June 2020
Contents
News from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre & Friends
Links We Love
June Reading List: Diverse Families
Author Corner: Natalie Meisner
Bibliovideo
Illustrator’s Studio: Frank Viva
Experts’ Picks
News from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre & Friends
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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Learn more here.
Tackling Racism Reading List
How do you talk to young readers about the racism in the world and their own country? We have compiled a reading list of books for young people about racism. Each one of these amazing books can be the start of a bigger conversation with young people about discrimination and #BlackLivesMatter.
Learn more here.
Mortimer Selected as 2020 TD Grade One Book Giveaway Title
We are thrilled to announce that Mortimer, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, has been selected as the 2020 TD Grade One Book Giveaway title. As we celebrate 20 years of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, we are reminded of the way books can bring us together as a community. Mortimer joins 19 other phenomenal picture books that have been selected as TD Grade One Book Giveaway titles since 2000.
Learn more here.
Written, published and released during a pandemic: Eric Walters 
defies traditional publishing norms to create a book for young people living through the COVID-19 era.
Don’t Stand So Close to Me, a middle-grade novel by multi-award-winning author Eric Walters about a group of preteens forced into isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, was released digitally on June 2, 2020, from Orca Book Publishers. Walters came up with the idea on April 22, which went from conception to publication in less than seven weeks. Head to Bibliovideo to watch Eric read from the first chapter!
Learn more here and get your copy today.
Telling Tales is Going Virtual!
This year with physical distancing guidelines in place, Telling Tales has made the decision to bring the festival online with an amazing line up of authors, illustrators, performers and storytellers. The team at Telling Tales are working hard behind the scenes to create a dynamic and interactive schedule that you will be able to enjoy in the comfort of your own home. Connecting you with literary artists from across Canada and further abroad is what they love to do.
Learn more here.
Forest of Reading Festival Partners with CBC to Launch a Virtual Edition of the annual event
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) and the Forest of Reading are excited to announce the Forest of Reading Festival, Canada’s largest literary festival for young readers, will be presented as a one-day, free digital award ceremony event, through a new partnership with CBC Books.
Everyone across Canada will have the opportunity to celebrate Canadian children’s and young adult literature and authors on Tuesday, June 16.
Learn more here.
Spring Issue of Best Books for Kids & Teens Available Now!
The spring issue of Best Books for Kids & Teens, your guide to the best new Canadian books, magazines, audio and video for children and teens, is available now. Order your copy today for 100% Canadian book recommendations for kids and teens!
We’ve Moved!
As of this month, our offices will move to 425 Adelaide Street West, Suite 200, Toronto. We will be sharing our offices with Canadian Scholars/Women’s Press. We are looking forward to being in a more central location and closer to many children’s publishers.
Want to stay updated on the world of Canadian children’s books all month long? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Links We Love
Articles and videos of interest to educators and parents
#BlackCanadianAuthorCelebration by Nadia Hohn (Open Book)
35 books to read for National Indigenous History Month (CBC)
LISTEN: The Very Fairy Princess & Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress (Julie’s Library)
Mysteries, romances, kids’ books surge in popularity during pandemic, library says (CBC)
30 books to help you talk to your kids about racism (Today’s Parent)
20 Canadian nature and weather-related books for kids (CBC)
How to Keep Making Children’s Books Right Now, Or Not by Naseem Hrab (Open Book)
LISTEN: How a love for food and belonging inspired Danny Ramadan to write a book for children (CBC)
Map of Black-owned/Black-focused bookstores in North America (Google Maps)
June Reading List: Diverse Families
This month’s reading list is all about celebrating all types of families! With June being Pride Month and family being a bigger part of our lives than it has even been, we’re celebrating families that break out of the nuclear family structure. Including foster families, adoption, found families and same-sex parents, all families will relate to these stories.
Picture Books |
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The Boy & the Bindi In this beautiful picture book, a little boy becomes fascinated with his Ammi’s (mother’s) bindi, the red dot commonly worn by South Asian women, and wishes to have his own. Rather than chastise him, she agrees, and with her help, the boy discovers that wearing a bindi allows him to joyfully explore and express his difference — and that even a little “spot” can be meaningful and magical.
