June 29, 2012

Canadian road trip


Wow Canada! Exploring This Land from Coast to Coast to Coast
by Vivien Bowers
illustrated by Dan Hobbs & Dianne Eastman


Kids who read Hey Canada! Bowers' travel book for ages 7-10, know that Canada is a big country with lots to see. One road trip is not enough! So hop on board for another Canadian tour, this time with nearly thirteen-year-old Guy, his parents, and his ten-year-old sister Rachel. You’ll visit familiar and not-so-familiar places, get up-close-and-personal with people and wildlife, and even take part in campfire chats. The kids’ mom is in charge of historical details, while their dad offers up scientific facts. Packed with photos, postcards, Guy’s Exceedingly Weird column, and Rachel’s Bucko Beaver comic strips, this action-packed book really shows why Canada is a great place to visit.



June 27, 2012

Memorable moments in Canadian history


Canada Our History: An Album Through Time
by Rick Archbold


Key moments of Canadian history are captured in photographs and first-person accounts in this entertaining book. While the child narrators are fictional, Archbold has based them on real people, giving the text a convincing verisimilitude that transports readers into specific times and places.

Fifteen events are covered in the book, among them the Calgary Stampede, Hurricane Hazel, Expo 67, the FLQ crisis, and the standoff at Oka.


June 25, 2012

Discover Canada!


Hey Canada!
by Vivien Bowers
illustrated by Milan Pavlovic
(Tundra Books)

Join nine-year-old Alice, her grandmother, and her cousin Cal, on a cross-Canada road trip. Along the way, you’ll discover all sorts of facts, pictures, and trivia about each province and territory.

The trio laugh and bicker as they visit well-known tourist sites, find local flora and fauna, and keep tabs on Gran’s wayward hamster. Single-page comics celebrate Canadian history, while Cal’s tweets, Alice’s blog posts, and Gran’s bad poetry keep things lively. A Find It list in every section makes the book ideal to take along on your own road trip. You can even pretend Alice and Cal are travelling with you.

A fun, breezy way to learn about Canada.





June 22, 2012

Spiritual connections


Places of Power
by Michael DeMunn
illustrated by Noah Buchanan

In The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Jane Penderwick visits a special place where curses can be lifted and wishes granted. She sits atop Enchanted Rock, which to her is a place of great magic. It is her Place of Power.

Every child needs a Place of Power, where they can find comfort, strength, and peace. This book tells children how to find their own Place of Power and what they may discover within it. The beautiful paintings remind them of the spiritual connection between people and nature.



These other stories may be fictional, but they show children that Places of Power can be found all around them if they know where to look.



Morning on the Lake
by Jan Bourdeau Waboose

An Ojibway grandfather takes his grandchild on an early morning canoe trip, where they glimpse a family of loons, a noontime hike up a mountain, where the child is touched by an eagle, and an evening walk in the woods, where they are welcomed by wolves.

The lake, the mountain, and the woods are the grandfather's special places, and now they are his grandchild's as well.






Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places
by Joseph Bruchac & Thomas Locker

With exquisite words and paintings, this book explains the origins of ten sacred places in the United States and parts of Canada.


June 20, 2012

Depression in teens


My Kind of Sad: What It's Like to Be Young and Depressed
by Kate Scowen

A useful book that helps in the understanding of depression - what it is and how it manifests itself (e.g. anxiety, anorexia, cutting). It describes how everyday concerns affect your mood, lists the warning signs associated with depression and how to tell the difference between simply feeling blue to something more serious. Each topic features thoughts from teens who have experienced or are experiencing depression and advice on how to get help for yourself or a friend.



June 18, 2012

Self-awareness through dreams


The Jewish Dream Book: The Key to Opening the Inner Meaning of Your Dreams 
by Vanessa L. Ochs


For teens who are interested in spirituality, this book will guide them in aspects of Jewish dream rituals and interpretations according to the Talmud and the Torah. Other chapters describe how to keep a book of dreams and how to prepare for dream "incubation" - intentional dreaming - which can be of help in solving problems or answering questions.

June 15, 2012

Trip to the stars


Inside Stars  

An excellent book about stars, with fold-out pages and spectacular photographs. Learn how scientists study the stars, how stars are formed, and how stars are classified. An inside look at the sun is particularly fascinating.






A close-up look at globular star clusters, neutron stars, pulsars, and supernovae. Kids will be entranced by the photorealistic illustrations of alien worlds and cosmic phenomena. 



June 13, 2012

Night sky adventures


The Kids Book of the Night Sky
by Ann Love & Jane Drake

A lively combination of clearly written text, myths, legends, jokes, and activities provide an excellent introduction to the night sky. Brief information about the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets are interspersed with step-by-step directions for making a planisphere, sighting tube, star clock, and planet plotter. Seasonal sky maps and easy-to-follow instructions help kids find the constellations, while star games, zodiac stories, even recipes, keep learning fun. 




June 11, 2012

Guide to stargazing


Stories in the Stars (Dot to Dot in the Sky)
by Joan Hinz


Fifteen constellations are profiled in this introductory book for young stargazers. Each chapter begins with an illustration of the constellation and its major stars. A mythological story about each constellation's origin is followed by a Where Is It? feature which describes how to find the pattern of stars that make up Cassiopeia, Perseus, or Pegasus. A sidebar called Space Notes provide more information about astronomy while A Closer Look contains facts about individual stars. Other helpful items are a constellation chart and a seasonal viewing checklist.



June 8, 2012

Animal poop


Tracks, Scats and Signs
by Leslie Dendy 
illustrations by Linda Garrow


There are other ways to identify animals besides tracks. Other indicators to look for are the holes of woodpeckers, the nests of squirrels, or the chewed ends of leaves (deer). Animals also leave droppings or scat, which will show you what they have eaten.


This book is a fairly good primer for identifying animal scat, but not as good at tracks, which are drawn a bit small. 


The grape-shaped scat shown on the book's cover belong to deer.



June 6, 2012

Nature walks


Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking
with Jim Arnosky


Take a walk with naturalist Jim Arnosky and learn to identify bugs, ticks, and dragonfly parts, determine the difference between dog and fox tracks, and identify birds, trees, and shoreland plants by their distinctive shapes. He also shows readers how to keep a field book in which to record their observations.


An indispensable guide for hikers, campers, and nature lovers.



June 4, 2012

The language of animal tracks


Gray Wolf tracks in sand
Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature's Footprints
by Jim Arnosky


Giant fold-out pages allow readers to see life-size footprints of deer, bears, canines, birds and other animals in this informative book. Detailed sketches from Arnosky's own notebooks show what animal tracks look like in snow, and how to tell if an animal is walking or running. Kids will enjoy being able to compare hand and foot sizes with those of their favorite animals.