Canadian Childrens Literature

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Canadian Childrens Literature

• A Genre Approach to
• Reading Your Way Through Canada
• For more information, contact Betsy
  ArntzenOffice of Canadian Studies Outreach .
  Canadian-American Center
  
• University of Maine 154 College Ave. Orono, ME
  04473
  
• barntzen_at_umit.maine.edu 207.581.4225
• http//www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htm
• March 2006

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Read Your Way Through Canada PURPOSE

• To find answers to these questions
• Does Canadian childrens fiction tell the stories
  of Canadian history, geography, and culture?
  
• Can we get a sense of place through Canadian
  childrens literature?
  
• Can we get an overview of Canadian history
  through Canadian childrens literature?
  
• Can we learn about Canadian cultures by reading
  Canadian childrens literature?

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Read Your Way Through Canada SLIDES

• These slides present
• a selection of currently available titles as of
  March 2006Note There are MANY more excellent
  titles available than are presented here
  
• categorized by region Atlantic, Central,
  Prairies, West, North
  
• grouped by genres of childrens literature Not
  covered non-fiction / informational literature,
  and biography
  
• Audience We created this presentation to
  introduce a wide variety of Canadian Childrens
  Literature to U.S. public library Childrens
  Librarians, and to K-12 School Librarians and
  Teacher-Librarians.

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Read Your Way Through Canada ELEMENTS

• Canadian Childrens authors
• Book titles and brief summaries
• Identification as Picture Book or Chapter Book
• Author websites
• Publisher websites
• Resources

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Genres of Childrens Literature

• Traditional - born of oral tradition, passed
  orally from generation to generation
  
• Poetry - ranges from poetry that rhymes to free
  verse
  
• Fantasy - rooted in traditional literature, but
  has an identifiable author, and Science Fiction
  - speculates on what might happen in the future
  
• Contemporary Realistic Fiction deals with
  living today. Includes humorous stories,
  detective and mystery stories, school stories,
  adventure stories, survival stories, sports
  stories, animals fiction
• Historical Fiction realistic fiction set in the
  past
  
• Biography focuses on individuals (not covered
  here)
  
• Anthology collection of writings
• Non-Fiction, Informational accurate, authentic,
  up-to-date (not covered here)
  

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Literary Regions of Canada

• Atlantic Newfoundland Labrador, New
  Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince
  Edward Island
  
• Central Quebec Central Ontario
• Prairie Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
• West British Columbia
• North Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut

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REGION Atlantic Canada

• Newfoundland Labrador
• Prince Edward Island
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia

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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Ian Wallace
• Duncans WayFor seven generations Duncan's
  family has fished off the coast of Newfoundland.
  Now, the fish are gone and with them, the old way
  of life. Duncan notices that his father is
  spending the days staring out to sea, watching
  television and baking bread and pies. Many
  families have left town in search of work
  elsewhere. Even Duncan's mother is beginning to
  suggest that they, too, join the exodus to the
  mainland.
• Mummers Song by Bud Davidge illus. by Ian
  WallaceA rhyming story that refers back to the
  author's childhood in Newfoundland, when the
  Mummers, would go from door to door, entering
  houses and dancing and carousing with the people
  at Christmas time. Newfoundland is one of two
  places in North America where Mummering is still
  done.
• www.groundwoodbooks.com www.ian-wallace.
  com
  

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Catherine Simpson
• Lives in Lewisporte, Newfoundland
• There are No Polar Bears HereYoung girl sees a
  white bear and no one believes her
  
• A Viking ShipBoy finds a magic Viking ship toy
  which allows time travel
  
• The Turnip Top PonyWho or what is eating out of
  everyones garden?
  
• Sailor The Hangashore Newfoundland DogHow can a
  Newfoundland Dog not like the water?
  
• http//www.nfbooks.com/

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• The Money Pit
• By Eric Walters
• What starts to happen as soon as Sam sets foot on
  Oak Island to visit his grandfather is more
  exciting than he could have hoped for, more
  surprising than the magic tricks he spends hours
  perfecting. Draws on the real-life history of the
  mysterious Money Pit on Nova Scotias Oak Island,
  
• www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Book
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Hand of Robin Squires
• By Joan Clark
• For over two hundred years, people have been
  searching Oak Island, just off the coast of Nova
  Scotia, for elusive treasure buried there.
  Underground tunnels discovered on the island have
  never yielded their secrets.
• In The Hand of Robin Squires, Joan Clark weaves
  fact and fiction in the tale of an English boy at
  the centre of the mystery. When his father dies
  in 1703, Robin Squires is the only one who can
  help his seafaring uncle build the elaborate
  subterranean complex that has since tantalized
  and mystified treasure seekers for two centuries.

