Somewhere Among

Finished January 28

Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu

This children's novel is narrated by eleven-year-old Ema. As the story opens Ema and her parents are taking taxi from their small apartment to the other side of Tokyo where her father's parents live. Ema's mother is from the United States and teaches English at a college. She's having a difficult pregnancy, so the plan is to live with her Obaachan (grandmother) and Jiichan (grandfather) so that her mother can rest. This means that Ema can't go to her usual school as it is too far away. 

At first her Papa tries to stay there as well, but the commute to his work is too long and he gets too tired. It is June, shortly before the normal school year ends, so Ema will get tutored by her Obaachan until she starts at the new school in September. Ema is a pretty good kid, and she's excited to have a sibling, so she tries to not worry her mother over things. Usually in the summer she goes with her mother to visit her California grandparents, Nana and Grandpa Bob, but this year she will miss that, so she talks to them on the phone and writes to them. 

The novel is told in a series of poems, with each one dated. We see how Ema has some trouble adjusting to living with her grandparents. Her Obaachan runs the house and has rules and expectations, so Ema finds her a little cold, but she is close to her Jiichan and they spend time together. 

By the time school starts, he finds her a used bicycle to go back and forth with and he fills in her mother's duties on the Mama Patrol that watches out for the kids safety going to and from school. But this novel also takes place in 2001, and when the planes hit the towers in New York City, Ema is unable to prevent her mother from learning the news. 

I really liked Ema and understood her feelings of not fitting in due to her mixed heritage. Changing schools is hard and she also has to deal with a bully, something she hasn't encountered before and tries to hide from her mother. 

This is a book that draws you in with the character and the poetry format means that a reader can take their time as they go through the book. 

Enchanted Glass

Finished December 8

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

This middle grade fantasy has a great setting, interesting characters, and a plot with interesting elements. 

Andrew Hope's magician grandfather has recently died and left him everything from his house and land to his magical field of care. Andrew, a university professor, moves into the house, but plans to continue his research. The cook/housekeeper and the gardener are vying to see who can get the upper hand in terms of control and both bring in relatives as additional employees as part of this competitiveness. One of them is Stashe, an attractive and efficient secretary and research assistant who also plays a larger role in terms of magic. The other is Shaun, a simple and earnest young man who has mechanical know how and is willing to work hard at whatever job he is given.

When a boy, Aidan, arrives at the house, things begin to get even more interesting. Aidan's grandmother, who raised him, has recently died leaving him in foster care, but she'd given him instructions to seek out Andrew's grandfather should anything happen to her, so he has. Andrew takes Aidan's situation seriously, guarding him from the creatures who seem to be threatening him, and looking for a longer term solution. 

Since one of Andrew's first tasks is to walk the boundaries of the field of care, he asks Aidan to accompany him on this series of outings and they both begin to learn more about their own magical abilities. Andrew also learns of threats to his field of care and the village itself and is determined to keep control. As he learns more about the two stained glass windows on the property, and the way the magic works, he grows into proper adulthood. 

A captivating read. 

The Umbrella House

Finished October 5

The Umbrella House by Colleen Nelson

This children's book is not only entertaining, it also teaches a bit about American social history, a movement that I was not aware of previously. The Canadian author lived in New York City for a few years, and was interested in the real Umbrella House history and wove it into this story set in the present day. Umbrella House was an abandoned apartment building that the city took possession of, and tried to make unliveable for any squatters. The city filled the drain pipes with concrete, tore holes in the roof and created barricades to access. In 1988 people began living in the house regardless. They began fixing it up to be liveable, and at first used umbrellas to protect against the water coming in through the holes in the roof, giving the building its name. In 2010, they legalized the building as a low income coop. 

In this story, big developers threaten the building once again, and the book shows how housing has an impact on community. Many of the original tenants were artists and this book shows the impact of art as well.

I enjoyed the stories around the two middle grade kids at the center of this novel, both tenants of the building. Roxy lives with her grandmother, one of the original tenants, and her friend Scout lives with his two mothers, more recent tenants. They also run an e-newsletter about the community, with Roxy writing, and Scout doing graphic art. Part of their story is a competition involving a short video, and Scout has also had a teacher recommend a residential summer school to advance his art skills, which he can apply to for free attendance.

I liked the passion of both the kids and adults and the relatable story about affordable housing in urban areas, one I've seen friends and coworkers struggle with. 

A great read. 

