CM magazine

Table of Contents

Book Reviews

Why do Stars Twinkle? and other nighttime questions.

Catherine Ripley. Illustrated by Scot Ritchie.

Review by Jennifer Sullivan.

Grades K - 2 / Ages 4 - 7.

Gruntle Piggle Takes Off.

Jean Little. Illustrated by Johnny Wales.

Review by Michele F. Kallio.

Grades K - 3 / Ages 5 - 8.

Farming.

Ann Love and Jane Drake. Illustrated by Pat Couples.

Review by Michele F. Kallio.

Grades K - 4 / Ages 5 - 10.

Whatever You Do Don't Go Near That Canoe!

Julie Lawson. Illustrated by Werner Zimmerman.

Review by Kenneth Field.

Grades Preschool - Grade 4 / Ages 3 - 9.

Silver Threads.

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko.

Review by Jennifer Johnson.

Grades 1 - 5 / Ages 6 - 11.

Wild Talk: How Animals Talk to Each Other.

Marilyn Baillie. Illustrated by Romi Caron.

Review by Brenda Partridge.

Grades 3 - 5 / Ages 8 - 12.

Forts of Canada.

Ann-Maureen Owens and Jane Yealland.

Review by Ian Stewart.

Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 12.

Children Have Diabetes Too - Learning Together As A Family.

Edited by Robert G. McArthur M.D. Illustrations by Audrey Mabee.

Review by Lorrie Ann Wannamaker.

Grades 3 - 8 / Ages 8 - 12.

Martha Black: Gold Rush Pioneer.

Carol Martin.

Review by Marsha Kaiserman.

Grades 2 - 8 / Ages 8 - 14.

A Friend Like Zilla.

Rachna Gilmore.

Review by Deborah Mervold.

Grades 4 - 6 / Ages 9 - 11.

Catch Me Once, Catch Me Twice.

Janet McNaughton.

Review by Irene Gordon.

Grades 6 - 8 / Ages 11 - 14.

The TV Book: The Kids Guide to Talking Back.

Shelagh Wallace. Illustrated by Lorraine Tuson and Brian Bean.

Review by Floyd Spracklin.

Grades 9 - 12 / Ages 14 - 17.

Steal My Rage: New Native Voices.

Edited by Joel T. Maki.

Review by Gina Varty.

Grades 9 and up / Ages 14 - adult.

Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park: Tom Thomson and other Mysteries.

S. Bernard Shaw.

Review by Joan Payzant.

Grades 10 and up / Ages 15 - adult.

Monet's Garden.

John Lent.

Review by Katheryn Broughton.

Grades 12 and up / Ages 17 and up.

Make-A-Face.

Jane Byrne Stevenson and Sharon E. McKay.

Review by Lorraine Douglas.

All ages.

Olympics 100: Canada at the Summer Games.

Cleve Dheensaw.

Review by Marsha Kaiserman.

All ages.

CD-ROM Review

In the Beginning...Northwest Passage.

IDON East Corporation.

Review by Harriet Zaidman.

Grades 6 - 8 / Ages 11 - 14.

On the Bookshelf

Back to the Cabin.

Ann Blades.

Orca Book Publishers.

River My Friend.

William Bell. Illustrated by Ken Campbell.

Orca Book Publishers.

The Patchwork House.

Sally Fitz-Gibbon. Illustrated by Dean Griffiths.

Orca Book Publishers.

News

Canada Council Nominees for 1996 Governor General's Literary Awards.

National Library of Canada Lauches "Yesterday's Stories," 1996 Read Up On It.

C-EdRes Web Site Reviews

Digital Education Network

Review by Vincent Wong.

NetLearn

Review by Iain A. Middleton.

Book Review

Catherine Ripley. Illustrated by Scot Ritchie.
Toronto: Owl Books, 1996. 32 pp., paper, $6.95, bound $17.95.
ISBN 1-89568-841-8 (bound). ISBN 1-89568-842-6 (pbk).

Grades K - 2 / Ages 4 - 7.
Review by Jennifer Sullivan.

***/4

Bedtime is much less scary for parent and child thanks to Catherine Ripley's Why do Stars Twinkle? and other nighttime questions. This book is the perfect nighttime companion for any parent who has struggled to find answers to such questions as "Why do I have to sleep?" and "Is there a man in the moon?" Like the previous volumes in the Question and Answer Story Book series, Why is Soap Slippery? and other bathtime questions, Do the Doors open by Magic? and other supermarket questions, and Why is the Sky Blue? and other outdoor questions, this latest volume responds to questions in a simplified, but factual manner. Catherine Ripley brings her experience as former editor of Chickadee Magazine to the project, as well as her talent for making complex explanations easier to understand.

The comic book style illustrations by Scot Ritchie will bring smiles of delight to children who are not quite sleepy enough to go to bed, and the bright splashes of colour are sure to soothe nighttime fears. Grandma, the narrator, is gloriously hip in a bright red suit and high heels and is always ready to respond to the jumble of questions from her knapsacked and bespeckled grandson. The nighttime theme is repeated througout the story; moons and stars twinkle across the night sky and are sprinkled across the grandson's blanket.

The print is large and easy to read and the questions are bolded in black ink to make them stand out. Helpful diagrams are included to illustrate difficult words like "tendon" and "molecule". But make sure to keep a dictionary close at hand! Other difficult words like "cells" and "microscope" are not explained. For the most part, however, the information is conveyed in a simple, straightforward and entertaining manner that is sure to encourage an interest in science.

One explanation that made me a little bit squeamish, but would no doubt appeal to kids, is the answer to the question:

What's under my bed?

"Some toys, a shoe, a book, a sock...and dust mites. Dust mites are tiny creatures so small you can't see them. But if you could shrink down thousands and thousands of times, you'd see dust mites under there, munching away. They chew on tiny falkes of dead skin and loose hair in the dust, and they sure do a good job of cleaning up!"

But Illustrator Scot Ritchie rises admirably to the task of making such creatures as dust mites and dancing molecules appear non-threatening, if not friendly.

The book is well-organized with a table of contents at the beginning, and additional nighttime bits of information at the end. It's a great size for little hands, and you can't beat the price!

Recommended

Jennifer Sullivan works with the Children's Literature Service of the National Library of Canada, and has a Master's degree in English Literature.

Book Review

Jean Little. Illustrated by Johnny Wales.
Toronto: Viking Press, 1996. 32 pp., clothbound, $19.95.
ISBN 0-670-86340-8.

Grades K - 3 / Ages 5 - 8.
Review by Michele F. Kallio.

****/4

Gruntle Piggle Takes Off is a bright over-sized picture book that is a delight to the eyes. Illustrator Johnny Wales states "that if something is worth doing weIl, it's worth having fun" and indeed his illustrations for this book are enchanting.

The story, too, is wonderful; author Jean Little and Wales are the perfect combination to tell the story of Gruntle Piggle's quest to find out how real pigs live.