Chapter Book
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Anne Shirley Series Anne of the red hair
• Anne of Green Gables (1908) Orphan is
  adopted by a brother and sister on PEI
  
• Anne of Avonlea (1909) Anne of Green Gables
  becomes a school teacher
  
• Anne of the Island (1915) Now 18, she heads
  to Redmond College
  
• Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) After college
  she accepts a job as high school principal
  
• Annes House of Dreams (1917) Anne marries
  Dr. Gilbert Blythe, her childhood beau
  
• Anne of Ingleside (1939) Anne is mother of
  five with one on the way
  
• Rainbow Valley (1919) Annes children are
  featured as they help their neighbors
  
• Rilla of Ingleside (1921) Set in WW!
  focusing on youngest daughter, Rilla
  
• http//www.lmmontgomery.ca

Chapter Books
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Sharon McKay
• Charlie WilcoxIts 1916, and Charlie Wilcox, a
  Newfoundlander, is interested in one thing only
  going to sea, just like his father and uncles.
  Hell make his family proud. His parents have
  different plans for him, however they want him
  to go to university.Humiliated, Charlie sets out
  to prove he can measure up to the men in his
  family, and stows away on a sealing ship. Its
  only when they are far out to sea, and he is
  discovered, that he realizes hes on a troopship
  bound for France!
• Charlie Wilcox's Great War The year is 1918.
  Charlie Wilcox, now 17 years old, tall, broad and
  mature beyond his years, returns home to Brigus,
  Newfoundland. He is a man now, his childhood left
  behind on the battlefields of France and Belgium.
  And he is burdened by a secret, one he fears will
  inflict terrible grief on the village and people
  he loves.

Chapter Books
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Eric Walters
• Hydrofoil MysteryIts 1915 and 15-year-old
  William is a bit of a troublemaker. But when his
  concerned mother sends him to spend the summer
  with Alexander Graham Bell in Nova Scotia, he
  finds life isnt as boring as he once believed.
• RunIn 1976, a teenage delinquent, Winston
  MacDonald, is sent to Nova Scotia to be with his
  father after being suspended from school. Mr.
  MacDonald, a newspaper reporter, is working on a
  story about a young man Terry Fox who is
  running across Canada to raise money for cancer
  research.
• www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Books
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REGION Central Canada

• Ontario
• Quebec

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Genre Traditional

• The Nanabosho Series
• By Joe McLellan and Matrine McLellan
• 9 stories based on Ojibway legends created to
  bring Aboriginal stories to Aboriginal children.
  Nanabosho is the teacher and protector of the
  Anishinabe people
• These are stories with a story, as an elder tells
  a traditional story to a contemporary child. The
  story features Nanabosho, and they show us the
  relationship between people and nature.
• Nanabosho's capable of great things. He's part
  spirit, part Manitou, part man, and he was sent
  to teach the people. Early on, he found out that
  you can't tell people anything. They don't
  listen. You can't tell them to do something, and
  you can't tell them not to do something, and so
  he thought, 'If I act real stupid, they'll see
  that and laugh at it, and they'll remember not to
  act like that. And if I do the wrong thing,
  they'll figure it out. If I just do the right
  thing, they'll just say, 'I can't do that, but
  you, Nanabosho, you can do because you're a
  spirit.' What Nanabosho does then is take all of
  the silly stupid things we do and magnifies them
  and lays them out there for us to look at, says
  author Joe McLellan.
• 
  www.pemmican.mb.ca/
  
• http//www.joemclellan.ca/

Picture Books
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Roch Carrier
• Stories describe his life growing up in 1940s-50s
  in rural, francophone Quebec
  
• Picture booksThe Hockey SweaterThe Boxing
  ChampionThe Basketball PlayerThe Longest Home
  RunA Happy New Years Day
  
• Short storiesHockey Sweater and Other
  StoriesPrayers of a Very Wise Child

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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Brian Robeson Series
• By Gary Paulsen, American author writing about
  northern Ontario
  
• Hatchet Brian survives a plane crash in the
  Canadian wilderness with a hatchet as his only
  tool.
  
• Brians Winter - In Hatchet, he was rescued.
  "Brian's Winter" begins where "Hatchet" might
  have ended Brian is not rescued, but must build
  on his survival skills to face his deadliest
  enemy--a northern winter.
• Brians Return Hes rescued, but now that hes
  back in civilization, he cant find a way to make
  sense of high school life.
  
• The River - Now the government wants him to do it
  again--to go back into the wilderness so they can
  learn the survival techniques that kept Brian
  alive.
• Brians Hunt Hes back in the wilderness where
  he prefers being on his own. An injured dog
  appears and with a terrible, growing sense of
  unease, he sets out to learn what happened.

Chapter Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Gita Seriesby Rachna Gilmore, Ontario author
• A young-reader picture book series featuring a
  girl who immigrates from India, becomes homesick,
  adjusts and makes friends, and then faces moving
  back to India.
• Lights for Gita
• Roses for Gita
• A Gift for Gita
• 
  www.secondstorypress.on.ca
  http//www.rachnagilmore.ca/
  

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• The Road to Chlifa
• By Michele Marineau
• A Lebanese teenager, Karim, escapes war-torn
  Beirut, travels a dangerous route over the
  mountains to Chlifa, and then on to Montreal and
  a new life. But his new life is not without
  difficulty he encounters contempt and racism at
  high school.

