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The Snow Knows
Artist: Josée BisaillonPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95A lyrical prose poem with whimsical, hide-and-seek illustrations, The Snow Knows introduces readers of all ages to animals both domestic (a tabby cat by the wood stove) and wild (a slinking lynx; a choir of coyotes), celebrating wilderness and outdoor play.
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Seeing Stars The Secret Life of Starfish
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95What do starfish get up to in their spare time? Perhaps they meet each other for underwater picnics, or set up telescopes to view their star cousins in the sky. Maybe they make sand-angels, or arm wrestle each other? Using live critters in homemade sets, amateur photographer Denise Adams dreams up whimsical and often humorous scenes depicting the “secret” life of common starfish, and pairs them with quirky, fun text.
Mindful not to harm the sea stars, Denise meticulously sets up each display in advance, takes her photograph, and returns the starfish to their homes—all within five minutes. The result is a creative meditation on the hidden habits of the wild creatures living all around us. Featuring dozens of original scenes, this lively gift book in the style of Nancy Rose’s The Secret Life of Squirrels will leave readers smiling and dreaming up their own starfish scenarios.
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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.
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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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If I Were a Zombie
Artist: Eric OrchardPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95If I were a zombie
I’d package my drool
put it in Mason jars
sell it at school.This hilarious picture book written by Hackmatack Award-nominated Kate Inglis has two children trying to outdo one another, imagining what they could do if only they were a zombie, a ninja, or a robot. With outrageously entertaining rhyming text and brilliant illustrations from artist Eric Orchard, this is sure to be a favourite with readers of all ages.
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Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo
Artist: Murray BainPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Santa never brings me a banjo
And I can never understand why
Every Christmas Eve I see it in my dreams
But every Christmas morning I cry…The celebrated holiday song from multi-talented and multiple-award-winning Halifax-based roots musician David Myles is now available as a bright and fun children’s picture book. Young David writes frantic letters to Santa every year, requesting a banjo, but to no avail: “How does he miss / the one thing on my list / in the letter that I sent to him?” Follow the ups and downs of the holiday season with David, his furry friends, and his family, as he pines for his most-wished-for holiday gift.
Featuring illustrations from the animation studio that created the song’s well-loved YouTube music video, a special holiday message from David Myles, and original sheet music for those who wish to play along, Santa Never Brings Me A Banjo is sure to inspire many a holiday singalong.
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Finding Avalon
Publisher: Chocolate River Publishing$12.95Avalon Monday doesn’t mind telling schoolmates that her mother ran off to California to live with a guy she met on the internet. After all, that’s way less embarrassing than the truth.
One fresh start and three years later Avalon discovers there are things you can never truly leave behind. When the past collides with the present it exposes her secret and threatens to leave her new life in ruins.
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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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Don’t Panic How to Manage your Finances and Financial Anxieties During and After Coronavirus
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95As soon as the COVID-19 global pandemic hit North America, Licensed Financial Advisor Christine Ibbotson, syndicated “Ask the Money Lady” columnist and recent author of How to Retire Debt-Free and Wealthy, started receiving hundreds of emails from concerned citizens. Should I sell off my stocks? How should I budget my spending during a temporary work stoppage? Is a mortgage payment holiday a really good thing—what’s the catch? How can we use this situation to make money and lower debt?
Ibbotson has worked quickly and diligently in the face of this global financial crisis to provide readers in Canada, the US, and UK with a collection of thoughtful responses to, and practical advice for, their most pressing concerns. Topics include what help banks and governments can offer during the pandemic, what we can learn from past financial crises, how to financially secure your future—including pent-up demand that will turn the markets, and best investment and lending strategies—and how to create a financial plan and move your finances in a different direction, ultimately leading to a safe and secure—and maybe even early—retirement.
