Canadian Children’s Literature

1. Canadian Children’s Literature A Genre Approach to Reading Your Way Through Canada For more information, contact Betsy ArntzenOffice of Canadian Studies Outreach . Canadian-American Center University of Maine 154 College Ave. Orono, ME 04473 barntzen@umit.maine.edu 207.581.4225 http://www.umaine.edu/canam/teachingcanada.htm March 2006

2. Read Your Way Through Canada: PURPOSE To find answers to these questions: • Does Canadian children’s fiction tell the stories of Canadian history, geography, and culture? • Can we get a sense of place through Canadian children’s literature? • Can we get an overview of Canadian history through Canadian children’s literature? • Can we learn about Canadian cultures by reading Canadian children’s literature?

3. Read Your Way Through Canada: SLIDES These slides present • a selection of currently available titles as of March 2006Note: There are MANY more excellent titles available than are presented here • categorized by region: Atlantic, Central, Prairies, West, North • grouped by genres of children’s literature Not covered: non-fiction / informational literature, and biography Audience: We created this presentation to introduce a wide variety of Canadian Children’s Literature to U.S. public library Children’s Librarians, and to K-12 School Librarians and Teacher-Librarians.

4. Read Your Way Through Canada: ELEMENTS • Canadian Children’s authors • Book titles and brief summaries • Identification as Picture Book or Chapter Book • Author websites • Publisher websites • Resources

5. Genres of Children’s Literature • Traditional - born of oral tradition, passed orally from generation to generation • Poetry- ranges from poetry that rhymes to free verse • Fantasy- rooted in traditional literature, but has an identifiable author, andScience Fiction - speculates on what might happen in the future • Contemporary Realistic Fiction – deals with living today. Includes humorous stories, detective and mystery stories, school stories, adventure stories, survival stories, sports stories, animals fiction • Historical Fiction – realistic fiction set in the past • Biography–focuses on individuals (not covered here) • Anthology – collection of writings • Non-Fiction, Informational– accurate, authentic, up-to-date (not covered here)

6. Literary Regions of Canada • Atlantic – Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island • Central – QuebecCentral – Ontario • Prairie – Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta • West – British Columbia • North – Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut

7. REGION: Atlantic Canada • Newfoundland & Labrador • Prince Edward Island • New Brunswick • Nova Scotia

8. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Ian Wallace Duncan’s WayFor seven generations Duncan's family has fished off the coast of Newfoundland. Now, the fish are gone and with them, the old way of life. Duncan notices that his father is spending the days staring out to sea, watching television and baking bread and pies. Many families have left town in search of work elsewhere. Even Duncan's mother is beginning to suggest that they, too, join the exodus to the mainland. Mummer’s Songby Bud Davidge; illus. by Ian WallaceA rhyming story that refers back to the author's childhood in Newfoundland, when the Mummers, would go from door to door, entering houses and dancing and carousing with the people at Christmas time. Newfoundland is one of two places in North America where Mummering is still done. www.groundwoodbooks.comwww.ian-wallace.com Picture Books

9. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Catherine Simpson Lives in Lewisporte, Newfoundland • There are No Polar Bears HereYoung girl sees a white bear and no one believes her • A Viking ShipBoy finds a magic Viking ship toy which allows time travel • The Turnip Top PonyWho or what is eating out of everyone’s garden? • Sailor: The Hangashore Newfoundland DogHow can a Newfoundland Dog not like the water? http://www.nfbooks.com/ Picture Books

10. Genre: Contemporary Realistic The Money Pit By Eric Walters What starts to happen as soon as Sam sets foot on Oak Island to visit his grandfather is more exciting than he could have hoped for, more surprising than the magic tricks he spends hours perfecting. Draws on the real-life history of the mysterious Money Pit on Nova Scotia’s Oak Island, www.ericwalters.net Chapter Book

11. Genre: Historical Fiction Hand of Robin Squires By Joan Clark For over two hundred years, people have been searching Oak Island, just off the coast of Nova Scotia, for elusive treasure buried there. Underground tunnels discovered on the island have never yielded their secrets. In The Hand of Robin Squires, Joan Clark weaves fact and fiction in the tale of an English boy at the centre of the mystery. When his father dies in 1703, Robin Squires is the only one who can help his seafaring uncle build the elaborate subterranean complex that has since tantalized and mystified treasure seekers for two centuries. Chapter Book

12. Genre: Historical Fiction Lucy Maud Montgomery Anne Shirley Series; “Anne of the red hair” • Anne of Green Gables (1908) Orphan is adopted by a brother and sister on PEI • Anne of Avonlea (1909) Anne of Green Gables becomes a school teacher • Anne of the Island (1915) Now 18, she heads to Redmond College • Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) After college she accepts a job as high school principal • Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) Anne marries Dr. Gilbert Blythe, her childhood beau • Anne of Ingleside (1939) Anne is mother of five with one on the way • Rainbow Valley (1919) Anne’s children are featured as they help their neighbors • Rilla of Ingleside (1921) Set in WW! focusing on youngest daughter, Rilla http://www.lmmontgomery.ca Chapter Books

