TWO CANADIAN STORIES + TWO GIVEAWAYS

This week I have two very different picture books for you courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press; both are related to Canada's national winter sport--hockey. If you want to win either of these books, make sure to include your name and email address when you leave a comment and let me know which book you're interested in. 

The Three Canadian Pigs  by Jocelyn Watkinson, illustrated by Marcus Cutler

Jocelyn Watkinson took The Three Little Pigs, gave them a Canadian twist, and produced a fun picture book that children--and the adults who read this book to them--will really enjoy. 

When Wolf chases him down in his fancy Zamboni, the pigs cry out, 

"I'm sorry there, Wolf, you are sorely mistaken--"

and Wolf responds, 

"Oh no!  But I'm not! You're Canadian bacon!"

The puns and Canadian references only get better from there. 

Of course, Wolf goes to their modern-day snow fort cleverly designed by Marcus Cutler and of course, he tries to "huff and puff and blow it down." And of course the pigs reply,

Despite enlisting his friends Bear and Moose, the snow fort cannot be shaken. The pigs demand to settle their feud the "Canadian way"-- which of course, means on the hockey rink.

It's no surprise that the pigs take the lead. Wolf gets mad and resorts to some nasty moves.

Moose and Bear come to the pigs' defense and Wolf leaves with an empty tummy. But since the pigs are an honorable sort, they invite everyone back to their fort.

Now, wait up there, eh! There's no need to take off!

There's tons of great food back at home in our trough!

Wolf apologizes, "Pigs, I'm so sorry that I was a brute."

They wave him off with,

Then they all turned on the game, and they put up their feet...

and Wolf announces,

Being friends with Canadian bacon is sweet! 

                                                    ****

Jocelyn told me that she wrote The Three Canadian Pigs because she had moved to the U.S. and was homesick for Canada. She was working on some fractured fairytales when her mother said, "Do the three little pigs but make them Canadian!" This goes to show, we ALL need to listen to our mothers!

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE! The Joey Moss Story by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by Alice Carter

Lorna Schultz Nicholson has crafted a heart-warming story about Joey Moss, a man who became a Canadian hero.

The first spread shows the reader how Joey Moss loved to make people smile--just by being himself.  Then the book flashes back to September 1963 when Joey was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

The fact that he was born with Down Syndrome didn't change how his family of eleven siblings welcomed him and incorporated his tambourine playing into their musical act.

Joey graduated from a special school for children with developmental disabilities and got a job working at a local bottle depot. It wasn't much fun and Joey had to catch several buses to get to work.

But, things changed when a family friend, Wayne Gretzky, saw Joey shivering at a bus stop one day.

Wayne helped Joey get a job working in the Edmonton Oilers equipment room. Despite being made fun of at times, Joey loved it!

Joey worked hard and the team loved his friendly enthusiasm.

The TV cameras focused on him when he sang the national anthem before games. After the Canadian Football League asked him to work for them also, he became so popular that people asked him for his autograph!

He helped out at charity golf events and modeled clothes at the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society fashion shows. 

Whether it was belting out "O Canada!" before a hockey game,

or helping people, Joey loved making people smile.

For the rest of his life, Joey Moss continued to be an inspiration for people and an advocate for those with disabilities.

Just by being himself, Joey showed the world that everyone can be a force for good, active in their community, and a positive role model.

                                                    ****

Joey Moss was an inspiration to Lorna and she is happy that she got to dance with him at the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society fashion show. The illustrations by Alice Carter are warm and inviting--just like Joey was. 

Here is a Joey Moss Tribute video that will help you realize why Lorna wrote this inspirational book. 

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away both of these books! Leave a comment with your name and email address, or send me an email if you prefer. Please let me know which book you prefer. If you share this on social media, you will get one extra chance; if you follow my blog you will get another chance. Tell me what you have done and I will enter your name accordingly. U.S. postal addresses only.  Please note that your comment will not show up until I approve it. The giveaway ends on March 9. 