It all begins when Grandpa Bacon sends a gift of rollerblades to Gruntle and sets off a whole series of events. Gruntle and her family live in Pigs' Digs a high-rent high-rise complex in Pigopolis (which appears to share much of Toronto's skyline). Frances Bacon Piggle is upset that her country-dwelling father might be a bad influence on Gruntle and she refuses to allow Gruntle to thank her Grandfather for the rollerblades he has sent. While pouting in her room Gruntle reads every pig book there is.

"Pigs in books aren't like us," she says innocently. "Why do we live in the city? Why am I an only piglet?"

Not satisfied with her parents' answers Gruntle decides to run away and find out for herself; she decides to visit Grandpa Bacon at Swine Corners. Life on a farm comes as a shock to this city-bred piglet. The warmhearted story is a cheery twist on the country mouse/city mouse theme.

Gruntle Piggle Takes Off is sure to be a hit with the read-aloud crowd and will also be enjoyed by older children to read on their own.

Highly Recommended

Michele F. Kallio is a former teacher/librarian living in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick.

Book Review

Ann Love and Jane Drake. Illustrated by Pat Couples.
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1996. 32 pp., hardcover, $14.99.
ISBN I-55074-228-0

Grades K - 4 / Ages 5 - 9.
Review by Michele F. Kallio.

****/4

Kids Can Press has done it again with a new series Canada At Work by Ann Love and Jane Drake with illustrations by Pat Cupples, and it was my pleasure to review this book from the series.

Farming is a 24 cm by 21 cm, beautifully presented and illustrated picture book, aimed at the Kindergarten to Grade 4 age group. A read aloud or read-it-yourself book, it offers schools and libraries a wide range of potential readers.

Farming tells the story of Nick and his friend Karin, to whom he describes living and working on a small Ontario vegetable farm, "one of the many kinds of farms in Canada." In explaining to Karin about the danger of bad weather - in this case an approaching thunderstorm - he tells how onions are grown on his father's farm. With wonderful illustrations, the authors explain farm machinery, planting, the tending of crops, harvesting and marketing.

Karin's family owns a beef farm in southern British Columbia that raises 600 head of cattle. Nick goes to visit her and learns about cattle drives, hay-harvesting, fence-building, branding and marketing.

The book ends with Nick and Karin's Cross Country Lunch and includes an index.

Highly Recommended

Michele F. Kallio is a former teacher/librarian living in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick.

Book Review

Julie Lawson. Illustrated by Werner Zimmerman.
Richmond Hill, Ont.: North Winds Press, 1996. 32 pp., cloth $16.99.
ISBN 0-590-24429-9.

Grades Preschool - Grade 4 / Ages 3 - 9.
Review by Kenneth Field.

****/4

excerpt:

"It's time to go back!" my brother exclaimed. "It's time to be heading for home!"

But O'Malley knew, and I did too -
That canoe had a mind of its own.

On the star side of morning a shadow appeared, A finger of land looming near; And then, round the point, a sight met our eyes That hammered our heartbeats with fear.

The Captain is a crafty fellow for he knows the irresistable pull of curiosity and, therefore, this admonishment is used not so much to keep the trio out of the canoe, as to entice them into it. I won't say anymore, though, because there are surprises in this book that are waiting to be discovered.

Julie Lawson has written a number of children's books, like Kate's Castle, Too Many Suns, The Dragon's Pearl and Fires Burning. For this book she has written an adventure poem that is reminscent of the work of Robert Louis Stevenson. The text flows smoothly with an easy metre that lends itself to being read aloud. Children will not only enjoy hearing this story but older children can probably read it with some help from their parents. The story builds to a suspenseful climax, but all ends well, and so it should hold the listener's attention and interest.

The illustrations by Werner Zimmerman are beautifully evocative. Each double-page spread is covered by one watercolour illustration. They capture the mystery, dark forboding and menacing aspects of the adventure as well as the lighter more convivial parts of the story. Along with the text, they draw the reader and/or listener into the adventure.

All in all, this book should provide great bedtime reading. In addition, it will serve as an introduction to poetry for younger and older children alike.

Highly recommended

Kenneth Field is a Librarian at Trent University and Principal of Lady Eaton College, Trent University.

Book Review

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
Toronto: Viking, 1996. 32 pp., cloth, $19.99.
ISBN 0-670-86677-6.

Grades 1 - 5 / Ages 6 - 11.
Review by Jennifer Johnson.

**/4

excerpt:

In a land called Bukovyna, in Ukraine, a husband and wife farmed their narrow strip of land. Each morning, Ivan strapped the plough to his shoulders while Anna guided the plough through the rich black furrows of soil. "It takes two of us," Ivan would say "one to push the plough and one to pull."

In Silver Threads, Skrypuch adds another story to the growing collection of illustrated war narratives which introduce and interpret difficult issues to a juvenile audience. (These include Coerr's Sadako, as illustrated by Young, Rose Blanche, by Innocenti, and Forman's War Boy, to name a few.) Skrypuch has tackled a complicated sequence of events in her book and, in choosing an illustrated format, is not able to fully develop her characters and their experiences. The author has to compress historical conditions, such as the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, homestead regulations, conscription and internment, into her text. In this format, Skrypuch has little choice other than to personify all of the abuses of the Canadian government into one "barrel-bellied" official. Older readers will crave a fuller representation and younger readers will need considerable interpretation.

In order to explore Ivan and Anna's loyalty and faith within an unfriendly world, the author uses the traditional Christmas celebration as a base. Within this context, Skrypuch adds a fantasy element, reminiscent of Cobweb Christmas, involving a spider. Magic, faith and Christmas are a happy blend, but without a base in folklore or a clearer understanding of Ivan's spider ritual, the plot shifts into new territory too suddenly. A longer text, with more background on the political times, traditions and characters would have benefitted here. Skrypuch adds in an historical note that her own grandfather was among the interned. Perhaps a novel will be forthcoming which will expand upon this powerful experience.

Michael Martchenko, best known as the illustrator of Robert Munsch's picture books, adopts a sombre yet beautiful style in Silver Threads. The wild abandon and extravagance of Moira's Birthday, and Something Good are replaced by a serious study of the Ukrainian immigrant experience. His illustrations of Anna and Ivan are vibrant and strong, with the red of Anna's head scarf providing a link throughout. Martchenko accurately records the traditional clothing of Ukraine as well as the uniforms of World War I. His detaiI is meticulous even to the portrait of King George V on the walls of the conscription office. He also provides a view of the parklands of western Canada with their heavy tree cover. Silver Threads is a beautifully designed book which includes additional illustrations of shipboard life and barbed wire enclosures which expand the readers' experience of the time period.

Silver Threads interprets a powerful personal experience in the light of extraordinary events in the world and on the domestic front. Librarians building Canadiana, western Canadiana and multicultural collections will want this book on their shelves.