Mya's Strategy to Save the World

Finished May 23

Mya's Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

This children's novel is narrated by Mya, a 12-year-old girl, living in Vancouver. Mya and her best friend Cleo are the co-leaders of her school's social justice club. Each month they pick a cause or theme and work to support it. Mya's dream is of working for the United Nations. 

As the novel begins, Mya's mother leaves for Myanmar where Mya's grandmother has taken ill, where she plans to look after her until she is able to travel back to Canada. 

Mya is engaging is a lot of things typical for her age: trying to convince her parents that she deserves to have a phone like most of her friends do, beginning to take an interest in boys, and starting to make money from babysitting. With her mom away, Mya also takes on more responsibilities around the house like learning how to cook. She is also tasked with picking up her younger sister from school and supervising her skateboarding lessons. 

There are successes and missteps in her various endeavours. When an accident leaves Mya to take charge without warning, she proves herself up to the challenge.

I enjoyed seeing Mya come to live and grow as a person. She's earnest, but also has a lighter side. A fun read. 

Berani

Finished May 20

Berani by Michelle Kadarusman

This children's novel takes the reader to Indonesia, where young Malia has chosen a controversial topic for a school assignment, stop using palm oil to save the habitat of orangutans and other native animals. When she starts an online petition, she finds herself in real trouble, as the government education regulator suspends both her and her teacher. 

Malia is the child of an Indonesian father and Canadian mother, and goes to a private school. Recently Malia's father died and her mother plans to move back to Canada. So while she won't have long term effects from this, her teacher would. Malia looks to find a way to apologize while still being true to her feelings and values. 

Along with Malia's story is the story of Ari. He grew up in a small village where his family grew rice. His extended family saved for him to go live with an uncle and go to school. Ari works in his uncle's restaurant after school and weekends. He feels bad that his female cousin Suni isn't also given the educational opportunity as he feels that she is smarter than him. His uncle keeps an orangutan that he won in a card game in a cage in front of the restaurant. The orangutan, that they call Ginger Juice was treated like a loved pet when she was young, but put in the cage as she got older. His uncle also has a mynah bird called Elvis Presley that he keeps in cage as well. Both of them are considered 'attractions' by the uncle. Ari has connected with Ginger Juice and feels badly for her situation. When he attends a chess tournament and sees a flyer Malia created, he begins to wonder if he can change things, and save the orangutan. 

Besides the personal stories of these two young people, we also get to see how the orangutan feels. She reflects on her life with her mother before being captured, how she misses her life in the rainforest and her mother. She remembers the name her mother called her Berani, and thinks of herself as that. This aspect really shows the reader the intelligence in this animals and the cruelty of keeping them in this situation. 

This is a book that opens children's minds to other ways of living, and of choices that can be made that might take courage to begin. A really interesting and engaging novel. 

Out of the Valley of Horses

Finished May 10

Out of the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr

This children's novel is set in a near future where a family decides to leave the city during a difficult time. There has been a spreading illness, and societal unrest as a result. The main character, Honey, is a young child, and her grandfather used to drive an ice cream truck. After he retired, he and her grandmother converted the truck into a small camper van equipped with solar panels. Honey's parents and her grandmother took her and her younger brother and went into the countryside looking for a place to camp and live for a while. They came to a place where a bridge took them into a mountain valley where there were a number of extraordinary horses. 

This all happened seven years earlier. Honey and her family discovered that they could no longer find their way out of the valley soon after they arrived. Since then, they've lived off the land and the supplies that they brought with them. They are generally content there, but miss their extended family. 

They have grown close to the horses. Each family member has been chosen by a horse who will let them ride it and whom they have a close relationship with. Honey's horse is Moongold, a name she knows belongs to it. The horses do dances together and sometimes make communal noises that sound like a song to the family. 

The story is interspersed with texts from the family looking for them, and hoping they are well, unsure what happened to them. Each of the adults in the family has phones, but they aren't connecting with the outside world. 

When Honey's father starts feeling unwell, they try harder to find a way out, but nothing they try seems to work, all trails leading back to their valley. They are reminded of a story of their great-grandfather's when he took a ride out of the city on his horse and found a valley. He stayed there for seven years, in a cabin he built himself, and then was able to leave and come out to the rest of the world. 

Honey's upcoming eleventh birthday will be exactly seven years since the family entered the valley. She can't help but wonder if this will be the chance they have to leave the valley they love to save her father, even if it means leaving the valley forever. 

I really enjoyed this tale of magic and resilience. The family has used their skills and resources well, growing some food, and finding others in their environment. The adults teach the kids, and share stories as part of a routine. Honey is at the age where she is adult enough to notice changes in the situation and look for ways to help. A great story. 