Chapter Book
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Underground to Canada
• By Barbara Smucker
• Taken away from her mother by a ruthless slave
  trader, all Julilly has left is the dream of
  freedom. Every day that she spends huddled in the
  traders cart traveling south, or working on the
  brutal new plantation, she thinks about the land
  where it is possible to be free, a land she and
  her friend Liza may reach some day.

Chapter Book
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Genres Historical Fiction

• The Last Safe House
• By Barbara Greenwood
• A blend of fact and fiction, designed to be a
  story of historical fiction paired with
  historical fact, this book also has hands-on
  extension activities.
• Slave life, the movement to abolish slavery, and
  elements of the underground railroad are seen
  through the eyes of two young girls.
  

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Genre Historical Fiction

• Brian Doyle
• Angel SquareA budding young detective named
  Tommy, confronts racial prejudice in Ottawa after
  the Second World War.
  
• Boy O'BoySummer 1945, Martin O'Boy lives with
  his family in Lowertown Ottawa, and tries
  (unsuccessfully) to steer clear of the head of
  the boys' choir.
• Easy AvenueAn orphan in the 1950s, Hubbo
  O'Driscoll is torn between loyalty to his poor
  but fun friends and family and the shallow but
  rich kids at his Ottawa high school.
• Covered BridgeCovered Bridge pits earnest Hubbo
  O'Driscoll against two determined, cynical land
  developers
  
• Mary Ann AliceMary and her teacher investigate a
  project to dam up the Gatineau River in 1926
  
• Uncle RonaldIn 1895, to escape his violent
  father, Mickey is sent to stay with his Uncle
  Ronald
  

Chapter Books
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REGION Prairie Provinces

• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba

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Genre Historical Fiction

• Josepha A Prairie Boys Story
• By Jim McGugan
• Story of immigrant boy learning English in school
  with the small children, and having to choose
  between going to work or staying in school. A
  young boy learns the news that his friend Josepha
  will soon be leaving school, alienated because no
  one speaks his language. What can the boy do to
  show that his friendship with Josepha has meant
  much to him?

Picture Book
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Genre Poetry

• If Youre Not from the Prairie
• By David Bouchard
• Poem with the premise that if youre not from the
  prairie you can't understand the wind, the cold,
  the grasses. However, even though we might not
  know the prairie, we all do know the sun.

Picture Book
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• William Kurelek
• A Prairie Boys WinterFollows William and his
  family through a winter on their farm in Alberta
  
• A Prairie Boys SummerSummer on the prairies
  during the Depression was not a vacation from
  school it was hard work.
  
• A Northern NativityA young boy imagines the
  nativity could have occurred anywhere and to any
  racial group.

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet
• A Prairie AlphabetOn each page is a single
  sentence consisting of words that begin with the
  featured letter, describing a scenario "We
  auction our Aberdeen Angus at Agribition" "A
  mouse munches a meal of millet by moonlight."
• A Prairie YearCaptures the rural lifestyle
  shared by people in Saskatchewan and Alberta,
  providing a month-by-month anecdotal record of
  life on the plains, accompanied by a series of
  full-page paintings.
• Heartland SamplerUsing the frame of a sampler
  quilt, it takes a unique look at the landscape,
  customs, history, traditions, and peoples of the
  Prairies.

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• The Moccasin Goalie
• By William Roy Brownridge
• Fictional story of friends who didnt make the
  hockey team but really want to play hockey.
  
• Based on the true life of the author as a child.
  He physically couldnt wear skates, but played
  goalie on winning hockey teams.

Picture Book
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Farley Mowat
• The Dog Who Wouldnt BeThis is the story about a
  dog and his boy. The boy was the author and the
  dog was Mutt. Clearly, Mutt believed that he
  could do better than just be a dog.
• Owls in the FamilyA story of a young boys pet
  menagerie which includes crows, magpies,
  gophers and a dog growing out of control with
  the addition of two cantankerous pet owls, Wol
  and Weeps.

Chapter Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Northern Exposures
• By Eric Walters
• Kevin Spreekmeester has just won a photography
  contest he doesnt remember entering. The prize
  is a five-day trip to Churchill, Manitoba, to
  photograph polar bears with a renowned wildlife
  photographer. It all sounds pretty good - its a
  chance for Kevin to escape his controlling
  parents and the tedium of school.
• www.ericwalters.net

Chapter Book
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REGION West

• British Columbia

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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Ann Blades
• Mary of Mile 18 was her first book. She wrote to
  give her students something to read about
  themselves. Mile 18 is now named Buick, BC.
  
• Mary of Mile 18Mary finds a wolf pup but is
  forbidden to keep it as a pet, until it proves
  its worth on the family farm .
  
• A Boy of TacheCharlie, a boy of the Indian
  reserve of Tache in northern British Columbia,
  joins his grandparents for the annual spring
  beaver hunt. But theyre not at the camp long
  when Za becomes ill and Charlie must go alone to
  get help. This is a simple, realistic story of
  how a native people continues traditional ways.
  