Recommended with reservations, The author has used an illustrated format to explore the Ukrainian immigrant experience of the early twentieth century. The choice of format limits the presentation to the detriment of character development.

Recommended with reservations

Jennifer Johnson works as a children's librarian in Ottawa, Ontario.

Book Review

Marilyn Baillie. Illustrated by Romi Caron.
Toronto: Greey de Pencier Incorporated, 1996. 32 pp., paperback, $6.95.
ISBN 1-895688-55-8.

Grades 3 - 5 / Ages 8 - 12.
Review by Brenda Partridge.

***/4

excerpt:

Is that a bright red balloon in the branches? No, it's a male great frigate bird. He has a colourful way to signal that he is looking for a mate. His fire-red throat pouch puffs out, shining in the Galapagos sun. He shows off, flapping his wings and clacking his bill. Finally, a female arrives to be his partner. They build a nest of twigs and hatch one white egg into a chick.

The book is laid out in two-page spreads for each of the twelve animals being highlighted. The print only takes up 25% of the entire area, leaving one and a half pages of illustrations for each creature. At the end of the book, one finds a "Who's Who" two-page synopsis of the animals, drawing attention to their global location and providing many interesting facts about them. The last page of the book presents a quiz with twelve questions. Personally, as a teacher-librarian actively involved in resource-based learning, I would have found a simple index more useful than the quiz. When purchasing resources for our Information Centre, I might have overlooked this book because of this factor which would have been a sad loss to our collection!

Romi Caron has done an exemplary job with the illustrations for this book. Although the theme of the book is limited to animals communicating with each other, the illustrations tempt you to find out more, in general, about these creatures. It is the realistic, enticing pictures, not the text, that would make this book an effective teaching tool for younger children. Each animal has a tiny photograph inset on the Who's Who page and a matching one on the individual two-page spread, but it is the painted illustrations of the creatures in their settings that are most visually satisfying.

An example from the "Who's Who" for the African Elephant clearly shows the reading level of the text.

"You can find African elephants in the forest and open Savannah areas of Africa. The low rumbling sound that they send over long distances comes from the area where their trunks meet their foreheads. It is called infrasound. Infrasound is also in wind, thunder and ocean storms, but we can't hear it." ...from Who's Who for the African Elephant

Recommended

Brenda Partridge is a teacher-librarian at Percy Centennial Public School in Warkworth, Ontario.

Book Review

Ann-Maureen Owens and Jane Yealland.
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1996. 64 pp., paper, $14.99.
ISBN 1-55074-278-X.

Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 12.
Review by Ian Stewart.

***1/2 /4

excerpt:

Stuart Fraser curses that day in 1810 when he signed on with the North West Company to run their trading post, Rocky Mountain House in Alberta. His room is so cold that his ink has frozen and the inside log walls are covered with frost. The storm last night blew down part of the wooden palisade surrounding the post, but he and his three partners are too hungry to repair it. The last of their dried meat, called pemmican, is gone and unless they have some luck hunting, the only things left to eat are their leather shoes.

Authors Ann-Maureen Owen and Jane Yealland follow a chronological path through the long history of forts in Canada. They tell us that before Europeans arrived on our shores, the First Peoples of the Atlantic region, the Eastern forests and the Pacific coast range built palisade fortifications to protect themselves from enemies. Later, the French explorers' first priority was to build rough defensive fortifications against the British and Iroquois. Soon, black-robed Jesuit missionaries were building forts deep in the wilderness. Fur traders from the Hudson's Bay and NorthWest Company built trading posts and forts in the Arctic's hostile environment, in the mosquito-infested muskeg swamps of the Boreal forest, in the wind swept western plains and in the passes of the mighty Rocky mountains. Settler and police forts followed in the 19th century and military forts were still built in the 20th century. Many forts still exist in Canada today, but they do not play an important role in Canadian life. They are now museums and monuments to our heritage.

Forts of Canada is a book little kids will love. It incorporates many great hands-on activities like how to build a Huron fortified village or a western whiskey trader's fort and there are semaphore instructions and bannock and fruit roll-up cooking lessons as well. There are also tales of bravery, hardship, and villains meeting their just rewards.

This book will be a valued aid and addition to planning and teaching primary units on early times in Canada and Native Studies. The book contains a short glossary of terms, a map of forts you can tour today in Canada, and an index. Teachers need not use non-Canadian, non-historical materials to teach these units when superb 100% Canadian content and history can be found in books like Forts of Canada.

Highly Recommended

Ian Stewart works at Lord Nelson School and at the University of Winnipeg Library.

Book Review

Edited by Robert G. McArthur M.D. Illustrations by Audrey Mabee.
Regina: Centax Books 1994. 121 pp., soft covered, $14.95.
ISBN 1-895292-38-7.

Grades 3 - 8 / Ages 8 - 12.
Review by Lorrie Ann Wannamaker.

***/4

"Never use your diabetes as an excuse to keep you from doing all that you're capable of doing." - Bobby Clarke, Former NHL player

This book was developed as a nonprofit venture by the staff of the Diabetes Clinic at Alberta Children's Hospital. All financial proceeds will go toward the development of programs for children with diabetes.

The story contributions come from a doctor, a clinical psychologist, a pediatric endocrinologist, a nurse, a dietician and a grade 5 student who provides the poem that ends the story. These many experts give the book a very exact picture of all the variables that a diabetic child might encounter.

The book enforces the idea that one can live happily and successfully with diabetes. It teaches children to remain healthy and look forward to a good future. It is meant to encourage diabetic children to do their part in managing the disease and to take responsibility for living a healthy and productive life.

The story of Mathew and his family is an excellent vehicle for telling the story of diabetes and its impact on family and friends. Mathew is observed going through many of the diabetic stages from the time when it is first discovered he is ill. He goes to the hospital and we see the tests that are done; we watch as he changes his diet habits and discover the range of emotions he feels. Special events in Mathew's life, like birthday parties, are described and demonstrate the subtle changes Mathew has to make. The emotions Mathew, and those around him, experience are clearly articulated for the reader giving excellent insight into why people act the way they do.

Of particular interest to parents are the Appendices. They contain the following information: history of diabetes, glossary of words, differences between insulin dependent and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, nutrition and metabolism, and travelling with diabetes. All the factual information is here for a parent. Another positive aspect of this back section is the page entitled "Write us a letter." Parents and children are encouraged to write to the Diabetes Clinic asking questions or telling their own story about their encounter with diabetes. The Clinic promises to respond to all letters.

I recommend this book to anyone associated with diabetes. It has limited appeal to others, but is excellent for providing information to its target group. This book is in its third printing. For the next printing I would recommend they update their photos and illustrations.

Recommended

Lorrie Ann Wannamaker is Vice-Principal at Sir Wilfred Laurier School, Hamilton, Ontario.

Book Review

Carol Martin.
Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1996. 96 pp., softcover, $8.95.
ISBN 1-55054-245-1.