The Crows of Pearblossom

Finished January 1

The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley, illustrations by Barbara Cooney

This is the only children's story of Huxley to survive. He told stories to his niece, but after a fire most were lost. This one survived because the neighbours mentioned in the story had a copy of it. It was originally written in 1944, but the copy I read was from 1967.

I was visiting my mother-in-law and she had just received it from an order she'd placed. 

The crow mother lays an egg every day and later goes off to do her shopping. The egg is always gone when she returns and she can't figure it out until she returns early one day and sees a rattlesnake, who lives at the bottom of the tree she is nesting in, swallowing her egg. She is terribly upset and tells her partner when he returns, that she wants him to go down and kill the snake. 

Instead, he goes off to his friend Owl and they work out a plan, that goes off very well. with the snake immobilized and unable to eat any more of Mrs. Crow's eggs. 

Happy

Finished June 14

Happy by Mies van Hout

This is the shorter, board book version of the picture book by the same name. Like the longer version, the pictures are vibrant and eye-catching and the colours for each fish and corresponding emotion relate to that emotion nicely. With the simple, single word text on each set of pages, this book will appeal to both children and those using the book to engage with those children. 

Recommended for ages 1-3, this book is a welcome addition to introduce children to the concept of emotions at a young age. 

Small Spaces

Finished March 11

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

I've enjoyed this author's adult novels and thought I would try one of her children's novels. Small Spaces is the first book in a series of novels featuring paranormal elements in our world. The story is centered on 11 year old Ollie, who is still grieving the loss of her mother. She loves books and wandering in the woods near her Vermont home. One day, when she's going to her secret forest reading spot, she finds someone already there, a woman who seems distraught and who is about to throw a book into the river. Ollie grabs the book from her hands and takes off. When she examines the book later, she finds it is a sort of diary told by a woman whose husband made an agreement with "the smiling man" to find his brother again. 

A few days later, when Ollie's class goes on a field trip to a nearby farm, she finds several things unsettling, from the substitute bus driver, to the presence of the woman she'd seen earlier. There are also numerous scarecrows on the farm who give off an eerie vibe to Ollie. 

When their bus back to school breaks down and leaves them on the side of a deserted road near the forest, Ollie and two other students who follow her, try to make their way to safety, using the words that Ollie found in the book about keeping to small spaces, and the guidance that she gets from her mother through a device.

This is a creepy story with suspenseful and tense moments. Ollie is a girl who cares about others, and also one who is able to find calmness in a crisis. I read the book in one sitting, eager to know what happened. 

The pace is fast and the main characters of Ollie, Brian, and Coco have some depth to them. I'm interested in seeing how this series continues. 

The Scar

Finished November 27

The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic, illustrated by Olivier Tallec

This emotional picture book is aimed at a specific audience, and one that would be useful in certain circumstances, read to a child by an adult close to them, helping them through a difficult time. The opening words are stark, touching, and give a truth that is also a revelation. They are:

Mom died this morning.

It wasn't really this morning.

Dad said she died during the night,

but I was sleeping during the night.

For me, she died this morning.

Those words, together with the simple yet perfect illustration of a young boy lying on his bed looking up, take us into the feelings of the narrator. 

As he tells us the story of his loss and grief and that of his father as well, we see how he works through it, the emotions that he has been going through and continues to feel. Moundlic's writing brings the scenes to life, like when he describes his crying father "he looked like a washcloth, all crumpled and wet," and he expresses his struggle to understand how to help his father. 

This book had me in tears, but also left me feeling comforted as I relate to his loss. 

A good addition to a public library parenting collection. 

The Imaginary Alphabet

Finished September 23

The Imaginary Alphabet by Sylvie Daigneault

This picture book is an absolute delight. It is an alphabet book, an image finding book, a humorous book, and just a delight to read. You can spend hours over it as you search the details and enjoy every aspect of it, or just read it through. Each alphabet letter has an image with an alliterative description that mentions some of the images starting with that letter. For example, the cover image is for F and says "Fancy Ferrets Feeling Famous and Fabulous." There are several unmentioned images in each picture that begin with that letter as well (one example here is frogs) and at the back of the book there are lists of images for each letter. I did, however, find one that wasn't listed and there may be more that I didn't notice (mine was at the letter K). 

This is a book that will delight readers of all ages, provide a fun way to learn, and enlarge your vocabulary. Daigneault has an introduction where she talks about the inspiration and vision for the book, along with how she came to create it. It shows the passion that she has for her work. 

