Tag: Renné Benoit

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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?

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A Roundup of Ten Questions with…

Open Book Toronto logoOnce again, the wonderful team at Open Book: Toronto interviewed some of our Fall 2009 authors and illustrators. Many thanks to Clelia and Amy for their hard work! Click on the links below to read Open Book: Toronto’s Ten Questions with:

You can take a look at the Spring 2009 Ten Question interviews here. Stay tuned for interviews from our Spring 2010 authors and illustrators!

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Remembering Our Veterans

Introduce the very young to Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Day and what it means:

Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a LionProud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion
Written by Jane Barclay
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
ISBN 978-0-88776-951-1
Ages 4-7 | 24 Pages | Hardcover

A gentle, lyrical, new book about war and remembrance. Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion is a special book that will put very young readers on the path to remembrance and lasting appreciation for those who sacrificed and risked their lives in service to their country.

“… a perfect choice for read alouds on Veteran’s Day. It explains why we honor veterans very succinctly and makes perfect sense – a serious but easily understood title.” – Chasing Ray

“… a quiet, loving dialogue between the generations punctuated with vividly realized war scenes. …makes a statement about heroism. …a tight narrative, rich language, a strong story arc….” – Feature Review, Quill & Quire

“…meaningful and engaging…. Barclay has taken on an important topic in an effective and touching way.… There is a lovely rhythm to the prose that would make this a perfect choice by parents and teachers to read-aloud. The text is complemented beautifully with Benoit’s artwork rendered in watercolours and gouache…. Highly Recommended.” – CM Magazine

“Small photos in sepia shades evoke the past in images… the lively animal images in the words are also part of the pictures. …The blend of grim reality, heroic battle, and playful fantasy will speak to kids.” – Booklist

For older readers, a concise history of World War I:

The War to End All Wars - The Story of World War IThe War to End All Wars: The Story of World War I
Written by Jack Batten
ISBN 978-0-88776-879-8
Ages 10+ | 160 Pages | Hardcover

Meet the soldiers who fought the deadly battles on the Western Front. Follow the trail of flying ace Billy Bishop as he tangles in the air with the Red Baron. The War to End All Wars evokes the heroism and suffering of the men from every country, whose stories changed the face of the world forever.

“…Batten’s account is a model of lucidity, a good place for a young reader to start. Batten’s clean, intelligent prose makes this highly readable and comprehensible….” – The Toronto Star

“This superb book – with its high production values and a multitude of archival photographs, it’s as handsome as it is informative – belongs in every school library and on every family bookshelf. [Jack Batten] makes history vivid, almost palpable, for readers of any age…. Batten’s elegant prose tracks the broad sweep of the war…. The quality that makes this book the outstanding achievement that it is, though, it Batten’s detail-rich delineation of the particular, the depth of his reach into a character, an incident or a battle….” – The Globe and Mail

For middle-grade readers, a novel of danger, warmth, and dark humour:

Watching JimmyWatching Jimmy
By Nancy Hartry
ISBN 978-0-88776-871-2
Ages 9+ | 160 Pages | Hardcover

A novel of danger, warmth, and dark humour – set in 1958, Watching Jimmy is a brilliant portrait of a time past, a family of strong women, and a resourceful young girl who exudes character, resilience, and most of all, love.

“Like a steady beat that pulses louder and louder, the story unfolds against a backdrop of postwar social and political concerns and Remembrance Day. Carolyn is a passionate and feisty character, delineated with love and precision, and readers will be drawn to her. A compelling and satisfying novel.” – School Library Journal

“…this short tale of a Canadian preteen whose life centers around protecting her brain-damaged friend recalls … it’s not until she falls in with some wise and savvy adults at a new church that she gains the confidence she needs to blow the whistle—which she does in the course of a passionate Remembrance Day speech arguing for universal health care. … [an] absorbing read.” – Booklist

“…lyrical language…. The book gives a picture of what it was like living in the post-World War II Canada. Readers will be drawn into the gripping story and will worry about the safely of both Jimmy and Carolyn.” – VOYA

“Hartry… has perfectly captured this determined child’s voice and vividly recreates the setting of Toronto in 1958. It’s not hard to connect the dots … which brings the story home to modern readers. As Carolyn encounters one nearly overwhelming challenge after another, they will find her ultimately optimistic tale impossible to put down.” – Kirkus Reviews

Please take time to remember today.

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Shortlist for the 2009 QWF Prize for Children’s & Young Adult Literature

The Quebec Writers’ Federation announced their finalists for the 2009 QWF Awards. The winners of the 2009 QWF Awards will be announced at the QWF Awards Gala on Tuesday November 17th, 2009 at the Lion D’Or, Montreal.

Tundra would like to congratulate Jane Barclay for being a finalist in the QWF Prize for Children’s & Young Adult Literature!

Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a LionProud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion
Written by Jane Barclay
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
ISBN 978-0-88776-951-1
Much has been written about war and remembrance, but very little of it has been for young children. As questions come from a young grandchild, his grandpa talks about how, as a very young man, he was as proud as a peacock in uniform, busy as a beaver on his Atlantic crossing, and brave as a lion charging into battle. Soon, the old man’s room is filled with an imaginary menagerie as the child thinks about different aspects of wartime. But as he pins medals on his grandpa’s blazer and receives his own red poppy in return, the mood becomes more somber. Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion has relevance to a growing number of families, as new waves of soldiers leave home.

“Small photos in sepia shades evoke the past in images… the lively animal images in the words are also part of the pictures. …The blend of grim reality, heroic battle, and playful fantasy will speak to kids.” – Booklist

inviteJane Barclay will be celebrating the launch of Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion on Thursday, October 29, 2009. Please join her at Babar Books (46 rue Ste-Anne #6, Pointe-Claire, QC H9S 4P8) from 6:00 to 8:00pm.