• A Salmon for Simon illustratorSimon has been
  trying all summer to catch a salmon. But when he
  gets his chance, Simon no longer wants to keep
  it--it's too strong and beautiful!

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Waiting for the Whales
• By Sheryl McFarlane
• A man teaches his grand-daughter how to identify
  animals, plants, and how to garden, but most of
  all, when to watch for the annual return of the
  Orca whales. A seasons of life story.

Picture Book
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Genre Fantasy

• Paul Yee
• Grew up in Vancouvers Chinatown.
• Ghost TrainExtreme poverty forces the father to
  leave his family behind in South China to take a
  dangerous railroad construction job in BC. After
  2 years of sending his pay home, Ba asks that
  Choon-yi join him, but when she arrives in
  Vancouver she learns that her father has died in
  a landslide. Her plans to return to China come to
  an end, when her father appears in a dream.
• Roses Sing on New SnowWhile Maylin does the
  cooking for her family's Chinatown restaurant,
  her greedy father and two fat brothers take all
  the credit. When her specially prepared dish,
  Roses Sing on New Snow,'' is served to the
  visiting governor of South China, he asks the
  brothers to show him how it was made.
• www.paulyee.ca

Picture Books
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Genre Traditional

• Paul Yee
• Grew up in Vancouvers Chinatown.
• Tales from Gold MountainEight original stories
  give readers a sense of the hardships faced by
  the first Chinese-Canadians. In "Spirits of the
  Railway," a young man appeases the ghosts of dead
  railroad workers who were never properly buried.
  In "Forbidden Fruit," a father's prejudice keeps
  his daughter from marrying her beloved. Dramatic
  illustrations accompany the stories. The brief,
  pithy tales strikingly reflect traditional
  Chinese beliefs and customs in New World
  circumstances.
• Dead Mans Gold and Other StoriesExplores 140
  years of the history of Chinese immigrants to
  Canada through tales with a subtle sense of the
  supernatural. They creating a snapshot of the
  lives and times of these early immigrants--men
  who left their families in China hoping to bring
  them to the sweeter life of Gold Mountain, only
  to come up against racism, discrimination, and
  unfair immigration laws.
• www.paulyee.ca

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REGION North

• Yukon
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut

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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Farley Mowat
• Lost in the BarrensTwo teen boys must survive
  while stranded in the Northwest Territories.
  Jamie is an anglo-Canadian orphan living with his
  uncle in northern Canada. He and his best friend,
  Awasin, native Cree, set out with a trapper for
  an adventure in the Northwest Territories.
  Unfortunately, a canoe accident leaves the boys
  lost and alone in the northern tundra. Relying on
  what survival skills they have and their innate
  courage and ingenuity, Jamie and Awasin must
  survive and make their way through the soggy bogs
  and harsh landscape of Canada's north.
• The Curse of the Viking GraveAwasin, Jamie, and
  Peetryuk, three adventure-prone boys, stumble
  upon a cache of Viking relics in an ancient tomb
  somewhere in Arctic Canada. They discover its
  significance while out-running officials.
  Includes little-known information about the
  customs of Viking explorers.

Chapter Books
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Trapped in Ice
• By Eric Walters
• Thirteen-year-old Helen is not sure she is
  looking forward to spending the next six months
  on board the Karluk, a ship headed on an Arctic
  expedition. But with the recent death of her
  father, it is the only work her seamstress mother
  can find. Helens nine year-old brother, Michael,
  is delighted to be off on a real adventure. Based
  on true events surrounding the ill-fated Canadian
  Arctic Expedition of 1913, Trapped in Ice is a
  riveting, fast-paced adventure set in a marvelous
  but brutal world of ice and snow.
• 
  
  www.ericwalters.net
  

Chapter Book
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Maatas Journal a novel
• By Paul Sullivan
• A picture of Inuit life in Arctic Canada in the
  early 20th C.
  
• Inuit teen, Maata, realizes that in order to
  thrive in this new world, she must adapt to this
  new way of life. As she learns to read and write
  in English, she begins to keep a journal as she
  struggles to retain her traditional ways.
  However, when she is chosen to join a mapping
  expedition to her beloved homeland, she finds
  that all of her skills -- both from her Inuit and
  western educations -- become equally invaluable
  when tragedy strikes.

Chapter Book
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Ted Harrison
• A Northern AlphabetTed Harrison's paintings
  illustrate a northern alphabet, a child's
  introduction to the alphabet through the
  landscape, people, flora and fauna of the
  Canadian North.
• Children of the YukonBrilliant, colorful
  paintings depict children of the Yukon at work
  and play snaring rabbits, feeding ravens, racing
  on snowshoes and hunting moose, panning for gold
  in famous Bonanza Creek, and exploring the ruins
  of Dawson City.
• www.tedharrison.com

Picture Books
42
Genre Contemporary / Trad.