Grades 2 - 8 / Ages 8 - 14.
Review by Marsha Kaiserman.

**1/2 /4

It seems strange that a society woman like Martha would make plans to head for the remote and wild Yukon. But a kind of madness had seized the world, especially the United States, when the gold was discovered. The most unlikely people, knowing little about the country they were heading for or the problems they would encounter along the way, made plans to join the stampede.

Carol Martin doesn't answer that question, but what she does do is tell an exciting story about Martha's trip to the Klondike. Through a combination of pictures, sidebars and text, we travel with Martha from Chicago to Seattle, where we board a steamer to Skagway, Alaska. From Skagway, we travel over the Chilkoot Pass on foot and on to Dawson. We find out that Martha made this trip while pregnant and we rejoice in the chivalry of the men of the camps.

After this trip, Martha went home but quickly returned and, in 1901, Martha moved back permanently. Later, she met and married George Black, who became Commissioner of the Territory and Member of Parliament for the Yukon and Speaker of the House. Martha, too, had a successful life. She became a noted collector of Yukon and British Columbia wildflowers. In 1935, she became a Member of Parliament for the Yukon, occupying her husband's seat after he suffered a nervous breakdown. She was a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and, in 1949, received the Order of the British Empire. Martha Munger Black died in 1949.

In Martha Munger Black, Carol Martin has the perfect subject to inspire young women. Unfortunately, she doesn't do it. Writing in the now all too common "Sesame Street Style" - derived from the television show where interest is rarely sustained longer than a few minutes, and continuity is non-existent - Martin cannot maintain any continuity in the story line.

I would recommend Martha Black's autobiography instead of this biography. If you want a reason to read it, however, the photographs by E.A. Hegg, especially of the Chilkoot Pass and the trail of people climbing to the summit, are worthwhile. Then again, you might want to visit the National Archives and see these pictures there.

This book is recommended for those people, including children, interested in learning more about their history and, especially, about a woman's perspective on the Yukon.

Recommended with reservations.

Marsha Kaiserman is Head of Conferences Cataloguing at Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI) in Ottawa.

Book Review

Rachna Gilmore.
Toronto: Second Story Press, 1995. 133 pp. paper, $5.95.
ISBN 0-929005-71-6.

Grades 4 - 6 / Ages 9 - 11.
Review by Deborah Mervold.

***/4

excerpt:

By the end of the day I felt like I'd known Zilla forever. Her having a grown-up body didn't really matter. She dressed like me in shorts, T-shirts and stuff, and she liked to play. She never once talked silly teenage talk. She was just a regular kid. Better, actually, 'cause she knew so many neat things.

But sometimes she didn't get what I said. Like a joke or a big word or something. Yet she knew really fun stuff. Like the best place and time for clam digging. Where the bank swallows lived. Even the safest path down the cliff to the beach. The funny thing was she didn't know how cool it was that she knew all that. I mean, she didn't often come up with ideas about what to do. But I had lots, and Mrs. Rowan suggested things I didn't know about.

So we had a great time over the next few days. I was always at the farm, or Zilla was at the cottage. We spent hours with the animals. There were the cutest baby calves with huge, soft eyes and little fluffy chicks. But no pigs. It was too bad. I'd wanted to play with baby pigs ever since I read Charlotte's Web. It's my favourite book right now. Zilla'd never read it so she didn't care."

When Nobby's grandmother, aunt and uncle arrive, the relationship between the girls alters because Uncle Chad has trouble accepting Zilla. The plot is predictable in that Uncle Chad gets into difficulty and it is the girls who rescue him, but the friendship that develops between the girls is well-written. Nobby learns a great deal about life and people and, although Uncle Chad is one-dimensional, overall characterization is realistic.

The vocabulary is suitable for the ages intended for the novel. I liked the parallel of the differences between the girls and the differences between the sea gulls that the girls feed every day. The story is told in first person through the eyes of Nobby which is very suitable for the plot. The only negative aspect of the writing is that, at times, the prevalence of sentence fragments causes a break in the flow of ideas. Both the subject itself and its treatment in this book, makes it a good addition to school and public libraries as well as personal libraries.

Recommended

Deborah Mervold is a teacher-librarian in a grade 6 to 12 school, and a Grade 12 English teacher at Shellbrook Composite High School.

Book Review

Janet McNaughton.
Toronto: Stoddart, 1994. 213 pp., paper, $5.99.
ISBN 10-7736-7449-7.

Grades 6 - 8 / Ages 11 - 14.
Review by Irene Gordon.

****/4

excerpt:

The afternoon dragged on until it was finally time to go home. By now, the sun was gone behind a featureless blanket of grey clouds and fog had rolled in off the sea. Two girls from Ev's class, Letitia Winsor and Doris Piercy, waited for her. They both came from what Ev's grandmother called "good families," meaning, as far as Ev could tell, that their fathers made a lot of money. Ev knew them mainly because their grandmothers were friends of Ev's grandmother. On Saturdays, the three girls worked at the Women's Patriotic Association to- gether, packing wool for women in outports who were knitting for servicemen. Ev knew that she was supposed to feel grateful to Letty and Doris for their friendship. Somehow, she never did.

Evelyn and her pregnant mother arrive in St. John's, Newfoundland, from an outport community to stay with her grandparents while her father is gone to fight in World War Two. Things are difficult for Evelyn. Her mother is not well, she misses her father and her home, and her grandmother seems cold and unfeeling. Gradually Ev makes friends with Peter, a classmate her grandmother disapproves of as coming from "the wrong side of the tracks." She also comes to know Peter's grandmother who is a midwife called in to see Ev's mother; an elderly fisherman who is teaching Peter how to build boats; and the outport girl, who is her grand- parents' hired girl.

These characters allow the author to weave many strands into her story and to paint a vivid picture of life in St. John's during World War Two. McNaughton also includes wonderful physical discriptions of the Battery, Signal Hill, and the "better" residential area where Ev's grandparents live. (As an aside, this reviewer lived in Newfoundland for 5 years and found the descriptions of St. John's did a wonderful job of transporting her back there.)

The only strand in the story that I found slightly problematic was the one dealing with fairies. I do not doubt that there was still some of the stereotypical Irish belief in fairies in Newfoundland 55 years ago, but Ev and Peter's first experience at the spring house takes the novel into the realm of fantasy - something that is not sustained by the remainder of the novel.

This is a very well-written and entertaining book which should be enjoyed by both girls and boys who like adventure and historical novels.

Highly Recommended

Irene Gordon is a teacher-librarian at Westdale Junior High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and currently co-editor of the MSLA Journal published by the Manitoba School Library Association.

Book Review

Shelagh Wallace. Illustrated by Lorraine Tuson and Brian Bean.
Toronto: Annick Press Ltd., 1996. 96 pp., softcover $12.95.
ISBN 1-55037-480-X.

Grades 9 - 12 / Ages 14 - 17.
Review by Floyd Spracklin.

