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***2023 IPPY AWARDS: MULTI CULTURAL NONFICTION – JUVENILE-YOUNG ADULT***
Through a framework of traditional tales, fantastic creatures struggle with issues of marginalization, opening discussion for parents and children in an accessible form.
The Tales Of Dwipa is a collection of short stories adapted from the Panchatantra, a collection of simple, engaging, and interrelated animal tales penned by Pandit Vishnu Sharma in the hopes of awakening the dim intelligence of a powerful Indian king’s idle sons. The ancient stories of the Panchatantra still find meaning in today’s world despite originating in India before 300 BCE. These stories are set in a Canadian context with topical themes, bringing together two distinct cultures—Indian and Canadian—for the most impressionable minds of our society.
These six recent Canadian plays for elementary school age audiences is a companion volume to 2009’s Things That Go Bump, Volume 1.
Lig & Bittle by Elyne Quan and Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull:
The story of Lig, who is big, and Bittle, who is little, as they embark on a funny, wild and adventure-filled journey to a place called Perfeckt Phitt, in hopes that they’ll find somewhere to belong.
A Giraffe in Paris by Mark Haroun:
When the young Prince of Egypt sets out to bring a giraffe to the King of France in Paris, blistering heat, crocodiles, a scheming circus ringleader and growling wolves are just some of the adventures that mark their cross-continental journey.
The Secret Life of the Octopus by Clem Martini:
When Leah and Willis are forced to serve their detentions in their school’s gloomy science room they reluctantly meet and then become attached to the mysterious eight-legged occupant of the corner aquarium.
Bluenose by Emil Sher:
Three bumbling, colonizing, red-nosed pirates get more than they bargained for when a blue-nosed captive punctures their assumptions and beliefs.
The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh by Chris Craddock:
All her life, people have told Jamie Cavanaugh to “Slow down!” Jamie knows she is developing Super Speed, but her parents suggest the culprit might actually be ADHD.
Under the Big Top by Jan Derbyshire: About to be heads over heels in love, ZooZoo hesitates; why did her happy-go-lucky clown parents divorce, when they were all under the big top and living the happy dream?
With vivid imagery and an appealing use of Arabic meters and rhymes, the poems in this book explore nature, family, school, play, and boundless world of the imagination. The diverse themes and sounds in Thirty Poems for Children cultivate cognitive and contemplative senses along with unique layout and drawings of the book. The 30 poems deliver an important educational message in simple, yet captivating language, and prompt children to think creatively through the senses and the imagination.
Picking up where Edge of Time left off, Time of Treason continues the story of Riley and Alec, otherwise normal teens whose special genetic traits grant them powers they are only now learning to control – powers that also make them targets for the extraterrestrial Tyons. Riley and Alec travel back in time to the start of their adventures, courtesy of Alec’s creepy time shifting abilities. But instead of fixing things, it’s made everything much worse. The Tyons tracked their time shift and are hot on their heels, and Rhozan is back, more dangerous than ever. After a brazen attack, Alec finds himself out of the frying pan and definitely into the fire. Can Riley save him? Or is Alec just a pawn of time?
Does our childhood really end when we are no longer afraid to look under the bed? Join Tommy the magical dwarf, Flammeus the owl, and a host of other original and amusing characters in this lively and inventive collection of adventures for children of all ages, penned by award-winning writer Giorgi Kekelidze and illustrated vibrantly and heart-warmingly by Salome Khotivari.
Two-and-a half millennia after it was created, Homer’s Odyssey remains one of humanity’s most memorable adventure stories. In this re-creation of Homer’s classic as a young adult novel, we see the aftermath of the Trojan War through the eyes of Alexi, a fifteen-year-old Trojan boy. Orphaned by the war and enslaved by Odysseus himself, Alexi has a very different view of the conquering heroes of legend.
Despite a simmering anger towards his captors, Alexi gradually develops a grudging respect for them. As the Greeks fight off the angry Cicones, weather a storm that pushes them far beyond charted waters, and nearly succumb to the blandishments of the bewitching Lotus-eaters, he realizes that they are not the demons they were said to be, but people like himself.
At the same time, Alexi’s quick thinking, bravery, and the healing skills that he learned from his father prove to his captors that he is no ordinary slave. His key role in their escape from the Cyclops earns the respect of his master, Odysseus, and a striking discovery during their escape gives his life a newfound purpose.
Straddling the boundary between historical fiction and mythology, Torn from Troy is written in a hard, realistic style and brings to life the travails of a bronze-age slave of the Greeks in a form that will appeal especially to teen boys. While this book is the first volume of the author’s Odyssey of a Slave trilogy, it is a compelling and fully-realized work on its own.
