Ocean science

Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea
by Helaine Becker


What is the ocean? What is it made of? And how does it work? 

Find out all about the ocean - how it functions, how pollution affects it, how animals live in it - by following the experiments in this fun science book. Using simple household items, young scientists can discover what makes the ocean salty, how ocean currents are formed, what happens when pollutants mix, and how fish hide themselves from predators. Kids can also create underwater volcanoes, imitate sea stars, or use the bathtub to observe tsunamis and icebergs.

An excellent, hands-on book, perfect for home schoolers and independent learners.

Talking about death

Talking about Death: A Dialogue between Parent and Child
by Earl A. Grollman


It is understandably difficult to explain to a child that someone they know has died. Earl Grollman's book is an excellent resource for those who are unsure about how to begin. With his gentle, sympathetic guidance, parents will be able to understand their child's varied reactions and emotions and find the right words to use that will comfort instead of frighten. Since an adult's own reactions to death influence the reactions of their children, Grollman wisely urges parents to accept grief, to express emotions, and to be honest when telling children how a person died.


Highly recommended for all families coping with loss.

Teens and grief

 When a Friend Dies: A Book for Teens About Grieving & Healing
by Marilyn E. Gootman


The death of a friend is a terrible shock. It is a difficult event to deal with, even more so if you are a teen. For many teens, a friend's death is the first death they have ever experienced in their lives, and the first funeral they have ever attended. They're often unsure how to act, how to grieve, how to go on. 


Author Marilyn Gootman has seen her own children suffer from the death of a friend, and she understands what teenagers go through when another teen dies. In this gentle, compassionate guide, she acknowledges their feelings, offers reassurance, and helps them find ways to heal. Quotes from teens who have also experienced loss show that they are not alone.

Life and Death

I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death 
by Jan Thornhill


Thinking about death, or even talking about it, can be difficult. But it's better to deal with the topic instead of avoiding it. This well-designed book covers a wide variety of topics, such as how things die, what happens after death, the stages of decomposition, how we grieve, and our beliefs about the afterlife.

Thornhill's matter-of-fact tone succeeds in making death less frightening; at the same time, its interesting facts, and yes, icky photographs, will appeal to a child's natural curiosity. A book sure to provoke many late night discussions.

Normandy Invasion

Two Generals

by Scott Chantler


In March, 1943, Scott Chantler's grandfather, Law Chantler, shipped out for active service with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. Not long afterward, he and his best friend, Jack Chrysler, found themselves amidst one of the most pivotal and treacherous military operations of World War II: the Allied invasion of Normandy. 

It’s a harrowing and touching story, made vibrant in graphic novel format. Chantler uses colour to good effect in contrasting the dangers of combat (red) with the relatively peaceful scenes (khaki). 

A moving tribute to all the brave men who fought and died for their country.

Pictures from Afghanistan

Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afghanistan
by Rafal Gerszak with Dawn Hunter



Photojournalist Gerszak spent a year embedded with American troops in Afghanistan. When not getting shot at, he documented weapon searches, aid drops, and police patrols. While he was relieved to return home, Gerszak felt guilty for enjoying freedom while his Afghan friends continued to suffer. So he returned to Afghanistan, this time to tell the story from the civilian point-of-view. His photos of Afghan families at work and play - riding paddle boats, playing golf, picking cherries - show that they are just like us in so many ways. At the same time, he doesn't shy away from the aftermath of war. Scenes of military attacks, dismal hospitals, and overflowing refugee camps are heart-rending.


Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the people and their culture. A worthwhile and enlightening book.

Famous war poem

In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae

by Linda Granfield

illustrated by Janet Wilson

Beginning with McCrae’s handwritten lines, this is the story of his famous poem and how it became both a call to arms and a fond remembrance for all soldiers who fall in battle. 

The poem’s lines are interwoven with background information about World War I, life in the trenches, McCrae’s field hospital experiences, and the adoption of the poppy as a memorial symbol.

A touching tribute.

Dramas at sea

Miracles On The Water
by Tom Nagorski


Miracles on the Water is a riveting account of the sinking of a British passenger liner by a German submarine in World War II. The S.S. City of Benares, was 600 miles out in the North Atlantic on September 17, 1940, when it was torpedoed by U-48. Among the Benares' passengers were 90 children being evacuated to Canada. As the Benares sank, passengers and crew abandoned ship during a fierce storm. The gale-force winds and icy swells overturned or swamped many lifeboats. 


Even though the Benares had sailed with a convoy, none came to its rescue for fear of more torpedoes. The nearest help, the HMS Hurricane, was 300 miles away. By the time it arrived, many lives had been lost due to drowning or exposure. In its search, the Hurricane missed Lifeboat 12, which contained 46 people, six of them children. The eldest was thirteen, the youngest, nine. Lifeboat 12 endured eight harrowing days on the open sea before being rescued. 


