bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
No Fits, Nilson! by Z. OHora
Authors: Winther Connie 
Published: April 2016

OHora, Zachariah. No Fits, Nilson! New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2013. Print.No Fits, Nilson! is a children’s story book written and illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Mr. OHora has written several other well received children’s books and is an accomplished illustrator.It is about Amelia and her best friend Nilson, a large blue gorilla. These two inseparable characters have such a strong friendship that they even share time-outs. Running errands with Amelia’s mother is a test of patience and Amelia provides support to her big blue friend with the encouraging words “no fits, Nilson” and promises of banana ice cream. Amelia herself gets tested when the banana ice cream runs short, but in the end Nilson is a true friend who lends a helping hand. This is a story of patience and fits, friendship and support, and is a reminder that sometimes life is challenging for children as they learn to navigate the world.No Fits, Nilson! is illustrated with beautiful flat drawings in a rich pallet of turquoise, pink, and mustard yellow. The simplicity of the illustrations together with the use of white space and a simple bold black font draws the reader’s attention to the facial expressions and emotion of the characters and this is the strength of the book.This book is recommended for preschool children as a read aloud story. While the story does not recommend ways to manage difficult behaviours, it will be sure to stimulate conversations between children and their caregivers about feelings and behaviour.Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Connie WintherConnie is a Medical Librarian with Alberta Health Services. She has a broad interest in health care and medical librarianship. When not working, she enjoys all types of outdoor activities with her family.
Gustave by R. Simard
Authors: Deakin Andrea 
Published: April 2016

Simard, Rémy . Gustave. Illus. Pierre Pratt. Groundwood Books, 2014. Print.A young mouse has been playing with his friend, Gustav, just a little too far from home, and tragedy has struck. Pierre Pratt signals despair and disaster in the blackened pages and the first two words, “He’s gone.” The grim grey streets echo a little mouse’s grief and fear, for it is a cat who has seized Gustav. “Run. Escape.” The mouse cries on his way home, worried about what his mother will say.Just a moment… black as the story seems, grim as the dark colours are that echo the mouse’s grief, look back. Look at the eyes of the two little mice as they cling. Are Gustav’s eyes those of a living mouse, or are they those of a toy?All is dark, only to become lighter as the mouse reaches home and tells his mother what has happened. She comforts him, and when he is calm, she takes him to a cupboard where there is another little stuffed mouse with Gustav’s button eyes. The little mouse looks, little mouse eyes to toy mouse’s button eyes. The young mouse finds that he can like his new toy.Rémy Simard’s tale expresses that deep affection for a toy that brings it alive in a special relationship - think of Christopher Robin and Pooh. The loss of that toy may be devastating, but it can be relieved by an understanding adult and the coming of a new companion.A strong short tale completed by sensitive illustrations express first terror and then love and relief. That first childhood loss of a beloved companion, a teddy left on the bus, a doll abandoned at a picnic, whatever the scenario, here is the dark world of that loss and the warm comfort of a new companion.The tale may be seemingly too dark for many young children to read on their own. This is a book to share where re-assurance can make this expression of a first loss a story to appreciate.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.
I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes! by L. Davick
Authors: Feisst Debbie 
Published: April 2016

Davick, Linda. I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes! New York: Simon & Schuster-Beach Lane Books, 2013. Print.Graphic artist, illustrator and animator Linda Davick, whose colourful images have appeared in several seasonal counting series books such as the New York Times bestselling 10 Trick-or-Treaters, has penned her first book for children aimed at celebrating the unique qualities we all have. Starting from our head right down to our toes, the simply drawn children, with fun disproportionately-scaled features and descriptions to portray many kids, show off their various body parts. The book is essentially a whimsical love poem to our bodies that children will find entertaining, both in the prose and the illustrations. Take this stanza as an example:I love you, nose, though there’s no doubt that when you sneeze some stuff comes out.The images are great, too: a little girl covering her nose to the smell of her baby sibling’s diaper, a child thinking about smelling pepper (spoiler alert: she sneezes), a stinky sock and fragrant flowers; young children will enjoy the interplay of words and images, especially about body parts and functions that are generally not discussed:I love the parts my friends don’t see: the parts that poop, the parts that pee.Ending with a sleepy boy drifting off to sleep, this would be a fun book to read with young children at night as part of a bedtime routine or even as part of an early-years story time, though the latter would certainly create a memorable experience for the students! Highly recommended: 4 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.
Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Deception by G. Paulsen
Authors: Storie Dale 
Published: April 2016

Paulsen, Gary. Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Deception. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2011. Print. Kevin Spencer, the fourteen year-old protagonist of Gary Paulsen’s latest novel, is a consummate and unashamed liar. He considers lying to be second nature, “a way of life”; even going so far to proclaim that it is his duty to lie for the greater good because it makes things easier for everyone. In his words, the secret to successful lying is that “people only listen for what they want to hear, so I only tell them that.” Possessing this particular skill also means he’s never been caught in a lie. This novel chronicles a week in Kevin’s life, the week in which his lying gets out of control and his life goes from “zero to crap”. He lies to his classmate about a medical illness to get out of working on an assignment, lies to his teachers so he can get skip class and spend more time trying to impress a girl, and lies to his parents to get his siblings in trouble. Along the way, he explains the rules behind “good” lying as he rationalizes and justifies his actions, until finally he is forced to face the fact that his lying has consequences. Liar, Liar is full of Paulsen touchstones, including a bright, self-aware teenage protagonist, a cast of quirky supporting characters, and witty and fast-paced dialogue. Ultimately, the novel is stronger on character development and dialogue than on plot. Although the story moves along briskly enough to keep most readers interested, it is not as satisfying or cohesive as those in Paulsen’s other novels. The series of events that precipitate Kevin’s eventual realization about the negative effects of his lying are less dramatic than expected, resulting in a rather understated story overall. Similarly, the romantic interest that drove many of his lies was also left resolved (likely to be continued in the next novel in the series). Nevertheless, anyone who is a fan of Paulsen’s later novels such as Lawn Boy will still find Liar Liar to be an enjoyable read. Even if it’s not always clear where Kevin is going with his consistent lying, his inner monologue keeps the journey entertaining. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Dale StorieDale is Public Services Librarian at the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. He has a BA in English, and has also worked in a public library as a children's programming coordinator, where he was involved with story times, puppet shows, and book talks.
The Swazi People by R. Van der Wiel
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Van der Wiel, Renée. The Swazi People. Gallo Manor, South Africa: Awareness Publishing Group, 2012. Print.South Africa describes itself as “one rainbow nation going forward”, but within that rainbow there are eleven indigenous South African peoples. The Swazi People is one of eleven volumes in the African Cultures of South Africa series, which presents the cultures for readers at the upper elementary level. The other volumes include the cultures of The Khoikhoi, The Ndebele, The North Sotho, The San, The South Sotho, The Tsonga-Shangaan, The Tswana, The Venda, The Xhosa, and The Zulu.In The Swazi People, Renée Van der Wiel describes their arts and crafts, beliefs, clothes, history, houses, language, leaders, marriage, music and dance, recipes, and way of life. The book incorporates many Swazi words, which are listed in the glossary at the back of the book. For example, mahiya (cotton cloth), gogo (grandmother) and lobola (marriage gift, usually cattle) are all listed in the glossary.This volume is attractively produced and brightly coloured. It opens with a full-page map of South Africa that shows the historical movements of the Swazi people and highlights their homelands. Text and images are presented on alternate pages. The professional quality images are usually full-page and are either historical black and white photos or modern colour photos of Swazi people engaged in traditional activities. There is also an index, which improves the book's usefulness as an elementary research text.The text is written in age-appropriate language and deals with the subjects in sufficient detail that as an adult, I was able to learn from it. In general, the tone is objective and non-judgemental. For example, "[i]n 1973, King Sobhuzall and the Imbokoduo National Movement stopped all other political parties from taking part in elections in Swaziland. (…) After only five years of being a democracy, Swaziland became a country ruled by a king." Where there is bias present, it is more in the form of presenting the Swazi point of view: "But the Boers did not care about looking after the Swazi people – all they wanted was to get through to the sea without having to travel through British territory.".This sturdily bound volume is an excellent work and is highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: 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.
