scholarly journals Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by J. Kensky & P. Downes

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
School Library ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Boston Marathon ◽  
Library Collections

Kensky, Jessica and Patrick Downes.  Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship. Illustrated by Scott Magoon. Candlewick Press, 2018  There are not many children’s books published about amputation, so a new book is always welcome. Jessica Kensky became a double leg amputee as a result of injuries sustained during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Rather than writing a children’s book about amputation, she has written an autobiographical work in the form of a picture book. As a result, this is a strange mix of fiction, where readers hear the service dog’s thoughts, and strict adherence to autobiographical detail that is unnecessary in a picture book. For example, Jessica is depicted as a teenager, closer to the real age of the author, rather than as a young child, to whom young readers could more easily relate. Jessica goes through two amputations in the course of the story, reflecting the experience of the author, but this process is unusual for amputees and unnecessarily complicates the story for early readers. The text is also at a reading level that is higher than one would expect in a picture book, so younger children will need an adult to read the book with them. However, while it has flaws, the book is a comforting and positive story that will give child amputees hope as they see Jessica learn to be active again on her prosthetic legs. Scott Magoon’s simple and realistic illustrations will help children enjoy the dog, Rescue, and his role in Jessica’s healing process. Magoon does a good job depicting the dog in many states:  readiness, happiness, resting, helping, playing and swimming.   This book should be included in public and school library collections. It should also be included in hospital library collections, particularly those where children receive amputation care, such as pediatric cancer clinics and prosthetic clinics. It would be of interest to both children undergoing amputations and their families.  Recommended:  3 out of 4 stars Reviewer:  Sean Borle  Sean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety.

scholarly journals Kiviuq and the Bee Woman by N. McDermott

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
School Library ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Older Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Human Skulls ◽  
The University ◽  
Library Collections

McDermott, Noel.  Kiviuq and the Bee Woman. Iqauit, NU, Inhabit Media, 2019. When we last heard of Kiviuq, he had just survived a harrowing encounter with scary monster mermaids or tuutalik (Deakin Review by Kirk MacLeod). In Kiviuq and the Bee Woman, the grandfather who narrated Kiviuq and the Mermaid continues the bedtime story to his grandchildren. Kiviuq begins paddling home, but comes upon a tent where an old woman invites him to rest and dry his clothing. She turns out to be a giant Bee Woman who wants to cut up Kiviuq and put him in her cooking pot. For a bedtime story, both the text and the illustrations are quite scary. Illustrator Toma Feizo Gas lets us see into the dark, dramatic and frightening world of the Bee Woman, who is a determined killer. “She shouted, ‘I am Iguttarjuaq, the Bee Woman, and I am going to kill you with my ulu’.”  The accompanying image shows a woman with pointy teeth and insect mouth pincers, who is shaking a sharp ulu (knife) at Kiviuq. As is the case with many of Inhabit Media’s publications, the reading level is higher than one would expect to find in a picture book. For younger children, this book will need some adult intervention. In addition to the scary content, human skulls talk, the woman eats her own eyelids and “Kiviuq, realized the woman was boiling human meat.” Some of the language is difficult. For example, Kiviuq “fainted” of fright, but “feinted” to get away. McDermott also intersperses many Inuktitut words, which will slow down younger readers. These are defined at the end of the book. Overall, this excellent product from Inhabit Media should be included in public library collections and school library collections, but should probably be placed in collections designed for older children.  Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals The Sound of All Things by M. Uhlberg

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Amusement Park ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Deaf Person ◽  
Adult Reading ◽  
Intimate Knowledge

Uhlberg, Myron.  The Sound of All Things, illustrated by Ted Papoulas, Peachtree Publishers, 2016.This is an autobiographical story about Myron, who is the child of two deaf parents, attempting to explain sounds to them as they spend a day at the Coney Island amusement park. The illustrations in this book are spectacular. Ted Papoulas captures not only the detail of the amusement park, the library and fireworks, he also captures whole stories in the expressions on people’s faces. All of the illustrations reflect the 1920s, when Myron was a child. Many of the illustrations have a dark tone to them, using browns for building interiors, street scenes and evenings, adding to a vintage look. For a picture book this text is wordy, dense, and written at an adult reading level. Myron’s voice, however, is authentic. Only the child of a deaf person would be able to write, “My mother’s hands sat silent in her lap.” The text displays the intimate knowledge that Myron has of the deaf world and his struggles to translate sound to his parents. '“What does the ocean sound like?”  “It is loud,” I answered again. “Don’t be lazy,” [my father] signed.  I squirmed in my seat. I didn’t have enough words to tell my father what he wanted to know”'. Because the text is sophisticated for a picture book, it would be appropriate for upper elementary and above.I would recommend this book for public libraries and school libraries and to anyone who teaches deaf children or children of deaf people. Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sean BorleSean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety. 