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Elliot Elliot’s parents love him, but they don’t know how to take care of him. When a social worker named Thomas comes, Elliot’s world turns upside down. His foster families are kind, but everything is strange and new, and all the changes make him cry, and yell, and misbehave. When it is clear that Elliot’s parents will never be able to take him back, Thomas finds Elliot one last home — a forever, forever home. This title is also available in French under the same name.
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The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig When Steve and Derek adopted a mini pig named Esther, they had no idea that she would turn out to be not so mini after all. Esther grew too large for their small apartment. So, the whole family moved to a farm, where Esther and her animal friends could fit happily!
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Families Talittuq is excited to start his first day of grade two. He is looking forward to the new school year, but as he meets his friends again for the first time after summer vacation, he notices that a lot of his friends’ families are very different from his own. Some have one mom and one dad, and some have only a mom. Some kids live with their grandparents. Some live with two dads or two moms. As Talittuq hears about all the fun his friends have had with their families, he learns that families come in many different shapes and sizes, and what holds them all together is love!
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A Family Is a Family Is a Family What makes a family? When a teacher asks her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all. A warm and whimsical look at the great diversity of families and the bonds of love that matter most.
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How Nivi Got Her Names Nivi has always known that her names were special, but she does not know where they came from. So, one sunny afternoon, Nivi decides to ask her mom. The stories of the people Nivi is named after lead her to an understanding of traditional Inuit naming practices and knowledge of what those practices mean to Inuit. How Nivi Got Her Names is an easy-to-understand introduction to traditional Inuit naming, with a story that touches on Inuit custom adoption. |
Junior & Intermediate Fiction |
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Cammie Takes Flight In this sequel to Flying with a Broken Wing, Cammie navigates life at her new school, armed with her estranged mother’s address. She enlists a new friend’s help in tracking down her mother. Will Cammie learn why she was abandoned and be able to start her new life? Or will she find more secrets? Can she ever put the past behind her? |
Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts Meet the Fitzgerald-Trouts, a band of four loosely related children living together on a tropical island. They take care of themselves. They sleep in their car, bathe in the ocean, eat fish they catch and fruit they pick, and can drive anywhere they need to go — to school, the laundromat or the drive-in. The Fitzgerald-Trouts can do anything… maybe even find a real home.
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Louis Undercover Meet Louis, a young boy who shuttles between his alcoholic dad and his worried mom, and who, with the help of his best friend, tries to summon up the courage to speak to his true love, Billie. A beautifully illustrated, true-to-life portrayal of just how complex family relationships can be, seen through the eyes of a wise, sensitive boy who manages to find his own way forward. This title is also available in French as Louis parmi les spectres. |
The Lotterys Plus One The Lotterys, as they call themselves, are headed up by a lesbian couple and a gay couple who joined forces to create a family, won a lottery jackpot and moved into a Victorian Gothic mansion in Toronto, where their enormous brood is home-schooled. It all seems perfectly normal to nine-year-old Sumac until their hitherto obscure grandfather Grumps comes to stay, upending the Lotterys’ already chaotic family life.
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Shack Island Summer Twelve-year-old Pepper and her misfit brother, Everett, are spending their summer on Shack Island with Grandma. Pepper has mysterious dreams that foretell the future, so she decides to practice her ESP skills to see if she can get better at it. Pepper also knows she is adopted, but she knows nothing of her real family. As the summer days and starlit nights begin to work their magic, Pepper decides her Shack Island summer will be an excellent time to try to find out who they might be. |
We Are All Made of Molecules Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially “ungifted.” Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the “It” girl of Grade 9, but her marks stink. When Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom, their worlds collide. 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.
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Young Adult Fiction |
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The Agony of Bun O’Keefe It’s Newfoundland, 1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O’Keefe has lived a shuttered, lonely life with her negligent mother, who is a hoarder. One day, Bun’s mother tells her to leave, so she does. Hitchhiking out of town, Bun learns that the world extends beyond the walls of her mother’s house and discovers the joy of being part of a new family — a family of friends who care. |
Dancing in the Rain While struggling with the death of her beloved adoptive mother, 16-year-old Brenna reconnects with members of her biological family. She is also falling in love with Ryan, who has to leave her when she needs him most. Brenna realizes that getting strong physically and focusing on the needs of others might just help her find peace and plan a future for herself. |
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Just Lucky Lucky loves her grandparents, and they are all the family she really has. True, her grandma forgets things… like turning off the stove, or Lucky’s name. But her grandpa takes such good care of them that Lucky doesn’t realize how bad things are. That is until he’s gone. When her grandma accidentally sets the kitchen on fire, Lucky can’t hide what’s happening any longer, and she is sent into foster care. She quickly learns that some foster families are okay. Some aren’t. And some really, really aren’t. |
Learning to Breathe Sixteen-year-old Indy has tried to live by her Grammy’s rules, but her relatives in Nassau have already labelled her trouble — she just can’t escape her mother’s reputation. Now she is hiding an unwanted pregnancy, looking for a safe place to call home. What Indy discovers is that home is not just four walls and a roof — it’s about the people she shares it with.
