Reveling in metaphor, with two books in one, this book encourages a magical leap of imagination and asks the reader to look at everyday objects from a different perspective. That moon is a silver pond when seen through the trees, and when they tend the cow, the moon is the milk at the bottom of the pail. The sun takes the form of the yolk of an egg, a spool of thread, the eye of a bird, an ice-cream cone and a dandelion.
With very little text, this book lets the illustrations tell the charming story of a child carried away into a world much bigger than herself. A young girl and her family travel from the city to the country to celebrate her grandmother's birthday. Someone suggests that Arianne, as the only child at the party, might enjoy exploring the garden more than listening to the adults chat.
For Wolf, saving the planet means first saving his family from self-inflicted disaster. Wolf’s mother is obsessed with saving the world’s honeybees, so it’s not too surprising when she announces that she’s taking her Save the Bees show on the road—with the whole family. Wolf thinks it’s a terrible plan, and not just because he’ll have to wear a bee costume—in public. He likes his alternative school and hates the idea of missing weeks of classes. His teenage stepsister doesn’t want to leave her boyfriend, and one of his little half-sisters has stopped talking altogether, but Wolf’s mom doesn’t seem to notice. She’s convinced that the world is doomed unless ordinary people take extraordinary action.
From dusk to dawn a forest creeps into a town where the grown-ups are too distracted to notice, but the children do. They see greenery take root in the lifeless cracks of dull sidewalks. They see an eagle build her nest atop a forgotten fountain and saplings start to sprout in dark corners. A gray-drab city defined by concrete and steel, vibrations and notifications, transforms into a living garden where apartment buildings overflow with window boxes full of flowers, birds sing songs through day and night and children laugh and tend to their gardens. Watch as nature reclaims this town.
Cricket McKay has lived in Waterton all her life; so, she is surprised to discover an animal she hasn’t seen before: the long-toed salamander. She finds a band of them migrating from the pond to their hibernation grounds at Crandell Mountain. Crossing the road that lies between the pond and the mountain is dangerous enough, but now a newly constructed curb makes their journey even more challenging. Can Cricket and her friends come up with a solution to help the salamanders? Salamander Rescue is the second book featuring Cricket and friends.
Flynn hates the outdoors. Always has. He barely pays attention in his Outdoor Ed class. He doesn’t understand why anybody would want to go hiking or camping. But when he gets lost in the wilderness behind his parents’ friends’ house, it’s surprising what he remembers—insulate your clothes with leaves, eat snow to stay hydrated, build a shelter, eat lichen—and how hopelessly inept he is at survival techniques.
Vibrant language and rhythm celebrate the start of a new day in this uplifting poem about a city waking up. On a beautiful, sunny morning, a family runs errands along a city street. They visit a bakery, flower shop and fruit market. Exuberant in sounds and sights—a baker sugaring tarts, flowers greeting passers-by and pigeons cooing—the story ends as a new day of sparkling possibility begins. Written in pantoum form and illustrated with delightful three-dimensional diorama images that play with light and shadow.
In this poetic picture book, young readers are invited to explore the sounds of nighttime and find comfort in them instead of fear. As a young child falls asleep, the night comes alive. Animals hide and leaves blow, seeds are spread and crops are watered, and the world wakes anew in the morning. Focusing on the necessity of nighttime, this beautiful book showcases the night, along with its sometimes scary sounds, through new eyes. Stunning illustrations from an award-winning illustrator complement each spread as the poetry balances the magic and mystery of nighttime with the comforting stillness of being tucked safely indoors.
When Mike Longridge gets himself in trouble yet again, he is given a choice: juvenile detention or an outdoor program called Explore. He opts for Explore, but soon finds himself wondering how he is going to survive ten months with the hippies and keeners in the program. He's never felt so out of place and is certain he will never get the hang of the outdoor activities. Will Mike go back to his old trouble-making ways or will he finally find a place to belong?
After a hang glider crashes into the pool of the house where Dinah and Madge are house-sitting, the hapless pilot creates more than a splash of suspicion in Dinah's mind. Why does this itchy intruder make off with Dinah's inflatable turtle? Why is someone trying to drive their cat-mad neighbor away? And what is the connection with the balding stranger seen lurking behind the hedge? And when Madge's boyfriend starts a campaign to save the endangered spotted owl, it seems that a crooked politician may be out to destroy the habitat of the near-extinct animal. While Madge paints, Dinah brushes aside suggestions that she be a quiet, well-behaved guest in this posh North Vancouver neighborhood. There's just too much for Dinah and her friends—tree-fanatic Pantelli and irritatingly conscientious Talbot—to investigate in this hilariously suspenseful adventure. Along with learning about endangered animals and fragile ecosystems, Dinah runs across clueless reporters and greedy developers, all the while continuing to belt out her favorite songs and satisfy her healthy appetite.