• Michael Kusugak
• Grew up in Repulse Bay, Nunavut
• My Arctic 1,2,3Counting book using Arctic
  wildlife
  
• Arctic StoriesCollection of Arctic tales
  inspired by authors experience, set in the
  1950s.
  
• A Promise is a PromiseAllashua disobeys her
  parents and goes fishing on the sea ice
  
• Baseball Bats for ChristmasTrue story resulting
  from never having seen trees.
  
• Hide and SneakOne afternoon Allashua is lured
  into mischief
  
• Northern LightsExplores the Inuit belief that
  the Northern Lights are the souls playing soccer
  
• 
  www.annickpress.com

Picture Books
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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Whats the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About
  Horses?
  
• By Richard Van Camp
• The narrator, a member of the Dogrib Nation asks
  his family and friends, "What's the most
  beautiful thing you know about horses?" It's a
  surprising question since "All's we had up here
  were dogs. Illustrated by an artist of the
  horse-knowing Cree Nation, George Littlechild.

Picture Book
44
Across Canada

• Not region-specific
• Canada-wide

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Genre Anthology

• Meet Canadian Authors Illustrators
• By Allison Gertridge
• 60 Creators of award-winning childrens books
  their photo, their list of books
  
• Brief biographies include why and how they write
  and illustrate
  
• Do it Yourself ideas at each bio, suggesting a
  writing or drawing prompt inspired by the author
  or illustrator
  
• www.scholastic.ca

46
Genre Anthology

• This Land A Cross-Country Anthology of Canadian
  Fiction for Young Readers
  
• Selected by Kit Pearson
• Each province and territory (territories are
  grouped together and called the North) has from
  one to five selections, reflecting its population
  and the range of authors who have written about
  it. There is a nice mix of contemporary and older
  stories ranging from 1925 (L. M. Montgomery) to
  1996 (Janet McNaughton), and a range of cultural
  backgrounds. Care was also taken to balance
  protagonist genders and literary genres.
• 
  
  
• 
  ISBN 01403-8989-X
  www.amazon.ca
  

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Genre Anthology

• Winds Through Time An Anthology of Canadian
  Historical Teen Fiction
  
• Compiled by Ann Walsh
• Ann Walsh has selected fifteen captivating
  stories written by well-known authors from across
  the country.
  
• Each contributor has penned a dramatic account of
  a real episode in Canadian history. From mine
  disasters to scarlet fever epidemics, from the
  Great War to the Gold Rush, these writers breathe
  life into the tales of our ancestors and tell
  stories only history could have imagined.
• Authors featured in the anthology include Joan
  Weir, Lynne Bowen, Joan Skogan, John Wilson,
  Barbara Haworth-Attard, Linda Holeman, Andrea and
  David Spalding, Shirlee Smith-Matheson, Norma
  Charles, Constance Horne, Joanne Findon, Beverley
  Brenna, Kathleen Cook Waldron, and Kathryn
  Hatashita-Lee.

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Genre Anthology

• The Spirit of Canada
• Edited by Barbara Henner
• The Spirit of Canada, a visually stunning
  anthology that celebrates our countrys life and
  times, is filled with stories, songs, poems, and
  legends. 150 works by15 of Canadas childrens
  artists illustrate almost every page. The Spirit
  of Canada can serve as a cultural reference
  guide, as well as a literary keepsake. Taking
  readers chronologically, and beginning with
  native creation myths, readers are introduced to
  a cross-section of Canadian history. Chapters
  include the discovery of the New World, early
  settlement, and Confederation, as well as
  legends, humor, and multiculturalism.
• www.Fitzhenry.ca

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Genre Anthology - Alphabet

• M is for Maple by Mike UlmerA shining tribute to
  Canada. From British Columbia to Newfoundland,
  this Canadian alphabet book shares our nation's
  symbols, history, people and culture.
• Eh? to Zed by Kevin MajorSet in tightly linked
  rhyming verse, the words for this unique book
  resonate with classic and contemporary images
  from every province and territory in the country.

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Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Tom and Liz Austen Mysteries
• By Eric Wilson
• Tom Austen and his sister Liz have shared many
  suspenseful moments while exploring our nation,
  says series author Eric Wilson.
  
• A former teacher, Wilson designed this series
  with the reluctant reader in mind. The 20
  adventure stories are dialogue-rich, fast paced,
  and predictable. The stories are rooted in
  Canada's culture and landscape Eric Wilson lived
  in the area he wrote about while creating each
  story.
• 
  http//members.shaw.ca/ericwilsonweb/
  

Chapter Books
51
Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Screech Owls Series
• By Roy MacGregor
• 20 stories by journalist Roy MacGregor, about a
  mystery-solving peewee hockey team comprised of
  boys and girls.
  