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Like a Love Story New York City, 1989. For three teens, the world is changing. Judy is an aspiring fashion designer. Art, an out and proud teen, is Judy’s best friend. Reza, from Iran, is terrified of being outed. Reza, dating Judy but attracted to Art, must find a way to stop living a lie that doesn’t break Judy’s heart — so he can keep the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known. |
Speed of Life Eighteen-year-old twins Crystal and Amber want to graduate high school and escape their deadbeat parents and rundown neighbourhood. But then one of them gets pregnant, and they make a pact to raise the baby together. But when Crystal is offered an opportunity to go to college to learn to restore classic cars, she must make a difficult choice: follow her dreams or honour her promise.
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Families Around the World Based on real children, each one’s story fills a two-page spread and is told in the first person, beginning with a greeting in the child’s native language. From Ryan, who lives on a Texas cattle farm, to Nkoitoi, who tends the family goat in Kenya, to Baatar, who moves regularly with his nomadic family in Mongolia, there is a vast range of homes, locations, customs and activities presented here, all of it enthusiastically illustrated with bright colours and vivid detail by illustrator Jessica Rae Gordon. There is variety in the heads of the families as well: a single parent, multiracial parents and same-sex parents are all represented. |
Why Do Families Change? Our First Talk About Separation and Divorce Separation and divorce are difficult on families. Often young children blame themselves or become unsure of their place in the family. This book offers a reassuring and straightforward explanation of separation and divorce by child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts. The Just Enough series is designed to help parents/caregivers start conversations with young ones about difficult subject matter. |
Author’s Corner: Natalie Meisner
Natalie Meisner is a writer from Lockeport, Nova Scotia. Her plays have been produced across the country, won numerous awards, been collected in book form and appear in numerous Canadian anthologies. Natalie has published several books and she has recently been named Calgary’s fifth Poet Laureate. Meisner holds a Doctorate in English (University of Calgary), a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (University of British Columbia) and Bachelor’s degree in English from Dalhousie University. She has taught at the University of Regina, University of Calgary and currently is a professor in the Department of English at Mount Royal University where she teaches creative writing, drama and literature.
First, tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get your start as an author?
I grew up in small fishing village Nova Scotia. We did not have art, music or theatre as a part of our education but what we did have… were natural storytellers. My grandparents, uncles and cousins can all keep you on the edge of your seat with a story. One of our favourite things to do when we see one another is to just sit around and tell “yarns”and this is the first place I learned what makes a great story.
We also had the bookmobile! An amazing library on wheels that would come through with books about every subject. I looked forward to this so much. Books that were my first windows to the great wide world. I also had some truly wonderful teachers in grade school and high school who recognized my wild imagination and set me some extra reading and writing tasks. I began to find and enter writing contests and after winning my first one (it was about fire safety and I think it was grade 3!) I was off and running.
My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother, and Me is based on your own family. What inspired you to write this book?
We are a two mom, racially-diverse family and although there are
some wonderful books out there that include LGBTQ+ families… I did not see any that were quite like ours. Also, I thought that it would be great to have a book with a diverse family that did not focus on our diversity as a problem, but rather showed the value. In the book the family is learning fun facts about sea creatures and how to build community. The fact that they happen to be a two mom two boy family is part of things rather than pulling all the focus. : )
This month’s newsletter is all about diverse families. Why do you think it is important to see families like the one in My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother, and Me reflected in books for young people?
