Loula is Leaving for Africa by Anne Villeneuve

Kids Can Press

 

Most adults and children can relate to the feeling of wanting to run away because nobody is paying attention or seeming to care about them.  That is definitely how Loula feels.  Her three brothers are stinky and mean.  Her mother and father are too busy to take any notice that she is upset.  So she packs life's essentials into her suitcase, and along with her pink cat, her tea set and her best drawing she leaves for Africa - a.k.a. the tree in her front yard.

Sitting in the tree, she comes to the attention of the family chauffeur, Gilbert.  He explains to Loula that he thinks Africa is further away and that she needs to take a boat to get there.  So they set out together to look for Africa. Gilbert drives her to a park where they encounter "giraffes", "chimpanzees", cross a "desert", take a "plane" and a "boat" before they arrive at their destination and admire a beautiful "African" sunset.

 

This story is filled with imagination and the ability to turn the everyday into something special. Author Anne Villeneuve is also the illustrator and her drawings are whimsical and wispy, and convey mood and movement through the skillful use of simple line drawings and colour. 

This is a great book to read with a child who is feeling a little down or left out.  It is a reminder that we all need a form of escapism every now and then, even if we don't all have a caring, enlightened chauffeur to get us to our destination.  We just need someone who will take the time to care and share.

http://www.annevilleneuve.com/

50 Below Zero by Robert Munsch

Illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Annick Press

50 Below Zero is typical Munsch.  The author's wild sense of humour is obvious in this one. 

 

Jason has a dad who tends to sleepwalk and Jason awakens in the night to find his dad in the strangest places.  He finds himself with the challenge of not just getting dad back to bed but also back in the house.

 

He’s a smart kid though and he solves the problem in an original manner.  Fun read.

The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson

Illustrations by Dušan Petričić

Annick Press

Ah, the power and beauty of music. 

This story is based on the social experiment that was conducted by the Washington Post in a busy Washington subway station during the morning  rush hour in January 2007.  Renowned violinist Joshua Bell played a set of classical masterpieces on a Stradivarius worth millions of dollars while commuters rushed by.  The point of the experiment was to see if people would recognize the beauty in what was happening at was an inappropriate moment.

Some of the thousands of commuters that poured through the station that morning had probably been amongst those who had paid about a $100 each to a sold out concert to hear Bell only two days prior to the experiment.  There were a few people who stopped and listened and a few who threw money in his hat, but most people were too intent on the demands of their busy day to pay any attention to Bell.  Not so difficult to believe how many people just rushed by captives in their insular little bubble.

Kathy Stinson created young Dylan, a boy who tries to get his mother to stop and listen with no success.  Later, when Dylan and his mom are home fixing supper and listening to the radio, the music that Dylan had heard in the station plays and the radio announcer talks about the musician and why he had been playing the music in the station that morning.  Only then does his mother stop to listen and they enjoy the music together. 

Dušan Petričić illustrates the sounds heard in the station with great imagination and a masterful use of color. 

Of interest to parents or older readers is a short biography of Joshua Bell and his comments on music and that morning in the subway station following the story. 

Here is a link to the book trailer (provided by Bookshorts) with an interview with the author and illustrator and Joshua Bell's beautiful music as background.
 http://www.movingstories.tv/the-man-with-the-violin

Here is a link to a video of the experiment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw 

Updated - link to new video October 5, 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/04/violinist-joshua-bell-washington_n_5933018.html

Carrot by Vanita Oelschlager

Vanita Books

Illustrated by Kristen Blackwood

This is a cute little book about a cat named Carrot.  One day while she is roaming around, she spies a princess-like cat sitting on a pillow on the deck of a yacht apparently living a pampered life.  Carrot is envious of how wonderful this life looks.  She goes home and imagines herself as the pampered cat and how her life would be different.  After mulling things over, she realizes things are probably not as good as they look and her life is pretty good after all.

 A learning to want what you have book for kids, with beautiful illustrations.

Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco by Eileen Wacker

ONCEKids Publishing

Book Review

Rainbow Panda is the 6^th book in a cross-cultural series called the Fujimini Adventure Series.  This is the only book I have read in the series so I can’t comment on the others, but this book is a great resource for classroom and home to learn about Chinese New Year and Asian culture in general.

 

The traditions and customs of Chinese New Year are introduced through the character Rainbow Panda. The young panda wants so badly to be a hero. To this end he devises a plan, knowingly ignoring the advice of Black Panda as well as his hamster sidekicks, with predictably disastrous results.  The basic lesson is taught in a straight forward manner with a touch of humour and without being preachy. We learn that isn’t always easy to choose between right and wrong and that we have to take responsibility for our actions.

 

The book is divided into two parts; first the story and then a glossary describing some aspects of Asian culture, tradition and values. This book is a great tool for parents or educators, and more importantly, a relatable fun read for kids.

Ivy in Bloom and Ivan's Great Fall - both by Vanita Oelschlager

The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers of the Past (Ivy in Bloom)

Poetry for Summer and Autumn from Great Poets and Writers of the Past (Ivan's Great Fall)

Both books illustrated by Kristin Blackwood

Published by Vanita Books

Book Review

First I’ve got to say I love Vanita Oelschlager books, but even more importantly, so does my six year old granddaughter who is really the target audience.  Vanita’s books are great learning tools for use by a parent or educator to help with many of life’s challenges and experiences. They seem to always leave you smiling.

I put these two books together in one review because they obviously go hand in hand for discussions about seasons or perhaps talking about weather during circle time at preschool or kindergarten.  Winter weary Ivy is anxious for spring to arrive in all its glorious colors and for the return of flowers and birds.  Ivan is sad to see summer fading, but after some reflection, he realizes that fall is about friends and returning to school amidst different but still vibrant colors. Oh and Halloween – we can’t forget Halloween. 

The author helps children to explore and express their feelings about the changing seasons and change in general, through the use of short excerpts from poems by Dickinson, Bronte, Frost, Keats and others. The illustrations by Kristin Blackwood are bright and whimsical and add to the atmosphere created by the words. 

All in all, if the name Vanita Oelschlager is on the cover, you can be pretty confident you have a winner.