**/4

excerpt:

"Most researchers believe that watching violence on TV makes TV viewers, especially kids, act more violently in their own lives. Many studies show that, after you watch a violent program, you are more likely to imitate what you have just seen on TV - shoving and checking like a hockey star, kicking like a Power Ranger, or wrestling like your hero on the World Wrestling Federation. Watching people you admire and respect behaving in violent ways makes it seem all right for you to copy their behaviour."

Author Shelagh Wallace shows readers television behind the scenes with her revealing profiles of actors, an advertising research president, students who conducted their own advertising experiments, and a thirteen-year old girl who, after her sister was murdered, took her pleas to stop TV violence to the Canadian broadcasting industry.

Though the colourful and almost cartoonish illustrations are a bid to reach out to younger kids, the content is more suitable for older teens and even beyond. Most young people will not likely choose to read this particular book unless they're writing a school report, a speech, or looking for some way of talking back to or at the system . From a research perspective, the book has no searchable index, although there is a table of contents. The appendix refers the teen to TV lingo ("tele wise words") and other useful tidbits such as "what is public tv?"; "what is a network?"; the Canadian Broadcast Code; Guidelines for Advertising to Children; and Canadian and American addresses where teens may direct their questions and comments.

Wallace begins the book by quoting a number of uncited statistics for her readers. She writes that researchers, and studies show that between 1982 and 1992 only 33.3% of all characters on American television programs were female and 90% of the actors were white. Another interesting but uncited statistic says that heavy TV viewers think a cop kills up to 50 people a year, whereas a real-life police officer uses his or her gun far less often - on average, once every 27 years.

Any older teen using The TV Book for research would have to sift through the "Acknowledgments" to find possible original sources. Most teens would not of their own volition read the book from cover to cover, but would head straight for the pertinent chapter.

It is difficult to take The TV Book seriously. There are no descriptive blurbs or raving reviews from any sources. The reader never has a sense of where this book is coming from (though Wallace herself says it is just a starting point) . More importantly, the reader does not see an actual photograph of the author and/or illustrators and knows nothing about their backgrounds, their credentials, previous publications, and current affiliations, all vital information for helping students determine the validity of what they are reading.

Recommended with reservations.

Floyd Spracklin is an English Language Arts Department Head and teacher at G.C. Rowe Junior High School in Corner Brook, NF. He has been teaching, writing, and reviewing literature for twenty-five years. Floyd has published a number of short stories, essays, and poems in Canadian magazines.

Book Review

Edited by Joel T. Maki.
Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre, 1995. 136 pp., paper, $16.95.
ISBN: 1-55054-401-2.

Grades 9 and up / Ages 14 - adult.
Review by Gina Varty.

***/4

excerpt:

Beyond despair
I see the light
given to me at creation
beyond the dark isolation
I see a life within
until it unfolds
The first breath
difficult to take
the first step
the courage
to fight the darkness
to overcome
to see
to live and the eagle flies
expanding
encompassing creation in its flight.
from "Healing Begins With Me" by Debbie Danard

Steal My Rage was originally conceived by Na-Me-Res (Native Men's Residence, Toronto) as a "community-based publication, a way of promoting literacy in the Native community and encouraging Native people to write." In response to a call for material, 400 works were submitted by unpublished Native writers. After a difficult selection process, the fiction, poetry, and non-fiction of 34 writers from across Canada was selected: a representative sample of all the submissions.

The book is divided into four sections, each indicative of the writers' unique ways of seeing the world, each offering an appeal for "unity and community ... and the interconnectedness of the cosmos."

The first section, "Where Spirits Roam and Eagles Fly," encompasses traditional spirituality, the Creator's gift of life, the land, betrayed trust, racism and death, death in which ...

"I told the wind to
reach out and touch your spirit
that is why the wind is still blowing"
(from "Storm Star" by Rene Patrick)

Death is also a theme touched upon in poems found in section two, "A Sound in My Soul." But this time death is "The Journey's Begining," in which the request in Judy Bear's poem is ...

"to bury me with moccasined feet
pointing to the east,
my head pointing to the west
so that I may see the sun rise
but never see it set..."

Seeing nature and humanity as one is central to section three, "Listen to Your Mother, the Earth." In addition to writings on the importance of language, echoes of past spirits and emotional connectedness, the section includes poet Barbara Day who concludes "To My Creator," with:

"Chi Meegwetch, Great Spirit, for giving me the greatest gift of
all, myself ..."

The concluding section, "Long Time Ago," offers short stories about the Raven, dreams, and traditional values.

Wind blows throughout this book, be it the "Guardian Spirit Winds" of Rena Patrick's poem from which this collection's title is taken; or the winds on which the eagle flies as in a poem by Lone Eagle Le Maigre; or the gentle wind that blows a reader along to a deeper understanding of Native peoples and their culture.

Recommended

Gina Varty is an actor and poet and librarian at the Audio Visual Educational Library, United Church of Canada, Edmonton.

Book Review

S. Bernard Shaw.
Burnstown, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 1996. 156 pp., paper, $19.95.
ISBN 1-896182-50-X. CIP

Grades 10 and up / Ages 15 - adult.
Review by Joan Payzant.

***/4

excerpt:

"By Algonquin Park standards, Canoe Lake is not an especially large body of water, and there are many others in the park that boast a more dramatic physical setting. It does, however, possess its own indefinably powerful character. As you paddle out of the sheltered bay from the Portage Store and look northward up the main reach, you immediately feel a sense of high northern remoteness - a magic also experienced by many famous Canadian painters. Past some modest pine-clad islands in the foreground, the blue waters extend to distant shores fringed with dark green pine, spruce and balsam. Beyond, maple forests climb rolling hills to the crest of the Algonquin highlands."

One example of the many fascinating stories in this book is the account of David Gilmour's amazing attempt to drive logs from his Canoe Lake timber holdings to his mill at Trenton - a 450-kilometre journey. Author S. Bernard Shaw collaborated with geographer and writer Gary Long to describe the feat, which took bold planning and an enormous amount of money because it involved "damns, canals and an ingenious mechanism known as the tramways." Photographs and maps - generously used throughout the book - draw the reader completely into the heart of the scheme. There are descriptions of the many devices used, including special boats called pointers, and weird-looking amphibian "alligators" which were "essentially steam-powered winching tugs, flat-bottomed with side-mounted paddle wheels." Roads, railways and telephone lines were constructed for the project as well, but, unfortunately, in the end David Gilmour's ambitious endeavour had to be abandoned.

Another personality described in the book is Taylor Statten who, with his wife, started two popular camps on Canoe Lake - Camp Ahmek and Camp Wapomeo, both of which are still in operation. Some well-known former campers and counsellors include Pierre Trudeau, David Lewis, and Barbara Ann Scott.

Yet another celebrity connected with the history of Canoe Lake was Grey Owl, the Englishman who impersonated an Aboriginal, preaching and writing about conservation in the forests.

