Canadiana – Shannon Ozirny

Gee-Haw Whimmy-Diddles and Other Non-Fiction Casualties O’ the Day

It’s not every day that a King’s bones are dug up. So let’s celebrate with some bones we dug out of our non-fiction collection today!

Preface: I’ve been in my department head position for almost a year and a half. I made a conscious effort not to kick off any big weeding projects until I had been on the job for a full year so I could get a good sense of our patrons and what the community was digging. Now that I have a sense of things, we’re off to the races! While my colleagues do a brilliant job of all the nitty-gritty work, I take a quick pass through everything before it goes out the door. I present to you the top casualties of the day.

The Days When Animals Talked — Something about this super-jacked half rabbit/half man makes me cock my head in confusion. Same with the wolf/human and his spectacles.

Padre Porko — Perhaps an ancestor of James Marshall’s Portly McSwine?

Sasquatch! — Copyright 1973!!! Note the author: I guess this is what Mr Green was up to pre-Looking For Alaska. This is essentially a compendium of Canadian Sasquatch sitings. I’ll be taking this treatise next time I head into the deep bush, for sure.

And, finally, the book that gave this post its name:

Gee-Haw! — This little gem hasn’t circulated in 15 years. WHY THE HECK NOT!?

I am in love with this book. My favorite excerpt:

Don’t hook this book

My young whippernap,

For nickels and dimes

It cost-ed my pap.

Don’t know if that qualifies as a whimmy-diddle or not.

I think it’s also worth noting that the author, a Mr. James Still, has a bio in the back of the book that says “Critics have hailed his verse and fiction for its beauty, humor, and integrity.”

And keeping with our old bones theme, I give you my favorite Grade 7 slow dance jam.

Sad.

All this joyful crying at the Olympics got me thinking: why not take a tearful look back at the last seven months to see just how many books have made me cry? It’s only three so it won’t be too painful.

I should preface this by saying that I’m not a big crier while reading. So 2012 has been a particularly productive year thus far.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler. Illustrations by Maira Kalman

Did this book make me cry out of sadness? No. Oh no. This book made me cry out of pure, unfiltered rage. Is there anyone I hate more in this world than Ed Slaterton? Probably not.

To counter the sadness and rage blackout, this Amazon interview with Handler and Kalman brings the LOLs. I love how awkward the whole thing is with the interviewer and am especially tickled by their description of the “working process” that starts around 5:10.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Who doesn’t cry reading this book? I mean, really. The interesting thing about TFIOS is that it has a major Charlotte’s Web effect on me. That means that I can be anywhere, doing anything, and reading the last line of the book will put tears in my eyes. I was trying to pester our Summer Reading Club assistant into reading TFIOS and actually got damp peepers in front of her when I flipped to the back page. And it convinced her to check out the book! Note to librarians: teary eyes sell books. And make you look like a crazypants.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd. Illustrations by Jim Kay.

Hoo boy, I have never, never cried so hard reading. I literally had to put down the book, take off my glasses and put my head in my hands and sob. That was followed by crying steadily for the last 40 pages. It is such an exquisite, articulate, seemingly effortless portrayal of loss and self-doubt and fear. Brilliant.

And you know, while we’re on this whole sad theme, let me also share the only book trailer to ever make me cry. This is the trailer for Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? by Dan Bar-el with illustrations by Rae Maté.

WHAT IF THE CAT NEVER CAME BACK!?! Oh, it makes me so sad.

And just for good measure, the movie that has made me cry the most is a bit of a shocker so I’ll throw it in here too. It’s completely ridiculous, but I bawled through most of District 9. I was so, so, so concerned for that little alien baby! Thank goodness for the internet, because someone has made a bad quality clip montage of the alien baby with “Dust In the Wind” in the background! YES!

Lincoln! (or, when pop culture aligns with your current obsession)

I am am so excited for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln which now has a release date of November 9. The Chicago Tribune says this may be the year that the Lincoln wave “crests.” Get me a surfboard, yo!

