From one of the great creative teams in picture books, On the Other Side of the Garden is about a city girl learning to accept the change brought about by her parents’ separation when she is taken to her grandmother’s house in the country and befriended by an owl, a frog and a mouse.
Animals
Sharing Our World
Sharing Our World, by First Nations and Native artists: honoring Ancestors, the Totem, and 15 animals native to the NW coast.
Stay-At-Home Sammy And The Runaway Spot
Sammy is a leopard with 500 perfect spots. But one morning a spot is missing. It’s a runaway spot! Sammy tries to catch it and stick it back on with tape, but the spot hops out the window and escapes. The spot is free!
Reach For The Moon, Little Lion
Size is just a matter of perspective in this story about a little lion who is much, much smaller than the rest. The other animals laugh at him and tell him that real lions are so very big, they can touch the moon with a paw. When a friendly raven discovers the little lion atop a hill, sadly gazing at the moon, the wise bird tells him that to touch the moon, he must reach for it. The next night, Raven brings all the animals to the base of the hill, where at the tippy-top, Little Lion stretches his paw as far as he can. From where the animals are standing, it is clear: Little Lion can touch the moon . . . and no one ever doubts him again.
Not Friends
Giraffe and Bird are not friends. Not even a little bit. The bird pesters the giraffe with his face-making, feather-pruning, and disgusting eating habits. The giraffe annoys the bird with his bad breath, ear-swatting, and lack of respect for personal space. Of course they are always fighting. Of course they would be better off without each other. Except, it turns out, maybe they wouldn’t be.
Innocent Heroes
This book consists of eight connected fictional stories about a Canadian platoon in WW1. The Storming Normans have help from some very memorable animals: we meet a dog who warns soldiers in the trench of a gas attack, a donkey whose stubbornness saves the day, a cat who saves soldiers from rat bites, and many more. Each story is followed by nonfiction sections that tell the true story of these animals from around the world and of the Canadian soldiers who took Vimy Ridge. Through the friendship that grows between three of these soldiers in particular, we get a close-up look at life in the trenches, the taking of Vimy Ridge, the bonds between soldiers and their animals and what it meant to be Canadian in WW I.
A Case in Any Case: Detective Gordon
The third and final book in the much-loved Detective Gordon series by one of Sweden’s top children’s writers.
Frog Brings Rain
As fire creeps toward the village of the First People, First Man and First Woman must find a way to quench the flames. First Woman asks the Bird People, the River People, and the Water People for assistance, but everyone she speaks to has an excuse. “Not me,” said Mockingbird. “The smoke would hurt my voice and I would never sing again.” “Not me,” said Snail. “I carry my house with me and I am slow.” “No,” said Beaver. “We’d like to help, but our river home would become a desert if we changed the flow of water.” At last, First Woman asks the mysterious Frog for help. Will he be able to stop the flames before they reach the village? Author Patricia Hruby Powell’s retelling of this Navajo folktale is as graceful as it is compelling, and as magical as the mythical time it describes.
Captain
It’s 1915 and British troops are about to sail to Gallipoli. Billy is the youngest soldier in his platoon and is teased for not being old enough to drink or shave. The truth is, at fifteen he’s not old enough to be a soldier, either, and he’s terrified of the war he’s about to fight. Then he meets Captain, a refugee boy, and his donkey, Hey-ho. Together they teach Billy what it means to be brave, loyal, and fearless, and above all what it means to be a friend. Sam Angus pulls at heartstrings in this stirring wartime friendship story.
The Foretelling Of Georgie Spider
Georgie Spider has foretold the end of the world, and the only one who can stop it is Ashala Wolf. But Georgie has also foreseen Ashala’s death. As the world shifts around the Tribe, Ashala fights to protect those she loves from old enemies and new threats. And Georgie fights to save Ashala. Georgie Spider can see the future — but can she change it? In the third and final book of the thrilling Tribe trilogy, author Ambelin Kwaymullina draws inspiration from the people, lands, and history of her native Australia to deliver a powerful saga about respect for others and the earth.