Tom Thomson of Canada's famous Group of Seven landscape painters is probably the best known of all residents of Canoe Lake. The author has gone to great lengths to bring out the many viewpoints, theories and contradictions about Thomson's life and tragic death there. Appendix B includes reproductions of Tom Thomson documents.

These are but a few examples of subjects included in Canoe Lake, and there are many more. The author has captured the flavour of Algonquin Park and succeeded in almost realistically transmitting its pine-scented atmosphere to the reader. Most enjoyable.

Recommended

Joan Payzant is a retired teacher-librarian of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Book Review

John Lent.
Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press Ltd, 1996. 117 pp., paper, $13.95.
ISBN 1-895449-66-1.

Grades 12 and up / Ages 17 and up.
Review by Katheryn Broughton.

****/4

excerpt:

He can hear them rustling. He can't see them but he hears their small bodies racing through the stalks. He hears them stumbling and hooting and falling all over the place, laughing helplessly at nothing but this abandoned glee provided by a simple corn field in the summer sun. He can hold the mystery for once. These are my children and these are their lives rustling and growing around me in the blue air. I can't see but I can hold them in here. I can hold my heart open like this, open to the sun, turning it inside out to the yellow and the blue and, oh it feels so graceful....

These connected stories eloquently explore family dynamics in the marriage of Charles and Colette, as well as in the lives of their three eldest children: Jane, Rick and Neil. Charles escapes from the stress of his life as an underpaid teacher by drinking, thereby keeping his wife and children uncertain and, in many ways, controlled by his moods. Yet, he loves his family and takes joy in them and, fortunately, they know it.

The stories are set in Edmonton, Vernon and Strasbourg, France, starting in 1960 (when Rick was 12) and ending in the 1990's with Charles' death and its repercussions in the lives of his wife and children. These characters are intensely introspective and observant, due in part at least, to their father's drinking and the resulting parental quarrels. The children may pretend to play in the basement, but they hear all that is said, and their attempts to make sense of these incidents form their approach to life.

Jane sums up her feelings of disquiet as she observes the frief of those around her, people she does not even know:

It was as if a three-dimensional drama was being enacted by a two-dimensional cast.

Although these stories can be read separately, and many were previously published in literary magazines, the author brilliantly connects one to the other until a cohesive picture emerges.

One recurring image throughout the stories is the "roof," that basic human need for shelter and security. Keeping a roof over her/his heads is vital to each character as each muses over the mysteries of life.

In the final story, "Roofs in the Heart," Jane's (or perhaps Rick's or Neil's) fragmented self seems to come together like a jazz suite "picking up the disparate threads." She finds herself running joyfully in the rain to "where there are no roofs."

Readers who prefer stories of action may not be attracted to this volume, but individuals who hope to sharpen their perceptions and discover a new way of looking at life through fiction, will emerge moved and eminently satisfied.

Highly recommended both for the writing style and the insights provided for the mature reader.

Highly Recommended

Katheryn Broughton.

Book Review

Jane Byrne Stevenson and Sharon E. McKay.
Toronto: Somerville House, 1996. 64 pp., with make-up kit, coilbound, $19.95.
ISBN 1-89589-758-0.

All ages.
Review by Lorraine Douglas.

****/4

This attractive kit, printed on heavy, coated stock, offers complete instructions for creating more than 40 painted faces and also provides ideas for body art. After reading an introductory explanation and safety tips on applying the make-up found in the plastic palette, readers can follow the clear step-by-step sequences. At the end of the book there are also instructions for ears and a cone hat. Kids will love the vivid pictures of the melting face, vampire, space alien and the recipes for running blood and mouth colouring. This kit is most suitable for commercial sales but could possibly be used for libraries if the attached palette is cut away.

Highly Recommended

Lorraine Douglas is the Youth Services Coordinator for the Winnipeg Public Library.

Book Review

Cleve Dheensaw.
Victoria, B.C.: Orca Book Publishers, 1996. 236 pp., paper, $18.95.
ISBN 1-55143-068-1.

All ages.
Review by Marsha Kaiserman.

**1/2 /4

If Canada had any political, economic or cultural clout in the world, Chariots of Fire would have been about Percy Williams in 1928 at Amsterdam and not Britons Harold Abrahamson and Eric Liddell at Paris in 1924. Williams was a sickly wisp of an eighteen-year old at just 110 pounds when he was discovered at a school meeting in Vancouver by high school coach Bob Granger just two years before the Amsterdam Olympics.

I suppose also that it is typical that a Canadian should have won the first gold medal ever and nobody knows about it. It was the Paris Olympics of 1900 and George Orton won the gold medal in the 2500m steeplechase, the first medal ever given in the modern Olympic era. Oh yes, there was one slight twist, Orton, a Canadian, was competing for the Americans. He was captain of the University of Pennsylvania's track team and was chosen by the Americans to be part of their team, which was mostly made up of university students. Still today, his accomplishments are listed as Canadian and George Orton is another unknown Canadian hero.

The definitive work on the modern Olympic Games is the documentary series by Bud Greenspan. His work sets the standard against which all must be measured. But Cleve Dheensaw comes close. He follows the Greenspan model in that he reports on the important and universally memorable events in each Olympics. We briefly relive the tragedy of the Munich Games, the triumphs of the Barcelona games and the joy of the Melbourne games. We exult with Fanny Bankers-Keen and stagger to the finish line with Dorado Petri. In addition, Dheensaw gives us the Canadian highlights, from George Orton to Percy Williams to Doug Read to Elaine Tanner and, of course, Ben Johnson.

Despite some severe shortcomings - a style more reminiscent of television or radio reporting, no index, too few pictures and no medals tables - this is an enjoyable book. There are some wonderful stories of the triumph of the human spirit. In our time, this is best exemplified by Silken Laumen, who won a bronze medal less than two months after suffering a leg injury that should have kept her out of competition for at least eight months.

This book is highly recommended for those people, including children, interested in learning more about Canada's Olympic athletes.

Recommended

Marsha Kaiserman is Head of Conferences Cataloguing at Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI) in Ottawa.

CD-ROM Review

Ottawa, ON: IDON East Corporation, 1995.
CD-ROM.

Grades 6 - 8 / Ages 11 - 14.
Review by Harriet Zaidman.

****/4

excerpt:

Thomas James chose a more southerly destination. He based his decision on the travel account of Jens Munk, the Danish explorer who endured an excruciating and demoralizing winter near the Churchill River in 1619. Munk's expedition was utterly ruinous. Only three survivors (from the crew of two vessels) returned to Denmark: Munk, an old man and a young boy. Throughout the cruel, dark winter, the other 62 sailors and officers had slowly expired "with great pains in the loins, as if a thousand knives were thrust through them." The corpses were unceremoniously piled on a nearby hilltop: burial was impossible due to permafrost. The unlikely trio managed, against all odds, to defray the agonizing debilitations of scurvy by sucking the withered roots and grasses found near the Churchill River. Oddly, following his miraculous survival, it was Munk's enduring passion to return to Hudson Bay and continue his all-consuming quest. After hearing Munk's report, however, Danish interest in the region waned and no further funding was forthcoming.