Now I have been late to the party on a few things. When it comes to my Abraham Lincoln obsession, I’m about a century and a half late on that trend.

This all started in February. I am an audiobook fiend as I am unable to read in a moving vehicle without spewing. I also like to spice up mundane tasks like folding laundry or steaming my dresses by listening to an audiobook (note: that last sentence is going to appear in the personal ad I post at age 85). Basically, if I’m not reading a book I’m probably listening to one.

I randomly downloaded Chasing Lincoln’s Killer on audiobook. I knew nothing about Lincoln other than the fact that he wore noteworthy hats. Within 25 minutes of listening to James L. Swanson’s book, I was hooked.

There is no better audiobook in the world. Will Patton narrates and he does an impeccable job.

This is the thing: I am Canadian. Presidents don’t get much stage time on our curriculum. This is about the most excitement we get from a national leader (which, granted, was a big deal):

So before listening to Swanson’s book, I didn’t really get the Lincoln thing. I certainly had no idea how insanely CRAY the events were before and after his assassination. The General Seward bit!? Mother of Pearl, I almost had a heart attack.

Since listening to the audiobook of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, I have watched several Lincoln documentaries and am slowly savouring Candace Fleming’s The Lincolns: a scrapbook look at Abraham and Mary. No matter what is going on in my life, reading that dang scrapbook totally takes me away. If I’m having a bad day, it always helps to know that I don’t have to tackle the abolition of slavery. For some inexplicable reason, anything Lincoln-related has an uncanny ability to distract and comfort me. This is exactly how those five-year-old boys who are obsessed with dinosaur books must feel.

So if The Chicago Tribune is right and the Lincoln wave is coming, that will no doubt trickle down to children’s books as all thing tend to do. And I can’t wait. It’s been tough for me to get Canuck kids and teens interested in Lincoln stuff (or, indoctrinate them with my obsession) because they have no point of reference and don’t really care about American presidents. And there is so much great Lincoln stuff out there already, with some notable 2012 titles. These are on my to-read list:

AbrahamandFred — Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Freedman. Houghton MIfflin Harcourt, 2012

Magic Tree House #47: Abe Lincoln, At Last! by Mary Pope Osborne. Random House, 2012 (also has accompanying non-fiction Magic Tree House Fact Tracker)

LincolnDAulaire — Lincoln won the Caldecott,obvi. Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, 1940.

LincolnShot — I need a bigger purse to carry this. Lincoln Shot by Barry Denenberg and Christopher Bing. Feiwel & Friends, 2008.

To close, here I am in a state of bliss outside the animatronic Lincoln Disneyland feature a few weeks ago post-ALA Saturday. There was no line, because people are suckas and don’t realize that an animatronic Lincoln rivals Splash Mountain.

O Canada on the ALA Exhibit Floor

Yes, I’m still posting about ALA because it was my first one and dang exciting. If you had just experienced Christmas for the first time on June 22, don’t you think you would still be blogging about it too? I thought so.

Previous to actually attending ALA, I would follow the conference hashtag on Twitter and feel generally sorry for myself that I had never attended. These feelings of self-pity would really flare when I saw photos from the exhibit floor – “Oh look, there’s Mo Willems just casually strolling by!” someone would post along with a twitpic. Way to rub it in.

The thing is, I was always really curious to see what the actual booths looked like – especially the booths of my beloved Canadian publishers. No one really ever posted pictures of the exhibits themselves, just the fabulous people inhabiting them for four days. So this post is basically for myself pre-June 22, 2012. But hopefully some of you who haven’t attended ALA, or didn’t get a chance to stop at the great Canadian kidlit booths, will be mildly interested.

Kids Can Press

Kids Can Press is the equivalent of the person who really gets the party started. And, try as you might, it’s hard not to get excited about a Christmas Scaredy book. Behold their booth:

Groundwood Books

Has Groundwood ever published an unclassy book? I think not. I am also loving their new book, I Have the Right to Be a Child which teachers will be clamoring for in the Fall, I know. Because I won’t be working for National Geographic anytime soon, all I have is this photo of their banner. Sigh. But it is a beautiful banner.