A Flower is a Friend

Finished August 2

A Flower is a Friend by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Karen Patkau

This picture book is both delightful and educational. Full page pictures of flowers also include creatures that have a relationship with that particular plant, whether it be pollinating, feeding, sheltering, or protecting it from other creatures who harm it. 

There is a simple story that goes along with text opposite each picture, telling the reader what flowers do, and then there is section of information about the creatures that interact with each flower explaining the role they play, and at the very back is a list of the flowers depicted, with their page number. 

This book can be used differently with different ages of children as they first enjoy the simple story and pictures and then move on to learning about nature and how flora and fauna interact with each other. 

The illustrations are very realistic and the reader can spend time looking at the details in each image. At the end of the main story is a double page spread that encourages the reader to spend time looking for the variety of creatures in the more panoramic image of a flower garden. 

 

Percy's Perfect Friend

Finished May 12

Percy's Perfect Friend by Lana Button, illustrations by Peggy Collins

This picture book shows children interacting in a community space. Percy is shy and new to the group. He spots a stuffed cat, and begins to interact with it. He introduces himself to her and gives her a name, Miss Petticomb. Then they agree to play together. They play for a while, but when Percy takes his attention away briefly, he finds her gone. He searches the room and finds her at a tea party, but when he attempts to take her back, he must interact with other children who are now playing with her. As they each lay their claims to Miss Petticomb, they reveal information about how she is special to each of them in that moment. When Percy decides that he has lost his friend to these other children, he begins to walk away and be alone again, but when he looks back at her he finds the courage to offer something new that will join him to this group. 

This is a lovely story of shyness and how it can be hard to make new friends. 

The pictures work really well to bring the words to life, and engage the young reader with the story. The author, who is an early childhood educator has added a note at the end of the book explaining the nature of play and how it can help develop social skills in children, even when it begins with a stuffed animal friend. 

A great addition to any library. 

While You Sleep

Finished March 25

While You Sleep by Jennifer Maruno, illustrated by Miki Sato

This picture book is a great one for bedtime. I particularly love the multimedia images by Sato. They are made from layers of textures made of paper, cloth, and stitches in a collage that really adds to the beauty of the book.

The story is of a girl going to bed, while a team of rabbits work to tidy up the world and put everything in its place while she sleeps. 

The bunnies are nice and fuzzy and can be seen waiting while she ends her day. She even has a stuffed bunny she hugs. She also has a grey and white cat that stays near her, observing everything.

The bunnies go to work once she is in bed, polishing the sun, combing the grass, dusting the butterflies, clouds mended, flowers painted, rainbows charged, the Milky Way embroidered, and the stars swept into their places. 

This is a book that flows as each step of the bedtime routine aligns with the tidying of the world and sky. It lends itself to being read slowly, looking at the detail of the illustrations, and softly as the reader and child wind down their day along with the child in the story.

An absolutely lovely book, with beautiful language and images that echo those words. 

Easter Morning, Easter Sun

Finished March 25

Easter Morning, Easter Sun by Rosanna Battigelli and Tara Anderson

This picture book has a cat family celebrating Easter from first thing in the morning until last thing in the evening. The figures are drawn engaging in human activity from wearing special clothes to Easter egg hunting. Besides the cats, we also see mice and birds, bees and the Easter Bunny.

They are finely drawn with lots of detail and come alive on the page. There are many details in the backgrounds as well from the stone path seen on the cover to trees and flowers.

The words are simple with four words to a page and each 2-page spread offering rhyming words. 

The morning starts with Easter buns, hot crosses on top and straight from the oven. It continues with Easter bonnets and an egg hunt, and a picnic with activities. It ends with an Easter dinner with the Easter bunny. 

A perfect book for the coming holiday.

Dinos Driving

Finished November 20

Dinos Driving by Lynn Leitch, illustrations by Scot Ritchie

Dinosaurs are a common interest of children and this book provides information on different types of dinosaurs in a humorous and interesting way. Readers are asked to imagine what kind of cars different dinosaurs might drive based on their known attributes. From physical characteristics to diet to behaviours, these attributes are used as reasoning for the choices here. 

The illustrations bring both the dinosaurs and the attributes to life, showing an adult velociraptor driving their family around in their Mini, a group of motorcycle riding Triceratops, and a bus driver Diplodocus among others. The book pairs up the dinosaurs with vehicles in the main narrative, with information given about the dinosaurs at the end.

