Tag: François Thisdale

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Kindness Week: Reading List

April 3 to April 8, 2016 is the third annual Kindness Week. We rounded up this handy list of picture books, and middle grade and young adult novels for those who want to celebrate this week and year-round.

Noni Speaks UpNoni Speaks Up
Written Heather Hartt-Sussman
Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 9781770498396
Noni always tries to do the right thing. But she doesn’t know how to help her classmate Hector, who is constantly bullied for his name, his size and his giant glasses. Noni stands by silently, afraid that the kids will turn on her if she speaks up. Yet “doing nothing” doesn’t feel very good. Will Noni be brave enough to take matters into her own hands?

Bird ChildBird Child
Written by Nan Forler
Illustrated by François Thisdale
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-0-88776-894-1
Eliza’s mother has given her “wings to fly” and the ability to see all the possibilities that lie before her. So, when bullies pick on the new student, Lainey, gradually robbing her of her smile and ability to paint beautiful pictures, Eliza wants to help, and she does, by finding a way to show Lainey all that she can be.

When I Get OlderWhen I Get Older
The Story behind “Wavin’ Flag”
Written by K’NAAN and Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-302-5
Like so many other immigrants, K’naan had to make a place for himself in a world of alien customs, clothes, and language. His road was a hard one: he lost many friends to violence. But K’naan’s love of music, and his enormous talent, became a way for him to connect with his past, with his classmates, and eventually, to millions of people around the world.

Best Friends through EternityBest Friends through Eternity
Written by Sylvia McNicoll
Hardcover | 192 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-710-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-712-2
Fourteen-year-old Paige, who, taking a shortcut alongside the tracks to avoid the school bullies, is tragically hit by a train and transported to a surreal world where she encounters Kim, who died seven years before. Convinced she is only dreaming, Paige must discover a way to return to her former life. Poignant, gripping, and full of unexpected twists and turns, Best Friends through Eternity will resonate with readers who have struggled with cultural identity, a sense of belonging, and the real meaning of home.

We Are All Made of MoleculesWe Are All Made of Molecules
Written by Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 256 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-779-5
eBook: 978-1-77049-781-8
Thirteen-year-old Stewart Inkster is academically brilliant but “ungifted” socially. Fourteen-year-old Ashley Anderson is the undisputed “It” girl of grade nine, but her marks stink. Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. “The Brady Bunch” it isn’t. Stewart is trying to be 89.9% happy about it, but Ashley is 110% horrified. She already has to hide the truth behind her parents’ divorce; “Spewart” could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder. They are complete opposites. And yet, no matter their differences, they share one thing in common: they – like the rest of us – are all made of molecules.

The Serpent KingThe Serpent King
Written by Jeff Zentner
Hardcover | 384 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-883-9
eBook: 978-1-77049-885-3
Dillard Early, Jr., Travis Bohannon and Lydia Blankenship are three friends from different walks of life who have one thing in common: none of them seem to fit the mold in rural Tennessee’s Forrestville High. As the three friends begin their senior year, it becomes clear that they won’t all be getting to start a promising new life after graduation. How they deal with their diverging paths could cause the end of their friendship. Until a shattering act of random violence forces Dill to wrestle with his dark legacy and find a way into the light of a future worth living.

Fifteen LanesFifteen Lanes
Written by S.J. Laidlaw
Hardcover | 304 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN: 978-1-10191-780-0
eBook: 978-1-10191-782-4
Noor has lived all of her fourteen years in the fifteen lanes of Mumbai’s red light district. Across the sprawling city, fifteen-year-old Grace enjoys a life of privilege. Her father, the CEO of one of India’s largest international banks, has brought his family to Mumbai where they live in unparalleled luxury. But Grace’s seemingly perfect life is shattered when she becomes a victim of a cruel online attack. When their paths intersect, Noor and Grace will be changed forever. Can two girls living in vastly different worlds find a common path?