Tundra Books

One of my favourites and publisher of Susin Nielsen who I am apparently obsessed with judging by my last couple posts. And the cover of The French Fry King makes me so happy.

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Publisher of one of my faves, Shirley Woods – does anyone do books like Shirley Woods? Novels about fictional animals (that don’t talk and aren’t creepily anthropomorphized!) that are an amazing hybrid of fiction and non-fiction and completely engaging/dramatic?

Annick Press

They do it all. From the much-buzzed creep show of Erebos (which I still need to read but is never on the shelves) to Robert Munsch to non-fiction queen (and awesome gal) Tanya Lloyd Kyi, Annick is all awesome.

I somehow missed getting a picture of Orca’s booth, which is bad because I love them and they are the closest geographically to my apartment. They are also coming out with a very interesting new YA series called Seven. The premise: a grandfather with a pretty interesting/adventurous past dies. He has seven grandsons. They all takes different paths and are presumably affected by grandpa’s death in different ways. Each of the seven books is penned by a different, highly awesome Canadian author. It sounds like a Canuck 39 Clues for teens. Should be nifty.

Big apologies if I’m missing any Canadian youth publishers here. It really was great fun to see them at the exhibits – felt like a little bit of home.

Let me close this blog post with a nod to the subpar Sbarro in the Hilton food court, provider of my lunch – a piece of cheese pizza – for three straight days at ALA. Because I was entirely too busy and overstimulated to find a tastier, more nutritious option, I tip my hat to thee for being so convenient and having a way shorter line than the equally subpar Baja Fresh.

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

Let us all rise and give thanks for Susin Nielsen’s amazing new book:

I picked this ARC up at the Tundra booth at ALA. My pal Kay did too. Before we even read it, we were tremendously excited. We had a conversation that went roughly like this before the USBBY panel on writing about war for young people:

Kay: I got Susin Nielsen’s new –

Shannon: (interrupting as usual): Oh me too. It looks really –

Kay and Shannon: (in unison) Really good.

Kay: I think this is going to be the one to really break her into the American market.

Shannon: Me too. And then we can be all smug about it.

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen tells the story of thirteen-year-old Henry and his dad. They have just moved to Vancouver (the entire story takes place within a three block radius of my apartment which is so cool. But I digress). Where is Henry’s mom? She’s in a psychiatric facility in Ontario. Why is she in a psychiatric facility? Because Henry’s older brother, Jesse, took a hunting rifle to school and shot a classmate before shooting himself. Henry is now being encouraged by his hippie therapist to keep a journal as a means to help process his feelings. The results are hilarious and poignant and absolutely true-to-life. In other words, you will LOL and you will :`(

That is a crying emoticon by the way – not some weird Canadian symbol used to review stellar books.

You will just fall in love with Henry. He has gained a bit of weight since the tragedy and refers to his new un-svelte bits as his “wobblies.” He loves wrestling. He never fails to notice his female neighbour’s huge bazongas. When he shuts down emotionally, he will only talk in a robot voice. He is both sensitive and rude, deeply insightful and totally clueless. He is Nielsen’s most authentic, hilarious character to date, which is really saying something because no one can write a middle grade character like Susin Nielsen.

This book also manages to deal with the aftermath of a school shooting in a way that is totally realistic without ever tipping over into melodrama. Like The Fault in Our Stars was so much more than a cancer book, this is so much more than a school shooting book. There are some definite tougher moments, especially around the bullying that Henry’s brother endured before committing the murder-suicide, but they are quick and never unnecessary. This is solid middle grade material that is ideal for Grades 6-8 and won’t traumatize your heartier Grade 5s. I think some librarians might order it because of the subject matter, but they will be pleasantly surprised to find that it makes just as big of a contribution to their humour collection as their “issue” collection. Fans of Tom Angleberger and Jack Gantos will really dig this.