As usual with this publisher, at the end of the book additional activities are suggested. These include having a conversation with the child about the pairings and why they might be matched the way they are, coming up with matches for other dinosaurs or other animals, doing their own illustrations based on those ideas, and coming up with poses or actions to match with the different dinosaurs that can then be acted out. 

A fun and silly book that definitely has child appeal. 

Birds on Wishbone Street

Finished October 6

Birds on Wishbone Street by Suzanne Del Rizzo

This picture book is another lovely creation of Suzanne Del Rizzo. Her books are illustrated with her mixed media creations including a lot of polymer clay elements. This 3D effect really makes the pictures special and lively.

Here we have Moe (Maureen) who father immigrated to North America from Ireland. She is friends with many of the more recent immigrants on her street, who have come from a variety of places around the world. The most recent addition is Sami and his family who have come from Syria. Meo delivers a gift to Sami with winter mitts, hot cocoa and a feather. This is especially apt as Sami is a bird lover. He has a treasured pair of binoculars to watch to the birds and his box of treasures contains other bird-related items. When a female cardinal is found downed after a snowstorm, the children work with a local vet to ensure that she doesn't have injuries they can't see, and Moe learns that Sami had pigeons back home and can look after the cardinal until she is well enough to go back to her mate. 

This is a story of friendship, caring, and community told through one experience. A lovely story that will find a treasured place in many homes. 

Hello, Dark

Finished October 8

Hello, Dark by Wai Mei Wong, illustrated by Tamara Campeau

This picture book was inspired by the author's experiences as an early childhood educator with children with nighttime anxiety. The main character here is a little boy who has been afraid of the dark. He takes control of the situation by talking to the dark, and asking it to be friends with him. He first expresses his worries about the dark and how it makes him feel. He then talks about some of the good things about the dark, how it protects those creatures that are active at night and allows us to see the moon and stars more clearly. This is when he makes his offer of friendship, describing how they can talk to each other, play imaginary games together, listen to music and count sheep. 

The illustrations show the dark as a shape, but not as a monster, more as a shadow, and I loved the details of the boy's room and the outdoor world. His interest in vehicles is clear. 

This is a book that directly addresses the fears that some young children have about the dark and allays them. I liked that the boy took control, a good message for kids about how they interact with things in their world, as a active participant. 

I think this will be a useful book for many families. 

The Cow Said Boo!

Finished September 30

The Cow Said Boo! by Lana Button, illustrated by Alice Carter

This delightful tale is perfect for coming up to Hallowe'en. The book begins with the cow hanging out her laundry while dealing with a head cold. Instead of saying "Moo!", it sounds like she is saying "Boo!", so when she stumbles into the clothesline and gets a sheet caught around her, she ends up scaring all her other farm animal friends by looking and sounding like a very large and scary ghost.

As often happens when people are scared and then find out that the thing that scared them wasn't really scary, after their fear ends, at first they get a little angry.

But that night, a fox creeps onto the farm up to no good, and the cow is able to scare the fox as well, saving all her friends from this dangerous intruder. Her friends realize that not only had she saved them, she was ill, and so they rally together and look after her until she is well and can say "Moo!" again. However, as often happens when you spend time closely with someone who is sick without protection, the other animals have now caught her cold, and so the noises they normally make come out sounding odd as well. 

The back inside cover offers instructions on how to wash your hands (or hooves and paws!) properly to keep from getting or passing along a cold through touch.

The illustrations really bring the story to life and show the personalities of the animals. 

A fun and lighthearted read about a group of friends. 

Harley the Hero

Finished September 6

Harley the Hero by Peggy Collins

This picture book is based on a real service dog who assists a teacher. The children in the class in the story are taught to understand the role of service dogs and how to behave around them. Because they can't interact with Harley, their teacher's service dog while he is on duty, they write letters to him. Told from the point of view of one of the children in the class this story shows how he feels about Harley and his teacher Mrs. Pritchard, how one of his classmates Amelia interacts with Harley, and how Harley understands Amelia in ways that her classmates don't always. 

Harley has an Animail mailbox to receive the letters and gifts (including) that the children have for him. 

Their class is one of the quieter ones in the school due to Harley's presence. 

The story deals in particular with one day when some curtains caught fire and the children had to react to the danger. Even though the children have practiced what to do in an emergency, when the real thing happens, they aren't as organized as they expected. There is noise and smoke and it is distracting and scary. Harley stays focused though and he protects all the students, as well as Mrs. Pritchard. Harley is the hero of the day.

I liked the way the kids learned here, and how they reacted in realistic ways to a difficult situation. This is a good introduction to some things that are important to know about service dogs as well.