Fairy Tale: Hansel and Gretel

Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo has written an excellent retelling of the classic fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. This extended version has lots of challenging vocabulary and extra detail to bring the story to life. The length (and the high ratio of words to pictures on the pages) make this telling suitable for older preschoolers and school aged kids.

Woodcutter Gabriel is happy with his lovely wife Lisette. Their two children, Hansel and Gretel, are at the centre of this idyllic family. However an evil witch wants Lisette's happiness, and she usurps the wife's place, then convinces the father to lead his children into the woods and abandon them. after being held captive in the iconic gingerbread house, Hansel and Gretel escape, and return home to find the spell broken, and their parents reunited.

Emme Chichester Clark's charming and whimsical art accompanies this story. It's beautiful pastels lend a french country air to the story, and little girls will adore the bright, girly colours. Most boys will enjoy the story too, but perhaps more for the witch's deservedly grisly end rather than the pretty art.

Ages 4-10
Fairy Tale
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Fantasy: Discordia

Lance is a level 19 zombie sorcerer in the online MMOG Discordia (an online multiplayer game, like Warcraft). He battles monsters with his friend, MrsKeller (level 23 hobgoblin brigand) and collects gold and experience to advance to the next level. Dying is certainly not something to seek out, but it's no big deal; his character will resurrect with no harm done. Real life seems dreary in comparison, and Lance can't wait to get home every day to play.

But when Lance and his friend are transported to the real Discordia, things become serious very quickly. Lance and Adam (MrsKeller) must complete a high-level quest, or the entire world will collapse, with them in it. Worse, Lance will soon disintegrate into the character he plays; a zombie!

Full of action, adventure and role-playing lingo, this book will have huge appeal for players of online games like runescape, WOW, and neverwinter nights. Every player has occasionally wondered what would happen if the game suddenly turned real, and this book takes the concept and runs with it. The straightforward plot and light characterization make this book perfect for reluctant readers and action fans. Best for boys or roleplayers in grades 6-9.

Fantasy

Grades 6-0

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Graphic Novel: Jellaby

Ten-year-old Portia meets Jellaby, a huge purple monster, when it tries to eat her flashlight while she's out in the woods iin the middle of the night. It doesn’t say anything, and is actually very timid and sweet, so Portia takes it home and feeds it a tuna sandwich. Life becomes increasingly exciting as she tries to keep Jellaby a secret.

Lonely classmate Jason discovers Jellaby's existence, and helps Portia care for the monster. When Jellaby points out a photograph from the newspaper, the kids think the monster has given them a clue to its home, but they’ll need to visit Toronto to learn more. Portia and Jason have the physical proportions of the Peanuts gang, and Jellaby is too cute to be scary, but Soo grounds the story in a fairly gritty contemporary reality, where kids deal with bullies and well-meaning adults try to help. Clear, clean lines and easy-to-follow panel layouts round out the package. An excellent graphic novel pick for kids in grades 4-7.

Graphic Novel

Grades 4-7

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Nonfiction: Down Down Down: a journey to the bottom of the sea

This fascinating nonfiction book takes the reader down to the very bottom of the ocean. Each two page spread features a different ocean strata, and provides information tidbits about the creatures that inhabit each plane. More details are provided in an appendix at the back of the book, for those who are curious (and who wouldn't be curious about the Hatchefish, or the mysterious Vent Octopus!)

The lovely collage illustrations are scientifically accurate, with even tiny details of antennae carefully rendered. Beautiful, bright colours and clear shapes make this book as suitable for preschoolers as it is for older elementary students.

A fascinating introduction to our staggeringly deep oceans. Kids will want to read more about this engaging topic!

Nonfiction
Grades k-5

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Book with CD: Hip Hop Speaks to Children

Music is one of those things that is so hard to explain. Sometimes you just have to hear it to understand. In this book, Hip Hop is explained through notes, written lyrics, and a beautiful CD, with unique performances by Hip Hop's founding poets and artists.

Famous artists such as Maya Angelou, Walter Dean Myers, and Tupac Shakur talk about their inspiration and perform their works aloud. Kids will gain an understanding of where the musical genre came from (its foundations were from slave songs in the American south) and they will recognize that Hip Hop is poetry with a beat.

This is a unique and powerful book that will appeal to many kids who love to listen. It may be a particularly good choice for boys who love to learn while they move; I would encourage listeners to play the CD and read the book while on the move: walking on a trail with headphones, dancing inside on a rainy day, or moving to the beat somehow.

Book with CD

Ages 8-14

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Easy Reader: Watch Me Throw the Ball!

Author Mo Willems has produced another Elephant and Piggie easy reader. These wry, funny books describe the adventures of best friends Elephant and Piggie. With total camp humour, Piggie and Elephant navigate the treacherous waters of friendship and feelings.

In this episode, Piggie finds Elephant's ball, and wants to try throwing it. Piggie is justifiably proud of his strong throwing arm, and he lets his friends have a go even though Piggie doesn't know the SECRET OF THROWING.

When Piggie throws a pop fly (it goes up in the air, and lands a few feet behind him) he crows that he's thrown it "so far you can't even see it!" Elephant becomes more and more irritated at Pig's boasting, until he feels he has to point out that the ball is in fact behind where Piggie threw it. But does this stop Piggle cold? NO! Instead, he's elated that he threw the ball around the WHOLE WORLD!

Kids aged 5-7 will laugh uproariously at Elephant and Piggie. The whole series is recommended.

Easy Reader

Ages 5-7

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Nonfiction: Off to War

This compelling book is a series of interviews with kids whose parents are in the military. Kids aged 5-17 talk honestly about how their parents' job has shaped their family life, and how they feel about their missing parent.

The stories give great insight into the lives of military kids, and show how some families cope with the absence of a parent...and some don't. Every kid has tips and tricks that they use to fight loneliness when their parent is away, and advice on how to welcome back a parent who is returning from war. It's clear that most kids have a deep respect for their parent's job and dedication, even while they are uniformly uncertain about the military's goals in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The common theme is that all kids, both Canadian and American, miss their parent, and worry about their safety. There is always strain on the family when their parent is away, and many kids (but not all) vehemently state that they will find a civillian career when they grow up.

This is an interesting and unusual look at the effect of war on those left behind. It's an excellent tool for families or classes that want to consider the impact of war, and talk about the value of fighting for a cause. Author Deborah Ellis has written many books focusing on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and her focus is always on the experience of the kids who get caught in the middle.

Nonfiction

Grades 5-9

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