scholarly journals Akilak’s Adventure by D. Kigjugalik Webster

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

Kigjugalik Webster, Deborah.  Akilak’s Adventure.  Inhabit Media, 2016.This is a first children’s book from Deborah Kigjugalik Webster, who grew up in Baker Lake, Nunavut.  It is a story of a little Inuit girl navigating the tundra by herself to reach her uncle’s camp.  As the child walks, she is joined by a caribou, who mysteriously knows her grandmother’s saying, “Your destination did not run away, you will reach it soon.”  The conversation between the two is about people changing into animals, but Akilak in the end decides to remain a person.   The story is deceptively simple.  On the surface, children will understand it as a little girl’s adventure.  However, it encompasses several important aspects of Inuit culture:  the relationship between grandparent and child, the importance of extended family support, the prominence of animals and the stories of people taking the shape of animals, the distance of travel across the tundra and the related concept of taulittuq or the sense of moving but not getting closer to your destination.Charlene Chua’s artwork is charming. Each two pages are an image with text overprinted on one page, often shaped to fit around parts of the image.  The images are simple and cartoon-like, but good representations of the tundra and its creatures.  While this is mainly a picture book with an intended audience of children ages 5 to 7, the reading level is upper elementary, so younger children will definitely need an adult to read it to them.Akilak’s Adventure would be an excellent addition to public libraries and elementary school libraries.Highly Recommended:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals The Pond by N. Davies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
School Library ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Water Lily ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The Family ◽  
To Come

Davies, Nicola. The Pond. Illustrated by Cathy Fisher. Graffeg, 2017. In this picture book, a half-finished garden pond, “a muddy, messy hole that filled our garden,” becomes a metaphor for a family’s grief at the death of a father, “a muddy, messy hole that filled our hearts.” The story highlights the fact that when someone dies, the family loses not only the person, but also the activities that the family did with that person. Eventually, the mother in this story gets the pond lined and it starts to come to life with tadpoles, dragonflies and a water lily, mirroring the family’s progression through their grief.  The artwork really carries the story forward, and accompanied by the simple text Nicola Davies depicts aquatic environments in a variety of ways. Her work is cinematic, capturing the movement and messiness of pond life.  She uses dark colours, splatters, scribbles and fractures in lines to depict the family’s grief. Some of the images are beautiful.  Her water lilies on solid black backgrounds are exceptional. The images in this book will engage all ages. This book would be good for children coping with loss or those preparing to cope with loss and should be a part of public and school library collections.  Recommendation:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sean Borle Sean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety.  

The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by J. Winter

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
School Library ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Female Scientist ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Book Format

Winter, Jeanette. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011. Print. Jeanette Winter is a prolific and award winning American children’s author and illustrator.  She tells us in her author’s note at the end of this book that, as a child, she wished that she “could have read about someone like Jane Goodall – a brave woman who wasn’t afraid to do something that had never been done before”.  So she wrote this book. The picture book format and the Grade 3 reading level make this work appropriate for the lower elementary school target audience, children who are beginning to think about what they want to be when they grow up. While written mostly in poetic line form, the work is not particularly poetic. However the form does seem to give Winter the licence to begin sentences with conjunctions and end them with prepositions.  The text reads more like folksy spoken American English than poetry.  For example, “She woke at dawn and saw them slowly rise from their nests, sit for a spell, then go off to find food.” Winter’s illustrations are the delight of the book.  They are simple, two-dimensional folk art works.  In this volume Winter purposefully uses two distinct forms of presentation.  In the early part of the book, which traces Goodall’s life from her English childhood until she travels to Gombe, the illustrations are square and centred on a coloured page with the text structured below them.  Once Goodall has set up her camp in the forest, the illustrations are as wild and uncontained as the life Goodall led.  The paintings splash out across the pages and the text fits in and around them wherever there is space. As an introduction to the life of a remarkable female scientist and role model, this is a work that belongs in every public and elementary school library.  However, because the text is not exemplary of well-written English, it should not be used for classroom study. Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals Nala's Magical Mitsiaq by J. Noah