When I was trying to explain this book and Susin Nielsen to my mom, she quickly interjected “I know who Susin Nielsen is, Shannon. I watched the credits of Degrassi. Credits are very important.“ Americans are really missing out on how awesome Degrassi Junior High was in the 1980s – the original series before Drake was on it. The coolest thing about Degrassi was the ensemble nature of the cast. A few episodes would focus on a handful of characters and then the focus would shift to other characters and their storylines. Half the fun of watching Degrassi was seeing your favourite characters walk by in the background; the actors would be principal actors in one episode and extras the next. Nielsen wrote a whole bunch of Degrassi episodes, and her mad screenwriting skillz really shine in her novels as she also takes the ensemble approach with her books. Ambrose from Word Nerd is on Henry’s school trivia team. Karen from Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom is Henry’s upstairs neighbour. The list goes on. I can’t tell you how much kids love making these connections and reporting them to us at the information desk.

So for those of you in the know about Susin Nielsen: this book lives up to everything you are expecting and more. For those of you who are Nielsen neophytes, stock up on her stuff now so you can share in my smugness.

ALA: 7 Published Books, 7 ARCs and Some Susin Nielsen Love

In total, I brought home 14 books from ALA. Of those 14 books, 6 were published books I paid for, 1 was a free published book and 7 were ARCs.

I had heard a lot about people going wild in the exhibits, gunning for stuff like a scene out of Life As We Knew It. And there has been much buzz about that 22 minute ALA book haul video that’s floating around. Stacked has a very thorough post on the whole thing. I’ll admit to watching most of it and being overtaken with jealousy at the Gary D. Schmidt ARC.

It might just be me and my 700 square foot world, BUT WHERE DO PEOPLE PUT ALL OF THESE BOOKS? I have three very skinny, small Ikea bookcases to my name. One shelf is taken up entirely by The Series of Unfortunate Events. Another houses the complete works of Leonard Marcus. That leaves me with 2.75 teensy bookcases. Thus, I have to be extremely selective about the books I bring into my life.

Perhaps the best solution to all of the debates around people going crazy on the ALA exhibit floor is to simply ban exhibit entry to those who live somewhere with an affordable housing market. Us Vancouverites and New Yorkers would be very dainty and respectable because we barely have room to brush our teeth, let alone store an extra book or two. I kid, I kid.

For those interested, this is what I scooped up:

6 Published Books I Purchased

ALApurchased — From L to R: Stay by Deb Caletti, I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, The Monster’s Monster and Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S.King, Amulet #1 by Kazu Kibuishi

Stay completely floored me in the sense that I was never able to sympathize with girls in relationships with scary dudes before reading this book. Jon Klassen is Canadian (!) and I Want My Hat Back has saved my butt zillions of occasions in storytimes with rowdy six-year-olds. Patrick McDonnell makes my heart warm. A.S. King makes complex things easy to understand. A signed Kazu Kibuishi will bring me tons o’ cred with nine-year-old male patrons for the foreseeable future.

1 Free Published Book

My pal Kay and I are apparently the only people in the world who have yet to read this book. Please don’t tell Mr. Schu. But it will get read!

6 ARCs

ALAARCs — L to R in order of pub date: Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead, Everyday by David Levithan, Amulet #5 Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi, Drama by Raina Telgemeier, In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz, Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

I think these were probably on most school and youth librarian’s lists to grab, so nothing terribly original here. But I want to tell you – especially you Yankees – about this, the seventh and most blessed ARC:

Susin Nielsen is the next big thing. There is an episode of The Simpsons where Bart brings Santa’s Little Helper in for show-and-tell and Milhouse proudly brags “I knew the dog before it came to class!” Not to liken Susin to a cartoon dog, but this captures how most Canadian librarians feel about Susin Nielsen. We are going to feel very smug and brag alot when she gets 200 person signing lines at future ALAs.

