Sunday, August 31, 2008

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Baby Gym Series by Child's Play

A collection of rhymes and games to play with baby at any time of day.

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora

From chapters.ca:
A toddler plays a game of peekaboo with his parents, with Puppy, and with Grandma and Grandpa - and he invites readers to play along, too, in this board book edition of a favourite read-aloud.

Forget-Me-Not by Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Nancy Keating

From chapters.ca:
A poignant tale of how The Great War touched a country, and of how a man who was certain he had lost what was most important to him, finds it again through the friendship of a child. It is a story of honour and remembrance. One day in the summer of 1917, Bridget Keats sees something new. A stranger, Jake Wiseman, has come to their small Newfoundland outport. A mysterious soldier who will not show himself, he hides away on a nearby island in the old lighthouse keepers cottage. Some say he was a coward. Some say he was wounded and came back horribly scarred. No one knows for sure. It is Bridget Keats, who must bring his food to him each day. And it is Bridget who learns the truth of what is inside the man when a terrible storm forces Jake Wiseman to make as hard a choice as he has ever made.

It's Raining, It's Pouring by Kin Eagle, illustrated by Rob Gilbert

From chapters.ca:
This expanded version of a traditional rhyme shows what happens to the old man in all kinds of weather.

My Daddy and Me by Tina Macnaughton

From chapters.ca:
From award-winning illustrator, Tina Macnaughton, comes this tender declaration of love from a child for his Daddy. When Little Bear is with his Daddy, he is the fastest, tallest, happiest Little Bear in the whole world. Warm colours and a gentle rhyming text illustrate the special bond between this father and child.

Friday, August 29, 2008

The Artemmis Fowl Files by Eoin Colfer

From chapters.ca:
Two original short stories, plus puzzles, interviews with characters, and other writings that unlock secrets of the Artemis Fowl books, which feature a twelve-year-old evil genius and his dealings with fairies and other magical beings.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

World War II: The Events and the Impact on Real People by R. G. Grant

From chapters.ca:
Beginning with the complex circumstances that led to World War II, this comprehensive discussion of a world- altering war looks at the decisions made, battles fought, lives affected, and subsequent results of the war that defined the 20th century. Includes a 40-minute DVD containing vivid testimonies from soldiers and civilians alike.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Dear Sylvia by Alan Cumyn

From chapters.ca:
Owen Skye can't forget about his true love Sylvia, even though she's moved away. He still has the stationary set she gave him for his birthday, and so he decides to use it to write her. Owen is a true writer in his head but getting the right words onto the page is another story. As he nervously begins to write, young readers easily identify with his struggles against spelling, his writer's insecurity, and his deep desire to tell Sylvia the truth about what's going on in his life - and in his heart. Owen manages to write about how his little brother got his head stuck in the banister, the disastrous camping trip with his irritating cousins, and how his new baby cousin will only stop crying if he holds her...but writing the letters is only the first step. Will Owen have the courage to send them? Will he ever see Sylvia again? Alan Cumyn has given his well-loved series a new and original twist in this irresistible epistolary novel.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Peekaboo Jungle! by Emily Bolam

A lift the flap book about animals.

I Went Walking by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas

From chapters.ca:
Join a young boy for a playful stroll with a colourful parade of farm animals.

Where's Spot? by Eric Hill

From chapters.ca:
Spot has long been a popular character in children's books. This board book Spot story has flaps for children to lift as they help Spot's mother search for him.

Mama Mama by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Laura Regan

From chapters.ca:
For babies just entering the world, this comforting poem affirms the special bond between mothers and babies everywhere.

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illutrated by Eric Gurney

From chapters.ca:
For years, moms, dads and, of course, tots have been applauding Pulitzer Prize- winner Dr. Seuss for his fun, catchy and wildly imaginative children’s stories. And one tale that we’re always ready and willing to give a 'hand' to is Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb — a story that features cheery little monkeys naming parts of the body and demonstrating what they do. With illustrations in brilliant reds and blues and sing-songy rhymes that no child can resists repeating, this is an ideal way to introduce children to all of the wonderful things we can do with our bodies!

