Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize (2007) nominee. Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice, 2007 Queen Daisy can’t help it – It’s her feet that are misbehaving! Queen Daisy had a great deal of trouble with her feet. They had a mind of their own and did not like behaving in a royal way. Proper shoes were out of the question, and sometimes her feet did not wear shoes at all! Her feet were especially naughty when Queen Daisy forced them to dress properly. At balls her feet would kick high in the air or tap-dance on the marble palace floors. Once, when a king from a neighboring kingdom brought his mean, bullying ways to Queen Daisy’s court, her feet hauled off and kicked the king in the ankle. That’s when a meeting had to be called of all the wise women and wizards and footmen in the kingdom to find a solution to Queen Daisy’s terrible problem. And what a solution it turns out to be.Queen Daisy’s feet will dance into the hearts of restless feet everywhere. Sarah Ellis’s wonderfully whimsical tale will ring a bell with all children and adults whose feet get restless.
Picture Book
The Wolf Of Gubbio
At night we lay in bed and listened to the howl of the wolf on the hill. In sleep, we saw his shadow slink along the moonlit wall as the great beast circled the town. No one in Gubbio is safe from the monstrous wolf that stalks them. The townsfolk, armed with pitchforks, travel in groups and never venture out at night. One day a band of strangers comes to town led by the Poverello, the poor one. People say he understands the language of bird and beast. Even so, when he offers to go into the forest and face the wolf, everyone is certain he will never return. What happens between the wolf and the Poverello as they stand face to face, is a matter of trust and understanding. But for the people of Gubbio, and one boy in particular, it is nothing short of a miracle. Based on one of the legends of St. Francis of Assisi, the story may contain some truth. During repairs to a chapel in Gubbio dedicated to the saint, a large wolf’s skull was found underneath the flagstones. The Afterword recounts this amazing fact and provides historical details on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.
To The Post Office With Mama
The text, told with simple and poetic language, exudes a sense of warmth and comfort. Two-year-old Shea tells about getting dressed up in her winter clothing and going to the post office with her mother to mail a letter to Nanny. Full color.
What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?
This delightfully illustrated book introduces children to the concept of time through the mishaps and misdaventures of Mr. Wolf. The Story traces the escapades of the bumbling Mr. Wolf as he pursues Mouse and Squirrel through their daily activities. A large clock accompanies each activity, representing the passage of time. Bob Beeson’s vivid pen and marker illustrations captivate the eye and capture the imagination with ever-changing details. With its wonderfully entertaining story and pictures, What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf? is the perfect book for children just beginning to learn about clocks and telling time.
What’s He Doing Now?
When a young boy named Lewis finds out that his mother is going to have a baby, he is full of questions: What is the baby doing now? How does his mom feel with a baby growing inside her? When he touches her tummy, it feels like she swallowed a bunch of butterflies! When the baby has hiccups, it sounds like popcorn! Month by month, he becomes more and more curious about what the baby is doing inside his mother’s tummy.Lewis thinks that having a new baby around could be kind of neat… but a bit worrisome at the same time. He begins to wonder if the baby will like him, and becomes a little afraid that he is not special to his parents anymore. However, he soon discovers he has an important place in his family — and being a big brother is actually kind of fun! An ideal book for parents and children to share.
Good Families Don’t
Good Families Don’t is Munsch’s funniest book yet, about a risqué subject that is guaranteed to have children–and adults–rolling in the aisles.When Carmen tries to tell her parents that there is a big fart lying on her bed, they don’t believe her. “Good families like ours,” they tell her, “do not have farts.” But when they go upstairs to see, the fart attacks them–as it does the similarly disbelieving police when they arrive. Carmen is left to deal with the situation on her own, which she does with the help of a rose.
Count Your Way Through Canada
These beautifully illustrated, interactive picture books introduce children to foreign cultures and languages.
Book Of Big Brothers
In this episodic tale that’s rich with Cary Fagan’s characteristically dry humor, a boy tells the story of his life with two older brothers. When he is only a week old, his brothers argue over who can hold him first and drop him onto the porch. But they aren’t all bad: they chase away the mean girls who call him names, and they perform a play starring the neighbor’s dog to cheer him up when he has the measles. Later on these troublesome boys set fire to neighbor’s tree, play football in the living room, and even attempt to ride their banana bikes all the way to the Rocky Mountains. Inspired by Cary Fagan’s childhood experiences, this story is a spot-on portrayal of the crazy, mishap-filled, yet undeniably fun and affectionate life in a family with three boys. Luc Melanson’s wonderfully lively and extremely funny retro-style illustrations are a perfect complement to the text.
A Circle Of Cats
One a quiet day, when the wind was still, the creek could be heard all the way up to where the old beech stood. Under its branches, cats would come to dream and be dreamed. Black cats and calicos, white cats and marmalade ones, too. But they hadn’t yet gathered the day the orphan girl fell asleep among its roots, nestling in the weeds and long grass like the gangly, tousle-haired girl she was. Her names was Lillian.
Lillian is an orphan who lives with her aunt on a homested miles from anyone, surrounded by uncharted forest. She wanders the woods, chasing after squirrels and rabbits and climbing trees like a possum. Free-spirited and independent, Lillian is kindard soul to the many wild cats who gather around the ancient beech tree. One day, while she is under the beech, Lillian is bitten by a poisonous snake. The cats refuse to let her die, and use their magic to turn her into one of their own. How she becomes a girl again is a lyrical, original folklore that begs to be read aloud. Set in the hill country outside of the author’s fictional city of Newford, A Circle of Cats is the much anticipated first picture book by longtime friends Charles de Lint and Charles Vess, whose art is as magical as the story.
Mary Margaret’s Tree
Like many children, Mary Margaret has an affinity for nature. In her efforts to plant a small tree she undergoes a transformation, and becomes a part of nature herself.