The information is divided into 6 subject areas: First Polar Voyages, European Explorers, Elizabethan Adventurers, Hudson's Bay, Fur Traders and Overlanders, and the Royal British Navy. Information on each of these subject areas can be accessed via a gallery, maps, a search mechanism, themes and a timeline. There are overview and browse options for each subject as well, and there are links between the different topics and subtopics. The icons are followed by a textual description and are easy to understand. Information on each main topic is well-presented on 30 and more screens of large readable text on the right. Either an appropriate image or a summary subhead appears on the left. Below, the user can access a quote on audio clip or other sound. The different methods of accessing each topic produce lists of further subtopics, which are retrieved easily, are concise and are at the age-appropriate reading level. Information can be printed; the only drawback is that information posted to the clipboard cannot be retrieved, however, further exploration of the CD may solve that problem.

This CD will be useful for students studying Canadian history. The images of the north are beautiful and enhance the information provided. The information is extensive, right from the early Greeks who attempted Arctic exploration, to the Norsemen, the Dutch, Russians and the British imperialists their pursuit of fame, glory and the riches of the Orient on ill-equipped wooden vessels resulted in the starvation, freezing and death of immiserated crew members, and the slaughter of Inuit and other Aboriginal people. The mapping of the North, the daily life of the explorers, and their relationship with the people who inhabited the land are documented. Quotes from the explorers themselves give the user an indication of their real personalities and attitudes, as opposed to the idealized versions previously taught in history. The audio clips make the quotes interesting and realistic.

The two young women not being able to escape as the men were, the one for her age, and the other being incombred with a young shild, we tooke. The old wretch, whom divers of our Saylers supposed to be eyther a devill, or a witch, had her buskins plucked off, to see if she was cloven footed, and for her ougly hew and deformity we let her goe; the young woman and the child we brought away.

In the Beginning will provide students with excellent resource material for a comprensive understanding of the motives and the reality of the exploration of the Northwest Passage. Teachers of Canadian history would be well advised to promote its use in the classroom.

Highly Recommended

Harriet Zaidman is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg.

On the Bookshelf

River My Friend

illustrated by Ken Campbell

Gang-gang, the son of a fisherman, is content with his life by the river until he begins to understand the depth of his family's poverty. Determined to help, the boy is convinced that all he must do is find so many silver coins that they will never want for anything again. But silver coins don't fall from the sky or ride the waves of the boy's beloved river, waiting to be gathered into his net. And it is not until his foolish search nearly ends in tragedy that Gang-gang learns the nature of true wealth.

The author of The Golden Disk, No Signature and the award-winniiig Forbidden City and Five Days of the Ghost, William Bell lives in Orillia, ON, where he teaches high school English.

An accomplished gallery artist, Ken Campbell's love of the outdoors found its way into his work and led to his first book for children, Tides of Change, written by Sheryl McFarlane. Ken lives in Victoria, BC, where he is the owner and art director of a graphic design firm.

ISBN 1-55143-084-3; $16.95; 8 x 11; 32 pp; full-colour illustrations; ages 4 to 9;
hardcover; August 1996; Orca Book Publishers.

For additional information, please contact Christine Toller at the address below.

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS
PO Box 5626, Station B, Victoria, BC V8R 6S4
tel 604-380-1229; fax 604-380-1892; orders 1-800-210-5277

On the Bookshelf

Back to the Cabin

Ann Blades

Jack and Angus don't want to go to the cabin for the summer. There's no TV, no video games ... there's nothing to do!

But of course a cabin on the lake is the perfect place to swim, fish, build forts and explore. And the days are so full, there's no time to miss TV or video games. In fact when the summer is over, Jack and Angus don't want to go back to the city. At home there's no lake, no boat, no fort ... there's nothing to do!

Ann Blades' own cabin-in-the-woods prompted this very personal story about life's simpler pleasures. Since 1971, she has delighted children with her unique illustrations and stories of Canadian life and has earned her spot as one of the country's best-known and beloved children's book illustrators. She has also gained a host of nominations and awards, including the Canada Council Children's Literature Award for Illustration for A Salmon for Simon and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award for By the Sea: An Alphabet Book. In 1987, Ann's work was recognized internationally when she was nominated for the Hans Christian Anderson Award for Illustration.

Ann Blades lives in Surrey, BC.

ISBN 1-55143-049-5 (cl), 1-55143-051-7 (ppb); $15.95 (cl), $7.95 (ppb); 8 x 10;
32 pp; full-colour illustrations; ages 4 to 7; hardcover no jacket, paperback; August 1996;
Orca Book Publishers.

For additional information, please contact Christine Toller at the address below.

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS
PO Box 5626, Station B, Victoria, BC V8R 6S4
tel: 604-380-1229; fax 604-380-1892; orders 1-800-210-5277

On the Bookshelf

The Patchwork House

illustrated by Dean Griffiths

One day long ago, a farmer went looking for land. When he at last found a little hill overlooking the valley and the mountains beyond, he smiled to himself and said, "This is the place for me." He cleared the land, built a house and brought home a bride.

As the years go by and one generation of owners passes the home on to another, the house grows and changes. A Japanese family extends the garden and adds a bathhouse; a Finnish family builds another storey and turns the bathhouse into a sauna. A barn and verandah are added, orchards grow, the trees extend their shade and family after family love the house and make it their own. A subtle and quietly poetic story, The Patchwork House builds layer on layer of past generations and different cultures as it explores the question of what makes an old house a home.

Sally Fitz-Gibbon is a therapeutic tutor who works with learning-disabled children. Born in England, she lives in Maple Ridge, near Vancouver, BC.

Born and raised in Duncan on Vancouver Island, Dean Griffiths is an artist with his own line of greeting cards, a video games animator and a sometimes- plumber's assistant. This is his first book for children.

ISBN 1-55143-088-6 (cl), 1-55143-090-8 (ppb); $15.95 (cl), $7.95 (ppb); IO x 8 1/4;
32 pp; full-colour illustrations; ages 5 to 9; hardcover no jacket, paperback; August 1996;
Orca Book Publishers.

For additional information, please contact Christine Toller at the address below.

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS
PO Box 5626, Station B, Victoria, BC V8R 6S4
tel: 604-380-1229; fax 604-380-1892; orders 1-800-210-5277

News

National Library of Canada Launches "Yesterday's Stories," 1996 Read Up On It.

"Lives that made Canadian history are as fascinating as those shaped by it, and this year's kit is full of titles suitable for children of all ages. Not only does our choice acknowledge the improvement in Canadian nonfiction for children, but demonstrates the abundance of wonderful stories which reflect Canada's history" stated Dr. Marianne Scott, National Librarian. Designed for the home, classroom or library, the kit includes suggestions on how these stories may be introduced to young readers and is distributed free of charge.