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The Mystery of the Portuguese Waltzes
Artist: Caroline ClarkePublisher: Running the Goat$12.95Tamara struggles to play her accordion in front of an audience. When her father encourages her to play for an elderly accordion player, Tamara becomes inspired by stories of Stoyles and his musical friendship years before with a Portuguese sea captain.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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Le corps de l’ombre Recueil de poesie et slam par MC June
Publisher: Bouton d'or Acadie$12.95A collection of slam poems that juggles existential questionings with kindness and humour.
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The Hermit
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Eleven year old Danny was hoping to have a simple, fun summer, but his plans are derailed when developers threaten to build condos on his community’s beloved soccer field and when he cultivates an unexpected friendship with a hermit living in the nearby woods. Further uncovered secrets might just help Danny save the soccer field once and for all.
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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.
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Fairies on My Island
Artist: Christina PattersonPublisher: Acorn Press$12.95If you look closely, maybe you too can discover the world of fairies. Get ready for Shaun and Christina Patterson to take you into a magical worlds of Fairies. A place where silliness and fun are just as important as being true to yourself and taking care of nature. The Pattersons have traveled far and wide on Prince Edward Island to uncover the secret world of fairies. Join them now as they discover the world of fairies. Complete with instructions to make your own fairies, this book is a true guide to many of the fairies you will see on your search.
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The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic
Artist: Arden PowellPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95There are many good and useful books that provide a wide range of Scottish Gaelic vocabulary to express many aspects of daily life – except, for the most part, the topics covered in this book.
Scottish Highlanders, and their descendants all over the world, are no better and no worse than any other people where “sinful” behaviour is concerned. Standards of morality and social conventions changed dramatically during the 19th century – and most of the people engaged in recording and commenting upon Highland life and tradition were puritanical ministers and priests who left out the racy bits. So, while there are many useful books that provide a wide range of Scottish Gaelic vocabulary to express many aspects of daily life – for the most part, they leave out the naughty bits.
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The Wereduck Code
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing Limited$12.95The thrilling conclusion to the entertaining, critically acclaimed Wereduck series. Catch up with fourteen-year-old Kate, wereduck in a family of werewolves, as she races to uncover a way to undo the curse that haunts her family. High stakes meet humour in the engaging third installment of the popular series from author Dave Atkinson.
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Sid the Kid and the Dryer
Artist: Brenda JonesPublisher: Nimbus Publishing Limited$12.95A fresh and fun take on the younger years of hockey superstar Sidney Crosby, through an unlikely character: the dryer in the basement. Author Lesley Choice imagines the early life of W. P. (Whirpool) the dryer, now a popular attraction at the NS Sport Hall of Fame, as W.P. is hit with stray pucks while Sidney works on his shot in the basement. Vibrant artwork from illustrator Brenda Jones completes this imaginative tale.
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Tummy Time Friends
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing Limited$12.95Your baby will love to look at the smiling baby faces in this fun, accordion-style book. Unfold it on the floor during tummy time (an important developmental activity to strengthen baby’s neck and back muscles) and your baby can say hello to their new friends, and gaze at their own face in the mirror at the centre of the book. Perfect for new parents or as a gift.
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Welcome to Camp Fill-in-the-Blank
Publisher: Acorn Press$12.95Page’s perfectly organized life turns upside down when her parents send her to Prince Edward Island to babysit her cousins Crusoe and Danger (those are their real names) for the summer. The only problem is that her cousins feel that they are too old to have a babysitter—they would rather be at summer camp. Page realizes the solution to the problem is to give her cousins exactly what they want: summer camp in their own backyard. Despite Page’s meticulous efforts to plan a different theme for each week of Camp Fill-in-the-Blank, she quickly learns that life with her cousins rarely goes according to plan.
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Monster in the Mountains
$12.95After Dylan Maples’s terrifying adventure in Alberta, the holiday his “parental units” plan in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains seems like a dream. Swimming, hiking, and loafing around are welcome distractions from vivid memories of his narrow escape from “The Reptile,” the frightening criminal who pursued him and his friends through the badlands. But Dylan soon discovers that he is heading into an area teeming with legends of real-life monsters, among them the sea serpent Ogopogo and the awesome sasquatch. In fact, more mysterious creatures are said to exist in BC than in any other place in the world….
