OLA Best Bets 2009

Each year the OLA Best Bets Committee selects the top 10 Canadian picture books, fiction and non fiction for children and fiction for teens. The selections are presented at OLA Superconference. Here are the Tundra titles that made their 2009 lists:

Picture Books:

Bird Child
By Nan Forler
Illustrated by François Thisdale
ISBN 978-0-88776-894-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Ages 5-8
Bullying and the ability to rise above it are at the heart of this strikingly beautiful picture book.

Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion
By Jane Barclay
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
ISBN 978-0-88776-951-1
Hardcover
24 Pages
Ages 4-7
Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion has relevance to a growing number of families, as new waves of soldiers leave home.

Same Same
By Marthe Jocelyn
Illustrated by Tom Slaughter
ISBN 978-0-88776-885-9
Hardcover
24 Pages
Ages 2-5
Forget about differences! Here’s a wonderful new concept book to explore and enjoy!

Timmerman was Here
By Colleen Sydor
Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
ISBN 978-0-88776-890-3
Hardcover
32 Pages
Ages 4-7
Timmerman Was Here is a charming tale of mystery, perception, and the gift of friendship.

Children’s Fiction:

The Battle for Duncragglin
By Andrew Vanderwal
ISBN 978-0-88776-886-6
Hardcover
320 Pages
Ages 11+
Set in the time of William Wallace, this is historical fiction at its bloody best!

Watching Jimmy
By Nancy Hartry
ISBN 978-0-88776-871-2
Hardcover
160 Pages
Ages 9+
A novel of danger, warmth, and dark humor – about a brain-damaged young boy and the friend who knows a terrible secret.

Vanishing Girl
By Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
Hardcover
320 Pages
Ages 10-14
The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

Children’s Non Fiction:

It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph
By Monika Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
ISBN 978-0-88776-881-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Ages 5-8
Monica Kulling’s spunky, playful text is beautifully complemented by the stunning pen-and-ink with watercolour illustrations of artist Bill Slavin.

Which books do you think will make the 2010 list?

OLA Wrap Up

The expo portion of the Ontario Library Association‘s Super Conference is now over. Another great show and thank you to everyone that came to visit our booth. Here are some photos from the two day show:

Before the show began, all is quiet…

Books on display: OLA Best Bets and OLA Forest of Reading nominees!

Heather Hartt-Sussman came in to sign Nana’s Getting Married on Thursday.

Ann Love came in to sign Talking Tails: The Incredible Connection Between People and Their Pets. Are you dog person or a cat person? Maybe both?

Monica Kulling signing All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine.

Shane Peacock signing Death in the Air: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 2nd Case.

Illustrator Laura Beingessner came in to sign Sail Away with Me by Jane Collins-Philippe.

Rona Arato signing Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium. She even brought in a giant matzo ball for display!

Not pictured, but Richard Scrimger, Theo Caldwell, Marla Stewart Konrad, and J. Torres also braved the weather to come in to sign their books:

   

Launch of: Grease Town

You are invited to celebrate the launch of Ann Towell’s latest novel, Grease Town.

Launch of Grease Town
Date: Saturday, March 6th, 2010
Time: 1:00pm
Place: Oil Museum of Canada
Address: 2423 Kelly Road
Oil Springs, ON N0N 1P0 (map)
Telephone: 519-834-2840

Do you want to know more about the book? Here are some recent interviews with Ann Towell:

Guest Post: Heather Hartt-Sussman

Last Saturday, Heather Hartt-Sussman presented Nana’s Getting Married at Indigo Yorkdale. Children, parents, and grandparents attended the special story time and Heather signed books after her reading. If you weren’t able to make it to the event, Indigo Yorkdale has a few signed copies left – first come, first serve!

Heather Hartt-Sussman even brought in the original artwork by Georgia Graham!

We also have a guest post today, please welcome Heather Hartt-Sussman!

HH-S: I wrote Nana’s Getting Married when my then 5-year-old son asked me why in the world we were at my mother’s wedding. He was confused because it contradicted the order of things. You attend your children’s and grandchildren’s weddings; not the other way around. He knew this to be true, at 5, but I had to explain to him that my mom had been divorced from my father since I was 8, and she had finally, thirty years later, fallen in love again.

It lead me to think about how confused I was when my parents started dating again after their divorce. I, like my son, was upset that this wasn’t the way it was “supposed” to be. I have since learned, and I have tried to impress upon my two sons as well, that you only get upset when you bank on “normal.” If you modify your expectations and stop dictating the way you think things should be, you can have a lot more freedom to enjoy the way things just are.

Further, with the baby boom population getting older, you can be pretty sure there will be a LOT more grandchildren attending their grandparents second and even third weddings, as people are living longer, and benefiting from more vibrant health.

Freedom to Read Week

February 21-27, 2010
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Also, click on the cover of You Can’t Read This for discussion, activities, and further reading lists:

You Can’t Read This: Forbidden Books, Lost Writing, Mistranslations, and Codes
By Val Ross
Hardcover
152 Pages
ISBN 978-0-88776-732-6

You Can’t Read This: Forbidden Books, Lost Writings, Mistranslations & Codes is a history of reading with a provocative twist to intrigue curious readers – it’s a series of stories, based on historical events, about forbidden texts, books, codes, and languages. It celebrates the people who had to fight for the precious ability to read these texts and understand their meaning.

PRAISE:

“I loved this book even before I opened it … You Can’t Read This is more than just a history of banned literature. It is a glimpse into the wide panorama of the restrictions and expansions of the written word, and how it has been used as a tool to liberate and to oppress … This is no dry textbook. It is a primer for anyone wanting to act with courage and needing to know that those acts will come with a price … Beautifully illustrated and well documented, You Can’t Read This is sure to fly off any library or bookstore shelf where it is allowed to appear.” – The Globe and Mail

“This excellent book is about the history of writing, the power of words … An intriguing book. You’ll appreciate how writing has helped society grow and develop though the ages.” – The Toronto Star

Tundra Book Group