Martin est en colère by J. Theobald & K. Viala
Authors: Pesant Vanessa 
Published: April 2016

Theobald, Joeseph and Kévin Viala. Martin est en colère. Toronto: Éditions Scholastic, 2014. Print.This picture book tells a humorous story about a sheep that gets angry very easily when he does not get what he wants. His anger turns him into a nasty and ferocious monster. In the end, he becomes stranded and realizes that it’s not so fun to get mad.I really enjoyed this silly and funny book. I found the pictures to be amusing, colourful and very expressive. The visuals were large and really demonstrated what was happening in the book, to the point where words were not necessarily required to understand the story. The pictures made the story funny, especially when the main character becomes a monster.I loved the fact that all the characters in this book were animals. Animal books are often a great fit for younger students since the character is more easily relatable and does not imply any cultural or ethnic barriers.When it came to the writing, the author used language that was not too complicated or wordy. I especially like this for those students in French Immersion programs since the vocabulary is not too advanced for native English speakers learning French. The text and the images make this a great read for younger students at an intermediate level in the French language.What struck me the most about this book is the open ending. This ending leaves the reader wondering if Martin will make a change in his action this time or whether he will fall back on old habits. Overall this was a feel good, easy to understand and humorous picture book that displays a great message about looking for solutions instead of losing your cool.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Vanessa PesantVanessa Pesant is a grade 2 French immersion teacher in Beaumont. She is currently working on completing her master's degree in Elementary Education.
Louis the Tiger Who Came from the Sea by M. Kozlowski
Authors: Sulz David 
Published: April 2016

Kozlowski, Michal. Louis the Tiger Who Came from the Sea. Illus. Sholto Walker. Toronto: Annick Press, 2011. Print. If you are a logical thinker, as many adults are, this book just does not make sense. How could a tiger be mistaken for a carrot or a pumpkin? What do white chin-patches and nose-tickling whiskers have to do with the name Louis? Why would you put on swimsuits and snorkeling gear to nudge a bucket of breakfast cereal into a sleeping tiger’s belly with a push-broom? And, above all, what self-respecting parents would parade their family dressed up as a narwhal, dolphin, blowfish, and 6-tentacled octopus to lure a tiger back to the ocean so it can swim into the orange sunset? On the other hand, if you can appreciate whacky logic and enjoy engaging illustrations with thoughtful background details and telling facial expressions, you will find yourself reading this story over and over until it eventually almost makes sense. If you figure out why 24 words are printed in larger type and bright colours, let me know! Recommended age from press release: 4-7 years. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: David Sulz David is a librarian at the University of Alberta working mostly with scholars in Economics, Religious Studies, and Social Work. His university studies included: Library Studies, History, Elementary Education, Japanese, and Economics. On the education front, he taught various grades and subjects for several years in schools as well as museums. His interest in Japan and things Japanese stands above his other diverse interests.
Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City by H. Dyer
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Dyer, Hadley. Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City. Toronto: Annick Press, 2012. Print. With the increased public interest in urban agriculture, this is a timely book. While the publishers present it as being for grades 4-7, the content and reading level is much higher, scoring at the Tenth Grade on the Coleman-Liau Index and 9.2 on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test. The design looks like a children’s book, with backgrounds composed of bright colour blocks, small monochrome drawings and many irregularly shaped photographs with overlapping captions that look as if they are hand-printed. The text is often informal, using contractions and questions to engage the reader. “What’s a city dweller to do if she doesn’t want to pay a king’s ransom for an egg?” (p. 18). However, the content is dense and covers urban agriculture almost like a text book. It begins with a substantial introductory section on the state of food and the need for urban agriculture then moves through examples of small scale urban agriculture, larger scale urban agriculture and ends up with some of the larger social and political movements and philosophies. There is also a glossary, resource list and index. While the author is from Toronto and this book received Ontario Arts Council Funding, there is little Canadian content. While the author does cite a number of international examples including some from Africa, Japan and Scotland, it is clear that the market for this book is the United States. There are a few Toronto projects mentioned and the Inuvik Community Greenhouse, which is an old arena, but there is little said about the practicalities of urban gardening in Canada. Climate is a major factor in successful gardening anywhere and the growing conditions of most American locations are quite different from those in most of Canada. It is a lot easier to be an urban gardener in Florida than it is in Edmonton. This book is a good introduction to the concepts of urban gardening but will be most useful to teen and adult readers. Recommended for high school and public libraries. Recommendation: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: 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.
