Books - Free Christmas Fun from your Local Library!

So what is it about some of these Christmas songs that we happily belt out each year?
While Thomas' Snowsuit (Robert Munsch) gets banned because the kid says no-no-no to his teacher, we keep cheering on those two-faced reindeer who exclude one of their own....
Why didn't Santa or Mrs. Claus call those reindeer on their behaviour when they didn't let poor Rudolph join in any of their games, just because he looked different?
And then, suddenly, when Santa finds a use for him, they all want to be friends. Well, I would have said 'tough gingerbread, where were you when I needed a friend?'

And that fun sleigh ride through the snow is debatable too, when you actually listen to the words:
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank,
And then we got upsot.

Oh, what fun... And what is 'upsot'anyway? Is it just 'upset' that didn't rhyme? Or some old word like 'hark'? I had to google that one. It means 'listen', as in 'hark, children!'

So, in this hap-happiest time of the year, when we're finally all gay, I'd recommend curling up with a well written book rather than a questionable song. Picture books, of course, are the best. Not just to read for yourself but to share with loved ones by the fire when you watch those chestnuts pop.

Why not make a trip to the library, just before it closes for Christmas - it's still the best free thing around - and check out these wonderful, timeless stories:

I Stood Upon A Mountain, Aileen Fisher, ISBN 0-690-03977-8
This gentle story puts to rest the debate of where we all came from. Creation? Explosion? It incorporates first nations ideas and other explanations of life on earth in a beautiful, simple and totally acceptable manner.

Another simple, timeless story is The Christmas Book by Dick Bruna, ISBN 0-416-24170-0. Likely it is out of print but try to find one in the library. We all know Bruna from the Miffy books. His Christmas story is plain and simple: a star, some shepards, a manger, a mother, a baby. The essence of a birth in Bethlehem.

The Christmas Candle, Richard Paul Evans, ISBN 0-439-15837-0, with unbelievably beautiful paintings by Jacob Collins. This story reads like an old folk tale. It is about the magic of seeing every day things in a new light, enriching not only the lives of those around you, but your own at the same time.

Island Santa, Sheryl McFarlane, Sheena Lott, ISBN 9-780988-053601 is a beautiful story based on the real Santa Ship that visits the Gulf Islands in BC where I live. McFarlane combined this with the real story of Jeneece Edroff who fundraised to make a home for families of sick children a reality near Victoria's General Hospital. 
Check out: https://islandkidsfirst.com/jeneece-place/

When Santa Was a Baby, Linda Bailey, ISBN 978-1770495562
What kind of baby was Santa? And what was he like as a child and a teenager? In this story it becomes clear that Santa knew his own mind from a very young age. From his fondness for the colour red, to his interest in chimneys, to his habit of giving his toys away . . . Santa was unusual right from the start. Luckily he had doting parents who supported him through every eccentricity, whether they understood or not. A warm, funny story about an odd boy who succeeds. 

Thank You, Santa by Margaret Wild, ISBN 0-590-45806-X
A correspondence between Samantha and Santa, throughout the year. Santa is thrilled when someone actually writes him a thank you card after Christmas, rather than just always letters of what everyone wants before Christmas. A nice twist.

And finally The True Story of Santa Claus, by Eric Walters and his daughter Christina, ISBN 1-894601-11-4 This is the account of how Mrs. Claus is the real hero behind all the hard work at the North Pole. While her husband gained weight and was down to one day per year of work, it was her slaving away making toys and meals, that kept the whole Santa thing going. A fun read for the whole family, especially exhausted moms.

Happy reading this Christmas season!

150 Canadian Books for Children

July 1, 2017.

Canada Day. 

150 years. My Canada Birthday gift to you is this list of Canadian books for children.

It is not a scientific collection. These are simply books about Canada or great

books by Canadian creators, books that I have enjoyed, that stayed with me.

mostly chose them for their ‘wow factor’. It would have been easier if I had not

limited the number of books by the same author. 

I included classics as well as brand new releases, picturebooks, novels etc. 