Sixteen-year-old Dane and his mom have relocated to Nova Scotia hoping to flee an abusive relationship with Dane’s father. In the midst of this, Dane has been getting into trouble with the law. He’s been caught breaking into and vandalizing an elderly woman’s home and is about to be charged with a host of serious offences unless he participates in a court-ordered restorative-justice program. With dreams of joining the military, Dane decides to co-operate so a criminal record won’t follow him. There he meets Nessa, a social worker who grew up in a tough north Halifax housing project and the only person able to connect with Dane. A contemporary story about one teen’s journey through the restorative justice system, a mother fighting for her son, the scared and angry victims of a senseless crime, and the mediator who helps them all come together.
Children and teenagers stroll between the skyscrapers in Vancouver and experience the city in a different way than adults do. They have helped Vancouver transform from humble trading post to towering metropolis, yet how often are they asked to tell their side of the story? Vancouver Kids is a collection of tales about the unforgettable young people of the city of Vancouver. Based on personal interviews and thorough archival research, each true story is narrated in the voice of a young Vancouverite. Join in the adventure as these kids dodge the first cars on newly paved streets, watch the famous Stanley Park take shape, gaze up at brand new high-rises, and even learn the secrets—and dangers—behind big city crime.
Vancouver Kids arrives just in time to celebrate the 125th birthday of the city of Vancouver. It is the fifth book in the Courageous Kids series, which includes Kidmonton: Stories of River City Kids, Rocky Mountain Kids, Island Kids, and Northern Kids. For more about this exciting series, please visit www.courageouskids.ca.
William New has created a wondrously zany collection of rhyming verse, ranging from the playful to the mysterious. Included are percussive nonsense rhymes, puzzle poems, joyful dances with anagrams and gentle haiku. The poems are complemented by Vivian Bevis’s full-page, full-colour illustrations, which capture the high-spirited and impetuous qualities of the verse. This sturdy hardcover picture book will delight both the early reader and the many adults who enjoy introducing children to the sound and rhythm of verse.
In her fourth historical novel dealing with British North America and the American Revolution, Jean Rae Baxter focuses on Broken Trail, a young boy who was born white but captured and adopted by the Oneida people. The great Mohawk leader Thayendanegea – known to Euro-Canadians as Joseph Brant – has chosen Broken Trail to assist him in the daunting task of uniting all the tribes and nations with the goal of establishing a country of their own. In preparation, Broken Trail must attend a Christian boarding school for native youth, where he soon finds that he has to gain the trust of young men from many different tribes whose ancient enmities lie barely concealed beneath the surface. With the help of Yellowbird, the only woman student, he discovers that the school – racist in the extreme – is a place of secrets where appearances can be deceiving and loyalty is sometimes proven in unexpected ways. As a first step, Brant sends Broken Trail on a long journey to meet with Tecumseh, the young Shawnee leader, to begin the work of union. In this tale of intrigue and adventure, Baxter once again demonstrates her ability to convert the past into living history.
The answer to one of life’s mysteries is now revealed – why exactly do dogs sniff bottoms? This delightfully funny account is brought to life through witty verse and hilarious illustrations which perfectly capture the rhythm of the verse. Winner of the Children’s Choice Award at the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards in 2003.
When sixteen-year-old Sarah from Toronto learns that she is to spend the summer with her grandparents in Nova Scotia, she is convinced that it will be the most tedious summer ever. She gets off to a rough start when she meets Luke, the nephew of her grandmother’s friend, and one unfortunate event leads to another. Just when she thinks her summer cannot get much worse, she finds herself transported to Acadia in 1755.
Here she meets Anne and learns much about the Acadian culture and history and the Acadians’ relations with the Mi’kmac people. She also experiences the warmth she has always wanted of a closely knit family. When Sarah realizes that the peace-loving Acadians are about to be torn from their homes and banished to distant shores, she is desperate to find a way to help them. Forced to abandon her pampered, stylish lifestyle, Sarah uncovers a strength and determination she did not know she possessed.
Although Sarah has to come to terms with the fact that “you can’t change history,” she is willing to risk her life to do everything in her power to help her Acadian family, and finds a surprising ally in Luke. Winds of L’Acadie, a historical novel for readers ten and up, reveals a painful part of Canadian history through the relationship of two young women from different centuries.
Cornelia Hoogland takes the story of Little Red Riding Hood and turns it inside out in this sensuous Canadian retelling. The woods and wolves are vivid and real, while Red herself is anything but a one dimensional girl-child. A meditation on innocence and its loss, and on the power of the green wilderness, Woods Wolf Girl uses striking lyric poetry to expose the heart of the original fairy tale.
Acclaimed poet George Murray and award-winning painter Michael Pittman team up for their first-ever childrens’ picture book. Wow Wow the fox pup has learned a lot about the hows and whys of being a fox. He knows how to hunt and hide, and he’s very proud of his red and white and black fur. But he doesn’t know much about fleas, until the day he wakes up feeling very, very itchy. Haw Haw the crow offers her friendship and guidance in this charming adaptation of the Celtic legend, How The Fox Lost His Fleas. Murray’s playful rhyme and repetition, set against a backdrop of Pittman’s lush paintings, will make Wow Wow and Haw Haw an instant classic and a favourite among small children and early readers alike.