CM Executive Assistant
Peter Tittenberger
Naomi Watkins.
Victoria, B.C.: Pacific-Rim Publishers, 1995. 25pp, paper, $9.95
ISBN 0-921358-23-7.
Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 8 - 12.
Review by Elinor M. Kelly.
Sadako is the well-known classic about the little girl who lived in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped. Sadako developed leukemia and began folding origami paper-cranes, in the hope that if she could finish one thousand cranes she would survive -- but died before she could complete her task.
Recommended.
Elinor M. Kelly is a retired librarian who lives in Port Hope, Ontario.
Jan Thornhill.
Toronto: Owl Books, 1995. 32pp, cloth, $14.95.
Distributed by Firefly Books.
ISBN 1-895688-33-7
Grades K - 3 / Ages 5 - 9.
Review by Harriet Zaidman.
excerpt:
Jenny's mother is tucking her in when Jenny hears a soft ``churr, churr, churr" coming through the open window.
So opens Jan Thornhill's urban adventure story about the wild animals that are our neighbours. This is a lovely book, which can be used as a non-fiction resource, but which also tells a good story. Wild animals have adapted to an environment created by humans, and the marvels of their adaptation can be seen at any time of the day or night.
Highly recommended.
Harriet Zaidman is a Winnipeg teacher/librarian.
Essays by Tzeporah Berman, et al.
Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1994. 219pp, paper.
ISBN 0-921-870-29-9.
Grades 10 - 13 / Ages 14 - Adult.
Review by Adele Case.
excerpt:
Canadian scientists are now addressing the problems of clearcutting head on. Environment Canada's 1995 report on ``Biodiversity in British Columbia" states unequivocally that clearcutting causes a ``loss in biodiversity" and warns that this may have ``economic and social, as well as ecological repercussions." The Federal government scientists go on to say that ``Modern methods of partial cutting can be selected and designed to maintain the structural attributes of old-growth forest, wildlife habitat, or other non-timber values. However . . . about 90% of the harvested forests . . . are clear-cut." The Clayoquot Sound Science Panel has already recommended a shift to ``ecosystem management," the buzzword of the recent American developments, as well as an avoidance of the practice of clearcutting.
Clayoquot and Dissent is a collection of essays and background information about past, present, and possible future logging practices followed in Clayoquot Sound and many other West-Coast logging sites. The book chronicles issues that had been simmering for years before boiling over in the protests of 1992 -- issues that concerned not only environmentalists, citizens, and educators, but also a number of tribal communities on the ocean side of Vancouver Island.
Highly recommended, to interested readers.
Adele Case is a high-school teacher who lives in West Vancouver.
Geraldine Hartman.
Regina: The Leader Post Carrier Foundation, Inc., 1994. 112pp, coil bound
with paper covers, $12.95.
ISBN 1-895292-47-6.
Adult Level.
Review by Lorraine Douglas.
excerpt:
Valentine Sweets Treasure BoxFor 15 large hazelnut clusters (yummy!). Note: if you are too young to use the stove, get an older brother or sister or a parent to help. (Don't do this part alone.)
Geraldine Hartman writes two craft columns for the Regina Sun and many of her columns have been used for this book. Each two-page spread features one project for children and one for adults for each week of the year. There are accompanying black and white photographs of the finished project, instructions, and materials lists.
Not recommended.
Lorraine Douglas is Youth Services Coordinator for the Winnipeg Public Library.
Needham Gate Productions Ltd., 1994. VHS, 48 minutes.
Distributed by: Needham Gate Productions Ltd.,
P.O.Box 105, Falmouth, Nova Scotia, BOP 1L0 (902) 798-8777.
Grades 7 - 13 / Ages 11 - Adult
Review by Lorrie Andersen.
The Living Beach is a well-constructed video useful in several curricular applications, including geography, language arts, environmental studies, science, and social studies. The film covers the topic of beaches from many angles: it interweaves commentary, excerpts from famous pieces of literature, expert opinions from various viewpoints, and glimpses of serious and playful uses of the beach, with the story of human successes and failures in managing the waterfront.
Recommended.
A librarian by training, Lorrie Andersen is Collection Development Consultant, Instructional Resources, for Manitoba Education and Training.
Copyright © 1995 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