WRITE 2 IGNITE PRESENTS: A MASTER CLASS WITH ANNETTE WHIPPLE!

I am happy to announce that Annette Whipple, author, and speaker is Write2Ignite's next Master Class teacher. Check out her wonderful books!

HERE ARE THE      CLASS DETAILS:

WHO? Award-winning Annette Whipple, the author of 11 books with 4 more under contract.

WHAT? Writing Nonfiction for Kids and Teens. 

WHERE? On Zoom!

WHEN? September 10, 2022 

WHY? As Annette wrote in "5 Steps To Research When You're Not an Expert," 

For many of us, our goal in writing for all audiences (both Christian and general) and about all topics (both fiction and nonfiction) is to glorify God. Then the work we put into the writing is worth it (even if it is never published). 

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the 3 WORKSHOPS: Click here.

BONUS #1: Editor Wiley Blevins of Reycraft Books will be visiting the Master Class to tell YOU how to submit your manuscript to HIM!

And editor Rachel Pfeiffer of Clubhouse Jr. magazine will be there, too, to tell YOU what she’s looking for in nonfiction articles and how to submit to HER. (Can I tell you a secret? I write nonfiction for Clulbhouse Jr. and it’s one of the best ways for Kidlit writers to break into this coveted magazine!)

BONUS #2: We'll be giving away several of Annette's books including, SCURRY, RIBBIT, and WOOF! 

TO REGISTER: Click here. 

                                                    ******

On a personal note, I am going on vacation for two weeks so you won't be hearing from me for a little bit. I'm going to unplug and enjoy the Canadian Rockies on board the Rocky Mountaineer!

Rumor has it we'll be walking on an ice field. I better go pack some warmer clothes!

Congratulations to Beth Anderson who won F is for FEATHERS and to Danielle Hammelef who won Beyond the Stars.

THE KITE THAT BRIDGED TWO NATIONS: A Picture Book Review

 I can't seem to get enough of beautiful nonfiction picture books. I'm particularly drawn to "unknown heroes" who authors discover and bring to life. As my husband's 91-year-old uncle has said to me many times, he wishes he had books like those when he was a child. 

REVIEW

The Kite That Bridged Two Nations (Calkins Creek, 2013) is the second picture book by Alexis O' Neill that I have reviewed. (See Jacob Riis's Camera for the first). Both books capture the protagonist's emotions and a great many details that makes each book memorable.  Jacob Riis's biography spans most of his life and is written in third person POV narrative with a few free verse poems. Kite is a slice of life story based on the true story of Homan Walsh, the 16-year-old teenager who flew a kite across Niagra Falls and is written in free verse first person POV.

Here is the first illustration and the accompanying text. (Note the poetic use of alliteration and personification.)

Whenever wind lifted off the river 

and sent the trees to dancing, 

I'd itch to fly a kite. 

 

I'd race to the great Niagra, 

plumes of mist rising from plunging waters, 

wind licking at my face. 

A boy like me know, just knew, 

which day would be perfect for flying kites. 

 

Homan's family immigrated from Ireland. His merchant father wanted him to focus on his studies. Instead, Homan studied the wind, the lift of his kites, and how much line he needed.

Homan heard of a kite-flying contest. Ten dollars would be awarded to the person whose kite spanned the falls. That person's string would be the beginning of a bridge between the America and Canada.  Homan got to work. 

Historians think that Homan built a "barn door kite"
that was shaped something like this.

He measured, cut, and used over a thousand feet of string to reach across the gorge. When Homan was done, he named his kite, Union.

Homan trudged through the snow with a "confetti of kites" flying in the wind, climbed down "endless stairs" and took the ferry across the "roiling river" to Canada. Marvelous illustrations depict this momentous day and how "the inky night spilled on the sky... and the crowds urged him on." But then...disaster struck. 

As midnight dropped, so did the wind, 

My heart quickened-- 

a landing near at hand. 

Now with a jolt, the string pulled tight. 

