June is Indigenous History Month in Canada. We have a long way to go in recognizing the rights of Indigenous people and acknowledging the truth about our violent and ugly past. My CTV Your Morning segment is a privilege and I strive to include a wide-range of books and creators on each list. This month's … Continue reading As Seen on CTV: Indigenous History Month Kids’ Book List
In honour of the first I Read Canadian day, my most recent CTV Your Morning segment features Canadian read-alikes, equivalents to big US or UK classics. Watch the segment here, or read on for my selections. Recently, the New York Public Library shared their most frequently checked out books and Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy … Continue reading As seen on CTV Your Morning: I Read Canadian Day
January is Mental Health Awareness month in Canada. The conversation, especially around Bell Let's Talk Day on January 29th, is getting louder, more nuanced, and larger in scope, yet it can be hard to address these issues with children. I'm so grateful to the team at CTV Your Morning who continue to support children's books … Continue reading As Seen on CTV: Kids’ Books That Address Mental Health & Wellness
Last week I got to talk to one of my favourite people, Ann Foster, about middle grade fiction. When not working at the Saskatoon Public Library recco-ing kids and teen books, she is writing about fashion in TV over at You Know You Love Fashion (currently chronicling the enviable wardrobe of Phryne Fisher) and spearheading a … Continue reading Middle Grade Gift Suggestions 2016
Cat is not at all excited to be moving to foggy, seaside Bahia de la Luna, particularly when she learns that it is a sort of capital for ghosts. But doctors have agreed that it is a better place for her sister Maya, who has Cystic Fibrosis. Cat is torn between wanting to make new … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Ghosts
This has already been a staggeringly good year for middle grade (don't call it a comeback), with personal favourites such as Raymie Nightingale, The Wild Robot, Look Out for the Fitzgerald Trouts, and Pax garnering all sorts of buzz and attention. Here is a sampling of the new kids on the block this fall: Ghosts … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Fall 2016 Preview
Whether you're lakeside, poolside, or inside, summer is the best time to read. Silly, spooky, thought-provoking and engrossing; here are some new(ish) books guaranteed to keep you or the middle grade reader in your life occupied this summer. Wolf Hollow We all have those keystone books in our lives, the ones so deeply affecting that … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Summer Reading Picks 2016
If you don't already know Ursula Vernon, you will soon. This author-illustrator is on the verge of making it big. The creator of the very funny Dragonbreath series as well as a few equally hilarious middle grade novels, Vernon's new series Hamster Princess casts my new favourite rodent in a proposed series of fractured fairytales. … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Harriet the Invincible
With that bright blue cover, bouncy font and beach-y theme, Sunny Side Up looks like a typical summer read. But looks can be deceiving. Sunny Side Up is a moving story about coming to terms with difficult secrets disguised as a typical summer read. So-called 'typical' elements include a summer spent away from home, steamy days spent … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Sunny Side Up
As a kid I used to pick Dandelions, purple clover and Queen Anne's Lace and bring them home to be put in a vase and displayed on the kitchen table. I did not understand the difference between a weed and a flower. It's all a matter of perspective; one person's weed is another person's flower. … Continue reading The Art of Noticing: Sidewalk Flowers Review
