Caterpillars Can’t Swim

Liane Shaw, a former special-education resource teacher, has never shied away from tough topics. Her previous novels have tackled foster care (Fostergirls), physical and emotional limitations (The Color of Silence), and autism spectrum disorder (Don’t ... Read More »

August 14, 2017 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

★ The Marrow Thieves

By Cherie Dimaline

In the latest YA novel by Métis writer and editor Cherie Dimaline, the world has been ravaged by global warming. Cities have crumbled from the coastlines, “breaking off like crust,” and hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis ... Read More »

August 14, 2017 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

★ I Love My Purse

By Belle DeMont; Sonja Wimmer (ill.)

One day, Charlie decides to wear the bright red purse his grandma gave him. When Dad objects that boys don’t wear purses, Charlie says, “But I love my purse!” At school, his friends also ask ... Read More »

August 14, 2017 | Filed under: Picture Books

Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend

By Josh Holinaty (ill.); Naseem Hrab

Humour abounds in the debut picture book from Kids Can Press marketing director Naseem Hrab. As the new kid in town, Ira Crumb knows how important it is that he makes friends before school starts ... Read More »

August 14, 2017 | Filed under: Picture Books

Zero Repeat Forever

By G.S. Prendergast

The first novel in G.R. Prendergast’s Nahx Invasions series introduces readers to a dystopian Earth under attack from an alien species. No one knows why the Nahx are invading, only that the siege is ruthless ... Read More »

August 9, 2017 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

When Planet Earth Was New

By James Gladstone; Katherine Diemert (ill.)

If the first book by author James Gladstone and illustrator Katherine Diemert were a short educational film, its soundtrack would be early Pink Floyd or something else suitably trippy. When Planet Earth Was New is ... Read More »

August 9, 2017 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Picture Books

★ Leap!

By JonArno Lawson; Josée Bisaillon (ill.)

In this poetic picture-book romp, an agitated, fidgety flea jumps directly into the path of a grasshopper, which sets off a comical, commotion-filled chain reaction, with each successive leap more dramatic than the one before. ... Read More »

July 31, 2017 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ Yak and Dove

By Esmé Shapiro (ill.); Kyo Maclear

Like the title characters in their new book, author Kyo Maclear and illustrator Esmé Shapiro are an unassuming comedic dream team. Maclear writes with the perceptive, gentle quirkiness for which she’s become known. Shapiro’s debut ... Read More »

July 31, 2017 | Filed under: Picture Books

A Pattern for Pepper

By Julie Kraulis

In her latest picture book, Julie Kraulis looks at textiles and clothing from a perspective far removed from both contemporary, disposable fast fashion and flashy haute couture. A Pattern for Pepper is an appealing introduction ... Read More »

July 28, 2017 | Filed under: Picture Books

All Around the Circle

By Cara Kansala; Max Dorey (ill.)

Little ones love a lively scene, and there’s plenty for them to look at in the rollicking illustrations that accompany Cara Kansala’s spirited poems in All Around the Circle. Kansala and her long-time artistic collaborator ... Read More »