When I was a young person in a rural place… the world looked very different. There was no such thing as marriage for gay people in Canada. Many people had the very mistaken idea that it was wrong to be an LGBTQ+ person. We were often discriminated against and had to hide who who we were. A lot of people lost connections with their communities and towns as they fled to cities, looking for acceptance and community. I feel very lucky that I have managed to maintain my ties with the beautiful place that I was born and the community that helped to raise me. I want to be a part of making communities like that: ones that keep their hearts and doors open to people of all cultures and genders.
How can teachers, librarians and parents use your book to engage with children?
I think there is certainly a gentle lesson on diversity and acceptance for racially diverse peoples and LGBTQ+ people in the book. I also wanted to share knowledge about some of the perhaps lesser known marine life (we have tons of books about dolphins… not so many about sea urchins!) and also do some modelling for how to build community and expand our notion of family. * Also, in addition to being an author, I am a professor of English, Languages and Cultures and so I do a lot of teaching on equity, inclusion and diversity in my own post-secondary classroom that I adapt for learners at different levels so get in touch in person and let’s work on something together.
What projects are you working on now? Can you tell us about any upcoming books?
2019 was a big year for me. In addition to My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother & Me, I had three other books published. This can seem like some kind of rabbit out of a hat trick… but in fact some of these projects had been in the works for seven or eight years. What I am most excited about now is having been recently named Poet Laureate of Calgary! This is a great honour and a lot of responsibility given all that is happening right now. For the next two years, I will work on a book and a project called THIS MIGHT HELP that highlights the power of the written word to connect people in the face of adversity. I also have two new stage plays, Boom Baby (about workers in the Oil Sands) and Area 33 (about the collapse of our fisheries) to watch for on Canadian stages when things open up.
Find out more about Natalie at nataliemeisner.com.
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre has taken Canadian children’s books to where youth already are: YouTube. Subscribe today to watch videos made specifically for booklovers!
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Illustrator Demonstrations / Démonstrations des illustrateurs
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Author Interviews / Entretiens avec des écrivains
Book Readings / Séances de lecture
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Illustrator’s Studio: Frank Viva
Frank Viva is an award-winning illustrator and designer living and 
working in Toronto. His first picture book Along a Long Road was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustration and was named one of The New York Times‘ 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2011. His other books for children include Outstanding in the Rain, A Long Way Away, A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse and Young Frank, Architect. His art has appeared in many places such as The New York Times and the cover of the New Yorker and on the illustrated stationary produced by his company Whigby. Frank runs a branding and design agency in Toronto and is past president of the Advertising & Design Club of Canada. But making books is his favourite thing to do.
First, tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get your start as an illustrator?
After college I put together a commercial portfolio and visited art
directors at magazines as well as a few design studios that I admired. This was before the Internet, so you couldn’t simply email somebody with a link to your website. While emailing is clearly simpler, the nice thing about having to do the face-to-face meetings was that it was possible to establish a relationship.
We are so excited to read Weekend Dad! How did you approach the illustrating process?
To begin with, I decided to accept the project because I was really inspired by the manuscript, so that was a good start. In general, I try to add to the storytelling rather than repeat what’s already being conveyed through the words. For instance, the colour palette gets incrementally brighter page-by-page to reflect the fact that — after the initial shock of the divorce — life gets better, slowly but surely.
What or who has influenced your art style?
I have enjoyed a lifelong love of artists like Calder, Giacometti and many others. Having kids (two daughters); a love of reading and a career as a graphic designer have all contributed to the way I approach making books.
How can teachers, librarians and parents use your books to engage with children?
For the most part, I have found that teachers and librarians are the experts when it comes to this, often tailoring the engagement to the 
particular needs and desires of their students. In one case, students were asked to create little movies based on one of my books and they were wonderful. Two of the publishers I work with – Little, Brown and TOON Books — have also created lesson plans for my books that are available upon request.
What projects are you working on now? Can you tell us about any upcoming books?
I am working on a new book about a brother and sister who spend a day at the art museum. I’m not quite ready to say much more than that. It will be published this fall.
Find out more about Frank at www.vivaandco.com
Booksellers’ Picks
Canada’s independent booksellers share their recommendations for kids and teens. To find a local independent bookstore, visit findabookstore.ca.