• The stories open with face-paced dialogue to
  intrigue and hook the reluctant reader. Each
  book takes place at a hockey camp, in their home
  town of Tamarack, ON or at one of their hockey
  tournaments. They compete around the world - not
  even sabotage, theft, murder, kidnapping, or
  terrorism can keep the Owls away.
• 
  
  
• 
  
  http//www.screechowls.com
  
• 
  
  
  

Chapter Books
52
Genre Contemporary Realistic

• Redline Racing Seriesby Anthony Hampshire
• Follows the progress of Vancouver racing driver
  Eddie Stewart and his team from the Pacific
  Northwest as they work their way up the ranks of
  professional road racing with team work,
  determination and a commitment to excellence.
• Written for readers of 9-15 years, they feature
  strong, principled characters with intense,
  authentic racing action balanced by a good deal
  of humor.
• www.tonyhampshire.com

Chapter Books
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Genre Historical Fiction

• Our Canadian Girl
• A series of historical fiction for girls
• Edited by Barbara Berson
• 12 different girls, ages 9-12
• Elizabeth (1762) moves from New England to Nova
  Scotia taking over an Acadian farm
  
• Rachel (1783) lives in northern Nova Scotia
  after escaping slavery in South Carolina
  
• Liza (1862) travels to the gold fields of
  Cariboo
  
• Angelique (1865) a Metis girl, she experiences
  the community buffalo hunt
  
• Marie-Claire (1885) lives in Montreal during a
  small pox epidemic
  
• Emily (1896) lives in Victoria B.C. befriending
  family servant, a Chinese immigrant
  
• Keeley (1901) frontier town life in Alberta
• Millie (1914) lives with Ojibway aunt and uncle
  in Ontario
  
• Penelope (1917) lives in Halifax on the eve of
  the explosion
  
• Ellen (1939) lives in depression-era Vancouver
• Izzie (1941) lives in southern Nova Scotia during
  WWII
  
• Margit (1944) a Jewish girl immigrates from
  war-torn Czechoslovakia to Toronto
  
• 
  http//www.ourcanadiang
  irl.ca
  

Chapter Books
54
Genre Historical Fiction

• Dear Canada
• A series of historical fiction in diary format
• By well-known Canadian childrens authors
• The 15 books, based on historical fact, feature
  girls ages 9-12
  
• Hélène St. Onge (1666) Filles du Roi in
  Montreal
  
• Sophie Loveridge (1721) living in the new
  world in NL
  
• Angélique Richard (1755) Acadian
• Geneviève Aubuchon (1759) at the fall of
  Québec
  
• Mary MacDonald (1783) Loyalist
• Susanna Merritt (1812) War of 1812
• Isobel Scott (1815) pioneer to Red River
• Harriet Palmer (1862) overland to the
  Cariboo
  
• Kate Cameron (1882) railway west
• Victoria Cope (1897) orphan
• Eliza Bates (1916) WWI
• Charlotte Blackburn (1917) Halifax on eve of
  explosion
  
• Chin Mei-ling (1922) Chinese immigrant
• Ivy Weatherall Milorie (1926) immigrant to
  Saskatchewan
  

Chapter Books
55
Genre History Historical Fiction

• Holocaust Remembrance Series For Young Readers
• The first series of its kind Claras War by
  Kathy KacerHanas Suitcase by Karen Levine
  www.hanassuitcase.ca
  
• The Secret of Gabis Dresser by Kathy KacerThe
  Night Spies by Kathy KacerThe Righteous Smuggler
  by Debbie SpringThe Underground Reporters by
  Kathy Kacer
• 
  www.secondstorypress.on.ca

Chapter Books
56
Genre Traditional

• Author/Illustrator C.J. Taylor
• Illustrated retelling of First Nations stories
  about the way things began
  
• How Two-Feather was saved from loneliness
  Abenaki
  
• The Ghost and Lone Warrior - Arapaho
• Little Water and the Gift of the Animals
  Seneca
  
• The Secret of the White Buffalo Oglala Sioux
• Bones in the Basket collection of 7 legends
• How We Saw the World 9 creation stories
• The Monster from the Swamp collection of 8
  legends

Picture Books
57
Genre Science Fiction, Fantasy

• RanVan Series
• By Diane Wieler
• RanVan the DefenderRhan juggles his life
  between being a young teen in a Canadian town and
  a brave knight in a video game.
  
• RanVan a Worthy OpponentThough 15-year-old
  nerdy Rhan dreams of saving civilization like in
  the video games he plays, real life is different,
  until, when put to the test, he discovers hidden
  powers.
• RanVan Magic NationRhan, 18, is at the brink of
  adulthood, embarking on the game of real life.
  

Chapter Books
58
Genre Science Fiction, Fantasy

• Silverwing Series
• By Kenneth Oppel
• SilverwingShade, a small bat, must save his
  colony from voracious rats brought in from the
  tropics.
  
• Sunwing Shade and Marina must use all their
  resourcefulness to rescue Shades father -- and
  stop Goth from creating eternal night.
  
