End of the Line by
Ordinary citizens risk everything to save a young Jewish girl in wartime Holland. Five-year-old Beatrix looks on in horror as the soldier forces her mother off the tram. It is 1942 in Amsterdam, and everyone knows what happens to Jews who are taken away by the Nazis. The soldier turns his attention to Beatrix, when suddenly, the ticket-taker, Lars Gorter, blurts out that she is his niece. With his brother Hans, the tram conductor, they manage to rescue the child from the same fate as her mother. The two elderly brothers realize that they are now in charge of the little girl. They are at a loss--after all, neither one has ever married, let alone has children. They know that harboring a Jew could cost them their lives, but in desperation, they turn to a neighbor, Mrs. Vos, for help. But even these kindly rescuers cannot shield Beatrix totally from the horrors of war. This suspenseful novel vividly portrays the fear, uncertainty, and terror of the Nazi occupation in Holland. It is a story that reflects both the worst and best of humankind. A worthy addition to children's books about the Holocaust, The End of the Line will leave young readers to ponder how the most dreadful conditions can lead ordinary citizens to perform the most heroic acts. People like Lars, Hans, and Mrs. Vos, who risked their own lives to save Jews in wartime Europe, were later recognized and honored as "Righteous Gentiles."
Hope Springs by
A drought has settled in the area around the orphanage where Boniface lives. There are long lines at the tiny spring where people get their water, and suddenly, the orphans are pushed to the back of the line. Boniface's houseparent, Henry, tells him that the people were mean out of fear - they feared there would not be enough water for their families. When the building of the orphanage's well is completed, Boniface has an idea to help the villagers. A lovely story of kindness and heart, showing that through compassion, true generosity can spring up.
If by
'Some things are so huge or so old that it's hard to wrap your mind around them. But what if we took these big, hard-to-imagine objects and events and compared them to things we can see, feel and touch? Instantly, we'd see our world in a whole new way.' So begins this endlessly intriguing guide to better understanding all those really big ideas and numbers children come across on a regular basis. Author David J. Smith has found clever devices to scale down everything from time lines (the history of Earth compressed into one year), to quantities (all the wealth in the world divided into one hundred coins), to size differences (the planets shown as different types of balls). Accompanying each description is a kid-friendly drawing by illustrator Steve Adams that visually reinforces the concept. By simply reducing everything to human scale, Smith has made the incomprehensible easier to grasp, and therefore more meaningful. The children who just love these kinds of fact-filled, knock-your-socks-off books will want to read this one from cover to cover. It will find the most use, however, as an excellent classroom reference that can be reached for again and again when studying scale and measurement in math, and also for any number of applications in social studies, science and language arts. For those who want to delve a little deeper, Smith has included six suggestions for classroom projects. There is also a full page of resource information at the back of the book.
Jack, the King of Ashes by
Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and illustrator Darka Erdelji are back, with Jack, the King of Ashes, another riotously funny Jack tale. This time Jack spends all his time hove off in the coal box. Then one day he shakes off those ashes and sets out on an adventure that includes sneaky robbers, a "famous missing princess with reward attached", an always-surprising canine sidekick, a royal wedding, a lovelorn rooster-puppet, a conniving ship's captain, corpses, curses, kisses, coats and a whole lot more! Steeped in Newfoundland folk tradition, Jack, the King of Ashesshows CODCO alumnus Andy Jones at the top of his form. His quirky and delightful humour is unstoppable. Darka Erdelji's illustrations offer a wonderful, witty counterpoint to the story, enriching and embellishing it. Jones and Erdelji's last collaboration, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieveswon the 2012 BMO Winterset Award honouring excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador literature in any genre.
Clover's Luck by
Clover, who wants to change her bad luck, accepts a volunteer position at a pet adoption agency unlike any other and soon finds herself in a world of fairy horses, dragons with temperamental snouts, wizards, princesses, and, unfortunately, witches.
Forest of Reading 2016 nominee.
Silver Birch Expess award nominee 2016.
Melvis and Elvis by
Melvis the monster
And Elvis the elf
Were hunting for books
On the library shelf-
One on the carpet,
And one in a chair,
So neither could see
That the other was there…
Melvis and Elvis is classic Dennis Lee, with more than thirty new poems for fans of his beloved collections, including the perennial bestseller Alligator Pie. This irresistible blend of narrative, word play, and pure nonsense, combined with Jeremy Tankard's whimsical and energetic illustrations, will appeal to both the very young and developing readers.