Monday, August 25, 2008

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney

From chapters.ca:
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all- white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

John Lenon: All I Want is the Truth by Elizabeth Partridge

From chapters.ca:
Partridge chronicles the emotional highs and paralysing lows John Lennon transformed into brilliant, evocative songs. With photos spanning his entire life, this is the unforgettable biography of one of rock's biggest legends.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Airman by Eoin Colfer

From chapters.ca:
Conor Broekhart was born to fly. In fact, legend has it that he was born flying in a hot air balloon at the world's fair. In the 1890's Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king's daughter, Princess Isabella. But the boy's idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king. When Conor tries to expose the plot, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions. There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So he passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines into the prison walls. The months turn into years, but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.

Friday, August 22, 2008

The Girl's Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up by Kelli Dunham

From chapters.ca:
Fun to read and easy to carry, it answers all the important questions about becoming a woman that girls are sometimes too embarrassed to ask. From hygiene to exercise, teachers to peer pressure, everything's discussed here, in a frank and friendly way: parents that drive you crazy, boys who’ve caught your eye, best friends, physical changes and menstruation, schools and grades, body image and proper nutrition, and moodiness and other emotional stuff. Sections on high school, part-time jobs, and even career planning will feed a girl’s dreams of the future.

While it is an excellent book on growing up, it does not address any issues that are particularly controversial. A good clean book for parents looking for something that does not talk too much about sex, but it will not answer any hard-hitting questions. For that, try the Little Black Book for Girlz or something similar.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

From chapters.ca:
Abandoned by their ill- humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good old- fashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from "A Christmas Carol" to "Mary Poppins", the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is a unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue- in- cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old- fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children's literature.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Count! by Denise Fleming

From chapters.ca:
Wiggle like a worm, bounce like a kangaroo, leap like a frog! Count from one gnu to 10 lizards to 50 bees. This inventive concept book is as much fun for the youngest child at home as it is for their older siblings in school.

One Little Duck by Kindersley Dorling

From chapters.ca:
Baby Fun books combine rhyming verse and simple pictures to keep even the newest minds occupied. Familiar text and bright, fresh designs spark baby's intellectual development during reading time and create an important bonding opportunity.

Ruby Sings the Blues by Niki Daly

From chapters.ca:
Ruby's voice is so loud, it drives everyone crazy. Her parents and teacher suggest that she turns down the volume, but Ruby switches it up instead, and soon even her school friends have had enough. Ruby feels blue, really blue - but Bernard and Zelda, her jazz-playing neighbours, have an idea...

Necks Out for Adventure by Timothy Basil Ering

From chapters.ca:
For as long as anyone could remember, the wiggleskins have lived by a simple rule: Necks out to eat, and necks in to hide. But then comes the dreadful day when all the wiggleskins are ripped from their holes and taken away - all but a brave little wiggleskin named Edwin. To save his mom and the rest of the clan, Edwin must shuck his shell and adopt a new rule: Necks out for adventure!

Tweedle Dee Dee by Charlotte Voake

From chapters.ca:
Come into the woods, where the green leaves grow around and around and where, high in the branches, a nest is full of cheeping birds. With radiant, expressive artwork, Charlotte Voake captures the essence of a forest as it comes alive in the spring, illustrating a simple text based on the traditional song "The Green Grass Grew All Around." Includes a musical score to inspire musicians of all ages.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Sister of the Sword by Maya Snow