Slither and Slide: What’s Outside by N. Hilb
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Hilb, Nora, Simon Shapiro and Sheryl Shapiro. Slither and Slide: What’s Outside. Toronto: Annick Press, 2012. Print. Nora Hilb, who is listed as lead author on this book, is a prolific illustrator living in Argentina. The text is by Toronto authors Simon and Sheryl Shapiro. Together, this team of three has produced an entertaining and educational book which progresses through the seasons from spring to winter. Each two page spread has four integrated parts. On the left page is a photograph of something outside. The first is of a fruit tree in blossom. On the facing page is an image of children outside, doing something that mirrors what is in the photograph. In the first case, to mirror the tree, they are watering a plant. The accompanying text is in the form of a three line rhyme about what the children are doing. The rhyme is followed by one word in large capital letters. For example, one of the winter photographs shows a row of wind turbines and is matched with a drawing of a child with a pinwheel. The accompanying text reads, “The blustery wind/that blows in from the west/ for windmills and pinwheels, it’s really the best/ WHIRR!” One can easily imagine reading the rhyme to a child and then spelling the word out at the end as a learning activity. Many children will learn to recite the rhymes. The high-quality photographic images are the work of a variety of people. Hilb’s drawings are whimsical, with lots of bright colours and action. The page pairs are fun. The image of a waterfall is paired with an image of children at the beach dumping water from one bucket to another. The rainbow image is paired with children colouring with a rainbow of crayons. The picture of the black bear is paired with an image of a child in a bear-costume pretending to scare his Dad. Overall this is an attractive book that incorporates a little learning and lots of ways to engage and amuse small children. Highly recommended. Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy 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 Great Sheep Shenanigans by P. Bently
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Bently, Peter. The Great Sheep Shenanigans. Illus. M. Matsuoka. London: Andersen Press, 2011. Print. In this tale, it is really the wolf, Lou Pine (hear the French loup and Lupin, the werewolf from Harry Potter), who gets up to shenanigans, rather than the sheep. The text is a clever and funny rhyme that tells the story of the wolf trying to catch a lamb to eat. Along the way, we hear sheep-related cultural and literary references from, “the wolf in sheep’s clothing,” to Red Riding Hood. “I’m just in the mood for a Gran-flavoured snack,” the wolf tells us. The wolf makes many attempts to catch a lamb, but is always thwarted, if not by his own silliness, then by the water-gun toting Ma Watson, by bees, by Red Riding Hood’s Granny, and finally, by Rambo the Ram, who butts him into “a big pile of poo!” While the intended audience is pre-school, the author sprinkles in some big words, such as “derrière”, “kersplat”, “skedaddling” and “vindaloo”, that children will enjoy and repeat, but adults will need to explain and pronounce on the first reading. The text is often printed over the illustrations, sometimes in extra-large font to emphasize a point. Sometimes it is part of the illustration. When “Lou found a thicket of blossoming trees,” the words from the phrase “Down came the blossom” float down the page with the blossoms. The illustrations are as much fun as the text. The sheep are most often depicted as balls of white with heads, ears and four small pegs for legs. Lou Pine is a two-dimensional creature, while Rambo the Ram blows steam out his nose and wears boxing gloves. The sheep occasionally have glasses, bow-ties or hair-bows. Because the rhyme is jaunty and the illustrations are fun and inventive, this will be a book that small children will want to have read to them over and over. Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: 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.