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Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

This year, Bullying Awareness Week is from November 12-17. Here are some resources for parents, teachers, and librarians:

Bird Child
Written by Nan Forler
Illustrated by François Thisdale
Hardcover | 32 Pages
Ages: 5-8
ISBN: 978-0-88776-894-1
“Magical and ethereal do not typically describe tales of bullying, but this lyrical combination of realism and fantasy defies expectation…. This is a beautiful book with a somber tone, buoyed by Eliza and Lainey’s triumph in imagining possibilities. They do not fight the bully, but defy him by becoming friends.” – School Library Journal

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Written by Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 256 Pages
Ages: 11-14
ISBN: 978-1-77049-372-8
“…a highly emotional story about a family that blames one another, and themselves, for an unimaginable tragedy. Nielsen’s balance of humor and pathos is finely honed, making this a surprisingly breezy read for so heavy a topic.” – Booklist

When I Get Older
The Story behind “Wavin’ Flag”
Written by K’NAAN and Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Hardcover | 32 Pages
Ages: 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-302-5
“Internationally known musician K’naan … recounts his struggle as a young immigrant from Somalia to fit in and how he was bullied for looking and dressing differently from his classmates.” – Publishers Weekly

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National Adoption Day

National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the many children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. To learn more, please visit www.nationaladoptionday.org.

Nini
By François Thisdale
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-270-7
This exceptional book about adoption is a comforting story for children and families who have experienced it first-hand, a tribute to the author’s own adopted child, and a very heartfelt thank-you for the gift of family.

Emma’s Story
By Deborah Hodge
Illustrated by Song Nan Zhang
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-0-88776-632-9
In gentle text, Deborah Hodge tells the story of one small girl’s adoption: the hopes and prayers of her Canadian parents, their trip to the other side of the world, their meeting with the new baby, and the very long ride home to the new family waiting for Emma.

Anne of Green Gables
By L.M. Montgomery
Illustrated by Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson
Introduction by Kate Butler MacDonald
Hardcover | 328 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-515-5
Anne (with an ‘e’ of course) starts out as a mistake. The elderly Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert had planned on adopting a boy to help Matthew with the chores on their Prince Edward Island farm. What are they to do with the red-haired, high-spirited girl who arrives instead?

A Home for Foundlings
By Marthe Jocelyn
Trade Paperback | 120 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-709-8
Thousands of mothers carried their babies to the gates of the Foundling Hospital desperate to save them from the cruel streets of eighteenth-century London. Each baby was left with a personal “token” – identification if a repentant mother ever returned to reclaim her child.

Folly
By Marthe Jocelyn
Hardcover | 256 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-0-88776-929-0
eBook: 978-1-77049-212-7
Set in the late 1800’s, Marthe Jocelyn’s stunning new novel is told in the voices of four people whose lives and destinies intertwine. There’s Mary, who begins “exceeding ignorant” (apart from what a girl can learn from family mayhem, a dead mother, and a grim stepmother) and winds up encountering lust and betrayal when she becomes a servant in a fine house in London. Mary’s nemesis is another maid in the household, Eliza. Eliza also knows lust and betrayal, but she doesn’t know who is betraying who.

Raspberry House Blues
By Linda Holeman
Trade Paperback | 248 Pages | Ages 11-14
ISBN: 978-0-88776-493-6
Poppy is on an odyssey. Her adoptive mother has taken off to find herself, so Poppy decides to live with her adoptive father, his new wife, Calypso, and their toddler, Sandeep, in a ramshackle rasp-berry-colored house. At first Poppy is distressed by the disordered household, which is unlike anything she has ever known, but soon it becomes a jumping-off point for her search for her birth mother.

Promise Song
By Linda Holeman
Trade Paperback | 264 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-387-8
The year is 1900 and orphaned 14-year-old Rosetta and her beloved younger sister Flora sail from England as “home girls.” They are sent to Canada so that they can have a chance at family life. Their dreams are shattered when Flora is adopted, but Rosetta is deemed to be too old. She is to become a farm worker, far from Flora’s new home.

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Tuesdays with Tundra 12

Tuesdays with Tundra is a monthly post on our new releases. The following books are available today in stores and online!

Ella May and the Wishing Stone
By Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Hardcover | Ages 4-7
ISBN 978-1-77049-225-7
“…soft, summery, pastel watercolors. The story includes several understated lessons for youngsters, such as getting along, being considerate, and using your imagination.” – School Library Journal

Except the Color Grey
By Arlene Alda
Hardcover | Ages 2-5
ISBN 978-1-77049-284-4
“…The rhythmic pace carries readers along as the author shares her day’s journey, giving them focus for a walk that they might take themselves…with camera in hand.” – Sal’s Fiction Addiction

Nini
By François Thisdale
Hardcover | Ages 3-6
ISBN 978-1-77049-270-7
“…the story of a family coming together is told with lyrical elegance…. As is typical of Thisdale’s work, breathtaking, multi-layered visuals form a magnificent, detail-rich backdrop to the narrative and contribute heavily to its emotional impact…. There is wonderful interplay between text and image…. Highly recommended.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

Wishes and Worries: Coping with a Parent Who Drinks Too Much Alcohol
By the Centre For Addiction And Mental Health
Illustrated by Lars Rudebjer
Hardcover | Ages 5-8
ISBN 978-1-77049-238-7
Children of parents who drink too much alcohol are affected in many ways. They may experience anger, fear, confusion, and guilt. This reassuring book, written by professionals, offers information in the form of a story about one family’s struggle. Wishes and Worries is an excellent way to open a discussion between adult and child.

