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The Land Puffin
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Pete was an unusual parrot.
He wanted to be a puffin.
So he decided to leave town, and head for the coast.When Pete the parrot looks back on his seafaring family history—including his grandmother, Polly Pirate, and his grandfather, Paul Privateer—he decides to leave his cozy city home in search of the rugged puffin life on the coast. The puffins are friendly and welcome Pete with fish—which he doesn’t like to eat—and a swim in the ocean—which he doesn’t like to do—and they seem to do little more than sit on the rocks all day and night—which doesn’t interest him. Worst of all, they don’t seem to have much to say. Can Pete really live like a puffin, or is he just too different?
A charming story from the critically acclaimed author-illustrator behind The Puffin Problem and Mallard, Mallard, Moose, featuring folk art–inspired illustrations, The Land Puffin is a good-humoured yarn with a subtle message about the importance of celebrating our differences.
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Come Back to Earth, Esther!
Artist: Josée BisaillonPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Prepare for liftoff! Award-winning illustrator Josée Bisaillon makes her authorial debut with the story of fun-loving, space-obsessed Esther, who dreams of building a spaceship to explore the galaxy. This STEM-friendly book, featuring an exceptional protagonist and a loving, diverse family, shows young readers there is no outer limit to the imagination.
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Wild Pond Hockey
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Ravens and wolves slip on a pond of ice and the game is on! A fun reimagining of the origin of Canada’s favourite sport with vivid artwork by veteran nature artist and writer Jeffery Domm.
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The Boy Who Moved Christmas
Artist: Carloe (Shan) LiuPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Based on a true story, Evan is sick and may not make it to December. His town decorates for Christmas in October so they can celebrate with him but will everything be ready? Will Santa know to come?
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Seaside Treasures A Guidebook for Little Beachcombers
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95A day of beachcombing is a day filled with salty sea air, enchanting seashells, and exciting discoveries. The ocean holds so much beauty and adventure, and it leaves so many treasures on its shores. Let’s explore these seaside treasures.
An essential sea glass–hunting handbook for kids. With helpful advice, like “make sure no one’s home!” before taking a snail shell, and fascinating facts, like how sea glass is formed and where glass fishing floats come from, the gentle and flowing text invites young readers to explore and wonder about everything that washes up on the sand.
Author and illustrator Sarah Grindler’s images are vivid and realistic, showing readers what to look for by the ocean—from purple sea urchin shells (that otters love to much on) to mussel shells, sand dollars, and every colour of sea glass—and encouraging all of us to imagine where those treasures may have come from. A beautiful keepsake as well as a practical guidebook for the young beachcomber.
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I’m Finding My Talk
Artist: Pauline YoungPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95I’m Finding My Talk reflects on the destructive effects on colonialism, rediscovering community and finding culture. Former Halifax Poet Laureate and second-generation residential school survivor Rebecca Thomas writes honestly and powerfully in this companion piece to Rita Joe’s I Lost My Talk. With vibrant illustrations from Mi’kmaw artist Pauline Young.
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A Pocket of Time The Poetic Childhood of Elizabeth Bishop
Artist: Emma FitzGeraldPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$23.95The childhood of Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979) is painted onto the canvas of Great Village, Nova Scotia in this gentle ode to the poet’s early life. Before becoming a Pulitzer—Prize winning writer, young Bishop lived with her Gammie and Pa, learning to walk, to read and to write. Snippets of Bishop’s own words and charming artwork from illustrator Emma FitzGerald teach young readers to see the poetry all around them.
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So Imagine Me Nature Riddles in Poetry
Artist: Chrissie Park-MacNeilPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95From award-winning poet Lynn Davies comes her first collection for children. And there’s a twist: each of the poems in So Imagine Me has a secret.
The lyrical and playful text describes something from nature—flora or fauna or another phenomenon—that’s also hiding in the illustrations. Readers will puzzle over the words and pore over the detailed illustrations looking for clues. Some of the riddles might be easy, and some are definitely tricky. All of them will delight, entertain, and challenge, leaving readers of all ages with new facts to share and an urge to get out into nature to discover more mysteries.
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I Lost My Talk
Artist: Pauline YoungPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Rita Joe’s essential poetry is presented anew in this children’s picture book with illustrations from Pauline Young. Joe, known as the Poet Laureate of the Mi’kmaw, tells her childhood story of losing her language at Shubenacadie’s residential school. Mi’kmaw culture and language are celebrated in this collection, which joins current conversations about Canada’s shameful history, truth and reconciliation.