She is a mix between Tom Angleberger, Jack Gantos and Susan Juby with just a touch of a teenaged Dav Pilkey (she isn’t afraid of some potty language). She was a screenwriter for Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High (the original series pre-Drake). Degrassi taught every Canadian born between 1979-1984 about being a teenager. She is funny, smart and somehow has access to the brain of a Grade 7 boy. If you haven’t read Word Nerd or Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, you are missing out. My buddy Vikki has a great review of Clooney here.

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen is about a thirteen-year-old boy (named Henry K. Larsen, not surprisingly). Henry’s brother shoots a classmate before shooting himself. Tough stuff? Yes. Will Susin Nielsen somehow manage to infuse this terrible tragedy with enlightening-but-sensitive humour? If her track record is any indication, yes. I will be celebrating Canada Day this weekend lounging in Saskatchewan and reading this book (right after I wrap up a Quill & Quire review of another Canadian favourite’s new YA novel). I can’t wait.

Board Books I Have Loved (as mentioned on Vancouver Co-op Radio)

Well, I haven’t blogged in a coon’s age. But let’s all be thankful that the Age of the Coon has passed and I am blogging right now!

I was on Vancouver Co-op Radio’s It Takes a Village parenting show today talking about books for babies: why to share ’em with your little one, how to choose ’em and ones that particularly tickle me. Here is my list of favourites, in no particular order.

1. I Like it When… by Mary Murphy. Harcourt.

When I was a student librarian at Vancouver Public Library, one of the librarians there pointed out the beauty of this book to me. Because the penguins are genderless, there are so many possibilities for their relationship. They can be mom and tot, dad and tot, grandparent and tot, big sibling and tot, foster parent and tot – it’s totally multipurpose and applicable to any family situation. Plus, I love that their bellies look like scrambled eggs.

2. Hickory, Dickory Dock & Other Mother Goose Rhymes by James Marshall. Out of print 😦

Every baby needs a Mother Goose book. Sadly, it may not be this one because it’s out of print (don’t forget Abebooks, people!). I love this book because I think the illustrations will tickle adults and, as I mentioned on the radio, it’s really important for big people to enjoy the books that they’re reading to babies. This book also has wonderful potential to grow with baby and remain a favourite even until Kindergarten when they can really laugh at the pussycat who has gout.

3. Bow Wow board books by Mark Newgarden & Megan Montague Cash. Harcourt.

I found out about these on Phil Nel’s blog and fell in love with them. This is another one adults and older siblings will appreciate while still remaining totally baby friendly with their flat, bright colours and thick outlines.

4. I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy. Candlewick.

The black and white contrasting images are obviously perfect for babies, but I love the back-and-forth dialogue in this book. Without realizing it, you start doing voices and intonation and it becomes a lil’ lesson in conversation with babies. It’s also fun to ask the “Did you kiss the baby?” question to your baby, pause, and await their babbling response. It also makes a nice, very simple felt story for the 2-3 year old crowd.

5. All of Baby Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler. Illustrations by Hiroe Nakata. Dial.

I was insane over this book when it came out in picturebook format and I was so pumped last year when it came out as a board book. I love to share this one at babytime because there is so much room for interaction. It ends up being a bit of a massage session as almost every part of the body is rubbed or snuggled or kissed. So lovely.

6. Any board book by Hervé Tullet. Phaidon.

He’s simply the bomb. A total original. Love.

7. Black on White (or White on Black) by Tana Hoban. Greenwillow.

I think these books are boring, but that is because I am not a baby. Looking at these books for a baby is akin to watching Jurassic Park for adults – it’s exciting, captivating and really awesome.

8. Welcome Song for Baby by Richard Van Camp. Orca.

This is one that will be old news for British Columbians as it was in the Books for BC Babies bag a few years ago. But for anyone who doesn’t know it, it’s the ideal baby face picture book. The images are beautiful and inclusive and the text has the most wonderful rhythm. Tried and true, this book is.

