CM
Executive Assistant
Peter Tittenberger
email: camera@mbnet.mb.ca
-- Duncan Thornton, Editor
editor@mbnet.mb.ca
The Magic Ear.
Laura Langston. Illustrated by Victor Bosson.
Victoria, B.C.: Orca Book Publishers, 1995. 32pp, cloth, $14.95.
ISBN 1-55143-035-5.
Grades K - 4 / Ages 4 - 8.
Review by Ian McClaren.
excerpt:
``That," said the great dragon king, ``is the magic ear. There is not another one like it in all of Neriya."
``Then you must keep it," Hoderi said quickly. ``I have no need of a reward."
The dragon king was silent for a long time. Finally he spoke. ``You have saved my daughter's life," he said. ``Nothing is too good for you. You must take the magic ear."
Laura Langston's previous works include No Such Thing as Far Away and Pay Dirt! The Search for Gold in British Columbia. Langston currently lives in Victoria, B.C., and has taken up writing full-time.
Recommended.
Ian McLaren is an elementary teacher living in Pincher Creek, Alberta.
The Mystery of the Gold Ring.
James Heneghan.
Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic, 1995. 128pp, paper, $4.99.
ISBN 0-590-24623-2
Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 8 - 11.
Review by Ian McLaren.
excerpt:
Max stared at her. So did Sadie. Clarice didn't usually share her investigations with outsiders. Sadie hoped Clarice hadn't succumbed to Max's oily charm.
``We saw a kid jump the fence and run into the Ariadne," whispered Clarice. ``The only kids in the hotel are your bunch."
Max chuckled. ``No way. A kid couldn't pull off a serious crime like that. And even if he could, I'm sure it isn't a member of the band." He raised his eyebrows at the three sleuths. ``But what's it to you, anyway."
``We're detectives," said Clarice. ``We solve crimes."
The Mystery of the Gold Ring is the fourth in the ``O'Brien Detective Agency" series. Like its predecessors, it stars Clarice O'Brien as the hard-driving leader of the group (her code name is ``Number One"), Sadie Stewart as the brains of the outfit, and Brick as the sleepy-eyed, quiet, but useful brawn. In this episode, the three sleuths (all around twelve or thirteen years of age) are on holiday in Greece with Sadie's parents. During their stay, a priceless ring is stolen from a local museum. The evidence seems to point to one of the kids from a Canadian school band who are also staying at the hotel. Of course, the three heroes are the only ones with the ability to solve this mystery.
Recommended, with reservations.
Ian McLaren is an elementary teacher living in Pincher Creek, Alberta.
Dragon in the Clouds.
Rosemary Nelson.
Toronto: Napoleon Publishing, 1994. 159pp, paper, $6.95.
ISBN 0-929141-22-9.
Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 9 - 12.
Review by Irene Gordon.
excerpt:
Then I spied a pitcher of ice water sitting on the picnic table. That would cool Trevor's laughter. I leapt onto the lawn, only to have my high heels sink into the grass and remain there while I tried to take another step. I pitched forward onto the grass, leaving both shoes neatly stuck behind me.
Dragon in the Clouds, a novel for nine- to twelve-year-olds set in the Okanagan Valley, has something for everyone. It has appealing slapstick humour, a dog and horses for animal lovers, adventure for adventure lovers, and problems for those who enjoy ``problem" novels about growing up.
Highly recommended.
Irene Gordon is a teacher-librarian at Westdale Junior High in Winnipeg.
Telling Tales on the Rim: Folk Tales from around the Pacific Rim.
Naomi Wakan.
Victoria, B.C.: Pacific-Rim Publishers, 1995. 143pp, cloth, $21.95.
ISBN 0-921358-21-0.
Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 8 - 12.
Review by Elinor M. Kelly.
What better way to learn about the people of the Pacific Rim than by hearing their folk-tales! The author has collected and illustrated thirty-four such tales and retold them in an easy, colloquial style.
Highly recommended.
Telling Tales on the Rim: Teacher's Guide.
Naomi Wakan.
Victoria, B.C.: Pacific-Rim Publishers, 1995. 37pp, paper, $9.95.
