“...whether they took treaty or not, they were subject to the laws of the Dominion.”

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Polar Bear Morning by L. Thompson

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g2mw3b ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Robert Desmarais

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Polar Bear ◽

Book History ◽

Picture Book ◽

English Literature ◽

New York Times ◽

The Arctic ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Special Collections ◽

The University

Thompson, Lauren. Polar Bear Morning. Illus. Stephen Savage. New York: Scholastic Press, 2013. Print.Ten years ago, Lauren Thompson and Stephen Savage collaborated on “Polar Bear Night”, which was a splendid picture book that swiftly became a New York Times best seller. “Polar Bear Morning” follows up on the simple story of a polar bear cub that ventures out onto the arctic tundra for an adventure, but this time our favourite cub meets a new friend. The story begins when the cub emerges from her dark den, peeks out at the clear blue sky, and follows the sound of seagulls. Soon after heading out into the snow and ice, she notices something tumbling down a snow hill. It’s a snow cub! The moment when the cubs first meet is beautifully portrayed in a two-page spread that shows two furry faces in profile looking at each other without words on the pages, which perfectly captures a child’s speechless, wide-eyed bliss upon meeting a new friend.The story continues with several charming scenes that show how the friendship develops: they climb the snow hill and tumble down together; they sprint beside the sea; they race past seals, walruses and whales; they pause at the ice’s edge; and finally, they jump into the sea together. It’s a delightful portrayal of a budding friendship, with simple, yet charming illustrations rendered in a gentle palette of soft blues, greys, pinks, and browns. This picture book is a joy to read and has all the makings of a beloved classic, including frolicsome illustrations, thoughtful design, and a captivating story. It’s a wholly satisfying picture book that will be a pleasure to read again and again.Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Robert DesmaraisRobert Desmarais is Head of Special Collections at the University of Alberta and Managing Editor of The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature. A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information Studies, with a Book History and Print Culture designation, he also has university degrees in English literature and publishing. He has been collecting and enjoying children’s books for as long as he can remember.

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Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet by S. O'Leary

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/dr29460 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Leslie Aitken

Keyword(s):

Children's Literature ◽

Academic Libraries ◽

Children’S Literature ◽

The Other ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

The University ◽

Selection Of ◽

Child Readers

O’Leary, Sara. Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet. Illustrated by Jacob Grant. Tundra Books, 2018. From first to last, the phonic examples in O’Leary’s alphabet book are disarming: “Aa Alligators think you’d like them if you got to know them.” “Zz Zebras would like to be first. Just once.“ Unlike so many other authors of this genre, O’Leary rarely struggles to find simple, memorable examples of words that begin with the appropriate vowels and consonants. The sole exception in his work is the use of “Chipmunks” to illustrate the sound of the letter “C.” Child readers would have to be mature enough to recognize the digraph (ch) and be alert to its sound. That exception being noted, all of the other phonic illustrations—even the ones for the “difficult” sounds—are straight-forward, playful and engaging. “Qq Quail get quite tired of being told to be quiet.” “Uu Unicorns believe in themselves. “Yy Yaks giggle at their own jokes.” Joseph Brant’s illustrations are all that they ought to be: large, clear, colourful and, most importantly in this type of book, unambiguous. His depiction of voles for the letter “V” is particularly endearing. Those of us involved in the field of children’s literature might want this illustration and its motto on our flag: “Vv Voles always want just one more book.” In any case, we should ensure that this delightful book is on our children’s library shelves. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie Aitken Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special and academic libraries. She was a Curriculum Librarian for the University of Alberta.

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Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by D. Stein

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/dr29409 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Leslie Aitken

Keyword(s):

Fairy Tales ◽

Picture Book ◽

Read Aloud ◽

Primary School Children ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Line Drawings ◽

