Written by Amanda West Lewis Illustrated by Oliver Averill Kids Can Press 978-1-5253-0442-2 56 pp. Ages 8-12 May 2024   It isn't always easy to blend science with art in a meaningful way. But Amanda West Lewis has elegantly and effectively used poetry to intertwine the teaching of different poetic forms with the teaching of the solar system and all its components in her latest book, A Planet is a Poem. From A Planet is a Poem, written by Amanda West Lewis, illus. by Oliver Averill In fold-out double spreads, Amanda West Lewis gives us a poem, a description of the type of poem ..read more

Written by Caitlin Dale Nicholson with Leona Morin-Neilson Illustrated by Caitlin Dale Nicholson Groundwood Books 978-1-77306-859-6 24 pp. Ages 3+ April 2024  Caitlin Dale Nicholson's Nôhkom series honours the Cree grandmothers and elders who share their wisdom, their traditions, and their learning with younger generations. In ninitohtênân / We Listen, Caitlin Dale Nicholson, with translation by Leona Morin-Neilson, a teacher of Cree in BC, reflects on an outing with nôhkom during which the younger people watch and listen and learn. From ninitohtênân / We Listen, written by Cai ..read more

Words by Naseem Hrab Drawings by Kelly Collier Owlkids Books 978-1-77147-497-9 80 pp. Ages 6-8 April 2024    Like the classic early readers about Frog and Toad, Otis and Peanut have many stories to tell. The unlikely friendship of the long-haired guinea pig (Otis) and the naked mole rat (Peanut) is fodder for three more stories in Otis & Peanut: Forever and Ever that cover everything from cake to memories, gardening and absent sisters. From Otis & Peanut: Forever and Ever, written by Naseem Hrab, illustrated by Kelly Collier In the story titled "The Cake," Peanu ..read more

Written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette Owlkids Books 978-1-77147-635-5 36 pp. Ages 3-7 April 2024      To a child, everything can become an adventure with a little imagination. But when the excitement takes over, sometimes safety is forgotten. From Rumie Goes Rafting, written and illustrated by Meghan Marentette Rumie roams the forest, picking up curious bits that draw his attention. There's a red string, a yellow bread clip, a spruce cone, and more that Rumie gathers in his wagon. His curiosity takes him to a stream where he plays with a twig and then a toy ..read more

Written by Bonnie Johnstone Illustrated by Veselina Tomova Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides 978-1-998802081 40 pp. Ages 4-8 March 2024    In a tale from a Newfoundland outport, Bonnie Johnstone tells a story of a pig, a dumpling, and mayhem. It's a story that could only come from a small rural community in which everyone knows everyone else, and their actions are noted and intertwined for good and with misfortune. From The Pig and the Dumpling, written by Bonnie Johnstone, illustrated by Veselina Tomova After three fishermen tend to the garden belonging to the l ..read more

Written by Danielle Daniel Illustrated by Jackie Traverse Groundwood Books 978-1-77306-698-1 32 pp. Ages 3+ April 2024 On Earth Day, I often like to review a book that speaks to me of the natural world and particularly our relationship with the environment. Too often, it's about our negative impact on the earth which, unfortunately, has had to take the brunt of poor choices with regards to overdevelopment, pollution, and burning of fossil fuels, just to name a few. With those choices have come deforestation and loss of habitat and species diversity, and global warming. We know all that, so ..read more

Written by Ashley Qilavaq-Savard Illustrated by Pelin Turgut Inhabit Media 978-1-77227-475-2  28 pages  Ages 3-5 April 2024 Never has a rock been less of an insentient thing than in Ashley Qilavaq-Savard's I Am a Rock. For this child and his mother, this pet rock feels, sees, hears, and experiences all the seasons and life of an Arctic landscape, with or without its child by its side.   As a boy prepares for bed, a time open to great inquisition, Pauloosie asks his mother, "Anaana, what would it be like if rocks were alive?" as his adorable pet rock, Miki Rock, rests alongsi ..read more

Art by Roy Henry Vickers Text by Robert "Lucky" Budd Harbour Publishing 978-1-990776502 28 pp. Ages 2-6 April 2024    Roy Henry Vickers and Lucky Budd have taken young children on learning experiences into the natural world along the Pacific coast through their First West Coast Book series since 2017. Through colour and rhyme, shape and textured words, kids have been introduced to the concepts of the alphabet (A is for Anemone), animal sounds (Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak), numbers (One Eagle Soaring), colours (Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue) and more. Now they will graduate to a highe ..read more

On April 8, 2024 at the Bologna International Children's Book Fair, IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) announced the winners of the very prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award, given biennially, to an international author and an illustrator of books for young people has never been awarded to a Canadian, until now. This year, alongside Austrian author Heinz Janisch, the award was given to Nova Scotia illustrator (and also author) Sydney Smith.   At CanLit for LittleCanadians, I have had the pleasure to review a great number of Sydney Smith's books, bot ..read more

If you read my January 1st post about upcoming books, you'll know that there are hundreds of books of kidCanLit released in a 6 month period. While it's hard to get to all the launches that are set, it is far easier when multiple authors get together to launch their new books. In the spirit of cooperation, and under the umbrella of Authors' Booking Service, eight authors of picture books, and middle-grade fiction and non-fiction will be launching their new books in a special Group Book Launch.     Creators who will be present are Dana L. Church, Caroline Fernandez, Deborah Kerb ..read more