Both the shepherd and the wolf live on the mountain. They love their home and want to feel safe there. This book tells the same story, in identical words, from both the wolf’s perspective and that of the shepherd. Read the wolf’s story then flip it over and read the shepherd’s story and see the landscape that each of them sees. A good reminder of how humans should behave in the wild and on this earth that we share.
Fourteen-year-old Dylan is sent to live with his estranged grandfather, Angus. Basically strangers, the two avoid each other as best they can. One day Dylan discovers a young orca stranded high up on the rocky beach. Dylan runs to tell his grandfather. There’s nothing that can be done, says Angus. The sun is coming up, and soon the orca will die of exposure. But Dylan knows he has to try to save the whale. He collects towels to cover the delicate skin of the orca and begins transporting buckets of water from the ocean below to keep it hydrated. It’s grueling work, and it will be hours before the tide comes back in and the water is high enough for the orca to swim free. Angus is moved by his grandson’s determination and helps as best he can. They both desperately hope that soon the orca will be able to join its family, who have been calling out to it just offshore.
A young child walks along a country road into town where there’s a parade on. The experiences of the day, and the child’s eventual homecoming and bedtime, are chronicled and compared to the sun. The sun takes the form of the yolk of an egg, a spool of thread, the eye of a bird, an ice-cream cone and a dandelion. Each round, yellow item on the page hints at the big golden ball in the sky. Stunning illustrations by Josée Bisaillon capture how imagination shapes the environment around us. This simple board book shows children that the way they see the world—by heart, mind and imagination—is just right. Revelling in metaphor, The Sun is a Peach encourages that magical leap of imagination and asks the reader to look at everyday objects from a different perspective.
Celebrated poet Susan Musgrave weaves the purity, strength and sweetness of love with simple joys from nature experienced through the seasons. Marilyn Faucher's vibrant illustrations are a lovely complement to Musgrave's prose, and together these elements introduce babies and toddlers to the delight of cold summer plums, a shower of cherry blossom petals and the endlessness of love. A perfect read-aloud, this poetic board book will foster warmth and closeness with the littlest ones in your life
When Cricket McKay and her best friend, Shilo, discover that a cougar has been seen in the town of Waterton, they are thrilled that school closes for a few days as a precaution. The townspeople are worried though. They want the cougar caught and relocated, which could be disastrous for the cougar. Cricket's dad, the national park's warden, is receiving reports of the cougar causing all kinds of trouble around town, but it's the type of trouble it doesn't make sense for a cougar to get into. Then Cricket and Shilo find evidence that another animal may be to blame. With the help of a visiting researcher who is in Waterton studying cougar behavior, Cricket and Shilo must convince the townspeople, and Cricket's dad, that they're after the the wrong animal before it’s too late. This is the fourth title featuring Cricket and her friends, following Bats in Trouble, Ospreys in Danger and Salamander Rescue.
Black bears, grizzly bears, and spirit bears all make their home in the Great Bear Rainforest. A Bear's Lifeuses Ian McAllister's stunning photographs to follow these beautiful animals through a year in the British Columbia wilderness--catching fish, eating berries, climbing trees and taking long naps.
Ducks and frogs, swallows and dragonflies, beaver lodges and lily pads a multitude of wonders enchant the child narrator in this tender, beautifully illustrated picture book. A tribute to those fragile, wild places that still exist, In the Red Canoe celebrates the bond between grandparent and grandchild and invites nature lovers of all ages along for the ride.
After Morgan’s backyard is flooded by the nearby river, her dog, Shire, finds a baby beaver that has been washed out of its den. Realizing that its parents aren’t coming back, Morgan must quickly learn to care for the beaver, which she names Sammy. Morgan’s parents warn her that he can’t stay with them forever. Will Morgan be able to find a safe home for Sammy?
Joe and his friend Skip are enjoying the thrill of the Big Dip, a famous rollercoaster, until they learn the old man in front of them has been shot. The old man mutters with his dying breath something about getting a Margaret Rose to the police. Joe leaves the crime scene to get on with his life. But someone is desperate for the Margaret Rose and thinks Joe has it. When his sister is kidnapped, Joe is in a race against time to solve the puzzle.
The poems in this book tell stories of animals and nature, from two sweaty hippos, a smiling lizard and some creepy crawlers to a few tricky dandelions. At the end of each poem, find out more in an interview with a key character or a list of fascinating facts.
In poetry that winds and wends like a creek through a farmer's field, we journey through one lovely day in Buttercup's life. Whether she is ruminating on the mud beneath her feet or the moon and the stars in the blue-black sky, she draws us deep into her rich and wonderful world. Carolyn Beck spent her summers in fields and meadows. She spends as much time as she can at her cottage in the Muskokas. This is the second book she has worked on with her sister, Andrea. Carolyn lives in Toronto, Ontario. Andrea Beck, creator of the Elliot Moose series, loves animals. She had a beagle named Toby whose black spots reminded her of cow patches. She wishes all cows lived Buttercup's life. Andrea lives in Unionville, Ontario. She created this book using acrylic paint on watercolor paper.