Good Story ◽

Ugly Duckling ◽

The University ◽

Selection Of

Stein, David E. Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise. Candlewick Press in Association with Penguin Random House Canada, 2018. In this, his second picture book starring Interrupting Chicken, Stein begins with a delightful pun: Chicken declares that every good story has “an elephant of surprise.” Papa tries to convince her that she has misheard her teacher, that every good story has “…an element of surprise.” To demonstrate, he attempts to read aloud classic folk and fairy tales: The Ugly Duckling; Little Mermaid; Rapunzel. Chicken, of course, interrupts. The Ugly Duckling gazes at his reflection and sees “…an Elephant.” The prince ascends the tower on a rope of hair to discover that his love is “…an ELEPHANT!”. Papa is dogged; he keeps trying. Chicken is relentless; she keeps interrupting. The story hour goes on with appealing silliness until Papa graciously allows it to end, not surprisingly, with elephants. A former Caldecott Honor winner, Stein creates not only this amusing storyline, but its illustration as well. He employs a variety of artistic techniques to great effect. The basic narrative, (including Chicken’s interruptions of Papa’s readings) is presented in cartoon style and bold crayon; the classic readings are highlighted with line drawings and water colour. Thus the theme of “interruption” is both conveyed and sustained by the art work. There are a few provisos about sharing this book with primary school children: a child will more fully enjoy the inappropriateness—and silliness—of Chicken’s outbursts if he or she is familiar with the plotlines of the classic tales that Papa attempts to read. The wise parent, or teacher, or librarian will ensure this familiarity in the most obvious and enjoyable way: sharing the stories. There is a further consideration: the hilarity of Chicken’s behaviour arises because she either cannot, or will not, acknowledge the literary concept of a “surprise element.” Children who, themselves, can grasp that concept will laugh harder than children who cannot. Depending on the age and maturity of the child listener, a little didacticism on the part of the adult reader may be appropriate. With these requirements satisfied, this book is a winner. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Leslie Aitken Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and academic libraries. She is a former Curriculum Librarian of the University of Alberta.

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Audrey (cow) by D. Bar-el

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g2qw4n ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Leslie Aitken

Keyword(s):

Academic Libraries ◽

Animal Rights ◽

Final Outcome ◽

Truck Driver ◽

First Person ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Black And White ◽

Visual Clue ◽

The University ◽

Selection Of

ar-el, Dan. Audrey (cow), illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. Tundra Books, 2014.In an amazing series of first person accounts, Dan Bar-el details the escape of a Charolais cow, Audrey, from her apparent destiny: the abattoir. Both her ordeal and her survival involve a huge cast of characters, some loving, some nasty, some honorable, some mercenary, some clever, some daft. Those most instrumental in Audrey’s salvation include Eddie, her devoted dog friend; Buster, a brilliant but introverted pig; Boris an outcast but ingenious skunk; and Fay, a warm hearted but political wily animal rights activist. Those at best indifferent to her existence (and, at worst, complicit in plotting her death) include Kasey the cattle truck driver, and Claudette, the cougar. There are, however, countless others who detail their role in Audrey’s harrowing adventure. Each role, in its own way, is significant in the course of events. The brilliance of Bar-el’s storytelling is that he gives every character a unique and engaging voice; in fact, the tale just begs to be dramatized or animated. Tatjana Mai-Wyss’s black and white drawings appeal to the eye, mind and heart. Some provide a necessary explanation for the reader. In particular, the drawing of the latch mechanism (p. 71) that Audrey must unhook to flee from the truck makes plausible the cow’s escape.Most independent readers (grades three to six) could handle the text and would find the story both emotionally engaging and exciting. It is, in fact, so suspenseful (and Audrey’s possible plight so horrifying) that a sensitive child might need reassurance that the final outcome is a happy one. Reading the story aloud to younger children could prove a challenge; without the visual clue of the speakers’ names (entered as subheadings)little listeners could lose their way in the multiplicity of first person accounts. However, if you are a storyteller who excels at “doing voices,” this book is for you; hesitate not to share it with the very young. Finally, a trigger warning: this book could lead to youthful declarations of vegetarianism!Reviewer: Leslie AitkenHighly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and academic libraries. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

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The Honeybee Man by L. Nargi

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g26p4x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Mead-Willis

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Picture Book ◽

English Literature ◽

Rare Book ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Special Collections ◽

Spare Time ◽

The University ◽

Local Ecology ◽

Wild Blueberry

Nargi, Lela. The Honeybee Man. Illus. Kyrsten Brooker. New York: Schwartz & Wade, 2011. Print. This charming picture book chronicles the unconventional cottage industry of Fred, a Brooklynite who spends his spare time tending three colonies of honeybees housed on the roof of his townhouse. As the day unfolds, we follow Fred’s bees as they fan out across the borough, bringing back nectar from the herb gardens, flower pots, and even wild blueberry bushes flowering therein. Fred then harvests the honey and distributes jars of it to his neighbours. With this growing popularity of urban agriculture (and urban apiculture), Nargi’s story is a timely one, clearly aimed at progressive young families interested in the connection between local ecology and human community. The book is transparently but not disagreeably didactic: bee behaviour is examined and explained (both within the context of the story and in a two-page appendix), and the processes of beekeeping and honeymaking are illuminated through Fred’s perambulations within his apartment-cum-apiary. Brooker’s illustrations, a combination of gestural painting and collage, have a patchwork, handmade quality well suited to the book’s overarching preoccupation with all things organic and homespun. Her renderings of Brooklyn’s brownstone vistas are simple in their bright, flat planes of colour, but also satisfyingly dense with decoupaged texture and detail. Like the honey made by Fred’s “tireless Brooklyn bees,” her artwork is both a concentration - and a sweetening - of the teeming heterogeneity of urban life.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sarah Mead-Willis Sarah is the Rare Book Cataloguer at the University of Alberta's Bruce Peel Special Collections Library. She holds a BA and an MLIS from the University of Alberta and an MA in English Literature from the University of Victoria.