From chapters.ca:
Kimi dreams of being a great samurai warrior, but she and her sister, Hana, are young ladies of feudal Japan, daughters of the Jito of the province. Her future seems clear: Girls do not become samurai. Then, betrayal shatters the sisters' world. Their power- hungry uncle murders their father, and their mother and little brother mysteriously disappear. Determined to seek revenge and restore their honour, they disguise themselves as boys to train at a school for samurai. Kimi and Hana are thrown headlong into a life of warrior codes, sharp swords, and shadowy figures — as they work with fierce determination to avenge the brutal wrongs done to their family. In a flash, life has swept them into a terrible adventure, more heart-pounding than Kimi and Hana ever could have imagined...and once it has been set in motion, nothing will ever be the same.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Little Dinosaur by Mike Thaler, illustrated by Paige Miglio

From chapters.ca:
Lovely stories capture the charms of Little Dinosaur's everyday world. Little Dinosaur was bigger than ants. So he was very careful not to step on any. But he was so much bigger, he didn't mind if any stepped on him. Little Dinosaur is busy from the moment he opens his eyes until he buttons his pajamas and tumbles into bed. He paints pictures of the clouds in the sky, plays card tricks, and has great sea battles in the bathtub. When bedtime finally comes, he is ready to put on his nighttime cap and enter the world of dreams. Beautifully simple stories and charming illustrations capture Little Dinosaur's world - the imaginative world of every toddler.

It's Library Day by Janet Morgan Stoeke

It's library day at school and everyone gets to go! Each child wants something different, but the librarian can help them all.

Drop Dead by Babette Cole

From chapters.ca:
Two thoroughly modern grandparents tell their skeptical grandchildren their life stories of growing from one-year-old bald wrinkles into eighty-year-old bald wrinkles, and along the way demonstrate that children have no monopoly on fun or living dangerously.

Charlie Cook's Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson, illustrated Axel Scheffler

From chapters.ca:
Julia Donaldson is one of the UK's best-loved children's authors. Her award-winning collaborations with Axel Scheffler include the modern classic The Gruffalo and its irresistible sequel The Gruffalo's Child.
Charlie Cook is reading a book about a pirate captain, who is reading a book about Goldilocks, who is reading about a knight, who is reading about a frog....From kings and queens to aliens and ghosts, there's something for everyone in Charlie's amazing book!

Josephine Wants to Dance by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley

From chapters.ca:
From the award-winning duo behind the bestselling Diary of a Wombat comes this story of a kangaroo who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Filled with lots of pink, this picture book is ideal for little girls focusing on their own dancing dreams.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Jellaby by Kean Soo

From chapters.ca:
Quiet, brilliant Portia has just moved to a new neighborhood with her mom. Adjusting to life without a father is hard enough, but school is boring and her classmates are standoffish - and even Portia's mom is strangely distant. But things start looking up when Portia mounts a late- night excursion into the woods behind her house and discovers a shy, sweet- natured purple monster. Life with Jellaby is a lot more exciting, but Portia's purple friend has secrets of his own; secrets that may even lead to the mystery of Portia's father's disappearance.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Big Brave Brian by M. P. Robertson

From chapters.ca:
Big Brave Brian is the bravest man in the world. His house is filled with hideous beasts: disgusting, slimy bog monsters, fearsome giants, and all manner of mysterious things that go bump in the night. But there is one thing that Brian is terrified of, and it’ s in his bedroom, waiting for him to come in...Brian’ s collection of wonderfully grotesque creatures appeals to children's sense of fun, and his amusing, surprising fear provides the perfect starting point to discuss a young child’s own fears and worries.

Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne

From chapters.ca:
This classic children’s book follows a white bear’s ingenuous escape from two hunters, with the use of his magic pencil with which everything he draws becomes real. Children will love the way bear draws himself quickly out of a very tricky situation.

ABC's by Charley Harper

A beautifully illustrated animal ABC board book for young children.

You and Me, Baby by Lynn Reiser, photographs by Penny Gentieu

From chapters.ca:
"Hey, Baby! Look at you, looking at me, looking at you looking at me," says the parent narrator of this interactive book that helps new parents interact with babies as young as two months. Big close-up photographs illustrate each phrase. Lynn Reiser's minimal text promotes early language development while it helps cement the bond between parent and baby. Penny Gentieu's adorable photographs of real babies and their parents portray the warmth of that bond.

