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Did you know that a crocodile goes through at least 3,000 teeth in its lifetime? Keep reading… Les sciences naturelles de Tatsu Nagata is a French series of nature books written by Japanese scientist Tatsu Nagata and illustrated by French illustrator Thierry Dedieu. Each title focuses on an animal; the one I borrowed from the [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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…

One event that I look forward to every year is The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, a week-long celebration of comics, graphic novels and their creators. It’s impossible to not get inspired as I wander through the festival. There is simply so much talent. With very little self-control, I always end up with a loot bag [...]

Is graffiti art or vandalism? Keep reading… Our Mayor has been on a warpath, making it his agenda to clean up the city. I happen to live behind one of the city’s most notorious graffiti alleyways, and I think it’s beautiful. These pieces aren’t made by gangs marking their territory and damaging private property, these [...]

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 [...]

Something weird and wonderful. Keep reading… Having seen Marc Craste’s commercial work, Helen Ward set out to write the story of Varmints with him, “I like to think in pictures, so it is very important to me that I know and love the work of the illustrators for whom I write.” Helen tells a story [...]

One of the biggest mysteries in children’s book publishing is ‘Who is Harris Burdick?’ His name is well known among authors and illustrators but his existence is a mystery. Harris Burdick simply vanished one day leaving behind no record except fourteen drawings to prove his existence. Keep reading… Chris Van Allsburg first came across Harris [...]

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 [...]

Sometimes you just need to take a walk to clear your mind. Read more after the jump. Best described as “A sunny, slapstick silent comedy” by The New York Times, Rosie’s Walk, written and illustrated by Pat Hutchins is a story about Rosie the hen, who went for a walk blissfully unaware of the fox trailing [...]

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 [...]

You know that feeling you get when you are riding a roller coaster? Fear and excitement rolled together! Screaming for your life in terror, and so excited you want to hurl! That pretty much sums up how I feel about my upcoming camping trip. I agreed to spend three days in the woods before finding [...]

Last summer we drove miles and miles and refilled the gas tank so we could drive miles and miles more (and this was after traveling by train and Greyhound bus) to go see The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. This museum has been on my list of things to do for years, and [...]

Last week was Binky’s birthday; he turned 6. There was cake, party hats and balloons. Like all cats he wasn’t impressed by all the party fuss, but he did enjoy spending the evening with friends and getting his belly rubbed. Read more after the jump. I thought we could continue the celebration with You Can’t Take [...]

Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Read more after the jump. Portrayed as big and scary, wolves are known to have cravings for girls in red capes, grandmas and little pigs. There is an unfair representation of wolves in children’s books, a gross amount of stereotyping. Like us, wolves have friends and family (wolves are [...]

There is an elementary school nearby and the playground is filled with snowballs, sitting by idly, just waiting for someone to do something with them. It’s kind of eerie when you walk by at night, because they look like disembodied snowmen. Read more after the jump. When I saw those snowballs, I was reminded of The [...]

“Once upon a time three pigs built three houses, out of straw, sticks, and bricks. Along came a wolf, who huffed and puffed…” Read more after the jump. Author and illustrator David Wiesner explores the nature of storytelling in his book, The Three Pigs. In a new spin on this classic tale, Wiesner gives the three [...]

Like a moth to flame, one cover drew me to it when I spotted it on the shelf on my last trip to the library. It was a burst of yellow sunshine among dozens of books – literally, the book jacket was painted in vibrant yellow, my favorite colour. Read more after the jump. I am [...]

Scary stuff and not appropriate for sensitive readers. Read more after the jump. There once was a white rabbit who went to the library and signed out a book on wolves. Like Alice in Through the Looking-Glass, the rabbit unknowingly becomes part of the book he is reading. Oblivious to the looming danger of a wolf, [...]

——————– Follow the Line—————————————————————————– Read more after the jump. Follow the line as it loops, curves and makes its way through the big city, across the ocean, up high in the sky, through the forest and into the little village. Written and illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist, Follow the Line is an interactive book that encourages readers to [...]

Keep reading if you’re looking for a real nail-biting kind of page-turner… Read more after the jump. Based on the television series Sesame Street, The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover is written by Jon Stone and illustrated by Michael Smollin. Grover is horrified to learn that there is a [...]

Happy Halloween! Read more after the jump. I’ve got something deliciously wicked in mind for Halloween. How to Cook Children: A Grisly Recipe Book, written by Martin Howard and illustrated Colin Stimpson, is guaranteed to make you pee in your pants laughing (otherwise known as “lizzing” by 30 Rock fans). Children are the main ingredient in this [...]

I weigh _ _ pounds (or _ _ kilograms). Read more after the jump. Ton, written and illustrated by Taro Miura, is a book with very few words. Using bold graphic images of workmen and all the equipment they use to lift and move heavy objects, Miura illustrates different weights and measurements. This well-paced story goes [...]