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Today is the Day by E. Walters

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g2kp5q ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Leslie Aitken

Keyword(s):

Extended Family ◽

Young Audiences ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Line Drawings ◽

Color Palette ◽

Realistic Fiction ◽

The Creation ◽

The University ◽

First Time ◽

Selection Of

Walters, Eric. Today is the Day. Illus. Eugenie Fernandes. Toronto: Tundra Books, a division of Random House of Canada, 2015.Eric Walters, who has written a wealth of realistic fiction for Canadian children, now takes young audiences into the realm of fictionalized reality. The decision to fictionalize is warranted; the unvarnished truths with which he deals are stark enough for an adult’s comprehension, let alone that of a child. A former teacher and social worker, Walters established The Creation of Hope, a foundation which runs an orphanage in the Mbooni district in Kenya. He works with hundreds of children who have lost parents to a wide variety of causes including HIV/AIDS. Children arrive at his orphanage because any extended family members whom they might have are too impoverished or frail to provide for them. Today is the Day is set in the orphanage.Walters’ gift as a writer is the ability to create a positive, hopeful and believable moment in a harsh reality. His young protagonist, Mutanu, has awakened to a day of celebration, a day when all one hundred fifteen young residents of the orphanage would receive gifts and treats and visits from extended family. Even more exciting than these events for Mutanu and each of fifteen others, this day, July 12, was to be declared their official birthday. Such were the circumstances of their early lives that no record of their birth exists. Now, for the very first time, Mutanu’s “… coming into the world was not forgotten but was a cause for joyous celebration.”Eugenia Fernandes’ illustrations convey the expansiveness and beauty of the Kenyan landscape, the humbleness and simplicity of the orphanage. Her line drawings are generally realistic in perspective, whimsical in content. Her color palette is cheerful and sunlit. In large part, her work creates the mood of hopefulness in this book.Extensive end notes explain the purpose and setting of the Creation of Hope foundation and, as well, provide photographs of the orphanage. The background to this story is explained, and we are introduced to the real Mutanu and some of her friends. There is no direct appeal for funds in the book itself; however, the publisher’s notes indicate that “A contribution to The Creation of Hope will be made by the author and publisher based on sales of this book in Canada.” It seems a worthy cause.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie AitkenLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of literature for school, public, special and academic libraries. She was a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

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The Lonely Book by K. Bernheimer

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g2zc85 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Robert Desmarais

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Book History ◽

Picture Book ◽

English Literature ◽

Public Library ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

The Public ◽

Special Collections ◽

Information Studies ◽

The University

Bernheimer, Kate. The Lonely Book. Illus. Chris Sheban. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.This charming story about a well-loved book will not easily be forgotten. It’s the sort of picture book I would have loved to discover during my childhood visits to the public library. The tale begins in a classic fairytale style, “Once there was a brand-new book that arrived at the library.” As the story unfolds, young readers learn all sorts of details about the inner workings of a public library, including the custom that many of the newest books are placed on a special shelf in a high traffic area.The “lonely book” of this story initially had a popular and fulfilling life on the new book shelf but eventually it is relegated to the children’s section, along with countless other well-loved titles. Years pass, the book becomes a little tattered and worn, and is now checked out all too infrequently. Then, one morning, a little girl named Alice discovers it and falls in love with the story about the girl and her life under a toadstool, and so she takes it home. “The book had never felt so beloved.” Readers will discover how lonely it becomes when Alice forgets to renew her old book, and especially so when it begins a new life in the library’s storage basement. In time, Alice longs for her favourite book and despairs that she may never see it again. The story ends on a cheerful note, however, when Alice is reunited with her once cherished book at the library’s big book sale.For those of us who understand what it is like to cherish a book from our childhood, this book will bring back fond memories. The soft watercolour illustrations complement the story beautifully and they evoke a magical time when children fall in love with books, read them late into the night, fall asleep with them under their pillows, and dream sweet dreams about favourite characters and events.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Robert DesmaraisRobert Desmarais is Head of Special Collections at the University of Alberta and Managing Editor of The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature. A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information Studies, with a Book History and Print Culture designation, he also has university degrees in English literature and publishing. He has been collecting and enjoying children’s books for as long as he can remember.

