#IReadCanadian: The Invisible Bear

#IReadCanadian

The Invisible Bear

by Cecile Metzger

Tundra Books

A touching story about a lonely bear that gets an upbeat new neighbour, who shows him how to look at the world a little differently. I am absolutely buying a copy of this book to add to my library. Not only is it a sweet story, but it's also filled with beautiful illustrations.

A simple act of kindness brings two unlikely friends together in this profound picture book about the transformative power of friendship.

A bear sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone. 

Then someone moves in next door. Madame Odette is sound and sunshine, and at first, the bear isn't sure about this colorful new neighbor.

But through an act of kindness, the bear and the Madame Odette meet, and as time goes by, they become friends. And in the end, they are both forever changed by the gifts they bring each other.

The first book from author-illustrator Cécile Metzger, The Invisible Bear is a powerful and beautiful meditation on the beauty of friendship and how two people can save each other just by being themselves.

#SundayReview: Summer Feet

#SundayReview: Summer Feet

by Sheree Fitch

Nimbus Publishing

I adored this book. It's all about tossing off our shoes and enjoying a barefoot summer. I'll admit, I forget all about folding socks when summer hits and try to go barefoot as much as possible! This is a beautiful, rhyming picture book that remind me of my favourite season of the year...SUMMER! And the illustrations are gorgeous <3 Tell me in the comments your favourite season, and why :)

Hello toes, our tootsie friends
Hello, summer feet again!

Canada's Dr. Seuss, Sheree Fitch, is back with a brand-new tongue-twisting picture book that celebrates all things summer. From those first barefoot days, wobble-dy walking over rocks and pebbles, to wandering-wild while searching for sea glass and, finally, huddled-up cozy at a late-summer bonfire, these summer feet flutter kick, somersault, hide-and-seek, and dance in the rain, soaking up all the season has to offer.

With Fitch's classic lip-slippery, lyrical rhymes and Carolyn Fisher's bright and colourful illustrations, Summer Feet will be an instant summertime favourite.

#IReadCanadian Thursdays: A Barren Ground

#IReadCanadian Thursday:

A Barren Ground (Book 1, Misewa Saga)

by David A. Robertson

Penguin Random House Canada

Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.

***

"David A. Robertson has written such a fine, beautiful novel. He manages to combine hard truths about our history with a Narnia-like fantasy, sweeping us into the world of the story while opening our hearts as well." --Susin Nielsen, author of We Are All Made of Molecules and No Fixed Address


“This is a book that is rich in its characterization, evocative in its descriptions, and skillful in its weaving together of traditions of the past and life in the present.” --CM Magazine

"This middle-grade fantasy deftly and compellingly centers Indigenous culture." --STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

***

About the Author

DAVID A. ROBERTSON is the author of numerous books for young readers including When We Were Alone, which won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award and was nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. Strangers, the first book in his Reckoner trilogy, a young adult supernatural mystery, won the 2018 Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction (Manitoba Book Awards). A sought-after speaker and educator, Dave is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg. For more information, visit his website: www.darobertson.ca and follow him on Twitter: @DaveAlexRoberts

#SundayReviews: The Book of Selkie

#SundayReviews: 

The Book of Selkie (A Paper Doll Book)

by Briana Corr Scott (Nimbus Publishing) 

I remember being a child and getting my first book of paper dolls. How fun it was to open the pages and be able to cut out dolls and outfits! When I came across The Book of Selkie, I was ecstatic!

The illustrations in this book were gorgeous. And I haven't seen a paper doll book in ages. The short poems add to the content in addition to the lovely history lesson at the end on the folklore of the Selkie.

I greatly enjoyed this story! Thank you to Nimbus Publishing for providing a free copy through NetGalley.

Oh to be a Selkie,
And live between two worlds
Half your days spent as a seal,
And the other half, a girl…

Stories about the selkie have been told for hundreds of years by those who live near the North Atlantic and North Sea. Sometimes called “seal folk,” the selkie, as humans, are tall and strong with dark hair and eyes. Extremely private, they keep their seal coats hidden away until they get restless and are called to the sea, and take on their seal forms.

In her lyrical follow-up to She Dreams of Sable Island, artist and author Briana Corr Scott explores the Selkie legend in a book of short, whimsical poems. Find out what Selkie likes to eat, where she lives, how she spends her time on land and in the sea, and learn a Selkie lullaby. Lilting and lyrical, with acrylic paintings that recall the ocean’s depths, this magical book is ideal for both bedtime and playtime. Features a paper doll, clothes, and seal.