Nagorski, whose great-uncle was among the survivors, used eyewitness accounts to create a vivid story of courage, tragedy and hope that is even more dramatic than that of the Titanic. This is a book you will not want to put down; its stories will linger long after you have finished it. 


Highly recommended.


For a fictional account of the Benares tragedy, read Wish Me Luck by James Heneghan. For a review, go to http://sisterslibrary.blogspot.ca/2012/03/tragedy-at-sea.html.

Empress of Ireland

Into the Mist: The Story of the Empress of Ireland
by Anne Renaud



Once the Canadian Pacific Railway had successfully linked our country coast to coast, the Canadian government had to find settlers for the vast expanse of land that lay in between. They distributed ads and posters throughout Europe, encouraging people to immigrate with promises of farmland and equipment. CPR also landed a contract to ship mail from Britain to Japan and China, via Canada. In order to carry people and mail across the oceans, CPR commissioned a fast fleet of ships. One of these ships was the Empress of Ireland.


Between 1906-1911, the ship travelled between England and Canada, carrying important people like John McCrae and Rudyard Kipling. It even ferried two murderers whose dramatic arrests were captured in real time by telegraph. 


On May 29, 1914, the Empress was on the St. Lawrence River when heavy fog suddenly crept in. The resulting collision with the Norwegian ship Storstad severely damaged the Empress. It sank in 14 minutes, with 1,012 lives lost. Since the First World War began just two months later, the tragedy of the Empress of Ireland is often forgotten.


Into the Mist is an excellent reminder of an important event in Canadian history. The many photographs illuminate life aboard ship and the newspaper articles bring the drama of the sinking to life. Throughout the book, profiles of passengers give a glimpse into their lives and the significant contributions they made in the building of Canada.

A very interesting book.

Great Lake shipwrecks

Shipwrecks, Monsters, and Mysteries of the Great Lakes
by Ed Butts


The Titanic sinking tends to overshadow other ships that have been lost at sea. And the seas are not even the most treacherous. The huge inland seas are filled with rocks, shoals and reefs, not to mention the sudden storms and unpredictable winds. More than six thousand vessels now litter the bottoms of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. The most well-known of these is the Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in Lake Superior in 1975. The Fitzgerald's story and that of eight other ships are told in this thrilling and often frightening book. The author also includes two tales of sea monsters that are rumoured to lurk in lakes Ontario and Erie. There aren't any blurry photos, but the details are still intriguing.


The book's concise length (80 pages) is perfect for weekends at the cottage.

The culture of beauty

In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and You
by Shari Graydon

From fairy tales to television, school to pageant, fashion to art, we're constantly reminded that being beautiful guarantees a life of success and fame. And yet, ideas about what's beautiful change all the time. Written in a breezy, conversational style, this book explains why we think youth and attractiveness are important, what we've done across history and cultures to fit in, who gets to decide what's hot and what's not, and what forces shape our views about beauty. It discusses double standards for men and women, how the beauty industry fosters insecurity and thus more sales, and the resulting effects on our careers and our health. 

By understand the pitfalls of beauty and putting it into perspective, we can stop feeling so controlled and overly influenced by it. Graydon encourages teens to look beyond the surface and focus on the things that matter more - feeling good about themselves and their accomplishments.

An eye-opening book.

How advertising works

Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know
by Shari Graydon



The eight to fourteen-year-old age group is a prime target for marketers and advertisers. They know that kids have a big say in their parents' spending decisions. Thus their main motivation is to instill brand loyalty in children because if you own this child at an early age, you can own this child for years to come.


Shari Graydon's lively book seeks to raise preteens' awareness of themselves as targets of advertising messages. Using examples readers will find familiar, she deconstructs ad campaigns, exposing their sometimes less-than-honest subtexts and revealing the common techniques advertisers use to manipulate consumer appetites. She suggests exercises to try at home, which helps kids critically evaluate the ads they see, and often asks questions designed to get kids thinking before they buy. 


An especially useful title for kids immersed in (and often oblivious to) the workings of consumer culture.

The importance of money

The Secret Life of Money: A Kid's Guide to Cash
by Kira Vermond

Trying to discuss money with kids can be difficult, especially if they’re too young to get a job or don’t have to worry about paying bills. This book takes the mystery out of money by showing kids how money affects our everyday lives. By examining why we need money, what it is worth, how we spend it, and how we lose it, kids will understand it better and more importantly, respect it better. The book uses comic strips and odd anecdotes to good effect in capturing kids' attention and keeping them interested.

Highly recommended, this is a fun and engaging book.