• FirewingFeisty new hero Griffin, son of Shade
  and Marina, must come to terms with his heritage
  and his self-doubts
  

Chapter Books
59
Genre Fantasy Robert Munsch

• The Munschworks Grand Treasury
• Produced in an extra-large picture-book format,
  featuring 15 popular Robert Munsch stories
  
• The Paper Bag Princess
• The Fire Station
• I Have to Go!
• Davids Father
• Thomas Snowsuit
• Pigs
• Mortimer
• Purple, Green and Yellow
• Murmel Murmel Murmel
• Something Good
• Stephanies Ponytail
• Angelas Airplane
• Jonathan Cleaned Up -- Then He Heard a Sound
• Show and Tell
• A Promise is a Promise

Picture Books
60
Genre Poetry

• Sheree Fitch
• Toes in my NoseShe writes whimsical, rhyming
  poems that are fun to chant.
  
• There Are Monkeys in my KitchenRhyming, catchy
  phrases describe the scene as they wait for help
  
• Mabel MurplePoems for young children featuring
  Mabel's wacky purple world
  
• If I Had a Million OnionsNew collection of
  clever and funny poems
  

Picture Books
61
Genre Poetry

• Eenie Meenie Manitoba
• By Robert Heidbreder
• 37 made-up skipping, clapping, ball-bouncing
  rhymes, chants and poems, which sound
  traditional. Each describes something Canadian.
  Sample
• Words of Warning
• Ogopogo shimmy, Ogopogo shake
• Dont dive deep in the Okanagan Lake
• Sasquatch roar, and Sasquatch rail
• Dont stray off that mountain trail.
• Ogopogo scrunch, and Sasquatch crunch
• Youll be an Ogopogo-Sasquatch brunch!

62
Genre Poetry

• In Flanders Field
• By John McCrae
• "In Flanders fields where poppies blow between
  the crosses, row on row..." Words from the
  famous poem by John McCrae. In Flanders Fields is
  the story of the poem. Starting in the trenches
  of Ypres in 1915, the story is interwoven with
  information about the First World War.

Picture Book
63
Genre Poetry

• Canadian Poems for Canadian Kids
• Compiled by Jen Hamilton
• This anthology for children contains 25 poems by
  a variety of Canadian poets including Linda
  Rogers and Patrick Lane.
  
• Some poems are humorous with titles like Emily's
  Backpack by Diane Bawber, Hiccups by Alison
  Lohans, Allergic to Numbers by Linda Rogers,
  Dallin's Pool by Angie Mansen, and 'Tis the
  Season by Gerry O'Brien.
• Some are descriptive and thought-provoking, and
  among these are Stories by Irene Watts, Cloud
  Watching by P.K. Page, and Treasures by Beryl
  Young.
• Others, such as Only at Night by Lynn Davies
  and My Ice Cream Cone by Jocelyn Shipley, are
  clever.
  
• www.subwaybooks.com

64
TEACHING WITH CANADIAN LIT

• Teaching Canadian Why Not?
• Schools need more Canadian, says Peter Carver,
  editor and former high school teacher, and
  author of an article promoting Canadian fiction
  in the Language Arts curriculum.
• ARTICLE http//www.bookcentre.ca/support/awards/t
  eaching.pdf
  

65
Teaching Canadian Youth Fiction

• Carver, editor and former high school teacher,
  recommends these books because as he says, each
  has its own distinctive tone, its own agenda and
  bias each exhibits the abilities of a talented
  Canadian writer each places its characters in a
  community and a moral universe that can be well
  understood by intelligent young readers.
• Collections of Short Stories
• Ordinary Miracles Diana Aspin
• Necking With Louise Rick Book
• Traveling on Into the Light Martha Brooks
• Close Ups Peter Carver
• Golden Girl and Other Stories Gillian Chan
• Back of Beyond Sarah Ellis
• Toxic Love Linda Holeman
• Sky Kickers Shelley Leedahl
• The Laws of Emotion Alison Lohans
• The Crying Jesus R.P. MacIntyre
• The Leaving Budge Wilson

For a book list of novels see Teaching Canadian
Why Not? at http//www.bookcentre.ca/sup
port/awards/teaching.pdf
66
STUDYING CANADIAN LIT

• Scholarly paper presented 2001 to the History of
  the Book in Canadas Open Conference
  
• Looking at ourselves, Looking at Others
  Multiculturalism in Canadian childrens picture
  books in English
  
• By Gail Edwards and Judith Saltman, University of
  British Columbia
  
• http//www.hbic.library.utoronto.ca/vol3edwardssal
  tman_en.htm
  
• We begin by asking a series of questions. What
  do Canadian children see when they open a
  Canadian picture book? Do they see themselves
  and their environment reflected in the
  illustrations? What is it about Canadian picture
  books that is unique to this country and its
  evolving identity?
• From its nineteenth century beginnings, Canadian
  childrens literature has been closely linked to
  the land, to an imaginative sense of place.
  Canadas first childrens books of the Victorian
  period were entirely rooted in the physical
  dimension s of the Canadian wilderness its
  dangers, challenges, and awesome beauty and
  were engaged in finding the human place in it.