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
School Library ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
The People ◽  
Legal Term ◽  
The University

Noah, Jennifer. Nala's Magical Mitsiaq.  Iqualuit, NV:  Inhabit Media, 2013. Print.Adoption of children is common among Inuit families and "custom adoption" is a legal term for this age-old tradition which was a part of Inuit survival.  Jennifer Noah wrote this children's book so that she could read a story to which her daughter could relate.The mitsiaq is the umbilical cord.  In Nala's story, her adoptive mother dreams of Nala before she is born and dreams of "a magical mitsiaq connecting [their] hearts".  In the rest of the story, Nala's mother explains how one of her daughters grew in her belly, while the other grew in her heart and both are equally loved. The text is above the reading level of the age 5 to 8 target audience, but there is an assumption that an adult will be reading with the child.  Inuktitut words are used often in the text and appear in the glossary at the back of the book. This book presents adoption as a positive, loving traditional practice.  For a non-Inuit child trying to understand adoption, this book shows adoption as a normal part of community and family life, at least in Inuit culture.In the back of the book there are six quotations from Inuit women who have experienced custom adoption.  Some have adopted, some were adopted and some have siblings who were adopted in or adopted out.  All of their stories speak of the adoption process as an act of love both by the birth parents and the adoptive parents.The illustrations by Toronto artist, Qin Leng are comic-book like, with all objects and features outlined in black and filled with colour.  The illustrations are bright and attractive.  The people in the book appear more Asian than they do Inuit, but because of the informality of the drawings, this does not detract from the story.             This is another excellent book from Inhabit Media and should be included in public and elementary school library collectionsHighly recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals Wear a Helmet! Healthy Safety Habits by M.E. Salzmann

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Older Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Right ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Average Readers

Salzmann, Mary Elizabeth.  Wear a Helmet!  Healthy Safety Habits.  Minneapolis, MN: Abdo Publishing, 2015, Print.This small picture book is levelled to the third or “transitional” reading level defined in the Sandcastle series.  This series is designed for use in “shared, guided and independent reading and writing activities to support a balanced approach to literacy instruction”.  The subject of the book is health and safety.   Each photograph shows a child doing something that promotes safety:  wearing a bike helmet, a life preserver or a seatbelt.  Other children are shown washing hands, using a pot holder and seated at a computer to illustrate online safety.  The children featured are in the 7-9 age range and are named to allow readers to relate to them more easily.  Younger children will look up to older children pictured doing the right things. The text is short and very simple, designed for children who are not yet fluent readers.  However, for average readers, who might pick up this book in a library, the text would be most appropriate for the lower end of the recommended age 4-9 audience.   There is a brief quiz at the end of the book, aimed at a low comprehension level.  Strangely, some of the definitions in the glossary contain words that are well above the reading level of the book.  For example, the definition of the word “germ” includes the word “organism”.  While this book is designed for reading enhancement programs, it does model useful health and safety ideas, so would be a good addition for school and public libraries.Recommendation:   3 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sean BorleSean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety.

scholarly journals News and Announcements

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Sulz
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
American Literature ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Website Design ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Caldecott Medal ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Library Studies

