Pedrito’s Day

In Pedrito’s Day, Luis Garay returns to the subject of his 1993 collaboration with Monica Hughes, A Handful of Seeds. Both books examine a working child’s efforts to make a living in a poor Latin ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Picture Books

Ear-witness

By Mary Ann Scott

“It was 7:35 a.m. and I was desperate.” From the opening sentence of Ear-Witness the territory is clearly defined. We are in the gritty, mean-street world of detective fiction. All the gumshoe conventions are here ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Fables of the Times Tables

By Brigitte E. Kortright,Dennis Nobel, illus.

Rote memorization, once a time-honoured teaching tool, has really gone out of style. Days when kids could recite “The Cremation of Sam McGee” are gone forever, so much so that many children now fail to ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Politics & Current Affairs

Side by Side: Animals Who Help Each Other (amazing Things Animals Do Series)

By Marilyn Baillie, Romi Caron, illus.

The idea of animal partnerships and co-operation is appealing to children, who will be surprised and intrigued by the strange relationships highlighted by science and nature author Marilyn Baillie in her new addition to Owl’s ... Read More »

March 10, 2004

Throwaway Angels

By Nancy Richler

Throwaway Angels is the first novel from Vancouver writer Nancy Richler and it’s set in the parts of the city that aren’t covered in the travel books. The central character, Tova, observes the lives of ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

★ The Great Blue Grump

By Jill Creighton, Kitty Macaulay, illus.

This charming book combines animal facts with humorous fantasy in just the right proportions for young children. One of the elements that makes this story so likely to please is its format: we circle in ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Picture Books

Kele’s Secret

By Tololwa M. Mollel, Catherine Stock, illus.

Among the many challenges of growing up comes the moment when a young child faces going alone into a scary place. Tololwa Mollel’s new picture book, Kele’s Secret, presents such a moment with great sympathy ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Picture Books

The Flanders Panel

By Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Margaret Jull Costa, trans.

Aspiring authors looking for an entrée into publishability and as yet unencumbered with genre might consider writing a historical mystery. Readers, no longer satisfied with the pure entertainment value of a thriller, are craving a ... Read More »

March 10, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels