bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Christmas in the Mouse House by M. Kneen
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Kneen, Maggie. Christmas in the Mouse House. Somerville, Massachusetts: Templar Books, 2011. Print. This delightful pop-up and lift-the-flap book will entertain adults and children alike. English children’s author and illustrator, Maggie Kneen, who is also an architectural and archaeological illustrator, creates nostalgic images of the perfect family Christmas. The Mouse family lives in what might be a Colonial-era house. Mama Mouse wears long dresses and aprons and Papa Mouse has a knee-length red frock coat and a cravat. Mama Mouse cooks over an open fireplace with a tea kettle hanging on a hook. Upstairs, Nanny, in a pink candy-stripe dress and white servant’s cap, puts baby to bed in canopied cradle. It is Christmas Eve and Mama and Papa have hidden all of the Christmas decorations. Readers help all the little mice find them by lifting the flaps. Christmas decorations are behind the clock, in a pot on the shelf, in cabinets and even outside in a bird’s next. During the course of their search, the little mice also collect toys that would make good ornaments and even make some of their own ornaments. Every pair of pages shows a different room in the house, each with several flaps. Every other room scene has a pop-up. The last pop-up shows the whole Mouse family dancing around the decorated Christmas tree, which everyone agrees is “the most beautiful Christmas tree they’ve ever seen.” The reading level of this book is too high for the age 3-6 target audience. However, it is the kind of book that adults read to small children. Like all pop-up books this volume will succumb to wear and tear, but will be much loved. Highly recommended. Recommendation: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.
The Slug by E. Gravel
Authors: Slobodian Carlene 
Published: April 2016

Gravel,Elise. The Slug. New York: Tundra Books, 2014. Print.One of the many titles in Gravel’s series, Disgusting Critters, this charmingly-illustrated volume contains a multitude of facts about slugs. Considered to be one of the garden’s more unappealing creatures, the slug is an uncommon subject in the world of bug and insect books, hence making this read all the more interesting.Many kids love books about interesting creatures, and the slug is one of the more slimy creatures living in backyards. Many of the physical features of the slug are described in this book: mucous, multiple tentacles, their breathing holes located on the sides of their faces, and soft, squishy bodies that ooze along. The cheerful land slug appears on every page, and happily teaches readers all about the basic body parts of a slug, and their important role in the garden as a transformer of waste plant matter into usable nutrients. Their reproductive process is described in child-friendly language. The most enjoyable pages discuss the many ways slugs use mucous: as a transportation aid, an escape mechanism, and as an aid to attract mates.Readers will find the humorous cartoons to be a refreshing alternative to the photographs commonly found in non-fiction books. These pictures, paired with simple facts, make this book suitable for early readers, and could ease the transition into non-fiction for children who are reluctant to explore the genre. It is also recommended for readers who are ready to start exploring simple chapter books. The Slug would be a welcome addition to both public and school library collections.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Carlene SlobodianCarlene Slobodian is an MLIS candidate at the University of Alberta with a lifelong passion for children’s literature. When not devouring books, she can be found knitting, cooking, or discovering new kinds of tea to sample.
How Do Dinosaurs Say I’M MAD? by J. Yolen
Authors: Feisst Debbie 
Published: April 2016

Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Say I’M MAD? Illus. Mark Teague. New York: Scholastic-The Blue Sky Press, 2013. Print.This book about misbehaving dinosaurs is one of the most recent from the How Do Dinosaurs… series (of over 20 titles) power-duo of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. Multiple award winning author Yolen and illustrator Teague have created a how-to manual of sorts to help the littlest people, as well as adults, learn to control our tempers.The dinosaurs in this story, who will be very familiar to fans of this series, are feeling angry due to many reasons; the Barapasaurus is upset about something he cannot have (his sister’s tricycle); the Afrovenator has been asked to sit still but he is having none of that; and the Lystosaurus does not want to go for a nap. They react with tantrums and terrible dino behavior that many young readers may see reflected in themselves: banging of toys, stomping, throwing things, and pouting.The bad behaviours are then tempered with calming techniques; counting to 10, breathing calmly, cleaning up, saying sorry and giving hugs. Of course the outcome is not always so easily achieved with real children! Mark Teague’s illustrations are very expressive, so much so that my 5-year-old was upset by the menacing and angry looks that the parents directed towards their dinosaur children in most of the images. Luckily of course by the end of the book both parent and child have resolved the issues. While the familiarity of the characters in this book may be a draw for some readers, it can also create a sense of formulaic repetition for adults. Recommended for public and school libraries.Recommended: 3 stars of out 4 Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.
Don't by L. Trochatos
Authors: Pearce Hanne 
Published: April 2016

Trochatos, Litsa. Don't. Illus. Virginia Johnson. Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2014. Print.“Don’t start a food fight with an octopus, it has six more arms than you do” is how Don’t begins its advice of the many things you should not do with particular animals and why. This colourful storybook warns of the potential concequences of engaging in a game of badminton with a frog or playing fetch with a turtle.Don’t is a quick and funny read. It is most suitable for children in preschool or kindergarten but it also works nicely with those in grades 1-2 who are learning to read. Virginia Johnston’s watercolour images are the highlight of this book, punctuating the humour and carrying the story along. The heavy cardboard pages also make it suitable for younger children who will enjoy the images of animals doing various activities. The book could have been a bit longer, my co-reviewers (two young nieces) wanted “more don’ts”. Overall, a very enjoyable read.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Hanne PearceHanne Pearce has worked at the University of Alberta Libraries in various support staff positions since 2004 and is currently a Public Service Librarian at the HT Coutts Education and Physical Education Library. Aside from being an avid reader she has continuing interests in writing, photography, graphic design and knitting.
The Salmon Twins by C. Simpson
Authors: Hilland April 
Published: April 2016

Simpson, Caroll. The Salmon Twins. Heritage House Publishing Co. Ltd., 2012. E-book and print. The Salmon Twins tells of the birth of twins in one Pacific Northwestern clan. Since the birth of twins is a rare and celebrated occurrence the children were bestowed the crest of the Salmon. This tale follows the twins as they grow and become selfish and greedy. Thunderbird sees this and, angered at the twins selfishness, changes the twins into a mythical sea serpent. The twins must then follow their own quest to learn to work together to find their way back home. Their quest becomes urgent when the salmon do not follow the villagers’ fishing run and it is up to the twins to lead the salmon home to feed their family and friends. The Salmon Twins, written and illustrated by British Columbian author Caroll Simpson, is an original tale steeped in Pacific First Nations tradition and inspired by well-known First Nations mythology and art sources such as Hilary Stewart, Bill Reid, Franz Boas, Cheryl Shearar, and Pat Kramer. Simpson’s own knowledge of Northwest Coast flora and fauna, culture, and mythology, is woven throughout this tale and provides many opportunities to extend student learning beyond the pages of this tale. Simpson’s illustrations are rich in depth and colour and show a definite respect for and understanding of First Nations culture, art, and people. Although this book title is in available in e-book and hardcover format, I would recommend purchasing the hardcover edition as the e-book edition has minor glitches with merging the text with the illustrations resulting in blank pages with single lines of text that take away from the beauty of the text/illustration interaction. Recommended with Reservations: 2 out of 4 stars (ebook) Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars (hardcover) Reviewer: April Hilland April Hilland is a teacher-librarian currently on educational leave from her role as District Teacher Librarian in Maple Ridge, BC to finish her MEd in teacher-librarianship at the University of Alberta. Currently hailing from the small northern town of Fort St. James, BC, April is bringing her passion for literature to her new community and thoroughly enjoying the experiences of the Great White North!
All the Water in the World by G. E. Lyon
Authors: Roche Matilda 
Published: April 2016

Lyon, George Ella. All the Water in the World. Illus. Katherine Tillotson. New York: Atheneum Books, 2011. Print. A gorgeous synthesis of poetry and illustration, All the Water in the World imbues complex environmental science concepts with an intense personal immediacy, full of sentiment and expression. The text follows water’s cyclical passage through different levels of the global climate, as it permeates all facets of life on earth. Science and aesthetics are used in inspired collaboration to create a realistic depiction of natural phenomena and an evocation of the innately lyrical and metamorphic quality of water in its diverse and omnipresent manifestations. Lyon’s adept use of emphasis and repetition perfectly captures the rush and cadence of moving water. She creates a clear discourse focusing on the morality of water conservation and its implications for human equality and preservation of the natural world. Tillotson employs oil paint manipulated through collage, printmaking, and digital techniques to capture the many moods of water, transitioning between cartoonish representation and dynamic, impressionistic imagery. The charm and immediacy of All the Water in the World comes from its depiction of familiar manifestations of water that will evoke a visceral response in a young audience. The book seamlessly associates those common experiences with the larger natural patterns that water follows, as it interacts with the earth, ocean and atmosphere. All the Water in the World is an emblematic example of how talented writers and illustrators are integrating engagingly vivid non-fiction into young children’s libraries. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Matilda RocheMatilda spends her days lavishing attention on the University of Alberta’s metadata but children’s illustrated books, literature for young adults and graphic novels also make her heart sing. Her reviews benefit from the critical influence of a four year old daughter and a one year old son – both geniuses. Matilda’s super power is the ability to read comic books aloud.
The Dark and Hollow Places by C. Ryan
Authors: Roche Matilda 
Published: April 2016