I wanted this to be truly Canadian books so I didn’t include favorites titles like The

Totem Tale because it is American. I didn’t use such Canadian icons as Love You

Forever by Robert Munsch but did include a book called With A Silent

Companion which is a fascinating Canadian story. These are all simply books

that I have loved. I’m sure there are many more but I haven’t read them yet…

Hope you will find a local bookstore or library near you to check out these books.

If all else fails, order them from www.betterworldbooks.com

Happy Birthday, Canada. And Happy Reading! 

A Canadian Wildlife Poem, Max Elliott

A Day of Signs and Wonders, Kit Pearson

A Dog Came, Too, Ainslie Manson

A Family is A Family is A Family, Sara O’Leary

A Harbour Seal in Halifax, Doretta Groenendijk

A Mountain Alphabet, Margriet Ruurs & Andrew Kiss

A Porcupine in a Pine Tree, Helaine Becker

A Prairie Alphabet, Jo Bannantyne & Yvette Moore

A Salmon for Simon, Betty Waterton

A Thousand Shades of Blue, Robin Stevenson

A Tree in a Forest, Jan Thornhill

ABC of Canada, Kim Bellefontaine & Per-Henrik Gürth

Adrift At Sea, Marsha Skrypuch

Alice, I Think, Susan Juby

Amos’ Sweater, Janet Lunn

Ankylosaur Attack, Daniel Loxton

Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery

Aska’s Animals, Warabé Aska and David Day

Baby Beluga, Raffi

Bagels from Benny, Aubrey Davis

Belle of Batoche, Jacqueline Guest

Beneath Raven Moon, David Bouchard

Birdfeeder Banquet, Michael Marchenko

Boy Soup, Loris Lesynski

Canada Votes: How We Elect Our Government, Linda Granfield & Craig Terlson

Canadian Mysteries Series, Eric Wilson

Carson Crosses Canada, Linda Bailey & Kass Reich

Charlie: A Home Child's Life in Canada, Beryl Young

Coming to Canada: Building a Life in a New Land, Susan Hughes

Counting on Hope, Sylvia Olsen

Dear Canada: A Time for Giving: Ten Tales of Christmas, Jean Little & Sarah Ellis