Cowlick by Christin Ditchfield , illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

From chapters.ca:
...She comes in the middle of the night, when everyone is sleeping. When she sees a smooth little head on a pillow, she can't resist giving it a cow kiss — sluuurrrp! Cowlick! gives young readers an imaginative and playful explanation for the "bedhead" that afflicts us all!

Friday, August 15, 2008

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small

From chapters.ca:
A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained- up hound deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar- Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But they are safe in the Underneath...as long as they stay in the Underneath.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

No Haircut Today! by Elivia Savadier

From chapters.ca:
Here's a book about a problem EVERY parent can relate to - and one that's right on the money. In a simple, beguiling way Elivia Savadier captures the trials and tribulations leading up to a child's first haircut. The reader is first introduced to Dominic's hair - some of it curly, some straight, but no matter what shape it's in, Dominic has no intention of having it cut. His mother is beside herself but when Dominic sees that she's upset, a change of heart may be in the offing....

Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wetts

From chapters.ca:
Read To You Bunny is an invitation to the world of reading - a poem your child will want to hear again and again. Make it a prelude to reading with your own little bunnies every day - and soon they'll be reading back to you.

Where is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz

From chapters.ca:
One of baby’s favourite games, peek-a-boo, is wonderfully illustrated in Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? This fun flap book is geared at youngsters age one to three. The flaps of this book unveil the different parts of a baby’s body. The fun results in a game that’s both engaging and educational.

Ollie the Stomper by Olivier Dunrea

From chapters.ca:
Gossie wears red boots, Gertie wears blue boots, but Ollie has no boots. Stomping bootless after Gossie and Gertie as they tromp in the straw, romp in the rain, and jump over puddles in their colorful boots leaves Ollie frustrated. Little Ollie decides he really wants his own pair of boots...but what will he do if he gets them? Any toddler who has had to keep up with an older brother or sister will relate to Ollie as he finds his own way in the barnyard.

Counting Kisses by Karen Katz

From chapters.ca:
How many kisses does a tired baby need? Count and kiss
along with this bedtime book, now in a sturdy format perfect for the youngest readers.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson

From chapters.ca:
It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Moonpowder by John Rocco

Eli can fix anything, but he can't get a good night's sleep with sweet dreams. When the moon comes to ask for his help Eli realises that they may be able to help one another.

Fair Monaco by Brock Cole

From chapters.ca:
Maggie, Katie and Little Nora go to visit their old Granny in her rundown home in the city. There’s nothing to do, so they go to bed early. At first, strange noises trigger scary dreams, but bad dreams soon turn to good. The next morning, Granny spins a tale from long ago, when she danced with the prince in fair Monaco.

No Matter What by Emma Dodd

Even though you're not always perfect, mommy will love you, no matter what.

Ducks Don't Wear Socks by John Nedwidek, illustrated by Lee White

From chapters.ca:
Emily is a serious girl. She enjoys serious things like bird- watching, math, and playing the cello. But one day while she's taking a walk, Emily runs into Duck, who is anything but serious...
Through a series of humorous run-ins, Duck teaches Emily the importance of laughing, especially at oneself.

Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox, illustrated by Lydia Monks

From chapters.ca:
Everyone knows Sleeping Beauty has to be woken with a kiss, except Prince Charming. Every time the fairies watching over her try to tell him, he interrupts with his ideas of how to wake her. Eventually he gets the message, and his reaction is priceless.

Monday, August 11, 2008

The Apprentice's Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain by Melanie Little

From chapters.ca:
A young adult novel set in 14th-century Spain, tells the story of a family with a secret at a time when the Inquisition brings intolerance and torture. Written in elegant free verse this is a dramatic story set in a troubling time.
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