Bagel's Lucky Hat by Hector Mumbly: Illustrated by Dave Cooper

Published by Chronicle Books
Distributed by Raincoast Books

Hector Mumbly brings us an amusing little tale featuring a dog named Bagel, and his friend - a cat named Becky. Bagel gets frantic when he realises he has lost his lucky hat. Becky calms him and asks him to think back to when he remembered wearing it last, but soon wonders what she started. Bagel recounts his day, including his visit with laughing fishes, a helpful flock of birds, a strange and mysterious laboratory, and so much more. Becky, needless to say, is quite unimpressed and who wouldn't be with such a tall tale? Becky starts to give Bagel a lecture on honesty but is interrupted by unexpected and unusual guests.

This book is a laugh a minute. It's for ages 4-8 but even at my age it was a fun and playful read. I can imagine it would make a great bedtime book as it isn't too long with just 40 pages which are wonderfully illustrated by Dave Cooper. The illustrations match the story's whimsical nature perfectly.

A great choice that begs to be read again, and again...

Illustrator's website: http://www.davegraphics.com/ (site is not suitable for children)

Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île by Anne Renaud

Published by Lobster Press
Aussi disponible en Français

Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île is a brilliant in depth look at this important island, located 50 kilometers from the Port of Quebec. This island was a quarantine station from 1932 to 1947, where passengers would be checked for disease before they were permitted to continue their journey to their new homeland.

Of the more than four million people who sailed the Atlantic and made this journey, many lives were lost due to the tragic 1847 typhus epidemic which is also covered in this book, and before that, the asiatic cholera. Many were buried in the graveyards on the island and one thing I remember clearly from the book, which touched me greatly, was that these graves were tended by the island dwellers. That is, families of island employees who chose to live on the island year round rather than come over to work between May and November.

This book is recommended for ages 8 and up and is great eye candy with it's great mix of illustrations, photos and history notes sprinkled throughout. The history notes aren't just about the immigration and disease either, for example, one on home refrigeration. On Grosse Île, families kept their food in small wooden buildings called icehouses, built part underground and which stored large blocks of ice set upon sawdust.

I love the easy navigation of the pages and especially loved the illustrations by Aries Cheung. I learned a lot from this book and it really piqued my curiosity. I will include a link at the bottom of the review to the Parks Canada site for Grosse Île which includes an online tour, even more information and a memorial list where you can check for ancestors.

Illustrator's website: http://www.ariescheung.com/

Canada Parks website for Grosse Île: http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/grosseile/index_e.asp

A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival by Anne Renaud. Illustrated by Ashley Spires.

Published by Lobster Press

A Bloom of Friendship is the second title of the My Canada series by Lobster Press. The book provides the history behind Canada's Tulip Festival - the largest Tulip Festival in the world - and how it all began with a gift a thanks in 1945. That was the year that Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs to express appreciation for providing a safe haven for Holland's royal family during World War II and also in recognition of the role of the Canadian Forces in liberating the Netherlands. Each year since, Canada has been given the gift of 20,000 tulip bulbs which are planted in around Ottawa.

By use of wonderful photographs, exquisite illustration and a colourful and eye catching layout, the story is brought to the reader in a way that is guaranteed to hold their attention. The Instant History Facts posted throughout the book were an instant hit with me and I simply loved the inclusion of imagery and newspaper clippings from World War II.

This book is a great read and highly recommended. The age is 8+ but if my experience is anything to go by, it's a fun and informative read for any age.

The first book in this series is Our Song: The Story of "O Canada", the Canadian National Anthem written by Peter Kuitenbrouwer and illustrated by Ashley Spires, and the third is Our Game: The History of Hockey in Canada written by Dave Stubbs and illustrated by Neal Portnoy which is also available in french under the title: Notre Sport: L'histoire du hockey au Canada..

Illustrator's website: http://www.ashleyspires.com

Canada's Tulip Festival site: http://www.tulipfestival.ca/

Oliver Has Something to Say by Pamela Edwards. Illustrated by Louis Pilon

Published by Lobster Press

Aussi disponible en Français

Pamela Edwards brings us a wonderfully amusing book for children. The main character is Oliver, a quiet little boy who we learn about from the many people in his life. His mother tells us that he loves trains. His sister tells us that he is afraid of dogs. They never give him a chance to speak for himself so how well can they really know him?

When Oliver has his first day at prekindergarten, he finds himself in a new situation. There are no bossy family members to answer for him and so he is left trying to find his own voice. When he gets home, his family are in for a shock!

This is a delightful book. The story is memorable, funny and likely to be one of those books which your child will beg you to read again and again. The illustrations by Louis Pilon accompany the tale perfectly and bring the story to life in a very vivid and colourful way.

The book is geared towards children in the 4-6 age range but is a fun read for anyone. I think this is an amazing book in that it will inspire and promote confidence in children who are shy or quiet. It will teach them that it's okay to share thoughts and opinions, and help them learn to develop their own preferences.