New in Paperback!

Bradley McGogg, The Very Fine Frog
By Tim Beiser
Illustrated by Rachel Berman
Paperback | Ages 2-5
ISBN 978-1-77049-276-9
“… This is a very fine book about a very fine frog, so fine in fact that he has –shall we say-refined tastes…. Now the story is great but the rhyming text is so fun to read and so different than any other book that it makes this worth the read and purchase. I can’t imagine any child getting sick of this book or any parent for that matter. Berman’s illustrations match the fresh and unique text. Her depictions of the Brad McGogg the finicky frog in his sandals, jaunty bow tie and striped overalls are magnificent (who could not love a frog in sandals?!) … This book is truly an exploration in epicurean delights that would please any aficionado! Not just a perfect classroom addition to teaching about differences, judgment and understanding those with particular tastes, I think wee readers with foodies for folks may find themselves being read this story time and time again to much delight (both parents and kids!)” – Word of Mouse Book Reviews

Did You Say Pears?
By Arlene Alda
Paperback | Ages 3-8
ISBN 978-1-77049-278-3
“A marvelously imaginative pairing…of homonyms…and homophones wrapped up in a rhyme of amazingly few words and terrific offbeat photographs.” – Booklist

Pub Date Giveaway: Welcome to the beginning of our fall season readers! Which book would you love to read? Leave us a comment below and one lucky reader will receive a copy of their requested book! One request per person and please review our rules. This giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday, August 11, 2011!

A winner will be chosen at random and announced on this post.

UPDATE: A winner has been chosen. Congratulations to Erin Walker, the new owner of Ella May and the Wishing Stone.

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Guest Post: Bullying Awareness Week

Please welcome today’s guest blogger, Bird Child author, Nan Forler! As a mother and teacher, she encourages her students and her own children to speak out against injustice, both in the schoolyard and in the global community.

Nan Forler: November 15th – 19th has been designated as Bullying Awareness Week, in Canada and other countries around the world.  In the next week, I will visit many schools to spread the message of Bird Child, the message of standing up for a friend in the schoolyard, of speaking out against injustice.

Since the release of Bird Child, I have become aware of more and more issues related to bullying.  Parents and children tell me their stories; friends send me links; school boards plan huge initiatives to combat bullying.

Bullying has always been with us.  We used to think it was a rite of passage – just a part of growing up.  As our society evolves, we are seeing bullying for what it is: socially deviant behaviour that can have devastating effects on the well-being of our children.

So often, we focus on the bully and the victim, or target, in a bullying situation, but we forget the other essential character in the scene: the bystander.  As a teacher, I know the power of the bystander on the playground.  As most bullying happens in a manner that is hidden from adults, we need to equip our children in how to be effective bystanders, in order to reduce the impact of bullying incidents.

In my school presentations, I talk about the two choices a bystander can make: do nothing or act.  I emphasize the point that doing nothing actually gives the bully more power.  Every time we stand and watch and do nothing, the bully becomes bigger and more powerful.

So what can we guide our kids to do?  Standing up to a bully takes a great deal of courage.  Ask your child about the kids who are left out at school, the kids who are alone during recess, who are treated unkindly.  Ask about their own feelings when witnessing bullying.  Being a bystander can bring on anxiety and fear as well as lowering self-esteem.  Your child may feel guilty or ashamed for doing nothing and worried about being the next victim.  Open up the discussion and gently guide your child in coming up with a solution.  You can even role-play, or give your child a rehearsed response to say to a classmate or friend who bullies, such as ”That’s not fair,” or “How would you feel if that was you?”  Encourage your child to discuss the situation with the teacher.  Help your child generate ways to make the classmate feel included.

Kids who learn to stand up against injustice in the schoolyard are more likely to speak out against injustice in the future, whether it be in the workplace, the community, or the global society.   Sometimes it just takes one voice, the voice of a child, to bring hope to many.