67
RESOURCES FOR
Accessing Canadian Childrens Literature

• Canadian Childrens Book Centre
  www.bookcentre.ca
  
• A go-to place for everything about authors,
  illustrators and Canadian childrens literature.
  CCBC promotes, supports and encourages the
  reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian
  books for children and teens.
• Quarterly Magazine - Canadian Childrens Book
  News
  
• Annual Review - Our Choice A selection tool used
  by teachers, librarians, parents, and booksellers
  across the country to choose the best new
  Canadian children's books, magazines, audio and
  video.
• ? Canadian Book Publishers Links to web sites of
  active companies in Canadian children's book
  publishing(click Publishers Sites)
  

68
Selected Canadian Publishers

• ATLANTIC REGION
• Breakwater Books - http//www.breakwater.nf.net/
  
• Nimbus Publishing http//www.nimbus.ns.ca
• CENTRAL
• Tundra Books http//www.tundrabooks.com
• Second Story Press - http//www.secondstorypress.
  on.ca/
  
• PRAIRIES
• Red Deer Press - http//www.reddeerpress.com/
• Pemmican Publications - http//www.pemmican.mb.ca
  /
  
• WESTRaincoast Press - http//www.raincoast.com/
• Orca Book Publishers - http//www.orcabook.com/

69
Selected Canadian Publishers

• NATIONAL
• Fitzhenry Whiteside Publishing -
  http//www.fitzhenry.ca/
  
• Firefly Books http//www.fireflybooks.com
• Formac Distributing http//www.formac.ca
• Groundwood Books http//www.groundwoodbooks.com
  
• Kids Can Press - http//www.kidscanpress.ca
• McClelland Stewart http//www.mcclelland.com
• Scholastic Canada - http//www.scholastic.ca/

70
RESOURCES FOR

• Accessing Canadian Childrens Literature

CM Canadian Review of Materials
http//www.umanitoba.ca/cm/ A biweekly electron
ic reviewing journal. Librarians and Teacher
Librarians review Canadiana of interest to
children and young adults. Reviews include
publications produced in Canada, or published
elsewhere but of special significance to Canada,
such as Canadian writer, illustrator or subject.
Materials reviewed include books, video and audio
recordings and CD-ROMs. Specifically-Canadian
materials are identified by a red maple leaf.
Comprehensive source for book review.
All reviews are indexed by author and title. Si
te includes author profiles, back issues, and
archive.
71
RESOURCES FOR
Accessing Canadian Childrens Literature
Resource Links http//www.resourcelinks.ca/A
national print journal devoted to the review and
evaluation of Canadian resources for children and
young adults, published 5 times/year. Links to
back issues on-line.
Canadian Childrens Book Awards This site was
chosen because it contains a listing of Canadian
Childrens Book Awards in a concise format
http//www.nbs.com/childawards.htm
Note NBS does not sell to U.S. libraries and
schools
72
RESOURCES FOR
Accessing Canadian Childrens Literature

• Local Independent Bookstores
• Westminster Books - Fredericton, NB
• http//www.westminsterbooks.com
• Just one example of the many friendly and helpful
  general bookstores in Canada
  
• Woozles - Canadas Oldest Childrens Bookstore,
  Halifax, NS
  
• http//www.woozles.com

73
Bookstore Chain www.amazon.ca
Browse ? Childrens Books ? Search in Childrens
Books Canadian
74
Bookstore Chain www.chapters.ca
Tab Kids Books
Search by Ages
Click Kids Need More Canada ? ?
75
Canadian Book Festival
FREE! HALIFAX, NS and four other cities across
Canada The last Sunday in September An annu
al, large-scale celebration of literacy and the
printed word. 
76
CONCLUSION

• A Genre Approach to Reading Your Way Through
  Canada
  
• This presentation concentrates on Canadian
  Childrens Fiction to the exclusion of
  Non-Fiction, Informational, and Biography genres.
  These genres will be addressed in a future
  presentation.
• Sources for the content of this presentation
  include those listed on the slides titled
  Accessing Canadian Childrens Literature, plus
  Toronto Public Librarys list of Recommended
  Reading, and A Guide to Canadian Childrens
  Books by Deirdre Baker and Ken Setterington
  (McClelland Stewart, 2003 ISBN
  0-7710-1064-8)
• DISCLAIMER This presentation merely skims the
  surface. It is meant to acquaint U.S. librarians
  and teacher librarians with the world of Canadian
  Childrens Literature. There are many more
  Canadian books, Canadian book publishers,
  Canadian bookstores, and on-line resources about
  Canadian Childrens Literature than are mentioned
  in this presentation. If your book, company, or
  organization was not mentioned, we apologize.
• ___________________
• For more information or to make comments, contact
  Betsy ArntzenOffice of Canadian Studies
  Outreach . Canadian-American Center
  
• University of Maine 154 College Ave. Orono, ME
  04473barntzen_at_umit.maine.edu 207.581.4225
  
• http//www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htm
• March 2006