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A Day at School / Une Journée à L’école by S. Cordier & C. Lacroix

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g2c32v ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Leslie Aitken

Keyword(s):

Picture Book ◽

Children’S Literature ◽

Target Audience ◽

First Year ◽

Intended Audience ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Key Factor ◽

Grade One ◽

The University ◽

Selection Of

Cordier, Séverine and Cynthia Lacroix. A Day at School / Une Journée à L’école. Trans. Sarah Quinn. Toronto: Owlkids Books, 2013. Print. The format co-creators Cordier and Lacroix use in Picture My Day, Picture My World, and A Day at the Farm succeeds very nicely in this picture book as well. Their success has much to do with both their sensitivity to the target audience (pre-school to grade one), and their anticipation of the book’s use. They provide abundant illustration, keeping the text very brief. Short sentences or mere labeling hint at, but do not force, the storyline. The latter is created, in large part, by the reader.This book would work very well in a one-on-one situation: one adult, one child. The adult might prompt,“Where do you think they went on their holidays? What are they buying for school? How are they getting ready for their day? I wonder where Mummy and the baby are going? Let’s see where Daddy and the children are going.” and so forth.Inspired by an array of color filled drawings, even a non-reading child could flesh out the story, making it the same every time—for comfort’s sake—or different every time—for variety’s sake. The key factor is the child’s involvement.The vocabulary used in the text is well within the range of the intended audience. Most five-year-olds would begin to memorize the text after a few readings; most grade ones would actually recognize and read the words by the end of their first year at school. In sum, A Day at School is an invitation to imagine, to create, to read and to learn.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie AitkenLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and university collections. She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

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Cicadas’ Singing by Jiani

The Deakin Review of Children s Literature ◽

10.20361/g2gk5r ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Robert Desmarais

Keyword(s):

Book History ◽

English Literature ◽

Private Tutor ◽

Chinese Characters ◽

University Of Alberta ◽

Special Collections ◽

Knowing That ◽

Difficult Time ◽

Information Studies ◽

The University

Jiani. Cicadas’ Singing. Edmonton: Gold Mum Publishing, 2011. Print. Cicadas’ Singing was published last year by newly established Gold Mum Publishing, which specializes in bilingual books for children. I had been taking Mandarin lessons from a private tutor recently, so this seemed like an ideal opportunity to review a book with English, Chinese characters, and pinyin (the system to transliterate Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet). The story is about a girl named Huahua who lives in 1960s China with her divorced mother. We learn that this is a difficult time to be divorced because divorced women were thought to be “dirty”, but no reason or context is provided to help readers understand this form of discrimination. Following the word “dirty” is a clumsy transition to a description of Grandma Du, who is introduced as a garbage collector; she apparently is also considered dirty, “but not in the same way”. Huahua develops a friendship with Grandma Du and they begin spending time playing with homemade toys and singing songs. Knowing that Huahua desperately wants to go to kindergarten, Grandma Du offers her some advice: “Huahua is a pretty girl and will marry a wealthy man.” Once again, the story introduces to us a cultural curiosity that begs further description, nuance, or context, but instead the story makes another rough transition, this time to the day when Huahua is old enough to attend kindergarten. Huahua goes off to school and starts to avoid her older friend because “others thought Grandma Du was dirty”. Huahua pretends not to know Grandma Du, so they no longer see each other and soon thereafter we learn that Grandma Du has died. Huahua attends the funeral with her mother where they notice an unusually large number of singing cicadas, hence the title. The first problem with this book is the story, which will likely be difficult and unsatisfying for young readers. The English text has a number of problems with punctuation, diction, and grammar, and the brief cultural notes in the appendix are woefully inadequate to explain many of the cultural references. The illustrations have a certain appeal, but they are too often overwhelmed by dense layers of text. Here’s hoping that this series improves with time. Not recommended: 1 out of 4 starsReviewer: Robert DesmaraisRobert Desmarais is Head of Special Collections at the University of Alberta and Managing Editor of The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature. A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information Studies, with a Book History and Print Culture designation, he also has university degrees in English literature and publishing. He has been collecting and enjoying children’s books for as long as he can remember.

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