Toes in My Nose
Artist: Sydney SmithPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95The twenty-fifth-anniversary edition of Canada’s nonsense poet’s classic book, illustrated by Governor General’s Award-winning illustrator Sydney Smith, portrays a neighbourhood of kids flying to the moon, playing banjo with orangutans, and bathing with submarines. Now available in paperback.
Be a Weather Detective Solving the Mysteries of Cycles, Seasons, and Elements
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Unravel the secrets of weather, from hurricanes to snowflakes, with naturalist Peggy Kochanoff’s newest book in the Be A Nature Detective series. This fascinating and entertaining guide, packed with detailed watercolour illustrations, is the perfect tool for young readers to learn about the mysteries of weather patterns in Atlantic Canada and beyond.
Be a City Nature Detective
$14.95How do bedbugs get into your home? Why are some grey squirrels black? Does goldenrod cause hay fever?
Naturalist and artist Peggy Kochanoff answers these questions and more in this illustrated guide to solving nature mysteries in the city.
From the author of Silver Birch-nominated Be a Nature Detective series comes a new adventure full of fascinating facts and original watercolours. From scuttling cockroaches to waves of starlings to burdock heads on your clothes, Kochanoff takes the reader through city streets to show them the amazing nature growing there. Features a glossary, identification page, and further reading.
Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95The story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters is a very old Mi’kmaw legend. It happens in the North Sky as the stars that show the story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters move around Tatapn, the North Star.
In pictures in this book you can see how these stars, shown as they appear two hours before dawn, move through the night sky. They are in a different position each of the seasons because they are the time-keepers, the calendar. All through the year, as the stars and plants travel through the sky, the Mi’kmaq watch the story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters as it unfolds before their eyes.
A Harbour Seal in Halifax
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Seal went for a stroll…
The icy puddles were too small for swimming
The rocks were too tall for climbing.
Seal saw bright lights. They sparkled.
Seal liked the snow.
One snowy night in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, a strange figure peeks out from behind a parked car. A woman screams! So begins a lost harbour seal’s adventure through the steep streets of the sleepy winter city. Soon, Constable and Officer are on the case, and if they work together, they just might be able to help the harbour seal find his way back home.
Celebrated children’s author and illustrator Doretta Groenendyk brings the true story of Halifax’s famous winter 2015 flipslippery visitor to life with colourful paintings and simple text. A Harbour Seal in Halifax is destined to become a local family favourite.
The City Speaks in Drums (pb)
Artist: Susan TookePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Available for the first time in paperback, the award-winning The City Speaks in Drums follows two boys from North End Halifax as they explore their neighbourhood and the city beyond, finding music everywhere. At the skate park, by the Public Gardens, down Spring Garden Road, and on the boardwalk, drums and saxophones and dancers and basketballs create the jumbled, joyful, pulsing rhythm of Halifax. Shauntay Grant’s playful spoken word-style poem and Susan Tooke’s vivid illustrations create a wildly energetic and appealing journey through the big, bright city.
Apples and Butterflies
Artist: Tamara Thiébaux-HeikaloPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95From patchwork-quilt farmland to the winding red roads, from sandy beaches to the endless stars at night, Apples and Butterflies shows Prince Edward Island shining in the bright blue and gold light of fall. Shauntay Grant’s award-winning poetry and Tamara Thiébaux Heikalo’s rich and wild illustrations pull the reader towards the wide-open space of the island. New softcover edition.
Be a Beach Detective Solving the Mysteries of Lakes, Swamps, and Pools
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Can anything eat prickly sea urchins? Can dead jellyfish still sting you? Why does water squirt up when you walk along the beach?
Biologist and artist Peggy Kochanoff answers these questions and more in this illustrated guide to solving beach mysteries. From the puzzling tidal life of barnacles to the stunning variety of seaweeds, Kochanoff dives deep into our coastal habitats and comes up with an entertaining and enlightening look at life by the ocean. Full of fascinating facts and surprising solutions, Be a Beach Detective is the perfect book for curious beachcombers of any age!
Jujijk Mi’kmaw Insects
Artist: Gerald GloadePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$10.95The English language is noun-based, referring to people, places, and things. Jujijk, an illustrated bilingual guide to bugs and insects in Atlantic Canada, showcases the beautiful verb-based Mi’kmaw language. Featuring vibrant artwork and concise, fascinating descriptions, Jujijk will have you searching out “the one that looks like a little owl” (moth) and “the one that sings before she bites you” (mosquito).
Created to promote and preserve the Mi’kmaw language, this book includes a pronunciation guide, a Mi’kmaw-English matching game, and an abridged version of the Smith-Francis orthography.
Thank You for My Bed
Publisher: Acorn Press$12.95Doretta Groenendyk’s whimsical illustrations bring this lyrical bedtime story to life. Cuddle up for a cozy adventure as we see how children from all over the world snuggle up and say ‘Thank you for my bed”. Children will realize that although cultures may differ, we are all the same in that each night, we all go to bed. It was shortlisted for the 2012 Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration!
Atlantic Puffin
Artist: Jeffrey DommPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95The Atlantic Puffin is a familiar symbol of the Atlantic region, earning it the nickname “Little Brother of the North.” This wonderful story is told from the point of view of a puffin, drawing the reader effortlessly into the natural habitat of a puffin’s world. Accompanied with beautiful illustrations, Atlantic Puffin details habitat, breeding cycles, eating and nesting habits, and more, about the life of this fascinating animal. Artistically rendered, carefully researched, this latest installment from the popular writing and illustrating team of Kristin and Jeff Domm will delight any child or adult who seeks to learn more about the treasured Atlantic Puffin.
