On a recent brief trip to the beautiful little city of Victoria, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, I spent some time in the well-stocked children’s book section of the local Chapters Bookstore, where a helpful clerk gave me a quick tour of local favorites, starting with a local resident David Bouchard. Saskatchewan-born, Bouchard has written a couple dozen-plus books for kids, including many award winners and many that reflect his own Metis (the Canadian term for mixed European and Native) origins.
Nokum Is My Teacher, available in English or French with Cree alongside, was the Ânskohk Aboriginal Children’s Book of the Year for 2007. Buddha in the Garden, with illustrations by painter Zhong-Yang Huang, recalled to mind Philip Gershator’s Skysweeper, a story with a similar theme. Click here for information on Bouchard’s upcoming books.
I also took time for a delightful few minutes with Vancouverite Nan Gregory’s Pink, unquestionably a book for the top of the list of every little pink-loving girl (and perhaps her parents as well, with their gender-associated color questions!)
On the shelf with other Canadian favorites was one I recalled from my pre-multicultural southern U.S. childhood, Robert Service’s wonderful poem The Cremation of Sam McGee, in a 2006 re-issue of the 1986 edition with illustrations by painter Ted Harrison. Back in the warm-drowsy long-ago afternoons of my musty Virginia schoolroom, it seemed cautionary tale on complaining about the heat; I wondered at how differently a 21st century Canadian child takes in the story today!
I was just about to print a copy of the JOMB booklist to our librarian as my wishlist for our school library but you’ve reviewed so many awesome books since so I can’t wait for the next list to come out :-)
How Smudge Came is another new book for me! It sounds wonderful for taking up all sorts of social issues.
On my list it goes!
vivian
www.clippodcast.com
P.S. I really like how you paired up Smudge with Dr.White.
Thanks, Vivian,
We’ve updated the JOMB booklist for you. Thanks for the nudge!
Andrea
[…] 16. Bonnie (Tess of the D’Ubervilles)17. Heather (Humilty)18. be_zen8 (Memory Keeper’s Daughter)19. Bookfool(The Nazi Officer’s Wife)20. Mindy (The Poet Slave of Cuba)21. Les (Shadow Man)22. JustOneMoreBook (How Smudge Came)23. booklogged (Memory Keeper’s Daughter)24. Miss Erin (King of Shadows)25. Marshall Zeringue (An Alphabetical Life)26. Cathy (Flotsam)27. Lisa (Shantaram)28. Literary Feline (Anna Karenina)29. Kinuk (Saturday)30. Classical Bookworm (Dancing from the Heart) […]