Young Amaya is auditioning for a role in a professional play. Although she longs to perform, she is about to learn how much team effort and hard work is involved.As the reader follows her progress from a nervous hopeful at an audition through the fittings for costumes, the rehearsals, the memory work, and even stage fright, Dirk McLean introduces the many people and jobs involved in staging a play. A glossary provides descriptions of terms like casting, choreography, and blocking. Written by an author with extensive firsthand theater experience, this is a must-have resource for young children who are performers. And for those who only dream of a career on stage, it is entertaining to share Amaya’s journey and to feel the thrill of a peek behind the scenes.
Canada
Materials from Canada
My Friend Mei Jing
Ever since Mei Jing came to Monifa’s school they’ve been best friends. They’re both artistic and like to create wild designs together. They love to play at each other’s houses; at Monifa’s they make a tent out of her mother’s African blanket, and at Mei Jing’s they play with her new puppy and dream of having a veterinary clinic when they grow up. On one visit to Mei Jing’s, Monifa notices that Mei Jing’s grandma spends a lot of time there. She speaks Chinese and calls her granddaughter Mui Mui. Mei Jing’s father shows Monifa how to use chopsticks, and Monifa tries food she’s never eaten before. At Chinese New Year the girls learn the Dragon Dance, and when Mei Jing’s parents give Monifa a red envelope, she’s surprised to discover it has real money in it! Like My Friend Jamal, My Friend Mei Jing is a story that demonstrates how friendship is the strongest bond among kids living in a diverse community.
Jonathan Cleaned Up — Then He Heard A Sound: Or Blackberry Subway Jam (Classic Munsch)
Jonathan’s efforts to keep his apartment clean are foiled when a subway unexpectedly stops in and unloads thousands of passengers. Jonathan sets out on a surprising adventure to solve this curious problem.
Love You Forever
This is the story of how that little boy goes through the stages of childhood and becomes a man. It is also about the enduring nature of parents’ love and how it crosses generations.
Christmas with the Rural Mail
A gentle poem describing the journey of a mail sleigh through rural Nova Scotia at Christmastime, delivering packages and parcels to children. The poem is carefully crafted to fit Maud Lewis’s colorful paintings, and the mail sleigh passes children skiing and tobogganing, oxen and Clydesdale horses pulling heavy loads, and the train station, among other classic rural winter scenes.
Here Comes Hortense!
What could be more fun for a six-year-old than having your nana and her new husband take you to a theme park? But the fun is spoiled when Nana and Bob announce that they’ve planned a surprise: they are going to be joined by Bob’s granddaughter, Hortense. It turns out to be the worst surprise ever. Nana shares her room with Hortense instead of her disgruntled little grandson. She sings her special good-night song to Hortense. She goes on all the scary rides with Hortense. And, worst of all, Hortense has a special name for Nana.
A perceptive and hilarious exploration of rivalry, there’s a gentle lesson for readers, young and old.
Hey Canada!
Gran has decided that she is taking nine-year-old Alice and eight-year-old Cal on a road trip across Canada “before she’s old and creaky.” With a sparkling combination of poems, silly songs, tweets and blogs, the trio records the trip for readers everywhere to share. Starting in St. John’s Newfoundland, where they have a “find-it” list that includes a moose and an iceberg and going all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the gang offers a delightful way to learn about vast, varied, and surprising Canada. The book combines narrative, poems, photos, comics about historical events such as the battle at Fortress Louisburg, maps (including provincial flags, birds, and flowers), in a lively, easily accessible format.
The French Fry King
A delectable feast for French fry lovers the world over, written and illustrated by acclaimed French Canadian artist, Rogé, this wonderful story will amuse, beguile and delight young readers! The French Fry King is a clever tale about dreaming big and finding love, told by a charming sausage dog named Roger.
Roger is a sausage dog who is destined for incredible things! He is most definitely NOT the kind of dog that would chase the mailman, chew on bicycle tires, or bark at every car that drives goes by. All of that bores him….
He longs to be human, and spends a great deal of time dreaming about his future. For Roger, happiness will only come when he becomes King – King of the French Fries! But will this bring him true happiness?
Spot the Difference
An amazing collection of bright illustrations by a well-known comic strip artist Tak Bui, Spot the Difference is a collection of search-and-finds that challenge readers to compare pictures and find the differences. Each illustration is a rich mixture of compare-it images, wordplay (there’s a school of fish, complete with blackboard) and hilarious scenes that invite storytelling – an unlikely group of animals form a wild street corner jazz band – to keep young readers intrigued.
Great for expeditions of all kinds, this book will keep children amused for hours on end.
Ghosts of the Titanic
Alternates between the tales of Angus Seaton, the youngest crew member on a boat recovering bodies from the Titanic wreckage in 1912, and Kevin Messenger, a modern-day class clown in Victoria, British Columbia, who helps lay a victim’s spirit to rest.