Child Soldier

Red Bicycle, The

Jude Isabella, Simone Shin

Leo rides his beloved red bicycle to school, soccer practice and everywhere in between. He is devastated when he outgrows Big Red. But when Leo learns of a bicycle donation program, he perks up --- someone who really needs his bike can give it a new life. Little does he know that Big Red will change other people's lives, too. Follow the bike as it travels to West Africa, where it helps people in Burkina Faso bring goods to the market, and serves as a makeshift ambulance, proving that an ordinary bicycle can be truly extraordinary.

Viminy Crowe's Comic Book

Marthe Jocelyn, Richard Scrimger, Claudia Dávila

Elephant Keeper, The

Margriet Ruurs, Pedro Covo

A moving story of an unlikely friendship between a boy and the orphaned elephant he saved. In teenaged Aaron's village in Zambia, elephants are considered dangerous animals to be avoided at all costs. But when Aaron discovers a baby elephant nearly drowning in the swimming pool at the guest lodge where he works, he acts quickly and manages to rescue the animal just in time. When Aaron visits the elephant orphanage where the baby, named Zambezi, has been taken, the manager there realizes that Aaron has a natural way with animals and he offers him a job. Suddenly Aaron's life is transformed as he discovers a bond of friendship with Zambezi and a lifelong vocation as an elephant keeper. This powerful story will encourage children everywhere to help endangered animals.

Canada Wild

Maria Birmingham, Alex MacAskill

A full-colour illustrated guide to Canada's endemic species for young readers, from the award-winning author of Snooze-O-Rama: The Strange Ways that Animals Sleep.

Canada is home to over 308 endemic species of plants and animals — meaning they're found nowhere else on Earth. In Canada Wild, award-winning author Maria Birmingham introduces young readers to twelve uniquely Canadian animals — many of which are threatened or endangered. Like the Sable Island sweat bee, which lives on a single sandbar three hundred kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia; the Kermode bear, the rare white black bear also known as the "Spirit Bear", which calls the coastal rainforests of northwestern BC home; and the Peary caribou, which can be found clomping through the Arctic tundra of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Profiles of each animal showcase their habitat, diet, and status, while sidebars highlight fascinating facts about each animal, and a How's It Doing section explains where it falls on the endangerment spectrum. Informative backmatter gives young readers practical advice on conservation and combating climate change, while colour illustrations throughout — including a map of Canada, showing the animals' habitats — offer whimsical yet scientifically accurate depictions.

From the coasts to the prairies to the mountains to the tundra, and every nook and cranny in between, Canada Wild is the perfect read for budding naturalists.

Covered Bridge

Brian Doyle

When the local covered bridge — home to a ghost and her lovelorn postman — is threatened by development, Hubbo O'Driscoll must find a way to save it.