Ryan, Carrie. The Dark and Hollow Places, New York: Delacorte Press, 2011. Print.The statement "You don't understand!" is quite probably true when you are a teenage survivor in a post-apocalyptic zombie dystopia. Carrie Ryan does occasionally employ some very typical teenage truisms in her efforts to make the reader comprehend and feel all the varieties of potential duress zombie apocalypses might create in young adults. ("You don't understand!" is actually part of one of the few, fraught exchanges.) But if the dialogue can be a bit stilted there is very little of it and that seems to be part of Ryan's intent. Her characters are isolated and traumatized. They struggle against their well-founded sense of nihilism as they shake off their stoicism. Annah, the protagonist, finds herself inexorably drawn into emotional relationships despite knowing the living dead are everywhere, waiting to feast on the living, and that many in the dwindling herds of the healthy are not to be trusted.The devolving world Annah negotiates is conveyed through her interior dialogue, which is entirely steeped in her myopic self-loathing, until she is drawn into a small community of other survivors who, despite their shortcomings, represent the last vestiges of humanity who are still ethically-grounded and emotionally alive. Ryan lavishes much attention on the stark details and doesn't shrink from describing the lurid nuances of her world's unceasing violent and melancholy perils. The pacing can be a bit laborious; Ryan favours the stricken, suspenseful crawl of internalized dread over the rush of descriptive action. The Dark and Hollow Places is a zombie dystopia about the feelings of its survivors and Ryan places her principals in situations that create wrenching dilemmas which lead to unpredictable outcomes. More the pity that Annah and her friends never become particularly interesting. Their motivations are clearly mapped and all their damage laid before us but they fail to cohere in the imagination as multifaceted individuals. There is not enough descriptive complexity beyond the essential narrative mechanics to make the characters convincingly quicken to life. The Dark and Hollow Places is the final book in Ryan's Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 starsReviewer: Matilda RocheMatilda spends her days lavishing attention on the University of Alberta’s metadata but children’s illustrated books, literature for young adults and graphic novels also make her heart sing. Her reviews benefit from the critical influence of a four year old daughter and a one year old son – both geniuses. Matilda’s super power is the ability to read comic books aloud.
Monkey & Elephant’s Worst Fight Ever by M. Townsend
Authors: Feisst Debbie 
Published: April 2016

Townsend, Michael. Monkey & Elephant’s Worst Fight Ever. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Print. Best friends Monkey and Elephant live on a tiny island with many other animal inhabitants. One night, Monkey decides to bring Elephant a surprise gift–a tray of delicious cupcakes. Much to his dismay, Monkey spies what he believes to be a costume party going on at Elephant’s house – to which he was not invited! Feeling very sad, Monkey runs away, all the while reminiscing about the good times he and Elephant have had, which leaves him feeling confused about why Elephant would leave him out of the party plans. Sad, however, quickly turns to mad and the desire to get even, and Monkey freezes Elephant’s toys into blocks of ice. Elephant is shocked by his best friend’s actions. Why, they collected pet rocks and watched pro wrestling together! In turn, he too gets mad and retaliates. The back-and-forth havoc escalates until the islanders decide that enough is enough and plan an intervention for the former best friends. While Monkey and Elephant are sleeping, they are set adrift in a small boat and are ordered not to return to the island until they have hugged and made up. The two friends bicker, but eventually the truth comes out– Elephant’s party was actually going to be a surprise wrestling match for Monkey. An embarrassed Monkey admits he should have asked about the party, and both friends apologize for their rude behaviour. Upon their return, the islanders rejoice, and everyone enjoys the wrestling match. Michael Townsend is a gifted illustrator, visual artist, comic book enthusiast, and author of the Kit Feeny series of graphic novels for young children. Fans of graphic novels will enjoy the comic book feel to this book, though children younger than the publisher-recommended age range of 5-8 may find the storyline distracting. Somewhat questionable, however, are the friends’ over-the-top antics, which lead to violence, including the breaking of windows. However, the “don’t jump to conclusions” plotline will inspire bedtime conversations, and the contemporary and colourful drawings are funny and engaging. Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie Feisst Debbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.
What Can You Do with Only One Shoe: Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent by S. & S. Shapiro
Authors: Quirk Linda 
Published: April 2016