It caught and held. 

America at last!   

Then suddenly, a sag, a jerk. 

The heavy line went slack! 

It snapped on ice below. 

 

No kite. 

No cord. 

No union. 

Although Homan wanted to find Union, "ice choked the river's throat" and blocked his journey home. After eight days the ferry ran again and he was able to return home, where his father placed his broken kite in his hands. 

Homan set to work, remaking his kite.

At last, when "a favored wind was blowing" Homan retraced his steps to Canada. This time, he stood on the Canadian cliff that was closest to America and "in that calm, the string spooled out!"

As if she knew 

her purpose greater than to fly, 

Union danced above the rapids. 

 She danced to heaven's gate, 

and then she landed swiftly, safely, strongly 

on the American side.  

 

My Union held secure! 

The prize was mine. 

But better still 

was my father in the cheering crowd.

 

A boy like me had joined two countries!

Thick strong lines were attached to Hamon's kite's string. After that, Charles Ellet, Jr. strung a cable from which he built the first bridge to span the Niagra River. 

And though this happened in my youth, 

this much is true: 

whenever wind lifts off the river 

and sends the trees to dancing, 

I still itch to fly a kite.

 

Terry Widener's phenomenal acrylic paintings augment the text. Back matter includes an author's note explaining her choice of first person POV; the facts about Niagra Falls, the kite-flying event, the weather, and the ferry. I found it interesting that Alexis also mentions the facts she didn't know and what she supplied from her imagination. The rest of the story and a timeline of the Niagra Suspension Bridge, provide additional information for curious children (and adults!) 

NOTES

I asked Alexis a few questions about her writing process. I was curious how she found the topic and her decision not to write it as a straight biography. She said, "I heard about Homan Walsh through an editor who asked if I wanted to write a book about him and the kite-flying event. I researched it deeply, tried writing it as straight nonfiction, but it had no life and didn't get to the emotion of the contest and kite flying. So I switched to first person POV and suddenly the book came to life." 

No giveaway this week since this book now resides on my "mentor text" shelf. But, here's a free download of the musical based on the book. There are several activities on Alexis O'Neill's website making it a great curriculum resource for grades three and up. And here's the book trailer:

Congratulations to Rosi Hollenbeck who will receive a copy of I WANT MY BOOK BACK when it comes out. 

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature- A Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Clara Gillow Clark who won Finding Home: My Arc-O-Biography on last week's blog.

Note: In the next two weeks I'm going to try and post extra book giveaways so you have a chance to win a holiday gift for someone special. 

REVIEW

When I saw on Margriet Ruurs Facebook page that she had a new book coming out, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you. 
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature, (Orca Books, 2018) is a wonderful tribute to one of Canada's most famous artists. Both the text and illustrations are beautiful; I had a hard time selecting which illustrations to accompany this blog. Hopefully the pictures and short snippets of text will pique your interest; the animals I've named in the review are accompanied by magnificent illustrations.

From a youth, Mr. Bateman loved the outdoors and was "in awe of nature." He investigated fields and animals; birds and plants.

"In school he spent a lot of time staring out the window. He dreamed of traveling so he could see more wildlife, from whales to wrens."

Not only did Mr. Bateman "paint the shapes and patterns of the world around him," but he also carved wooden birds and noticed "details of feathers and form."

Owls, penguins, polar bears, and lions in their habitats. 

Towards the end of the book, there is a lovely illustration of Mr. Bateman walking through a field with his grandchildren. The text reads: 

Now Robert walks the forest with his grandchildren. He shows them the shape of a leaf, the texture of bark. He tells them to pay attention to the details of nature around them.

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature will be enjoyed by grandparents, parents, K-3 teachers, and of course--young readers themselves. Hopefully the text and illustrations will encourage our next generation to appreciate nature as Mr. Bateman did as a child. 

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment by December 12 with your email address if you are new to my blog. For an extra chance to win, share this on social media (please let me know what you did) and I'll put your name in the hat twice.