Published simultaneously with the companion book I’m Finding My Talk by Rebecca Thomas.
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A Great Big Night
Artist: Josée BisaillonPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95When three travelling frog musicians roll through the forest the grumpy old grouse is sure they are nothing but riffraff making a foolish racket. But when a storm makes a mess of the grouse’s home, he may find that music can be more than just for a party.
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If I Were the Moon Twentieth – anniversary edition
Artist: Leslie WattsPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95If I were the moon
I’d shine down my light
Right into your bedroom
To warm up the night.A timeless bedtime book that “beautifully captures that perfect moment when a child is tucked up in bed, spellbound by the voice of an older sibling or an adult sharing a special book” (Books in Canada).
With lyrical text, lit up by soft and gentle illustrations, If I Were the Moon makes its triumphant return to print in a beautiful hardcover just in time for its twentieth anniversary.
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A Change of Heart
Artist: Erin Bennett BanksPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Finally, the remarkable story of honourary Newfoundlander Lanier Phillips is available for young children in this heartwarming picture book.
A young African American and the son of sharecroppers, Lanier Phillips escapes the violence, racism, and segregation of his Georgia home by joining the navy during the Second World War. But tragedy strikes the USS Truxtun one February night off the southeastern coast of Newfoundland, and Lanier is the lone Black survivor of the terrible shipwreck. Covered in oil when he arrives onshore, the community’s kindness and humanity brings him back to health and changes his outlook on life. He would go on to march for Black rights with Martin Luther King, and remained forever grateful to the small town of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
With vibrant illustrations by celebrated artist Erin Banks, A Change of Heart vividly depicts Lanier’s life-changing experiences in Newfoundland that fateful February.
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My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother, and Me These Are the Things We Found By the Sea
Artist: Mathilde Cinq-MarsPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95And these are the things we find by the sea
My mommy, my mama, my brother, and me.With this gentle refrain, the debut picture book from celebrated author and playwright Natalie Meisner (Double Pregnant) reflects on her own two-mom, two-son family’s early days growing up in Lockeport, Nova Scotia.
Living by the sea offers myriad charms for the two young brothers in this poetic ode to beachcombing. When the fog disappears, the path to the beach beckons, with all the treasures it leaves behind: lobster traps, buoys, fused glass, urchins, a note in a bottle. But best of all is all the neighbours they meet along the way. An unforgettable instant classic for families of all shapes and sizes. Featuring glorious watercolours by Mathilde Cinq-Mars, which capture the warmth and magic of time spent with family by the sea.
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Always With You
Artist: Carloe (Shan) LiuPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95Emily woke. On her night table, a letter was propped against her grandfather’s picture. Her name was printed in pencil crayon the way only her grandfather did it, with each letter a different colour.
He was always so kind and funny and silly…and now he was gone.
Carefully, she picked up the envelope and opened it….A heartfelt new picture book from bestselling children’s author Eric Walters (From the Heart of Africa) and Halifax-based artist Carloe Liu. In this poignant story, we follow young Emily who has recently lost her grandfather. As she grows, she discovers a series of letters he left behind for her, offering grandfatherly advice at life’s most pivotal moments: first day of high school, graduation day, wedding, and ending with the birth of her own child.
With gentle watercolours and fold-out letters for sharing with loved ones, Always With You is a timeless story about grief, growing up, and finding that those we love never truly leave us.
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Fiddles and Spoons (pb)
$14.95Cecile Souris and her mouse family live under the floorboards of a little Acadian house in Grand Pré, owned by the Dubois family. The house—above and below the floor—is full of good food, laughter, and wonderful music, made with fiddles and spoons. But one day soldiers arrive and take the Dubois family—and the Souris family with them—far away from Grand Pré. Join them on an unforgettable journey in this heartwarming tale of courage, love, and joy as the Acadians continue to celebrate life with fiddles and spoons!
This beloved story is now available in a second edition with a new design, including some new illustrations.
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The Fox and the Fisherman
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Barabas is a lonely fisherman. Every morning, alone, he goes out to sea on his small fishing boat, throws his net in the water, and hopes to bring some fish home (where no one is waiting for him). Then one day, Barabas discovers footprints near his home. To whom could they belong?
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The Walking Bathroom
Artist: Erin Bennett BanksPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95It’s Halloween and Amayah doesn’t have a costume to wear to school. She dressed as a ghost for the last three years in a row, witches are overdone, and fairies are not her style. She wants to be something different, something creative, something no one else in the world has ever been in the history of Halloween.