9. Any of the Simply Small books from Simply Read Books

Beyond the ridiculous cuteness factor, these are the some of the best baby books with a light narrative. The stories are short and simple, the outlines are clear and bold and little makes me happier than a big-eyed beaver named Bitsy.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom – I’m Going Somewhere Better Than the Moon!

Well, my bookshelves are empty so I must be moving.

I am really quite excited to be moving back to Vancouver to take up the reins as the Head of Youth Services at the West Vancouver Memorial Library. It is a truly amazing place and one I have always had my eye on for employment. It is tremendously well-supported by the community, known for innovation/general tech awesomeness and has an entire floor and reference desk for the youth department. It is also a one-branch system, which I think are the best: you can really get to know an entire community, be adventurous in your collection development and pilot new and exciting things without having to get the A-OK from the folks six levels and many buildings away.

I have spent the last year covering for a maternity leave position as the Head of Youth Services at the Port Moody Public Library and absolutely adoring it. Like a complete lunatic, I cried twice during my final days last week – once at my going away party and once when one of our circ staff presented me with this personalized quilt:

Comparing where I was about a year ago is really quite odd now. When I finished school in May 2010 with too many graduate degrees (my MLIS and MA in Children’s Literature) I was really wrestling with the thought of trying to make it “out east.” I have always had a deep obsession with all the amazing children’s literature stuff that happens out in the New York/Bostonish area so I applied for the position of Librarian/Educator at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. By some miracle I was shortlisted for the position and had a phone interview where I spent most of the time getting too excited about James Marshall. As I was waiting to hear back from the Carle for their final decision, I interviewed at Port Moody and was offered the job.

Now I was in a pickle: do I take the Port Moody job, an amazing position that will give me tons of valuable management experience, pays well and is close to home? Or do I turn it down in the hope that I might get the dream job of a lifetime at the Carle? I obviously went with the former and withdrew from the Carle competition, but not before shaking my fist at myself and saying “You better have made the right decision, lady!”

I know that I did. And the last year has been really swell: In addition to leading the youth department at Port Moody, I have sat on two awards juries (BC Book Prize and CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens Committee), continued reviewing for Quill & Quire including two feature reviews, recently started reviewing apps for School Library Journal and had some amazing public speaking opportunities thanks to the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable. I have also been able to stay within driving distance of the other half of my black little heart, which is always a plus when navigating the world of employment.

Hmmm…I realize that I have used the word “amazing” a lot in this post, but I think I’m going to leave it that way.

So, although you didn’t ask – that’s what’s shakin’ in the life of Shan. Apologies for the self-indulgent post that will likely only be of interest to my mom and some European spammers asking for my bank account information.

Canuck and Yankee Picturebooks: Best o’ the Best in 2011 (so far)

I am going to be on Vancouver Co-op Radio’s “It Takes a Village” parenting show on Thursday, August 18th from 4-5pm PST to talk about chidlers, reading, and some of my favorite picturebooks this year. I will be mentioning some of these while I’m on the show.

Oh Canada

My dear mentor and friend, Professor Judi Saltman, is the lady responsible for my fierce sense of nationalism for Canadian children’s books. So let’s start with those produced close to (my) home:

Alligator Bear Crab: A Baby’s ABC by Lesley Wynne Pechter. Orca.

The alligator on the first page manages to look both friendly and sort of menacingly hungry at the same time. Sold! But really, the animals that make up this alphabet book have a quirky character that tickles me, and that I think will tickle parents and tots. I love the inclusion of distinctly Canadian animals (including a Canada goose, moose and orca) without all the stereotypes – which is often what happens when artists set out to do a deliberately Canadian alphabet book.

Cinnamon Baby by Nicola Winstanley. Illustrations by Janice Nadeau. Kids Can Press.

