Camilla Chameleon by
Camilla is a little strange-looking. But she's one talented ? girl. She can pick up a hopscotch rock without even bending over. She can look at her teacher with one eye and read a comic book with the other. And, best of all, she can blend in perfectly with her surroundings -- so that no one, not even her parents, can tell she's there. Camouflaging sure comes in handy when it's time for her to go to the doctor or clean out the class hamster cage for her teacher. But one day Camilla blows her cover ? and finds herself in the spotlight. Colleen Sydor's spirited story and Pascale Constantin's brilliantly quirky illustrations bring to life a wonderfully weird girl who discovers that standing out isn't so bad after all.
Clara and the Bossy by
Ruth Ohi's new tale of a little guinea pig and her bossy friend. Clara the guinea pig loves purple, triangles, and tuna. She also loves making new friends, and that's why she's thrilled when a classmate says to her, "Let's be best friends!" Madison is bold and glamorous and soon bossy the girls are inseparable. Madison even lets Clara clean up all her toys after they play together. But Madison's demands begin piling up. Why, she asks, does Clara wear the same purple dress every day? And why does she always eat triangle-shaped tuna sandwiches? It's not long before Clara's lunches aren't nearly as much fun, and her favorite outfit stays in the closet. When Clara loses a treasured stone because a Madison-approved dress lacks pockets (the purple dress has big ones), she decides to go back to the things she likes. Her true self once again, Clara is amazed to discover that being herself not only makes her a new friend, but also helps her to keep an old one: Madison. From this charming tale of rich details and memorable characters, children will recognize the experience of having a friend and will glean important knowledge from Clara's gently learned wisdom.
Earth to Audrey by
Audrey comes into Ray's life like an earthbound star. Everything about her is a bit far-out. And she's always in her own little world. So Ray decides that this unusual girl who has dropped into his neighborhood for the summer must be an alien. As they become friends, Audrey takes Ray on a journey of discovery -- one that enables him to see his own planet in a new light. Soon, Ray can't imagine life on Earth without her. Susan Hughes' poignant, gently humorous text and Stephane Poulin's evocative, heartfelt illustrations capture the long childhood summer of discovery in a small town and depict a friendship that changed the lives of two lonely dreamers.
Penelope and the Monsters by
Penelope won't go to sleep. Never ever not in a million trillion gazillion years. Her father doesn't believe her, but Penelope knows there are monsters lurking in the dark. How else can she explain the dancing drawers, creeeeaking closet, and bounce-bouncing bed? Will Penelope have the confidence to turn on the lights and call out the things that go bump in the night? Our spunky heroine takes on gnomes and trolls and giants with the same comic flair that brought down the house in Penelope and the Humongous Burp.
Scaredy Squirrel by
Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. It's way too dangerous out there. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But in his tree, every day is the same and if danger comes along, he's well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel's emergency kit includes antibacterial soap, Band-Aids and a parachute. Day after day he watches and waits, and waits and watches, until one day ... his worst nightmare comes true! Scaredy suddenly finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk. But as Scaredy Squirrel leaps into the unknown, he discovers something really uplifting ...
Sophie and the Sea Monster by
There's a sea monster under Sophie's bed. He's small and blue, and is also a terrible singer. Worst of all, it turns out that he's afraid to come out! Sophie decides to coax the shy monster out into the world, and when they share many adventures together, they both forget to be afraid. Michael Martchenko's bright, colourful and energetic artwork is the perfect complement to award-winning author Don Gillmor's
tale. This wonderfully crafted and whimsical story touches on real childhood issues, and features a spunky heroine sure to become a favourite friend for young readers.
Stanleys Wild Ride by
Stanley's Party may have come to an end ... but our favourite party animal's back and ready to roll! Stanley knows he's not supposed to leave the yard, but he's dog-tired of it. So when he discovers a way out ... he's gone! A few escapes later, five dogs are on the lam. And with Stanley in the lead, they're off to have the kind of fun you can't find in a yard -- chasing tomcats, sampling tasty garbage and soaking fire hydrants. Then, late at night, atop the steepest hill in town, they come upon a mysterious wheeled ... thing. And before you can say "Hot dog!" Stanley's off on the ride of a lifetime! Ages 3-7
Taming Horrible Harry by
This is a charming story about one really bad monster who learns to change his ways. Written originally in French, and illustrated with delightfully ghoulish paintings by the Québecois artist known simply as Rogé, Taming Horrible Harry is a wonderful tale about the power of stories. At the gates of a beautiful forest, Harry the monster lies in wait. One day, as monsters are wont to do, he frightens a little girl, who runs away leaving behind a peculiar object. Harry picks it up, turns it over, bites it … spits it out, and throws it down in a fury! He wonders what kind of a thing he has found. As it turns out, the object is a book … and one way or another, Harry learns to read it, and his life is changed forever. This delightful story will enchant both young readers and their parents, teachers, and librarians, as they discover together, the magic of reading.
Wake up, Henry Rooster! by
On the long list for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration 2007 ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Bronze Award (Children's Picture Book category) Shortlisted for the Blue Spruce Award 2007 Chocolate Lily nominee 2007-2008 Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007 He's no morning rooster! Henry's a young rooster who loves to have fun. He plays cards with the goats, listens to moosic with the cows, and pops corn with the pigs. After a long night of fun, however, Henry just can't get up early in the morning. His mom insists he's not lazy; Henry just isn't a morning rooster. But Henry's father is off to a convention for a week - guess who must take his place and crow the sun up each morning? Poor Henry. He's just not cut out for this crowing business. But if he doesn't find a way to make it to work on time, the sun won't rise when it's supposed to, the farmer and his wife will be late, and all the farm chores won't get done. They're all depending on Henry. Will he learn to be a morning rooster after all?
Where's my Hockey Sweater? by
Nicholas's room is a disaster area ― he doesn't know where anything is. And he still has to get all of his hockey gear together, put it on, eat breakfast and fly out the door in time to make the first practice of the year!
Bruno St-Aubin's colourful, amusing and action-filled illustrations perfectly complement the humorous text and will delight readers of all ages. Any parent who has had to hustle a child out the door for hockey will relate to the hunt for each piece of equipment!
Scaredy Squirrel by
Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. It's way too dangerous out there. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But in his tree, every day is the same and if danger comes along, he's well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel's emergency kit includes antibacterial soap, Band-Aids and a parachute. Day after day he watches and waits, and waits and watches, until one day ... his worst nightmare comes true! Scaredy suddenly finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk. But as Scaredy Squirrel leaps into the unknown, he discovers something really uplifting ...
At the 2007 Ontario Library Association SuperConference, TDSB Teacher Lana Peck presented a superb set of activities for the 10 Blue Spruce that year. The curriculum connections are still available via the Internet Archive (go back to March 7, 2008 to download the file). Put this url http://www.accessola.com/superconference2007/sessions.html in the Wayback Machine to locate the file if the March 7, 2008 link doesn't work.