Everything I need to know in life, I learned from children's literature
Whether your kids are looking forward to a new school year or clinging to the end of summer, a good book can gently ease them back into an academic routine. Here are 10 new Canadian titles featuring warm welcomes, new friends, try-outs, social anxiety and fresh starts. Watch the segment online here. Picture Books, Ages… Continue reading As Seen on CTV: Back-to-School Reading List for Kids
When it rains, it pours! April showers bring a fresh new crop of Canadian kid’s books. Watch the segment here. Three Picture Books for Kids 3-7 RAINY DAYS (Pajama Press) Written in gentle rhyming couplets, this book is a celebration of the simple, ordinary joys of a rainy day, like splashing in puddles or finding… Continue reading As Seen on CTV Your Morning: Fresh Spring Reads for Kids
Graphic novels are here to stay! Many parents will be familiar with big names like Captain Underpants, Dogman and The Wimpy Kid, but there is a bumper crop of homegrown graphic novels by Canadian creators that your kids will love, covering a whole range of topics and genres. My original list had 10 titles, but… Continue reading As Seen on CTV Your Morning: 8 Canadian Graphic Novels for Kids
Canadian author Anna Humphrey first came across my radar when I read (and loved) her funny, charming, Sarah Dessen-esque YA novel Rhymes With Cupid. Anna is now the author of four books for YA and middle grade readers and despite the range in age, the one thing they all have in common is Anna's deft, light… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Q&A with Anna Humphrey
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
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
There is a surge in middle grade graphic novels featuring female protagonists that I am totally into. Some of these books are memoirs ( Smile, Sisters, and El Deafo) and others are fiction (Drama, Chiggers, or This One Summer). Fiction or non-fiction, they are all fabulous, and now there is a new kid on the block… Continue reading Skate Like a Girl: Roller Girl Review
It's my favourite time of year! Pumpkins, black cats everywhere, clever costumes, and amazing ghost stories. What's not to love about Halloween? Here is a round-up of some spooky, atmospheric and down-right terrifying books perfect for those of us who wait all year for October: The Swallow by Charis Cotter If you've read Summer Days,… Continue reading Feeling Halloweenish: 4 Spooky Books
At this point Jane, The Fox & Me has collected so many accolades that I am just one more voice in the choir. The story of a girl who feels bullied and so retreats into the world of Jane Eyre only to be enchanted by a fox appeals to me in all possible ways. I… Continue reading Melancholic Perfection: Jane, The Fox and Me Review
Vikki VanSickle 