It’s difficult for me to write about this book without my heart exploding with happiness. It is the dearest, dearest tale of Miriam and Sebastian’s crying, colicky baby. The illustrations (Parisian and quaint) show fountains of tears springing up from the pram with the words “The baby cried at the sky. It cried at the flowers. It cried at the sunshine and the wind in the trees and at everyone who passed.” Miriam finally figures out what to do to make the baby stop crying and it speaks so beautifully to the bond between mother and child. Perfect for new mothers, new big siblings and a Kindergarten read-aloud.

Kitten’s Summer by Eugenie Fernandes. Kids Can Press

Librarians run around like crazy people whenever the seasons change, trying to get their hands on all things seasonal for patrons. Eugenie Fernandes’ Kitten books are my hands-down faves for the circling of the planet and my review for Kitten’s Autumn explains why. Kitten’s Winter will be coming out in September. Kitten’s Spring is available now. The set is complete in 2011!

Ones and Twos by Marthe Jocelyn. Illustrations by Nell Jocelyn. Tundra Books.

What would this country do without Marthe Jocelyn? Probably curl up and die, that’s what. From simple concept books to middle grade to YA, this woman can do it all. This book is brilliant because it doesn’t take the ol’ one to ten approach to counting. It focuses on finding pairs and the combinations are so vibrant and dear. I especially like “One sings, two talk” which matches the cover illustration. This book is illustrated by Marthe’s daughter, Nell Jocelyn, and her bright, busy collages are Uh. Maze. Ing.

Pussycat, Pussycat Where Have You Been? by Dan Bar-el. Illustrations by Rae Maté. Simply Read Books.

When a Canadian picturebook gets mentioned in the New York Times, it is a big dang deal. And this book deserves it. Bar-el’s continuation of the classic nursery rhyme is just divine. The perfect gift for a person who has just entered the world.

What Are You Doing? by Elisa Amado. Illustrations by Manuel Monroy. Groundwood.

This book shows children all the amazing things they will get to do when they learn to read – from enjoying comics to understanding hieroglyphics! It’s great. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to Sarah Ellis.

Predicted Favourite: A Few Blocks by Cybele Young. Groundwood.

Okay, this one just came out about three weeks ago and it hasn’t come in at the library yet. But the reviews have been fantastic (not surprising since everything that Groundwood cooks up is generally fantastic) and I can’t wait to get my paws on it.

Yankee Doodles

My Baby Blue Jays by John Berendt. Viking.

Author John Berendt was lucky enough to have a pair of baby blue jays nest on his balcony and smart enough to take pictures of the whole thing! This true story, accompanied by amazing photographs, details the building of the nest, the laying of the eggs, the hatching, the feeding and the first flight. Some of the photos are a bit blurry but I think this actually lends a realistic charm. A perfect choice for children growing up in urban settings.

Loon Baby by Molly Beth Griffin. Illustrations by Anne Hunter. Houghton Mifflin.

This book…this book! There is no cuter lil’ baby in picture books this year; this little scrap of feathers reminds me a lot of Tango in Tango Makes Three. He has such a scruffy little personality. The story is a simple one of a baby worrying that his mother will not return, and the northern setting and lyrical language makes it a great bedtime or storytime read-aloud. My favourite line ever: “The breeze ruffled his fluff.” Perfection.

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell. Little, Brown.

I have a black little heart but this book actually made me cry. At my desk. AT WORK. There is no better choice for encouraging a curious heart in a child. This story of a young Jane Goodall and her stuffed chimpanzee (Jubilee) will stay with me forever.

Monday is One Day by Arthur A. Levine. Illustrations by Julian Hector. Scholastic.

I see so many working parents every day in the library and this book perceptively deals with the separation anxiety that children (and adults!) feel when the weekend comes to an end. The rhyming text lists all the fun that the weekdays can bring;I particularly love “Friday’s last-tie day: Can you help me pick the one?” I also can’t say enough about the illustrations which portray all kinds of families from all sorts of backgrounds.

Perfect Square by Michael Hall. Greenwillow.

An artistic approach to the concept of shapes from the Shape Master, Michael Hall (My Heart is Like a Zoo). Bonus points for lots of craft extension potential.