Lobster in my Pocket 2nd edition
Artist: Brenda JonesPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95This Maritime classic tells the magical story of Lee, a lonely girl in a coastal fishing village. One day she meets Lucky, a talking lobster trapped in a crate on the wharf. Lee sets Lucky free, and the two become friends. When Lee falls into the ocean during a terrible storm, Lucky shows how much he cares about her! Now in a new, full-colour edition, Lobster in my Pocket is a joyful tale of friendship that will delight readers of all ages.
Gary the Seagull
Artist: Paul HammondPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95It’s a hot summer day and Gary is hungry. The beach is packed with people…and packed with people’s lunches. Though he’s been known to eat everything from minnows to garbage, it’s beach lunches Gary loves most of all. With his patented seagull cunning, Gary takes increasingly ridiculous measures to trick a young boy into sharing his lunch. Will the boy hand over his ketchup chips and watermelon?
This uproarious read-aloud from beloved Ontario-based songwriter and entertainer, better known by his stage name, B. A. Johnston, will have parents hugging their beach coolers a little tighter and kids shouting “SHOO, BIRD! SHOO!” Halifax-based illustrator-cartoonist Paul Hammond provides bright and bold illustrations and hand-lettered embellishments for a salty good read.
Mud Muddelicious Mud
Artist: Phoebe Anne MageePublisher: Muddle Puddle Books$12.95Verse for the very young, Mud Muddelicious Mud or The Mud Book as it is most often described, is one that over time many children have kept as their very favourite. Squishing mud through toes seems to have a universal appeal to children and adults alike. Poems are a mixture of moods but mostly fun.
Flying feathers ducky down
Swirling softly round and round
Plucky ducky oh so bare
Shivers in his underwear.The delightful illustrations by artist Phoebe Anne Magee make the poetry come alive.
Fishes in the Seas
Artist: Peter ManchesterPublisher: Muddle Puddle Books$12.95Living in the Maritimes is a unique experience. In this new book of verse for the very young Shirley Downey shares her joy of language and her love of this special part of the world. Full of vibrantly textured illustrations, Fishes in the Seas: Poems for Maritime Kids is a wonderful reading experience for adults and children to share.
Kimmy & Mike
Artist: Lily Snowden-FinePublisher: Running the Goat$12.95When they set out to find some fish for their father’s supper, Kimmy and Mike don’t have much luck. But they do have plenty of hilarious high seas adventures in this globetrotting tall tale.
Hare B&B
Artist: Bill PechetPublisher: Running the Goat$22.95Harriet and her seven young siblings are left orphans when their parents run afoul of a cunning coyote. They open their home as a “hare bed and breakfast” for paying guests, and when the coyote returns to the scene of the crime, they serve her her comeuppance for breakfast.
Mr. Beagle and the Georgestown Mystery
Publisher: Running the Goat$11.95Mr. Beagle is back with a new mystery to solve: why are storybooks disappearing from his cousin George’s neighbourhood?
Catalina
Publisher: Running the Goat$11.95Catalina is more than a little cranky when her people come home with three puppies, but she soon learns that even a cat can enjoy the company of dogs.
Mr. Beagle Goes to Rabbittown
Publisher: Running the Goat$11.95Mittens are going missing in Rabbittown. Where could they be? Never fear…Mr. Beagle has the nose to follow the clues and find the culprit!
Seasons Before the War
Artist: Brita GranstromPublisher: Running the Goat$29.95Charming illustrations bring this delightfully unsentimental remembrance of childhood in pre-WWII St. John’s, Newfoundland to life.
Ralph, Flying Hound
Artist: Alex KolanoPublisher: Running the Goat$12.95Ralph chases anything that moves, and usually catches it too. But when his aspirations go skyward, even his four furry friends wonder if Ralph’s aiming too high. A dog-bites-helicopter tale that will leave readers laughing and cheering for Ralph.
The Puffin Problem
Publisher: Running the Goat$12.95When a plethora of puffins head into a city by the sea, problems abound. No one is sure why the puffins have come, but what is certain is that they are underfoot and overhead and everywhere. They bother pets, and park on policemen. It takes someone small and smart to come up with a plan to send them back to sea. A charming and funny picture book by Lori Doody; young readers and listeners will have fun finding the puffins hiding in plain sight!
PB’s Comet
Artist: Veselina TomovaPublisher: Running the Goat$14.95An ambitious young lamb is determined to find a comet. Her persistence annoys a grumpy old goat who sets out to undermine her efforts, until he makes a discovery of his own.
Painting the Town Pink
Publisher: Running the Goat$12.95When a flamingo lands unexpectedly in town, the townsfolk work together to make their unlikely visitor welcome.
Mallard, Mallard, Moose
Publisher: Running the Goat$12.95A moose comes to town, followed by two mallard ducks. He searches high and low to someone to take care of the ducks. It seems that there is no one, until the perfect helper appears.
Capelin Weather
Publisher: Running the Goat$11.95Kate is excited for the beginning of summer, but all this rain, drizzle, and fog is no fun. “Capelin weather” her grandmother declares, setting Kate on the lookout for the silvery fish whose arrival ushers in summer. Can you find the hidden capelin?
Colours in Winter
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$14.95Colours in Winter is a whimsical children’s picture book. The child, with her two bird friends, initially wishes that the giant fantastic snowflakes were coloured. Everything is too white. She thinks of green frogs in the spring, enormous red strawberries in the summer, and heaps of yellow and brown leaves in the autumn. But her desire becomes true and the snowflakes are suddenly all different colours. “Too much colour!” she gasps.
When everything turns back to white, she makes a wonderful discovery: there is colour everywhere in the winter — blue sky and green conifers, red rose hips and yellow beech tree leaves. The child and her bird friends reunite in a joyous celebration.
