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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 [...]

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 [...]

September 8th is International Literacy Day. Keep reading… One day is just not enough to celebrate all the great books out there, so B is for Books is going to declare September International Literacy Month. For the next few of weeks in September, we will explore children’s books from around the world and embrace this [...]

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 [...]

Every time I hear a siren, I think about all the brave men and women whose jobs it is to keep us safe and the courage it takes to rush into danger as people are fleeing the scene. Keep reading… Fire Engines is part of the Little Golden Book series and is illustrated by Tibor [...]

Summer is flying by. I am going to keep things short and sweet so we can all head outside and soak up remaining summer sun. Keep reading… I found this wondering through the antique market this summer. The illustrations in Counting Rhymes remind me of the work of Mary Blair but the artist is Virginia [...]

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 [...]

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…

May 13th had been circled on my calendar for a while now as it’s the date of the Toronto Book Fair & Paper Show. According to its’ website, the show is the place to be if you are searching for rare and used books. Being that this was my first time, I was super excited. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Last Wednesday on my way to swimming lessons a wide grin spread across my face when I noticed the lights were on in the library. After 10 days of negotiations both sides have reached a deal. Phew! I wasn’t quite panicking as the strike rolled into day 10. Owlkids Books had generously sent me enough [...]

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 [...]

The Toronto Librarians are on strike. There is no need to panic… Ahhhhhhhh! Failing to reach a labour agreement over the weekend 2,400 librarians went on strike. All 98 library branches across Toronto are close as of Monday. The library is asking borrowers to hold on to all checked out books and materials. No overdue [...]

Binky goes to work every day. Very punctual, you can be find Binky curled up under the office desk sound a sleep by 9 am morning. He has great work ethic and puts in long hours when needed (Binky will remain sleeping until quitting time). He is a caring coworker; if he thinks you are [...]