town. The Gifts have ranged from a statue to a bell tower with stained-glass windows, but now it is Darius’s father’s turn – and there is no money for an impressive gift. It looks as though a wheelbarrow full of vegetables is the best they can do. Darius is determined to preserve the family honor, and when an earthquake reveals something glorious, he thinks he’s found the answer.