Dylan tries not to take it all too seriously. But when he arrives in the resort town of Harrison Hot Springs and meets his eccentric uncle, Walter Middy, he is pulled right into the heart of the sasquatch mystery. Before you can say, “I see a monster!”, Dylan, Walter, and their new friend Alice are deep in the wilderness, on the trail of the deadly beast.
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The Bluenosers’ Book of Slang How To Talk Nova Scotian
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.$12.95Nova Scotia is blessed with a rich language. It is literally littered with words and expressions that vary from county to county, and town to town. From a dog’s breakfast, to blowin’ a gale, bed lunch, giv’er, fill yer boots, dough funkers, back-ass-wards and right some good, Nova Scotia Slang will introduce you to a whole new language.
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Under the Floorboard
Publisher: Chocolate River Publishing$12.9515-year-old Aileen never feels good enough to please her mother. When she pries up the floorboard at her aunt’s house, she sheds a light on the dark secret she worked so hard to forget. Why does no one ever talk about her baby sister Claire and what happened to her?
Then her mother announces she’s pregnant and starts acting strange. After the baby is born, her mother descends into a depression, and Aileen has to cope with the effect this has on both her and her family. Life isn’t easy when your parent has a mental health issue. Especially when no one talks to you about it. Honesty is tough. Is it possible her mother has secrets of her own and is Aileen ready for the truth? Miscommunications abound, but underneath there is love—even if it is hard to feel it sometimes.
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Histoire de Galet
Artist: François DimbertonPublisher: Bouton d'or Acadie$12.95Martin is a teenager living in Dieppe. War rages on, and his country, France, is under Nazi occupation. Cohabitation is tough, and living conditions are poor. While living with Mrs. Agnes, a resourceful old lady, Martin is unwillingly dragged into the horrible conflict of the Second World War and makes a life-changing discovery…
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You Might be from Saskatchewan If….
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.$12.95A delightful romp through one of Canada’s most beloved provinces, this illustrated collection of geographical quips, barbs, and jokes takes an intimate look at what it’s like to be from Saskatchewan. Perfect for visitors or longtime residents, this joke book is sure to bring laughs to any reader familiar with the Land of the Living Sky.
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Headliner
Publisher: Acorn Press$12.95Franny Callaghan feels invisible. With a missing mother only seen occasionally who speaks to the family through the closed door of her bedroom or the ensuite bathroom and a father and younger sister, who travel most of the time, home long enough to wash their underwear and re-pack before heading to the next competition so her sister can be an Olympic speed skater, Franny feels alone most of the time.
Franny’s brother died a few years before and is only seen in the photos on the wall. Her family hasn’t spoken of him since the day of his big funeral and all the news coverage of the tragic accident that killed eight members of the Ridgewood High School Orchestra and one of his teachers. And Franny Callaghan remains… just the awkward middle kid in a family that used to look like everyone else’s.
What if Franny just took off to go see her brother’s favorite band on the anniversary of his death? Maybe that would be the jolt her family so badly needed.
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Rika’s Shepherd
Publisher: Acorn Press$12.95Rika is a happy, energetic girl in control of her life and her small flock of sheep and helping her father run their farm and household since her mother died six years earlier. The one thing that would make life even more perfect would be a Border collie pup she could train to herd the sheep. But her tidy life begins to unravel with the discovery of a deadly coyote attack on her flock.
With the help of a young veterinarian, and an eccentric breeder of guard dogs, Rika takes on more responsibilities. She encounters challenges which reveal that she has not coped well with the death of her mother, especially when her father and the veterinarian become romantically entangled. Rika is further demoralized when she fails to train a guard dog pup and must return him to the breeder. When the valuable and beloved older dog who guards her sheep is gravely injured because of her poor judgment, Rika slips into a depression.
When Rika starts to get better, she takes stock of her blessings, and begins to deal with the changes that are imposed on her. She makes amends with her future stepmother, and the injured dog, now recovered, is returned to her care.