The Rain Train by Elena De Roo. Illustrations by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick.

Every library in Vancouver needs this book. Better make that the entire Pacific Northwest. It’s a triple threat as it’s got 1) the rain. Aka: all that ever happens in this region of the world 2) trains, 3) bedtime story potential. Oh – and 4) STELLAR ONOMATOPOEIA! I’m talking “Ca-shish” and “Spitter-spat-spit” and “Ping-itta-pang.” I can’t wait to read this one at a rainy day storytime. Which is basically every storytime in the Vancouver area.

Roly-Poly Egg by Kali Stileman. Tiger Tales.

When it comes to illustrations alone, this one about a bird named Splotch may be my overall fave. Splotch’s…well…splotchiness is so energizing and joyful and I love the added bonus of kids developing fine motor skills while tracing the path of the egg. The big flaps at the end are also a nice touch. This is another one begging for a Kindergarten class art project.

Tweak Tweak by Eve Bunting. Illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier. Clarion.

A sweet cumulative story with a very classic feel. Mama Elephant tells Little Elephant to tweak her tail twice if she has any questions. Many tweaks later, Little Elephant has learned a bunch. After reading this book once, I felt like I had known it my whole life. Hard to put my finger on exactly what it is, but it’s a winner. It also contains one of the most interesting alligator illustrations I’ve seen in awhile; he’s sort of chubby and docile. Not like that hungry guy back in Alligator Bear Crab.

Plus One From the French

Would any Best Books of 2011 list be complete without this? I mean, really. As the kids call it in my library, it’s the “magic” book.

A reference question on fantasy for a Grade 6 Harry Potter hater

I don’t want to be redundant with these reference question posts, but I can’t help but jot something down when I find myself handing over a giant stack of books to a hungry lil’ chidler.

Tonight a Grade 6 gal came in looking for some good fantasy books. The staff member on the Information Desk called me out to field this one. I joyfully skipped away from my current duty of something boring and administrativey to help out.

Fantasy is a tough genre when it comes to recommending things as it can mean very different things to different people. This is how it went down:

What she had already in her book bag:

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

This was a big tip-off. No Susan Cooper/Tolkien/Brian Jacques/Monica Hughes for this gal!

What she told me she likes:

All Roald Dahl (oh, now we’re talkin’!)
Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy (d’oh! I’ve never read it!)
Candy Apple and Poison Apple series (hmm…the plot thickens)

What she nixed right off the bat:

Before I recommended anything we had a bit of general chat about what’s super popular in the fairy tale/fantasy genre right now. She expressed immediate disdain for the following:

Harry Potter (never read it, doesn’t want to)
Princess Diaries series (she read some and they got “too boring”)
Spiderwick Chronicles (no explanation, just a scrunched up nose)
The Graveyard Book (she tried it but never got into it)
A Tale Dark And Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (I told her about the plot and she was promptly horrified)

Further adding to the challenge was that she has seen almost every movie made in the history of the world. This means she has seen lots of the terrible, terrible movie versions of very unterrible books.

What I recommended:

From what she told me, I was getting a distinct British humour/fairy tale/more-complex-book vibe from her (the Apple series aside). Here’s what I recommended. I’ ve put them into categories here because organization please me.

For their cheeky Dahl-esque humour:

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (she loved the movie so I gave her Book 4 as the movie roughly ends around Book 3)
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (after hugging it and saying “I almost don’t want to give this to you because I want to take it home again and read it”)

For their fairy tale-ness:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
Inkspell trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley

Plug for Canadian fantasy:

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Wild Card:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (it turns out someone bought this for her and she hasn’t read it yet!)

What she noticed on display and took:

Witch’s Business by Diana Wynne Jones

Now that I’m sitting here writing this post, I can think of so many more, but the poor dear had to carry her bag home so I think that was quite enough for one visit.

Very interesting how these things play out…and this may be the first child I have ever encountered who claims to like fantasy, but loathe Harry Potter.