Shapiro, Simon and Sheryl Shapiro. What Can You Do with Only One Shoe: Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent. Illus. Francis Black. Toronto: Annick Press, 2014. Print.The publisher is promoting this charmingly-illustrated book as one intended to inspire a practical and constructive response to the environmental concerns with which we all must grapple. It is a theme which is oddly underrepresented in children’s books, perhaps because it is difficult to craft an approach which is empowering.This book considers popular contemporary ideas about recycling/repurposing everyday objects which have outlived their initial purpose, but it is not the do-it-yourself handbook that it appears to be. Instead, it is a collection of juvenile short poems with a humorously entertaining tone, but no clear message. Clearly, we should not judge this book by its title or by its covers. One poem makes fun of a toilet-turned-into-a-planter and offered as a gift, while another offers a range of silly suggested uses for a single shoe, including flattening pancakes. There is a poem which describes a tractor pulling a “broom propeller” for street sweeping which doesn’t work very well (“pebbles flying left and right”) and another in which a dog made of bicycle parts is less than satisfying (“he can’t lick my nose”). There are some poems with a less mocking tone, but which offer suggestions that are even more absurd, such as children making musical instruments from rusty cans retrieved from a landfill site or children building their own playground, complete with a swing and a slide, from an old ambulance. Intended for children aged 5-8 years old, I wonder what young readers would make of these poems.The illustrations by Francis Blake are by far the best feature of this book. Going well beyond what is found in the poems, the illustrator has created a marvelous cast of characters that are expressive in a way that is both quirky and charming. While the illustrations deserve four stars out of four, the text certainly does not.Not recommended: 1 star out of 4 Reviewer: Linda QuirkLinda taught courses in Multicultural Canadian Literature, Women's Writing, and Children's Literature at Queen's University (Kingston) and at Seneca College (Toronto) before moving to Edmonton to become the Assistant Special Collections Librarian at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta. Her favourite children's book to teach is Hana's Suitcase, not only because Hana's story is so compelling, but because the format of this non-fiction book teaches students of all ages about historical investigation and reveals that it is possible to recover the stories of those who have been forgotten by history.
The Qalupalik by E. Kilabuk
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Kilabuk, Elisha. The Qalupalik. Iqaluit: Inhabit Media Inc., 2011. Print. This volume is the first in the Unikkaakuluit Series from Inhabit Media. It is currently available in English and South Baffin Inuktitut editions, with other Inuktitut dialects in the works. Contemporary Inuit storyteller, Elisha Kilabuk, leads off this series with a story that he learned from his mother, who learned it from her father. It is not unusual to find a myth appearing in different cultures or subcultures in different forms. This cautionary story is about the qalupalik has many variants. The qalupalik is a scary monster that lives under the sea ice, and captures small children who wander too close to the water. The monster is outwitted by a small orphan child, who convinces the creature that his toes, which are poking out of his shoes, will eat her. Inhabit Media has recently published similar stories in Stories of the Amautalik: Fantastic Beings from Inuit Myths and Legends. In that version, the creature comes from underground, but is still outwitted by a child who tells the creature that his toes eat Amautaliks. The Qalupalik is a single story in a picture book. There are a few sentences on each text page and a full colour image on the facing page. Joy Ang’s artwork is evocative and effective. Her qalupalik is green and slimy with a huge nose, white eyes, webbed feet and long claws. It is scary enough to keep any child from roaming too close to the water’s edge. The images of this disgusting creature will also cause this book to be in high demand among those 6 to 8 year olds who love “gross” pictures. In contrast to the qalupalik, Ang’s images of the children are more cartoon-like and light-hearted. They are a nice balance to the scary monster. While the text will be too difficult for early readers, the images tell the story and the book will work well as a “read aloud”. Overall The Qalupalik is an excellent presentation of the myth and is recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.