Death Benefits, Sarah Harvey

Deep Roots, Nikki Tate

Dream Boats, Dan Bar-el & Kirsti Anne Wakelin

Every Last Drop, Michelle Mulder

Everything on A Waffle, Polly Horvath

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, Lindsay Mattick

Fishing with Grandma, Susan Avingaq

Follow the Elephant, Beryl Young

Franklin the Turtle, Paulette Bourgeois

French Toast, Kari-Lynn Winters

From Far and Wide, Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet

From Far Away, Robert Munsch

Garbage Delight, Dennis Lee

Gifts, Jo Ellen Bogart & Barbara Reid

Going for a Sea Bath, Andrée Poulin

Gubby Builds A Boat, Gary Kent & Kim La Fave

Hanna’s Suitcase, Karen Levine

Hannah and the Salish Sea, Carol Anne Shaw

Hello Humpback, Roy Henry Vickers

How Smudge Came, Nan Gregory

I Am Canada, illustrated by Barbara Reid

I Live in the North, Margriet Ruurs

I’ll Be Watching, Pamela Porter

If The World Were A Village, David Smith

Imagine A World, Rob Gonsalves

In Flanders Fields, Linda Granfield

Jeremiah Learns to Read, Jo Ellen Bogart

Let’s Play A Hockey Game, Kari-Lynn Winters

Log Jam, Monica Hughes

Loonies and Twoonies: A Canadian Number Book, Mike Ulmer & Melanie Rose

Maggie’s Chopsticks, Alan Woo

Maps and Mapping for Canadian Kids, Laura Peetoom

Mary Ann Alice, Brian Doyle

Mary of Mile 18, Ann Blades

Missing Nimâmâ, Melanie Florence

Mister Got to Go, Lois Simmie & Cyntia Nugent

Moon At Nine, Deborah Ellis

My Arctic 1, 2, 3, Michael Kusugak & Vladyana Krykora

No Fixed Address, Maureen Bayless

No More Dead Dogs, Gordon Korman

No Safe Harbour, Julie Lawson

No Signature, William Bell

No Two Snowflakes, Sheree Fitch & Janet Wilson

North West Passage, Stan Rogers

Northern Exposures, Eric Walters

Now You Know Canada, Doug Lennox

Nowhere Else on Earth, Caitlyn Vernon

O Canada, Per-Henrik Gurth

O Canada, Ted Harrison

Oma’s Quilt, Paulette Bourgeois

Once Upon A Golden Apple, Maggie deVries, Jean Little & Phoebe Gilman

Once Upon A Northern Night, Jean Pendziwol & Isabelle Arsenault

One Hen, Katie Smith Milway

One is Canada, Maxine Trottier

Our Flag: The Story of Canada's Maple Leaf, Ann-Maureen Owens, Jane Yealland

Pick-Up Sticks, Sarah Ellis

Pier 21, Anne Renaud

Pippin the Christmas Pig, Jean Little

Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper, Tololwa Mollel & Barbara Spurll

Roses for Gita, Rachna Gilmore

Salmon Forest, Sarah Ellis & David Suzuki

Saskatchewan, Gillian Richardson

Sea Otter Pup, Victoria Miles

Sea Stars: Salt Water Poems, Avis Harley

Secret of the Dance, Andrea Spalding, Alfred Scow & Darlene Gait

Seeking Refuge, Irene Watts

Selina and the Bearpaw Quilt, Barbara Smucker & Janet Wilson

Silverwing, Kenneth Oppel

Siwiti, A Whale’s Story, Alexandra Morton

Sleeping Dragons All Around, Sheree Fitch

Snow Day, Werner Zimmerman

Sockey Salmon Odyssey, Brenda Guiled

Something From Nothing, Phoebe Gilman

Sophie Sea to Sea, Norma Charles

Stella, Queen of Snow, Marie Louise Gay

Stolen Words, Melanie Florence and Gabrielle Grimard

Stories of the Aurora, Joan Marie Galat

Surviving Sam, Karen Rivers

Thank You, Canada, Andrea Lynn Beck

The Artist and Me, Shane Peacock

The Best Goalie Ever, Gilles Tibo

The Bite of the Mango, Mariatu Kamara

The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis

The Darkest Dark, Chris Hadfield & Kate Fillion

The Doll, Cora Taylor

The Fabulous Song, Don Gilmore

The Freedom of Jenny, Julie Burtinshaw

The Girl Who Hates Books, Manjusha Pawagi

The Girl Who Writes, Richard Cole & Jane Watt

The Hockey Sweater, Roch Carrier

The Inuksuk Book, Mary Wallace

The Kids Book of Canadian Exploration, Ann-Maureen Owens & Jane Yealland

The Kids Book of Canadian Geography, Briony Penn

The Kids Book of Canadian Immigration, Deborah Hodge & John Mantha

The Little Crooked Christmas Tree, Michael Cutting; Ron Broda

The Loon’s Necklace, Elizabeth Cleaver

The Man With the Violin, Kathy Stinson

The Middle of Everywhere, Monique Polak

The Moccasin Goalie, William Roy Brownridge

The Orphan Boy, Paul Morin

The Paperbag Princess, Robert Munsch    

The Polar Bear’s Gift, Jeanne Bushey

The Root Cellar, Janet Lunn

The Secret of the Dance, Andrea Spalding

The Story of Canada, Janet Lunn

The World in Your Lunch Box, Claire Eamer

This Land, Kit Pearson

Underground to Canada, Barbara Smucker

Waiting for the Whales, Sheryl McFarlane & Ron Lightburn

Waves in the Bathtub, Eugenie Fernandes

West Coast Wild, Deborah Hodge; Karen Reczuch

What’s That Noise?, Michele Lemieux

Who Has Seen The Wind?, W.O. Mitchell

Wild Bog Tea, Annette LeBox

Witch’s Fang, Heather Kellerhals-Stewart

With A Silent Companion,Florida Ann Town

Word Nerd, Susin Nielsen

Wow Canada, Vivien Bowers & Dan Hobbs

You Are Stardust, Elin Kelsey

Author Visits

As a writer of books for children there is nothing more fun than to share my books with kids. Author visits are popular at schools across North America, but also at international schools. I have been lucky enough to travel to international schools across Europe, Asia, Africa and beyond.
I have made some life-long friends among teachers and librarians who share my love to literacy and travel.
Highlights include bringing books to nomad children in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, reading stories to children in Lahore, Pakistan, handing out books to children in Myanmar and many others.
Attached is an article about my recent visits to schools in Kenya and Ethiopia. I love the added bonus of learning about different cultures and now also write a travel blog:

https://globetrottinggrandparents.wordpress.com

Visiting international schools has led me to write books of a more international nature. My latests books include titles such as Families Around The World and School Days Around The World. Coming out in 2017 will be Birthdays Around The World as well as The Elephant Keeper, a book about my visit to an elephant orphanage in Zambia.

As I plan my next tour of schools in the Middle East, I often pinch myself and marvel at the fact that I am so lucky to be able to combine my passion for writing with my passion for travel.

Better World Books - a good place to order books

Do you ever order books online?

If so, you need to know that with Amazon more books does not mean more publishers or authors. It means less payment to publishers and authors, more monopoly and less choice. With the threat of Amazon becoming the world's only publisher, printer and distributor we will have no choice, no competition. 

For that reason I used to order from a great online bookseller in the UK - until Amazon bought them up! Your best bet is to order from a local bookstore. 

BUT there is another great choice: http://www.betterworldbooks.com! Free worldwide shipping PLUS they donate to libraries and literacy. Room To Read is one of their sponsors.

Check out the website and see if you can use this bookseller, too.

Liebster Award

How fun to discover that teacher Kemble Flynn has nominated my Book Blog for the Liebster Award. Liebster means 'favorite' so I am flattered that Kemble likes my book reviews!

Check out her blog here:

http://primaryflynn.blogspot.ca/2013/01/liebster-award.html

And the rules are:

1. Post 11 random things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions the nominator set for you.

3. Create 11 questions for your nominees.

4. choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them to your post.

5. No tag backs, but please leave a comment on this post if you were nominated so I can learn more about you and see who you nominate.

Let's see if I am tech savvy enough to do all this...

1. 11 random things:

• I love reading

• I write books for children

• I love dark chocolate 

• I like to hike

• I don't like winters

• I like to knit

• I have moved 24 times

• I met the Queen of England

• I don't watch much TV

• I like dogs but am not crazy about cats

• I can count to 11!

2.  Questions to the nominees:

1.  What book would you recommend reading?

     Any books posted on my blog!

2.  What song makes you smile?

     Yesterday by the Beatles

3.  The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

     Beatles, of course!

4.  What is your favourite movie?

     Nottinghill.

5.  Do you have any pets?

     Do 47 chickens count?

6.  What has been the most amazing thing you have seen?

     The birth of my children.

7.  What is your favourite season?  Why?

     Summer. I love sandals and sunshine.

8.  What is your favourite saying/quote?

     No worries!

9.  What is your favourite word in the english language?

     Love. Or 'chocolate'.

10.  What is your favourite TV show?

    That's an oxymoron as far as I am concerned.

11.  If I came to visit, what restaurant would your recommend in your city?

   The Tree House, it's an experience.

3. 11 questions for my nominees:

1. What's a favorite book now?

2. What was a favorite book as a child?

3. Who's one of your favorite authors? 

4. What's the most amazing country you have visited?

5. How many places have you lived?

6. What's your favorite food?

7. What advise do you have for new parents?

8. What's your favorite color?

9. Sunrise or sunset?

10. Sun or snow?

11. Favorite internet site?

My nominees:

1. http://sci-why.blogspot.ca/

2. http://globetrottinggrandparents.blogspot.ca/

3. http://carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.ca/

4. http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/

5. http://www.walkinghome2012.com/blog.html

6. http://bookmatchmaker.blogspot.ca/

7.http://www.booksformayans.org/

8.http://chrismcmahen.blogspot.ca/

9. http://readlearnandbehappy.blogspot.ca/

10.http://www.trenchtownreadingcentre.com/

11. http://albbsblog.wordpress.com/about/

Interview with Ron Lightburn, illustrator

http://www.canadianteachermagazine.com/currentissue.shtml

Check out the current issue of Canadian Teacher Magazine for my interview with award winning illustrator Ron Lightburn.