Woozles Children’s Bookstore in Halifax, NS:
When Emily Was Small, written and illustrated by Lauren Soloy (Tundra, 2020) Ages 4-8
This sumptuously illustrated picture book about renowned Canadian artist Emily Carr is an exquisite celebration of the natural world and one little girl’s reverent fascination with it. Young Emily is always being scolded, admonished to sit still and not to get her Sunday dress dirty. These chastisements make Emily feel small. But when she starts exploring in her father’s garden and through the currant bushes, Emily finds herself transformed into Small, a creature whose joyful exuberance and natural curiosity are perfectly at home here. Together with her new friend Wild, she jubilantly revels in all the wonders and beauty and miraculousness of the world around them. With poetic prose and rich, vibrant mixed-media illustrations, Soloy has created a moving portrait of an artist whose intimate connection to the natural world is magnificently expressed in her art and writing. This brief glimpse into her childhood is moving and eloquent and beautiful.
—Lisa Doucet, Co-manager
Woozles Children’s Bookstore: 1533 Birmingham St., Halifax, NS B3J 2J1 www.woozles.com
If your independent bookstore would like to participate in this feature, please contact us.
Librarians’ Picks
Canadian librarians share their recommendations for kids and teens.
Yorick and Bones by Jeremy Tankard and Hermione Tankard (HarperCollins Publishers, 2020) Ages 8 -12
Hark! Graphic novel fans wilt doth clamour to readeth this book anon. Father-daughter dynamic duo, Jeremy and Hermione Tankard, bring a uniquely classic twist to this story about finding friendship in unexpected places. Yorick is a skeleton who wakes up after hundreds of years. He longs for a pal and is thrilled when a cute little dog digs him up. But alas, poor Yorick soon finds the pup is more interested in chewing on his leg. Yorick has a flair for conversation, and speaks entirely in Shakespearean iambic pentameter. Cleverly told in Three Acts (“Love Bites”, “Man’s Pest Friend” and “Best Fiends Forever”), hilarious slapstick humour abounds in the illustrations. Readers will exclaim, “Forsooth, my joy, I barely can contain!”
—Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian, London Public Library
If you are a librarian that would like to participate in this feature, please contact us.
Staff Picks
Staff of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre recommend their favourite books for kids and teens.
With summer almost here and June being Pride Month and Indigenous History Month, I have a few recommendations to kick of summer vacation.
Pemmican Wars (A Girl Called Echo) by Katherena Vermette, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson and coloured by Donovan Yaciuk (HighWater Press, 2017) Ages 12 and up
To dive right into Indigenous history, the first book in this graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo takes readers right into history as the main character, Echo, time travels from her history classroom to the era of the Pemmican wars.
This Place: 150 Years Retold, edited by HighWater Press (HighWater Press, 2019) Ages 15 and up
This graphic novel anthology explores the last 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators. The wealth of talent in this collection is staggering. You can watch the trailer here.
My Heart Fills With Happiness/Ni Sâkaskineh Mîyawâten Niteh Ohcih by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett (Orca Book Publishers, 2018) Ages 0-3
This title was selected as the 2019 TD Grade One Book Giveaway title and was distributed to half a million Grade 1 students all across Canada. With text in English or French and Plains Cree, this book is a beautiful celebration of all of the things that bring us joy.
Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle by Robin Stevenson (Orca Book Publishers, 2020) Ages 9-12
This new edition celebrates the LGBTQ+ communities history like the original, but has also been updated and expanded. This is a great first introduction to Queer history and all things Pride. For younger readers, Robin Stevenson’s board book, Pride Colors, celebrates the love a parent has for a child and explains the meaning behind each colour of the Pride flag.
Black Women Who Dared by Naomi M. Moyer (Second Story Press, 
2018) Ages 10 and up
Celebrate the lives of 10 black women and start a conversation about #BlackLivesMatter with young readers. This book celebrates inspiring women and women’s collectives that changed their communities and the world. Beautifully illustrated, this book features women from 1793 to present day.
The Stone Thrower by Jael Richardson, illustrated by Matt James (Groundwood Books, 2016) Ages 5-8
For younger readers, this picture book follows the life of African-American football player, Chuck Ealey, and the struggles and racism he faced growing up in the segregated United States. Told by his daughter, author Joel Richardson, The Stone Thrower shows how a young boy’s determination and hard work lead him to become a pioneer in football.
For more books about racism (including these), check out our newest blog post.
— Emma Hunter, CCBC Marketing & Communications Coordinator
See You In The Fall
Our newsletter will be back in September with more interviews, book recommendations and news!