canadian children’s literature

Canadian Canadian Children’s LiteratureChildren’s Literature

A Genre Approach to A Genre Approach to Reading Your Way Through CanadaReading Your Way Through Canada

For more information, contact Betsy ArntzenFor more information, contact Betsy ArntzenOffice of Canadian Studies Outreach . Canadian-American CenterOffice of Canadian Studies Outreach . Canadian-American Center

University of Maine 154 College Ave. Orono, ME 04473University of Maine 154 College Ave. Orono, ME [email protected]@umit.maine.edu 207.581.4225 207.581.4225

http://www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htmhttp://www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htmMarch 2006March 2006

http://www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htmhttp://www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htm 22

Read Your Way Through Canada: Read Your Way Through Canada: PURPOSEPURPOSE

To find answers to these questions:

• Does Canadian children’s fiction tell the stories of Canadian history, geography, and culture?

• Can we get a sense of place through Canadian children’s literature?

• Can we get an overview of Canadian history through Canadian children’s literature?

• Can we learn about Canadian cultures by reading Canadian children’s literature?


Read Your Way Through Canada: SLIDESRead Your Way Through Canada: SLIDES

These slides present

• a selection of currently available titles as of March 2006Note: There are MANY more excellent titles available than are presented here

• categorized by region: Atlantic, Central, Prairies, West, North

• grouped by genres of children’s literature Not covered: non-fiction / informational literature, and biography

Audience: We created this presentation to introduce a wide variety of Canadian Children’s Literature to U.S. public library Children’s Librarians, and to K-12 School Librarians and Teacher-Librarians.


Read Your Way Through Canada: Read Your Way Through Canada: ELEMENTS ELEMENTS

• Canadian Children’s authors• Book titles and brief summaries• Identification as Picture Book or Chapter Book• Author websites• Publisher websites• Resources


Genres of Children’s LiteratureGenres of Children’s Literature

• Traditional - born of oral tradition, passed orally from generation to generation

• Poetry - ranges from poetry that rhymes to free verse

• Fantasy - rooted in traditional literature, but has an identifiable author, and Science Fiction - speculates on what might happen in the future

• Contemporary Realistic Fiction – deals with living today. Includes humorous stories, detective and mystery stories, school stories, adventure stories, survival stories, sports stories, animals fiction

• Historical Fiction – realistic fiction set in the past

• Biography – focuses on individuals (not covered here)

• Anthology – collection of writings

• Non-Fiction, Informational – accurate, authentic, up-to-date (not covered here)


Literary Regions of CanadaLiterary Regions of Canada

• Atlantic – Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island

• Central – Quebec Central – Ontario

• Prairie – Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta

• West – British Columbia

• North – Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut


REGION: Atlantic CanadaREGION: Atlantic Canada

• Newfoundland & Labrador

• Prince Edward Island

• New Brunswick

• Nova Scotia


Genre: Contemporary RealisticGenre: Contemporary Realistic

Ian Wallace

Duncan’s WayFor seven generations Duncan's family has fished off the coast of Newfoundland. Now, the fish are gone and with them, the old way of life. Duncan notices that his father is spending the days staring out to sea, watching television and baking bread and pies. Many families have left town in search of work elsewhere. Even Duncan's mother is beginning to suggest that they, too, join the exodus to the mainland.

Mummer’s Song by Bud Davidge; illus. by Ian WallaceA rhyming story that refers back to the author's childhood in Newfoundland, when the Mummers, would go from door to door, entering houses and dancing and carousing with the people at Christmas time. Newfoundland is one of two places in North America where Mummering is still done.

www.groundwoodbooks.com

www.ian-wallace.comPicture Books



Catherine SimpsonLives in Lewisporte, Newfoundland

• There are No Polar Bears HereYoung girl sees a white bear and no one believes her

• A Viking ShipBoy finds a magic Viking ship toy which allows time travel

• The Turnip Top PonyWho or what is eating out of everyone’s garden?

• Sailor: The Hangashore Newfoundland DogHow can a Newfoundland Dog not like the water?

http://www.nfbooks.com/

Picture Books



The Money PitBy Eric Walters

What starts to happen as soon as Sam sets foot on Oak Island to visit his grandfather is more exciting than he could have hoped for, more surprising than the magic tricks he spends hours perfecting. Draws on the real-life history of the mysterious Money Pit on Nova Scotia’s Oak Island,

www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Book


Genre: Historical FictionGenre: Historical Fiction

Hand of Robin SquiresBy Joan Clark

For over two hundred years, people have been searching Oak Island, just off the coast of Nova Scotia, for elusive treasure buried there. Underground tunnels discovered on the island have never yielded their secrets.

In The Hand of Robin Squires, Joan Clark weaves fact and fiction in the tale of an English boy at the centre of the mystery. When his father dies in 1703, Robin Squires is the only one who can help his seafaring uncle build the elaborate subterranean complex that has since tantalized and mystified treasure seekers for two centuries.

Chapter Book


Genre: Historical FictionGenre: Historical FictionLucy Maud Montgomery

Anne Shirley Series; “Anne of the red hair”

• Anne of Green Gables (1908) Orphan is adopted by a brother and sister on PEI

• Anne of Avonlea (1909) Anne of Green Gables becomes a school teacher

• Anne of the Island (1915) Now 18, she heads to Redmond College

• Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) After college she accepts a job as high school principal

• Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) Anne marries Dr. Gilbert Blythe, her childhood beau

• Anne of Ingleside (1939) Anne is mother of five with one on the way

• Rainbow Valley (1919) Anne’s children are featured as they help their neighbors

• Rilla of Ingleside (1921) Set in WW! focusing on youngest daughter, Rilla

http://www.lmmontgomery.ca

Chapter Books



Sharon McKay

Charlie WilcoxIts 1916, and Charlie Wilcox, a Newfoundlander, is interested in one thing only: going to sea, just like his father and uncles. He’ll make his family proud. His parents have different plans for him, however: they want him to go to university.Humiliated, Charlie sets out to prove he can measure up to the men in his family, and stows away on a sealing ship. It’s only when they are far out to sea, and he is discovered, that he realizes he’s on a troopship bound for France!

Charlie Wilcox's Great War The year is 1918. Charlie Wilcox, now 17 years old, tall, broad and mature beyond his years, returns home to Brigus, Newfoundland. He is a man now, his childhood left behind on the battlefields of France and Belgium. And he is burdened by a secret, one he fears will inflict terrible grief on the village and people he loves.

Chapter Books



Eric Walters

Hydrofoil MysteryIt’s 1915 and 15-year-old William is a bit of a troublemaker. But when his concerned mother sends him to spend the summer with Alexander Graham Bell in Nova Scotia, he finds life isn’t as boring as he once believed.

RunIn 1976, a teenage delinquent, Winston MacDonald, is sent to Nova Scotia to be with his father after being suspended from school. Mr. MacDonald, a newspaper reporter, is working on a story about a young man – Terry Fox – who is running across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Books


REGION: Central CanadaREGION: Central Canada

• Ontario

• Quebec


Genre: TraditionalGenre: TraditionalThe Nanabosho Series

By Joe McLellan and Matrine McLellan

9 stories based on Ojibway legends created to bring Aboriginal stories to Aboriginal children. Nanabosho is the teacher and protector of the Anishinabe people

These are stories with a story, as an elder tells a traditional story to a contemporary child. The story features Nanabosho, and they show us the relationship between people and nature.

“Nanabosho's capable of great things. He's part spirit, part Manitou, part man, and he was sent to teach the people. Early on, he found out that you can't tell people anything. They don't listen. You can't tell them to do something, and you can't tell them not to do something, and so he thought, 'If I act real stupid, they'll see that and laugh at it, and they'll remember not to act like that. And if I do the wrong thing, they'll figure it out. If I just do the right thing, they'll just say, 'I can't do that, but you, Nanabosho, you can do because you're a spirit.' What Nanabosho does then is take all of the silly stupid things we do and magnifies them and lays them out there for us to look at”, says author Joe McLellan.

www.pemmican.mb.ca/ http://www.joemclellan.ca/

Picture Books



Roch CarrierStories describe his life growing up in 1940s-50s

in rural, francophone Quebec

Picture booksThe Hockey SweaterThe Boxing ChampionThe Basketball PlayerThe Longest Home RunA Happy New Year’s Day

Short storiesHockey Sweater and Other StoriesPrayers of a Very Wise Child



Brian Robeson SeriesBy Gary Paulsen,

American author writing about northern Ontario

Hatchet – Brian survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness with a hatchet as his only tool.

Brian’s Winter - In Hatchet, he was rescued. "Brian's Winter" begins where "Hatchet" might have ended: Brian is not rescued, but must build on his survival skills to face his deadliest enemy--a northern winter.

Brian’s Return – He’s rescued, but now that he‘s back in civilization, he can‘t find a way to make sense of high school life.

The River - Now the government wants him to do it again--to go back into the wilderness so they can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive.

Brian’s Hunt – He’s back in the wilderness where he prefers being on his own. An injured dog appears and with a terrible, growing sense of unease, he sets out to learn what happened.

Chapter Books



Gita Seriesby Rachna Gilmore, Ontario author

A young-reader picture book series featuring a girl

who immigrates from India, becomes homesick, adjusts and makes friends, and then faces moving back to India.

Lights for GitaRoses for Gita

A Gift for Gita

www.secondstorypress.on.ca

http://www.rachnagilmore.ca/

Picture Books



The Road to ChlifaBy Michele Marineau

A Lebanese teenager, Karim, escapes war-torn Beirut, travels a dangerous route over the mountains to Chlifa, and then on to Montreal and a new life. But his new life is not without difficulty — he encounters contempt and racism at high school.

Chapter Book



Underground to CanadaBy Barbara Smucker

Taken away from her mother by a ruthless slave trader, all Julilly has left is the dream of freedom. Every day that she spends huddled in the trader’s cart traveling south, or working on the brutal new plantation, she thinks about the land where it is possible to be free, a land she and her friend Liza may reach some day.

Chapter Book


Genres: Historical FictionGenres: Historical Fiction

The Last Safe HouseBy Barbara Greenwood

A blend of fact and fiction, designed to be a story of historical fiction paired with historical fact, this book also has hands-on extension activities.

Slave life, the movement to abolish slavery, and elements of the underground railroad are seen through the eyes of two young girls.


Genre: Historical FictionGenre: Historical FictionBrian Doyle

• Angel SquareA budding young detective named Tommy, confronts racial prejudice in Ottawa after the Second World War.

• Boy O'BoySummer 1945, Martin O'Boy lives with his family in Lowertown Ottawa, and tries (unsuccessfully) to steer clear of the head of the boys' choir.

• Easy AvenueAn orphan in the 1950s, Hubbo O'Driscoll is torn between loyalty to his poor but fun friends and family and the shallow but rich kids at his Ottawa high school.

• Covered BridgeCovered Bridge pits earnest Hubbo O'Driscoll against two determined, cynical land developers

• Mary Ann AliceMary and her teacher investigate a project to dam up the Gatineau River in 1926

• Uncle RonaldIn 1895, to escape his violent father, Mickey is sent to stay with his Uncle Ronald

Chapter Books


REGION: Prairie ProvincesREGION: Prairie Provinces

• Alberta

• Saskatchewan

• Manitoba



Josepha: A Prairie Boy’s Story By Jim McGugan

Story of immigrant boy learning English in school with the small children, and having to choose between going to work or staying in school. A young boy learns the news that his friend Josepha will soon be leaving school, alienated because no one speaks his language. What can the boy do to show that his friendship with Josepha has meant much to him? Picture Book


Genre: PoetryGenre: Poetry

If You’re Not from the PrairieBy David Bouchard

Poem with the premise that if you’re not from the prairie you can't understand the wind, the cold, the grasses. However, even though we might not know the prairie, we all do know the sun.

Picture Book



William Kurelek

A Prairie Boy’s WinterFollows William and his family through a winter on their farm in Alberta

A Prairie Boy’s SummerSummer on the prairies during the Depression was not a vacation from school; it was hard work.

A Northern NativityA young boy imagines the nativity could have occurred anywhere and to any racial group.

Picture Books



Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet

A Prairie AlphabetOn each page is a single sentence consisting of words that begin with the featured letter, describing a scenario: "We auction our Aberdeen Angus at Agribition"; "A mouse munches a meal of millet by moonlight."

A Prairie YearCaptures the rural lifestyle shared by people in Saskatchewan and Alberta, providing a month-by-month anecdotal record of life on the plains, accompanied by a series of full-page paintings.

Heartland SamplerUsing the frame of a sampler quilt, it takes a unique look at the landscape, customs, history, traditions, and peoples of the Prairies.

Picture Books



The Moccasin GoalieBy William Roy Brownridge

Fictional story of friends who didn’t make the hockey team but really want to play hockey.

Based on the true life of the author as a child. He physically couldn’t wear skates, but played goalie on winning hockey teams.

Picture Book



Farley Mowat

The Dog Who Wouldn’t BeThis is the story about a dog and his boy. The boy was the author and the dog was Mutt. Clearly, Mutt believed that he could do better than just be a dog.

Owls in the FamilyA story of a young boy’s pet menagerie – which includes crows, magpies, gophers and a dog – growing out of control with the addition of two cantankerous pet owls, Wol and Weeps.

Chapter Books



Northern ExposuresBy Eric Walters

Kevin Spreekmeester has just won a photography contest he doesn’t remember entering. The prize is a five-day trip to Churchill, Manitoba, to photograph polar bears with a renowned wildlife photographer. It all sounds pretty good - it’s a chance for Kevin to escape his controlling parents and the tedium of school.

www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Book


REGION: West REGION: West

• British Columbia



Ann Blades

Mary of Mile 18 was her first book. She wrote to give her students something to read about themselves. Mile 18 is now named Buick, BC.

Mary of Mile 18Mary finds a wolf pup but is forbidden to keep it as a pet, until it proves its worth on the family farm .

A Boy of TacheCharlie, a boy of the Indian reserve of Tache in northern British Columbia, joins his grandparents for the annual spring beaver hunt. But they’re not at the camp long when Za becomes ill and Charlie must go alone to get help. This is a simple, realistic story of how a native people continues traditional ways.

A Salmon for Simon – illustratorSimon has been trying all summer to catch a salmon. But when he gets his chance, Simon no longer wants to keep it--it's too strong and beautiful!

Picture Books



Waiting for the WhalesBy Sheryl McFarlane

A man teaches his grand-daughter how to identify animals, plants, and how to garden, but most of all, when to watch for the annual return of the Orca whales. A seasons of life story.

Picture Book


Genre: FantasyGenre: Fantasy

Paul YeeGrew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Ghost TrainExtreme poverty forces the father to leave his family behind in South China to take a dangerous railroad construction job in BC. After 2 years of sending his pay home, Ba asks that Choon-yi join him, but when she arrives in Vancouver she learns that her father has died in a landslide. Her plans to return to China come to an end, when her father appears in a dream.

Roses Sing on New SnowWhile Maylin does the cooking for her family's Chinatown restaurant, her greedy father and two fat brothers take all the credit. When her specially prepared dish, ``Roses Sing on New Snow,'' is served to the visiting governor of South China, he asks the brothers to show him how it was made.

www.paulyee.caPicture Books


Genre: TraditionalGenre: Traditional

Paul YeeGrew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Tales from Gold MountainEight original stories give readers a sense of the hardships faced by the first Chinese-Canadians. In "Spirits of the Railway," a young man appeases the ghosts of dead railroad workers who were never properly buried. In "Forbidden Fruit," a father's prejudice keeps his daughter from marrying her beloved. Dramatic illustrations accompany the stories. The brief, pithy tales strikingly reflect traditional Chinese beliefs and customs in New World circumstances.

Dead Man’s Gold and Other StoriesExplores 140 years of the history of Chinese immigrants to Canada through tales with a subtle sense of the supernatural. They creating a snapshot of the lives and times of these early immigrants--men who left their families in China hoping to bring them to the sweeter life of Gold Mountain, only to come up against racism, discrimination, and unfair immigration laws.

www.paulyee.ca


REGION: NorthREGION: North

• Yukon

• Northwest Territories

• Nunavut



Farley Mowat

Lost in the BarrensTwo teen boys must survive while stranded in the Northwest Territories. Jamie is an anglo-Canadian orphan living with his uncle in northern Canada. He and his best friend, Awasin, native Cree, set out with a trapper for an adventure in the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, a canoe accident leaves the boys lost and alone in the northern tundra. Relying on what survival skills they have and their innate courage and ingenuity, Jamie and Awasin must survive and make their way through the soggy bogs and harsh landscape of Canada's north.

The Curse of the Viking GraveAwasin, Jamie, and Peetryuk, three adventure-prone boys, stumble upon a cache of Viking relics in an ancient tomb somewhere in Arctic Canada. They discover its significance while out-running officials. Includes little-known information about the customs of Viking explorers. Chapter Books



Trapped in IceBy Eric Walters

Thirteen-year-old Helen is not sure she is looking forward to spending the next six months on board the Karluk, a ship headed on an Arctic expedition. But with the recent death of her father, it is the only work her seamstress mother can find. Helen’s nine year-old brother, Michael, is delighted to be off on a real adventure. Based on true events surrounding the ill-fated Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913, Trapped in Ice is a riveting, fast-paced adventure set in a marvelous but brutal world of ice and snow.

www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Book



Maata’s Journal: a novelBy Paul Sullivan

A picture of Inuit life in Arctic Canada in the early 20th C.

Inuit teen, Maata, realizes that in order to thrive in this new world, she must adapt to this new way of life. As she learns to read and write in English, she begins to keep a journal as she struggles to retain her traditional ways. However, when she is chosen to join a mapping expedition to her beloved homeland, she finds that all of her skills -- both from her Inuit and western educations -- become equally invaluable when tragedy strikes.Chapter Book



Ted Harrison

A Northern AlphabetTed Harrison's paintings illustrate a northern alphabet, a child's introduction to the alphabet through the landscape, people, flora and fauna of the Canadian North.

Children of the YukonBrilliant, colorful paintings depict children of the Yukon at work and play: snaring rabbits, feeding ravens, racing on snowshoes and hunting moose, panning for gold in famous Bonanza Creek, and exploring the ruins of Dawson City.

www.tedharrison.comPicture Books


Genre: Contemporary / Trad.Genre: Contemporary / Trad.

Michael KusugakGrew up in Repulse Bay, Nunavut

My Arctic 1,2,3Counting book using Arctic wildlife

Arctic StoriesCollection of Arctic tales inspired by author’s experience, set in the 1950s.

A Promise is a PromiseAllashua disobeys her parents and goes fishing on the sea ice

Baseball Bats for ChristmasTrue story resulting from never having seen trees.

Hide and SneakOne afternoon Allashua is lured into mischief

Northern LightsExplores the Inuit belief that the Northern Lights are the souls playing soccer

www.annickpress.com

Picture Books



What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?

By Richard Van Camp

The narrator, a member of the Dogrib Nation asks his family and friends, "What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses?" It's a surprising question since "All's we had up here were dogs.” Illustrated by an artist of the horse-knowing Cree Nation, George Littlechild.

Picture Book


Across CanadaAcross Canada

• Not region-specific

• Canada-wide


Genre: AnthologyGenre: AnthologyMeet Canadian

Authors & IllustratorsBy Allison Gertridge

• 60 Creators of award-winning children’s books; their photo, their list of books

• Brief biographies include why and how they write and illustrate

• “Do it Yourself” ideas at each bio, suggesting a writing or drawing prompt inspired by the author or illustrator

www.scholastic.ca


Genre: AnthologyGenre: AnthologyThis Land:

A Cross-Country Anthology of Canadian Fiction for Young Readers

Selected by Kit Pearson

Each province and territory (territories are grouped together and called the North) has from one to five selections, reflecting its population and the range of authors who have written about it. There is a nice mix of contemporary and older stories ranging from 1925 (L. M. Montgomery) to 1996 (Janet McNaughton), and a range of cultural backgrounds. Care was also taken to balance protagonist genders and literary genres.

ISBN: 01403-8989-X www.amazon.ca


Genre: AnthologyGenre: Anthology

Winds Through Time: An Anthology of Canadian Historical Teen Fiction

Compiled by Ann Walsh

Ann Walsh has selected fifteen captivating stories written by well-known authors from across the country.

Each contributor has penned a dramatic account of a real episode in Canadian history. From mine disasters to scarlet fever epidemics, from the Great War to the Gold Rush, these writers breathe life into the tales of our ancestors and tell stories only history could have imagined.

Authors featured in the anthology include: Joan Weir, Lynne Bowen, Joan Skogan, John Wilson, Barbara Haworth-Attard, Linda Holeman, Andrea and David Spalding, Shirlee Smith-Matheson, Norma Charles, Constance Horne, Joanne Findon, Beverley Brenna, Kathleen Cook Waldron, and Kathryn Hatashita-Lee.


Genre: AnthologyGenre: Anthology

The Spirit of CanadaEdited by Barbara Henner

The Spirit of Canada, a visually stunning anthology that celebrates our country’s life and times, is filled with stories, songs, poems, and legends. 150 works by15 of Canada’s children’s artists illustrate almost every page. The Spirit of Canada can serve as a cultural reference guide, as well as a literary keepsake. Taking readers chronologically, and beginning with native creation myths, readers are introduced to a cross-section of Canadian history. Chapters include the discovery of the New World, early settlement, and Confederation, as well as legends, humor, and multiculturalism.

www.Fitzhenry.ca


Genre: Anthology - AlphabetGenre: Anthology - Alphabet

M is for Maple by Mike UlmerA shining tribute to Canada. From British Columbia to Newfoundland, this Canadian alphabet book shares our nation's symbols, history, people and culture.

Eh? to Zed by Kevin MajorSet in tightly linked rhyming verse, the words for this unique book resonate with classic and contemporary images from every province and territory in the country.


Genre: Contemporary RealisticGenre: Contemporary RealisticTom and Liz Austen Mysteries

By Eric Wilson

“Tom Austen and his sister Liz have shared many suspenseful moments while exploring our nation”, says series author Eric Wilson.

A former teacher, Wilson designed this series with the reluctant reader in mind. The 20 adventure stories are dialogue-rich, fast paced, and predictable. The stories are rooted in Canada's culture and landscape; Eric Wilson lived in the area he wrote about while creating each story.

http://members.shaw.ca/ericwilsonweb/

Chapter Books



Screech Owls SeriesBy Roy MacGregor

20 stories by journalist Roy MacGregor, about a mystery-solving peewee hockey team comprised of boys and girls.

The stories open with face-paced dialogue to intrigue and hook the reluctant reader. Each book takes place at a hockey camp, in their home town of Tamarack, ON or at one of their hockey tournaments. They compete around the world - not even sabotage, theft, murder, kidnapping, or terrorism can keep the Owls away.

http://www.screechowls.com

Chapter Books



Redline Racing Seriesby Anthony Hampshire

Follows the progress of Vancouver racing driver Eddie Stewart and his team from the Pacific Northwest as they work their way up the ranks of professional road racing with team work, determination and a commitment to excellence.

Written for readers of 9-15 years, they feature strong, principled characters with intense, authentic racing action balanced by a good deal of humor.

www.tonyhampshire.com

Chapter Books


Genre: Historical FictionGenre: Historical FictionOur Canadian Girl

A series of historical fiction for girlsEdited by Barbara Berson

12 different girls, ages 9-12:Elizabeth (1762) moves from New England to Nova Scotia taking over an Acadian farm

Rachel (1783) lives in northern Nova Scotia after escaping slavery in South Carolina

Liza (1862) travels to the gold fields of Cariboo

Angelique (1865) a Metis girl, she experiences the community buffalo hunt

Marie-Claire (1885) lives in Montreal during a small pox epidemic

Emily (1896) lives in Victoria B.C. befriending family servant, a Chinese immigrant

Keeley (1901) frontier town life in Alberta

Millie (1914) lives with Ojibway aunt and uncle in Ontario

Penelope (1917) lives in Halifax on the eve of the explosion

Ellen (1939) lives in depression-era Vancouver

Izzie (1941) lives in southern Nova Scotia during WWII

Margit (1944) a Jewish girl immigrates from war-torn Czechoslovakia to Toronto

http://www.ourcanadiangirl.ca

Chapter Books



Dear CanadaA series of historical fiction in diary format

By well-known Canadian children’s authors

The 15 books, based on historical fact, feature girls ages 9-12 Hélène St. Onge (1666) Filles du Roi in Montreal Sophie Loveridge (1721) living in the new world in NL Angélique Richard (1755) Acadian Geneviève Aubuchon (1759) at the fall of Québec Mary MacDonald (1783) Loyalist Susanna Merritt (1812) War of 1812 Isobel Scott (1815) pioneer to Red River Harriet Palmer (1862) overland to the Cariboo Kate Cameron (1882) railway west Victoria Cope (1897) orphan Eliza Bates (1916) WWI Charlotte Blackburn (1917) Halifax on eve of explosion Chin Mei-ling (1922) Chinese immigrant Ivy Weatherall Milorie (1926) immigrant to Saskatchewan Devorah Bernstein (1941) WWII

http://www.scholastic.ca/dearcanada/

Chapter Books


Genre: History & Historical Fiction Genre: History & Historical Fiction

Holocaust Remembrance Series For Young Readers

The first series of its kind Clara’s War by Kathy KacerHana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine www.hanassuitcase.ca

The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser by Kathy KacerThe Night Spies by Kathy KacerThe Righteous Smuggler by Debbie SpringThe Underground Reporters by Kathy Kacer

www.secondstorypress.on.caChapter Books


Genre: Traditional Genre: Traditional

Author/Illustrator: C.J. TaylorIllustrated retelling of First Nations stories

about the way things began

How Two-Feather was saved from loneliness – Abenaki

The Ghost and Lone Warrior - Arapaho

Little Water and the Gift of the Animals – Seneca

The Secret of the White Buffalo – Oglala Sioux

Bones in the Basket – collection of 7 legends

How We Saw the World – 9 creation stories

The Monster from the Swamp – collection of 8 legends

Picture Books


Genre: Science Fiction, FantasyGenre: Science Fiction, FantasyRanVan Series

By Diane Wieler

• RanVan: the DefenderRhan juggles his life between being a young teen in a Canadian town and a brave knight in a video game.

• RanVan: a Worthy OpponentThough 15-year-old nerdy Rhan dreams of saving civilization like in the video games he plays, real life is different, until, when put to the test, he discovers hidden powers.

• RanVan: Magic NationRhan, 18, is at the brink of adulthood, embarking on the game of real life.

Chapter Books


Genre: Science Fiction, FantasyGenre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Silverwing SeriesBy Kenneth Oppel

• SilverwingShade, a small bat, must save his colony from voracious rats brought in from the tropics.

• Sunwing Shade and Marina must use all their resourcefulness to rescue Shade’s father -- and stop Goth from creating eternal night.

• FirewingFeisty new hero Griffin, son of Shade and Marina, must come to terms with his heritage and his self-doubts

Chapter Books


Genre: FantasyGenre: Fantasy – – Robert MunschRobert Munsch

The Munschworks Grand Treasury Produced in an extra-large picture-book format, featuring 15 popular Robert Munsch stories

• The Paper Bag Princess• The Fire Station• I Have to Go!• David’s Father • Thomas’ Snowsuit• Pigs• Mortimer• Purple, Green and Yellow • Murmel Murmel Murmel • Something Good• Stephanie’s Ponytail• Angela’s Airplane• Jonathan Cleaned Up -- Then He Heard a Sound• Show and Tell• A Promise is a Promise

Picture Books



Sheree Fitch

Toes in my NoseShe writes whimsical, rhyming poems that are fun to chant.

There Are Monkeys in my KitchenRhyming, catchy phrases describe the scene as they wait for help

Mabel MurplePoems for young children featuring Mabel's wacky purple world

If I Had a Million OnionsNew collection of clever and funny poems Picture Books



Eenie Meenie ManitobaBy Robert Heidbreder

37 made-up skipping, clapping, ball-bouncing rhymes, chants and poems, which sound traditional. Each describes something Canadian. Sample:

Words of Warning

Ogopogo shimmy, Ogopogo shake

Don’t dive deep in the Okanagan Lake

Sasquatch roar, and Sasquatch rail

Don’t stray off that mountain trail.

Ogopogo scrunch, and Sasquatch crunch

You’ll be an Ogopogo-Sasquatch brunch!



In Flanders FieldBy John McCrae

"In Flanders fields where poppies blow between the crosses, row on row..." Words from the famous poem by John McCrae. In Flanders Fields is the story of the poem. Starting in the trenches of Ypres in 1915, the story is interwoven with information about the First World War.

Picture Book



Canadian Poems for Canadian KidsCompiled by Jen Hamilton

This anthology for children contains 25 poems by a variety of Canadian poets including Linda Rogers and Patrick Lane.

Some poems are humorous with titles like “Emily's Backpack” by Diane Bawber, “Hiccups” by Alison Lohans, “Allergic to Numbers” by Linda Rogers, “Dallin's Pool” by Angie Mansen, and “'Tis the Season” by Gerry O'Brien.

Some are descriptive and thought-provoking, and among these are “Stories” by Irene Watts, “Cloud Watching” by P.K. Page, and “Treasures” by Beryl Young.

Others, such as “Only at Night” by Lynn Davies and “My Ice Cream Cone” by Jocelyn Shipley, are clever.

www.subwaybooks.com


TEACHING WITH CANADIAN LITTEACHING WITH CANADIAN LIT

“Teaching Canadian – Why Not?”

“Schools need more Canadian”, says Peter Carver, editor and former high school teacher, and author of an article promoting Canadian fiction in the Language Arts curriculum.

ARTICLE: http://www.bookcentre.ca/support/awards/teaching.pdf


Teaching Canadian Youth FictionTeaching Canadian Youth Fiction

Carver, editor and former high school teacher, recommends these books because as he says, “each has its own distinctive tone, its own agenda and bias; each exhibits the abilities of a talented Canadian writer; each places its characters in a community and a moral universe that can be well understood by intelligent young readers.”

Collections of Short StoriesOrdinary Miracles – Diana AspinNecking With Louise – Rick BookTraveling on Into the Light – Martha BrooksClose Ups – Peter CarverGolden Girl and Other Stories – Gillian ChanBack of Beyond – Sarah EllisToxic Love – Linda HolemanSky Kickers – Shelley LeedahlThe Laws of Emotion – Alison LohansThe Crying Jesus – R.P. MacIntyreThe Leaving – Budge Wilson

For a book list of novels see Teaching Canadian – Why Not? at http://www.bookcentre.ca/support/awards/teaching.pdf


STUDYING CANADIAN LITSTUDYING CANADIAN LITScholarly paper presented 2001 to the History of the Book in Canada’s Open Conference

“Looking at ourselves, Looking at Others: Multiculturalism in Canadian children’s picture books in English”

By Gail Edwards and Judith Saltman, University of British Columbia

http://www.hbic.library.utoronto.ca/vol3edwardssaltman_en.htm

“We begin by asking a series of questions. What do Canadian children see when they open a Canadian picture book? Do they see themselves and their environment reflected in the illustrations? What is it about Canadian picture books that is unique to this country and its evolving identity?”

“From its nineteenth century beginnings, Canadian children’s literature has been closely linked to the land, to an imaginative sense of place. Canada’s first children’s books of the Victorian period were entirely rooted in the physical dimension s of the Canadian wilderness – its dangers, challenges, and awesome beauty – and were engaged in finding the human place in it.”


RESOURCES FORRESOURCES FOR

Canadian Children’s Book Centre www.bookcentre.ca

A go-to place for everything about authors, illustrators and Canadian children’s literature. CCBC promotes, supports and encourages the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for children and teens.

Quarterly Magazine - Canadian Children’s Book NewsAnnual Review - Our Choice

A selection tool used by teachers, librarians, parents, and booksellers across the country to choose the best new Canadian children's books, magazines, audio and video.

← Canadian Book Publishers: Links to web sites of active companies in Canadian children's book publishing(click Publishers’ Sites)

Accessing Canadian Children’s Literature


Selected Canadian PublishersSelected Canadian Publishers

ATLANTIC REGION

Breakwater Books - http://www.breakwater.nf.net/

Nimbus Publishing – http://www.nimbus.ns.ca

CENTRAL

Tundra Books– http://www.tundrabooks.com

Second Story Press - http://www.secondstorypress.on.ca/

PRAIRIES

Red Deer Press - http://www.reddeerpress.com/

Pemmican Publications - http://www.pemmican.mb.ca/

WESTRaincoast Press - http://www.raincoast.com/

Orca Book Publishers - http://www.orcabook.com/


Selected Canadian PublishersSelected Canadian Publishers

NATIONAL• Fitzhenry & Whiteside Publishing - http://www.fitzhenry.ca/

• Firefly Books – http://www.fireflybooks.com

• Formac Distributing – http://www.formac.ca

• Groundwood Books – http://www.groundwoodbooks.com

• Kids Can Press - http://www.kidscanpress.ca

• McClelland & Stewart – http://www.mcclelland.com

• Scholastic Canada - http://www.scholastic.ca/


RESOURCES FORRESOURCES FORAccessing Canadian Children’s Literature

CM: Canadian Review of Materials http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/

A biweekly electronic reviewing journal. Librarians and Teacher Librarians review Canadiana of interest to children and young adults. Reviews include publications produced in Canada, or published elsewhere but of special significance to Canada, such as Canadian writer, illustrator or subject. Materials reviewed include books, video and audio recordings and CD-ROMs. Specifically-Canadian materials are identified by a red maple leaf. Comprehensive source for book review.

All reviews are indexed by author and title. Site includes author profiles, back issues, and archive.



Resource Links – http://www.resourcelinks.ca/A national print journal devoted to the review and evaluation of Canadian resources for children and young adults, published 5 times/year. Links to back issues on-line.

Canadian Children’s Book AwardsThis site was chosen because it contains a listing of Canadian Children’s Book Awards in a concise format: http://www.nbs.com/childawards.htm

Note: NBS does not sell to U.S. libraries and schools




Local Independent Bookstores

Westminster Books - Fredericton, NB

http://www.westminsterbooks.com Just one example of the many friendly and helpful general

bookstores in Canada

Woozles - Canada’s Oldest Children’s Bookstore, Halifax, NS

http://www.woozles.com



Browse → Children’s Books → Search in Children’s Books: Canadian

Bookstore Chain: www.amazon.caBookstore Chain: www.amazon.ca


Bookstore Chain: www.chapters.ca: www.chapters.ca

Tab: Kid’s Books

Search by Ages

Click: “Kids Need More Canada”

→ →


Canadian Book Festival Canadian Book Festival

FREE!

HALIFAX, NS and four other cities

across Canada

The last Sunday in September

An annual, large-scale celebration of

literacy and the printed word.


CONCLUSION CONCLUSION A Genre Approach to Reading Your Way Through Canada

This presentation concentrates on Canadian Children’s Fiction to the exclusion of Non-Fiction, Informational, and Biography genres. These genres will be addressed in a future presentation.

Sources for the content of this presentation include those listed on the slides titled Accessing Canadian Children’s Literature, plus Toronto Public Library’s list of Recommended Reading, and A Guide to Canadian Children’s Books by Deirdre Baker and Ken Setterington (McClelland & Stewart, 2003 ISBN: 0-7710-1064-8)

DISCLAIMER – This presentation merely skims the surface. It is meant to acquaint U.S. librarians and teacher librarians with the world of Canadian Children’s Literature. There are many more Canadian books, Canadian book publishers, Canadian bookstores, and on-line resources about Canadian Children’s Literature than are mentioned in this presentation. If your book, company, or organization was not mentioned, we apologize.

___________________

For more information or to make comments, contact Betsy ArntzenOffice of Canadian Studies Outreach . Canadian-American Center

University of Maine 154 College Ave. Orono, ME [email protected] 207.581.4225

http://www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htmMarch 2006

canadian children’s literature

Documents