Welcome to spring for many of our readers - except those of us in northern Alberta where winter, beautiful winter, just won’t let go this year. You can be sure that we will appreciate spring all the more when it finally takes hold.On a sad note, Andrea Deakin (for whom this publication is named), informed us that Jan Ormerod recently passed away.  The Guardian’s obituary of Sunday, February 3, 2013 reminds us that Jan Ormerod “brought a fresh vision to children's picturebooks with her luminous images, storytelling genius and understanding of how children behave” and that she was “admired for her ability to cut away all that was unnecessary in her stories.” (www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/03/jan-ormerod).Although too late for interested groups to participate in the voting this year, the Rocky Mountain Book Award winners will be announced on April 23, 2013. This is a readers’ choice award in its 13th year where groups of students in grades 4-7 read, then vote for, their favourite book from a shortlist of “exemplary Canadian literature” chosen by a committee of teachers, librarians, parents, and students. The award is sponsored in part by the Lethbridge (Alberta) school district and the University of Lethbridge. All the information about participating and pervious winners is at http://rmba.lethsd.ab.ca/index.htm (although the website design is a little challenging to use).As indicated in our last issue, the various 2013 awards from the Association for Library Service to Children division of the American Library Association have been announced. The 2013 Newbery Medal (contribution to American literature for children) winner was The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The 2013 Caldecott Medal (picture book artist) winner wasThis Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. For other medal winners as well as “honor book” recognition, see www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia.By the way, if keeping track of book awards is a favourite past-time, have a look at the Canadian Children’s Award Index posted by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre at www.bookcentre.ca/awards/canadian_awards_index. I hope you have lots of free time if you want to keep track of them all.On that note, have a wonderful spring and start setting aside piles of books for your summer reading pleasure.David Sulz, Communications EditorDavid is a Public Services Librarian at University of Alberta and liaison librarian to Economics, Religious Studies, and Social Work. He has university studies in Library Studies, History, Elementary Education, Japanese, and Economics;  he formerly taught in schools and museums. His interests include physical activity, music, home improvements, and above all, things Japanese.

scholarly journals We’re All Wonders by R. Palacio

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Small Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right ◽  
Old Friends

Palacio, R.J.  We’re All Wonders. Alfred A. Knopf, 2017This is one of several picture books which R.J. Palacio has spun off her bestselling novel, Wonder, which introduced Auggie, a boy missing his left eye. There are few picture books about children with facial deformities, so this is a welcome addition. In condensing the novel into a picture book, however, much of the positive content has been lost. This is a sad story. Auggie is not accepted by other children. When he feels sad he puts helmets on his dog and himself to isolate himself from people’s stares. However, a child and dog with helmets are likely to attract as many stares. Auggie’s other coping mechanisms include: an imaginary trip to Pluto, where his “old friends” are one-eyed creatures that look a bit like sheep with tentacles, and wishing that “other people can change the way they see”. Given that there is a long science fiction history of scary one-eyed space aliens and monsters, it seems strange that Palacio would associate her character with them.  Wishing that the world was different does not make it different. We do not see the positive things that were in the novel such as people sticking up for Auggie or his intelligence and achievements.Palacio’s artwork is bright and easily accessible to small children. Strangely, though, the final image shows only the right half of Auggie’s face, with the earth replacing his eye, while the left half, that is the focus of the whole story, is missing.This book would be good for classrooms where there are children with physical differences, but it would be important for teachers to add a positive spin to the story. Recommended:  3 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sean BorleSean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety. 

scholarly journals A New Song for Herman by P. McAllister

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
School Library ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Green House ◽  
The Subject

McAllister, Paul. A New Song for Herman. Herman’s Monster House Publishing, 2017.There are many books designed to help children who are afraid of monsters.  This is the second book that Paul McAllister has written on the subject. In this one, Herman, a green House Monster turned Barista Monster, works at Sarah’s cafe and is famous for his mochaccinos. However, his work is suffering because he is being kept awake at night by an Attic Monster. It turns out that the Attic Monster is just baking cookies in an old Easy Bake Oven, so Herman offers him a job baking at the restaurant. The text is simple, but includes some repetition of the Attic Monster’s song “humba rumba lumba rumba gurgle gurgle bing!”, which children will enjoy and will want to repeat during a reading. Both the text and the illustrations help children identify with monsters rather than being afraid of them. Emily Brown has made the monsters look like cuddly stuffy toys. Even the Attic Monster who scares Herman turns out to be “the cutest little monster he’d ever seen.” Brown has also included fun details in the illustrations. For example, when Herman is at his most sleep deprived, he makes the coffee with dirt and Brown shows him holding a coffee pot that has a flower growing out of it. This fun book is recommended for public and school library collections.Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sean C. BorleSean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety. 

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document