ISBN 0-921358-22-9.
Review by Elinor M. Kelly.
A teacher's guide to the above collection of stories. The writer feels that there is no better way for students to understanding community living, moral dilemmas, and behaviour, or to expand a child's imaginative powers, than through folk-tales.
Recommended.
Elinor M. Kelly is a retired librarian who lives in Port Hope, Ontario.
Apeman
Episode Four: ``Science and Fiction."
Arts & Entertainment Network. 52 minutes.
Distributed as part of the Cable in the Classroom project: 7
- 8 a.m. Eastern time, Friday, September 22.
Grades 7 - 13 / Ages 11 - Adult.
Review by Duncan Thornton.
exerpt:
For many years the thought that's been most difficult for
everyone to come to terms with, and agree about, is that evolution hasn't
been working toward creating us: we just happened.
This is the final part of Cable in the Classroom's presentation of the A&E series on the development of the human species, APEMAN. (Part Three, ``It's All in the Mind," was reviewed here last week.)
Recommended.
Duncan Thornton is the Editor of Canadian Materials.
The Face of Tutankhamun
Episode One: ``The Great Adventure."
Arts & Entertainment Network. 49 minutes.
Distributed as part of the Cable in the Classroom project: 7
- 8 a.m. Eastern time, Friday, September 29th. (Episodes 2 through 5 will be
broadcast at the same time in succeeding weeks.)
Grades 10 - 13 / Ages 14 - Adult.
Review by Duncan Thornton.
exerpt:
From the discovery of the fantastic burial place of
Tutankhamen to a sparsely attended funeral in South London, the career of
archaeologist Howard Carter was one of stark contrasts -- between high
adventure and deep disappointment; between fame and neglect; a blessing
and a curse.
This is the first part of Cable in the Classroom's presentation of the A&E series on King Tut, The Face of Tutankhamun, hosted by the genial and amusing professor Christopher Frayling.
At first I could see nothing; the hot air escaping from the chamber caused the candle flame to flicker. But presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist -- strange animals, statuettes, and gold! Everywhere, the glint of gold!Recommended, with reservations.
Duncan Thornton is the Editor of Canadian Materials.
News: Manitoba
Join the celebrations on Sunday, September 24th and meet many of Manitoba's finest authors and illustrators for children and teens.
Adults $5.00 at the door. Children and teens no charge.
This event has been coordinated and sponsored by the Winnipeg Children's Literature Roundtable, the Winnipeg Public Library, the Canadian Children's Book Centre (Manitoba Branch), and the Manitoba Arts Council. For further information, please contact Cheryl Archer, Regional Liaison Officer for the Canadian Children's Book centre, at (204) 667-7032, or fax (204) 668-1611.
What's your favourite Canadian children's book?
Wish you'd drawn the pictures?
NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!
ENTER
The Canadian Children's Book Centre's
ART CONTEST
Draw a picture from your favourite Canadian children's book
and tell us in your own words why that book is special to you.
Remember to tell us which Canadian children's book you've chosen and why.
Send your entry information with your artwork to the Regional Office of the Canadian Children's Book Centre nearest you:
BRITISH COLUMBIA OFFICE
884 Woodgrove Avenue
Delta, B.C.
V4E 3G9
ALBERTA OFFICE
c/o Young Alberta Book Society
Percy Page Centre, 2nd Floor
759 Groat Road
Edmonton, Alberta
T5M 3K6
MANITOBA OFFICE
130 Oakview Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2K 0R8
NATIONAL OFFICE
The Canadian Children's Book Centre
35 Spadina Road
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 2S9
NOVA SCOTIA OFFICE
628 Yukon Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3L 1E9
Entries must be postmarked by October 15, 1995.
Each office of The Canadian Children's Book Centre
will choose a regional winner in each age category.
From those fifteen prize winning entries, a grand prize will be awarded.
The winner will be flown to Toronto with a member of his or her family to attend the National Launch of Children's Book Week on Saturday, November 18, 1995.
Winners will be notified by telephone no later than November 10, 1995.
Entries can be returned ONLY if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope of the right size.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364