Our Heroes by
Biographies of ten children from around the world who opened up their hearts and minds to the injustices of the world and took action, changing their world for the better. In addition to the ten main profiles, sidebars feature many more children. Included is eleven-year-old Andrew Adansi-Bonnah from Ghana, who raised thousands of dollars for refugee children in Somalia after seeing their desperate situation covered in the news. Another child profiled is twelve-year-old Mimi Ausland from the United States, nicknamed "Dr. Doolittle" by her family. After learning about the shortage of food for shelter animals, she started a website to collect donations of dog and cat food; her site is now one of the most visited animal-rescue websites in the world. These children never set out to be heroes or to become famous, but they are role-models for us all.
Sport-O-Rama by
This engaging wordbook offers a primer for young children on the essential words and phrases associated with twenty-three different sports. From badminton to volleyball, each on their own two-page spread, readers can peruse the vocabulary words to explore how the sport is played, what equipment is required, what athletes wear and the like. For example, included on the football spread are ?touchdown pass,? ?end zone? and ?helmet.' For swimming, there are ?goggles,? ?lane markers? and ?crawl.' The illustrations, in bright primary colors, also provide a quick tutorial on the basics of each sport. Humorous asides and silly dialogue throughout add to the book's overall lively and amusing feel. For example, a golf ball inside an alligator's mouth becomes an ?unplayable ball.' And a diver leaping off the highest platform comments, ?What a view!? Also in keeping with the light tone of the book, there's a spread in the middle called Halftime, which features searching and counting activities. Award-winning illustrator Benoit Tardif cleverly imparts the sense of fun involved in playing sports, along with lots of useful information. This is a book that will be pored over by small children, each looking for their own favorite sport or trying to learn more about new ones. The short descriptions of the included sports and the glossary at the back of the book mean it also works in physical education lessons for young pre-readers up to the early elementary grades
Tank and Fizz: the Case of the Slime Stampede by
When Gravelmuck Elementary's cleaning slimes escape and destroy the schoolyard with their acidic ooze, all claws and tails point to Mr. Snag, the school's caretaker, as the culprit. Determined to clear Mr. Snag's name, Tank and Fizz dive into the case, only to discover that the goop under Rockfall Mountain runs deep. The detective duo must outwit their eight-legged principal and survive an ancient war between high-tech janitors and spell-slinging wizards. Can Tank and Fizz find the real monsters behind the slime stampede in time to clear Mr. Snag's name? The Case of the Slime Stampedeis the first book in the Tank & Fizz mystery series about two crime-solving monsters living under a mountain.
Weird Frogs by
A sneak peek into the remarkable world of the tail-less amphibians. Some frogs blend into the green of their ponds, and live an unremarkable existence. But some are strange looking, having adapted to a special environment. This colourful and informative book reveals a rare and close-up look at the odd beauty of some of the strangest of these creatures largely hidden from our view. Weird Frogs features: * Beautiful photographs that show the frogs up close -- really close * Informative captions that provide fascinating details about the lives of these endangered and fascinating creatures. Available in flexicover and paperback, the book will appeal to young high school students exploring topic ideas, younger students interested in wildlife and advanced readers who enjoy picture books. AGES: 10+ AUTHOR: Chris Earley is the interpretive biologist at the University of Guelph Arboretum. His kids' books that encourage youngsters to "find and identify your own" have been very popular. They include Caterpillars and Dragonflies. Colour photographs
End of the Line by
Ordinary citizens risk everything to save a young Jewish girl in wartime Holland. Five-year-old Beatrix looks on in horror as the soldier forces her mother off the tram. It is 1942 in Amsterdam, and everyone knows what happens to Jews who are taken away by the Nazis. The soldier turns his attention to Beatrix, when suddenly, the ticket-taker, Lars Gorter, blurts out that she is his niece. With his brother Hans, the tram conductor, they manage to rescue the child from the same fate as her mother. The two elderly brothers realize that they are now in charge of the little girl. They are at a loss--after all, neither one has ever married, let alone has children. They know that harboring a Jew could cost them their lives, but in desperation, they turn to a neighbor, Mrs. Vos, for help. But even these kindly rescuers cannot shield Beatrix totally from the horrors of war. This suspenseful novel vividly portrays the fear, uncertainty, and terror of the Nazi occupation in Holland. It is a story that reflects both the worst and best of humankind. A worthy addition to children's books about the Holocaust, The End of the Line will leave young readers to ponder how the most dreadful conditions can lead ordinary citizens to perform the most heroic acts. People like Lars, Hans, and Mrs. Vos, who risked their own lives to save Jews in wartime Europe, were later recognized and honored as "Righteous Gentiles."