Read Up On It is published under the patronage of the Right Honourable Romeo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada. The National Literacy Secretariat, headed by the Right Honourable Joyce Fairbairn, is a joint partner, and Canada Post is an associate partner. Sponsors include Access the Education Station, the Canadian Children's Book Centre, the Canadian Federation of University Women, Communication-Jeunesse, and YTV.

Read Up On It is also available electronically at the National Library's Internet site: (http:www.nic-bnc.ca/pubs/ruoi/eruoi.htm) as well as on SchoolNet. During October, books featured in this year's Read Up On It kit were displayed at the National Library in Ottawa.

Free copies of Read Up On It are now available from:

Marketing and Publishing
National Library of Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON KIA ON4
Telephone:(613) 995-7969
Fax:(613) 991-9871
TTY:(613) 992-6969
Internet:publications@nlc-bnc.ca

News

1996 Governor General's Award Nominees Announced

The winner's in each category will be announced Tuesday, November 12, 1996, at 2 pm., at a ceremony at the Monument-National in Montreal. His Excellency the Right Honourable Romeo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada, will present the laureates with their prizes.

The nominees in Children's Literature are:

Children's Literature - Text

• Jan Andrews, McDonald's Corners, Ontario, for Keri (Groundwood Books; distributed by Douglas & McIntyre-west; University of Toronto Press-rest of Canada; ISBN 0-88899-240-8.)
  Against the backdrop of a declining fishery and disintegrating family life, a 13-year-old girl wages a life-and-death struggle to save a beached whale. Jan Andrews' novel is richly economical, powerful, deep and eloquent, as much for what it says as for what it leaves to the reader's perception.

• David Boyd, Oakville, Ontario, for Bottom Drawer (Rubicon Publishing; distributed by the publisher; ISBN 0-921156-58-8.)
  Through taped interviews, telephone conversations, faxes and cyberchats, the reader is able slowly to piece together the life of 15-year-old MacKenzie Kuper as he undergoes therapy after an apparent suicide attempt. Bottom Drawer is an innovative and intensely moving portrayal of a troubled young man's personal odyssey toward a startling discovery.

• Gillian Chan, Dundas, Ontario, for Glory Days and Other Stories (Kids Can Press; distributed by the University of Toronto Press; ISBN 1-55074-319-8.) The five delightful and thought-provoking stories that comprise Glory Days invite us into the lives of a number of young people who attend Elmwood High School. Gillian Chan's characters are drawn with courage, compassion and consummate skill.

• Don Gillmor, Toronto, for The Fabulous Song (Stoddart Kids; distributed by General Distribution Services; ISBN 0-7737-286-0.)
  A joyous, happy, whimsical romp of a story about a child whose musical talent lies in his ability to conduct rather than to play an instrument. Gillmor uses delightful language to tickle the funny bone of young and old alike.

• Paul Yee, Toronto, for Ghost Train (Groundwood Books; distributed by Douglas & Mclntyre - west; University of Toronto - rest of Canada; ISBN 0-88899-257-2.)
  Ghost Train by Paul Yee presents a mystical portrayal of Choon-yi, the artistic daughter of a Chinese immigrant who dies in North America building a railway. The clear, precise language engagingly blends myth, history and a reverence for one's spiritual roots.

• Eric Beddows, Stratford, Ontario, for The Rooster's Gift, text by Pam Conrad (Groundwood Books; distributed by Douglas & McIntyre - west; University of Toronto Press - rest of Canada; ISBN 0-88899-273-4.)
  A wonderful story introducing a concept of understanding our different views to abstract meanings such as being gifted, talented or achievements, failures. Eric Beddows captures all difficult moments in colourful playfulness and in a style many readers find irresistible.

• Alan and Lea Daniel, Kitchener, Ontario, for Sody Salleratus, text by Aubrey Davis (Kids Can Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press; ISBN 1-55074-281-7.)
  The illustrations by Alan and Lea Daniel are hilarious. Both illustrations and text have a wonderful rhythm which will hold the reader's attention through both sight and sound.

• Wang Kui, Calgary, Alberta, for The Wise Washerman -A Folktale from Burma, text by Deborah Froese (Hyperion Press; distributed by the publisher; ISBN 1-895340-10-1.)
  The decorative qualities of Wang Kui's gouache and watercolour paintings provide an abundance of rich colourful detail. This is not fast food, but a feast for the eyes.

• Johnny Wales, Tokyo, Japan, for Gruntle Piggle Takes Off, text by Jean Little (Penguin Books Canada; distributed by the publisher; ISBN 0-670-86340-8.)
  Illustrations capture the story in the most imaginative way. The characters are fanciful yet believable. It is a fun book with an important message.

• Werner Zimmermann, Guelph, Ontario, for Whatever You Do, Don't Go Near That Canoe!, text by Julie Lawson (North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada; distributed by the publisher; ISBN 0-590-24429-9.)
  Werner Zimmermann's dynamic compositions of vibrant colours in bold watercolour washes take us on a wild canoe trip to visit a delightful group of pirates.

ED-RES Web Site Review

URL: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/~sim/research/netlearn/callist.htm

Review by Iain A. Middleton.

Reprinted from the EdRes mailing list.

Description:

The Internet Learning Resources directory (NetLearn), a SHEFC-funded project to assemble a list of online Internet training materials, has reached its release version. It consists of links to resources useful in teaching internet skills, annotated with abstracts and classifications. The list is divided into sections including:

• self-teaching materials, with sections for WWW, downloadable, email and offline formats,
• materials aimed at educators teaching other people Internet skills,
• sections for foreign language materials and visually impaired users,
• A list of other resources for locating Internet learning materials, including major search engines / directories.

Evaluation:

This site provides the teacher with access to an enormous number of resources to help teach Internet skills. Now that the Internet is becoming part of the curriculum, whether it be an individual component or used as a supplementary teaching tool, teachers can navigate easily through this site to find the info they need.

ED-RES Web Site Review

URL: http://www.actden.com

Review by Vincent Wong.

Reprinted from the EdRes mailing list.

Description:

This site features interactive content for students and teachers. It currently has areas that teach Mathematics, Current Events for Social Studies, the Internet, and Computer Graphics. During the fall, Writing DEN (for ESL students) and Sky DEN (astronomy) will be launched.

DEN features:

• up-to-date content relevant for classroom use; interactive quizzes and student activities; student progress report,
• student self-publishing,
• moderated forum for student discussion,
• and collaborative learning projects

What makes DEN unique is that the site can be used directly by content teachers for their everyday classroom work. I am sure that once you visit the site, you will find DEN to be an invaluable teaching resource.

CM
Managing Editor
Peter Tittenberger
e-mail: cm@mts.net

CM
Editor
Charmagne de Veer
e-mail: cm@mts.net

Copyright © 1996 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364