A sweet story of standing out and fitting in, The Walking Bathroom is the newest book from award-winning author and spoken-word poet Shauntay Grant (Up Home). With fun, vibrant artwork from Erin Bennett Banks (Change of Heart), this imaginative tale is bound to inspire some unique costumes and become a Halloween favourite!
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A Giant Man from a Tiny Town A Story of Angus MacAskill
Artist: Christopher HoytPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95When Angus MacAskill was still just a boy, he began to grow…and grow…and…grow! Known far and wide as the Cape Breton Giant, Angus was loved by his neighbours as much for his beautiful singing voice as for his renowned strength. But as much as Angus loved his little town of St. Ann’s, Cape Breton, he decided to leave and seek fortune and adventure.
With heartfelt text from critically acclaimed author Tom Ryan and meticulously researched and joyful illustrations from Christopher Hoyt (A is for Adventure), A Giant Man from a Tiny Town tells the story of a remarkable man who travelled the world performing for crowds, but never stopped longing to return to the place he loved the best: his Cape Breton home.
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A Halifax Time-Travelling Tune
Artist: Marijke SimonsPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Grandma closed the piano lid. “I love singing those old tunes with you.
I wish you could have seen the Halifax I once knew.”This dreamy and whimsical story follows a young child who travels back in time to 1950s Halifax with a whimsical tune. Follow the pair through Point Pleasant Park, the Public Gardens, Spring Garden Road, Citadel Hill, and other historic Halifax landmarks, showing off all the sights and sounds of the city. With lively text from Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Jan Coates and vivid illustrations of mid-century Halifax by Marijke Simons, A Halifax Time-Travelling Tune is bound to conjure more than a few bedtime singalongs.
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The Flying Squirrel Stowaways From Halifax to Boston
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95It’s wintertime in Nova Scotia and two flying squirrels are busy exploring the woods around their spruce-tree home. After a busy night of playing and gliding and snacking, they’re ready to settle down and sleep all day.
But humans have other plans: the tree is cut down and packed onto a truck bound for Boston, Massachusetts. Turns out their new home has been chosen as Halifax’s annual thank-you gift, the Boston Christmas Tree. The little squirrels have no idea they’re about to embark on a journey across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine on the way to Boston. Will the accidental stowaways be discovered? And what awaits them in their new American home?
From the author and illustrator of Jigs and Reels comes a vibrantly illustrated, fun holiday story about curiosity, adventure, and making a new home.
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If You Could Wear My Sneakers
Artist: Darcia LabrossePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95A Sheree Fitch classic, the Silver Birch and Hackmatack Award-winning children’s picture book about children’s rights, If You Could Wear My Sneakers, is now available for a new generation of young readers. A series of humorous poems, paired with timeless illustrations, interprets 15 of the 54 articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Sea Glass Summer
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95A gentle, lyrical story about Molly, who, after moving far away, yearns to be back on the beach with her Gram, searching for sea glass. Vibrantly illustrated, this picture book explores the powerful lure of the ocean, and the meaningful treasures within.
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Cyrus Eaton Champion for Peace
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Award-winning artist Richard Rudnicki uses vibrant imagery and accessible text to tell the true story of Nobel Peace Prize-winning billionaire Cyrus Eaton. From Eaton’s roots in rural Pugwash, Nova Scotia, the book introduces a new generation to the industrious pacifist who helped make the world a safer place.
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Mayann’s Train Ride
Artist: Tamara Thiébaux-HeikaloPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse.
When the Francis family arrives in big, bustling New York City, Mayann visits with relatives, goes to the zoo, and rides the subway. She even receives a beautiful black doll, something she has never seen before. But one subway ride, she loses her beautiful purse. At first she’s heartbroken, but she just might learn a lesson that makes the whole trip worthwhile.
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Gertrude at the Beach
Artist: Dayle DodwellPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Everyone’s favourite goat, Gertrude Allawishes, is back! School is out for the summer, and Starr and her family—even Gertrude—are heading to the cottage. Starr’s mom is worried Gertrude will get into trouble. But it isn’t long before Gertrude proves she is one loyal goat and saves the day!
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Smallest Rabbit (new edition)
Artist: Barb MartinPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$9.95Award-winning author Joyce Barkhouse has created a wonderful story beautifully illustrated by Barbara Martin. A charming story about Smallest Rabbit’s first winter.
