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Keep reading… Author Sharon Robinson Check out Sharon Robinson at www.sharonrobinsonink.com Illustrated by Kadir Nelson Check out Kadir Nelson at www.kadirnelson.com   Publisher Scholastic Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2009) ISBN-10 0545052513 ISBN-13 978-0545052511

To wrap up International Literacy Month, I searched my local library for the most diverse book I could find. Keep reading… If I Become a Mayor was written by Korean author Cecil Kim and illustrated by Rashin Kheirieh, an Iranian illustrator. The version I found was written in Chinese, and from what I gathered it [...]

How do you like your eggs? I like mine sunny side up. Keep reading… On My Way to Buy Eggs written and illustrated by native Taiwanese artist Chih Y. Chan. Chan was the winner of the prestigious Hsin Yi Picture Book Award in Taiwan. This award-winning book has been translated to English but I wanted [...]

As a kid, Saturday mornings were spent in my PJs with a big bowl of sugar cereal (breakfast of champions), glued to the telly watching The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, and The Smurfs. Rituals are not meant to be broken. Keep reading… Huckleberry Hound Safety Signs was written by Ann McGovern and [...]

Happy birthday to a very special boy! Keep reading… First published in 1964 The Giving Tree has been translated into more than 30 different languages. Written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, this story is about a relationship between a boy and a tree. The tree loved the little boy very much and the little boy [...]

Continuing with the bear theme… Keep reading… The Biggest Bear was written and illustrated by Lynd Ward in 1952. It revolves around a character named Johnny Orchard. Johnny is jealous that every family – with the exception his — has a bear pelt hanging from their barn. With a rifle in hand he sets out [...]

This one is for Jori, who is knows all the names of the trees in the forest. Keep reading… Deep in the Forest written and illustrated by Brinton Turkle is a story about a curious baby bear that wreaks havoc in the cabin of a pioneer family out for a walk. Illustrated only with pictures [...]

Happy Independence Day to all our friends south of the border! Keep reading… Little Miss Liberty, written and illustrated by Chris Robertson, is a humorous story about one of the world’s most symbolic monuments. From the day she was born it was obvious that Little Miss Liberty was special. To begin with, her colouring was [...]

With temperatures soaring, I had my first ice cream cone of the season, a scoop of butter pecan on a sugar cone from Ed’s Real Scoop. Voted the best homemade ice cream in the city, Ed’s was worth the trip across the city. With ice cream in hand, I made my way to the water. [...]

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This one is for my dad who has been poked and prodded by doctors and nurses the last couple of weeks. Keep reading…  

Hi Folks, A family emergency came up so posting for B is for Books will be spotty for the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile I’ll be posting scans from my library of Richard Scarry collections. Thank you for your patience! Thao Keep reading…

I am looking for a book. I was a tiny tot than but I remember borrowing this book a dozen times from the library. It was about an animal architect who built home for other animals. The creativity in the design of each home was incredible; I spent hours absorbed in the detail and coming [...]

Grandpa loved fishing and if you let him he would bend your ears for hours with stories of his fishing expeditions. His stories were legendary struggles between man and animal. With arms expanded Grandpa would size up these monstrous creatures that snapped his fishing rods like twig. Grandpa’s walls were adorned with photos of fish [...]

Day 6 of the library strike. Librarians continue to march and negotiations have stalled. Frustration over the lack of agreement seems to soar with the temperature. It’s the middle of March and we have been breaking record highs. It won’t be long now before everything around us turns green again. Keep reading… “The grass in [...]

I grew up using chopsticks, so whenever I am asked to set the table at a friend’s house, there is a moment of panic and stark reminder of how different I am even though I have called Canada home since I was three. (By the way, setting the table in an Asian family is easy [...]

Lots of things go bump in the night. When I was a kid, any sound coming out of the dark would send my imagination running wild (to be honest it still does). For years I would sleep under the covers, thinking it would hide me from any monster, goblins or ghosts. My philosophy: if I [...]

When I was in elementary school every spring the skies would be filled with colourful little dots. I don’t remember what the annual fundraiser was for, but it was pure joy to watch hundreds of balloons being released into the skies. Weeks before the event students were asked to sell raffle tickets. On the day [...]

Redonkulous is one of my favorite words, it’s silly but it will always get a smile out of me. If you have seen Shrek (or have seen it a dozen times like me) than you’ll understand why redonkulous warms my heart and tickles my funny bone. Keep reading… Before Shrek hit the silver screen and [...]

With a hundred plus vendors set up on more than 20 acres of land, the Aberfoyle Antique Market can overwhelm even the most experienced antique enthusiasts. A few weeks ago I spent the day wandering up and down the aisles of the open-air market, enjoying the blue sky above and the autumn sun. Every nook [...]

Our last trip of the summer was a 50km bike ride through the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake. We started off with 10 enthusiastic bikers, but over the course of two days people dropped like flies. We battled heat stroke, down pours, and air conditioning. By the end of the trip there were only 4 remaining souls [...]

Ten million people are suffering in rain-starved East Africa. Severe droughts have caused crops to fail and herds of cattle to die, leaving thousands of people hungry and in need of aid. Rain is expected in October, but not enough to break the cycle of drought. With my head buried in children’s books, I often forget [...]

With a slight break in the hot weather I decided to spend my Sunday afternoon at the antique market. It’s important to size up your opponent when negotiating with vendors, and to bring your poker face. There is not much to my game plan; I tend to wear people out. I usually let the salesperson [...]

Brutal Canadian winters become a distant memory when temperatures hit the high 30’s (Celsius). For the last couple of days the city has been wrapped in a thick blanket of hot air; causing sweat to pour out of every crevice, even when I’m sitting still. With heat alerts issued, the city pools have become popular [...]