13. Genre: Historical Fiction Sharon McKay Charlie WilcoxIts 1916, and Charlie Wilcox, a Newfoundlander, is interested in one thing only: going to sea, just like his father and uncles. He’ll make his family proud. His parents have different plans for him, however: they want him to go to university.Humiliated, Charlie sets out to prove he can measure up to the men in his family, and stows away on a sealing ship. It’s only when they are far out to sea, and he is discovered, that he realizes he’s on a troopship bound for France! Charlie Wilcox's Great WarThe year is 1918. Charlie Wilcox, now 17 years old, tall, broad and mature beyond his years, returns home to Brigus, Newfoundland. He is a man now, his childhood left behind on the battlefields of France and Belgium. And he is burdened by a secret, one he fears will inflict terrible grief on the village and people he loves. Chapter Books

14. Genre: Historical Fiction Eric Walters Hydrofoil MysteryIt’s 1915 and 15-year-old William is a bit of a troublemaker. But when his concerned mother sends him to spend the summer with Alexander Graham Bell in Nova Scotia, he finds life isn’t as boring as he once believed. RunIn 1976, a teenage delinquent, Winston MacDonald, is sent to Nova Scotia to be with his father after being suspended from school. Mr. MacDonald, a newspaper reporter, is working on a story about a young man – Terry Fox – who is running across Canada to raise money for cancer research. www.ericwalters.net Chapter Books

15. REGION: Central Canada • Ontario • Quebec

16. Genre: Traditional The Nanabosho Series By Joe McLellan and Matrine McLellan 9 stories based on Ojibway legends created to bring Aboriginal stories to Aboriginal children. Nanabosho is the teacher and protector of the Anishinabe people These are stories with a story, as an elder tells a traditional story to a contemporary child. The story features Nanabosho, and they show us the relationship between people and nature. “Nanabosho's capable of great things. He's part spirit, part Manitou, part man, and he was sent to teach the people. Early on, he found out that you can't tell people anything. They don't listen. You can't tell them to do something, and you can't tell them not to do something, and so he thought, 'If I act real stupid, they'll see that and laugh at it, and they'll remember not to act like that. And if I do the wrong thing, they'll figure it out. If I just do the right thing, they'll just say, 'I can't do that, but you, Nanabosho, you can do because you're a spirit.' What Nanabosho does then is take all of the silly stupid things we do and magnifies them and lays them out there for us to look at”, says author Joe McLellan. www.pemmican.mb.ca/ http://www.joemclellan.ca/ Picture Books

17. Genre: Historical Fiction Roch Carrier Stories describe his life growing up in 1940s-50s in rural, francophone Quebec Picture booksThe Hockey SweaterThe Boxing ChampionThe Basketball PlayerThe Longest Home RunA Happy New Year’s Day Short storiesHockey Sweater and Other StoriesPrayers of a Very Wise Child

18. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Brian Robeson Series By Gary Paulsen, American author writing about northern Ontario Hatchet – Brian survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness with a hatchet as his only tool. Brian’s Winter - In Hatchet, he was rescued. "Brian's Winter" begins where "Hatchet" might have ended: Brian is not rescued, but must build on his survival skills to face his deadliest enemy--a northern winter. Brian’s Return – He’s rescued, but now that he‘s back in civilization, he can‘t find a way to make sense of high school life. The River - Now the government wants him to do it again--to go back into the wilderness so they can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive. Brian’s Hunt – He’s back in the wilderness where he prefers being on his own. An injured dog appears and with a terrible, growing sense of unease, he sets out to learn what happened. Chapter Books

19. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Gita Seriesby Rachna Gilmore, Ontario author A young-reader picture book series featuring a girl who immigrates from India, becomes homesick, adjusts and makes friends, and then faces moving back to India. Lights for Gita Roses for Gita A Gift for Gita www.secondstorypress.on.cahttp://www.rachnagilmore.ca/ Picture Books

20. Genre: Contemporary Realistic The Road to Chlifa By Michele Marineau A Lebanese teenager, Karim, escapes war-torn Beirut, travels a dangerous route over the mountains to Chlifa, and then on to Montreal and a new life. But his new life is not without difficulty — he encounters contempt and racism at high school. Chapter Book

21. Genre: Historical Fiction Underground to Canada By Barbara Smucker Taken away from her mother by a ruthless slave trader, all Julilly has left is the dream of freedom. Every day that she spends huddled in the trader’s cart traveling south, or working on the brutal new plantation, she thinks about the land where it is possible to be free, a land she and her friend Liza may reach some day. Chapter Book

22. Genres: Historical Fiction The Last Safe House By Barbara Greenwood A blend of fact and fiction, designed to be a story of historical fiction paired with historical fact, this book also has hands-on extension activities. Slave life, the movement to abolish slavery, and elements of the underground railroad are seen through the eyes of two young girls.

23. Genre: Historical Fiction Brian Doyle • Angel SquareA budding young detective named Tommy, confronts racial prejudice in Ottawa after the Second World War. • Boy O'BoySummer 1945, Martin O'Boy lives with his family in Lowertown Ottawa, and tries (unsuccessfully) to steer clear of the head of the boys' choir. • Easy AvenueAn orphan in the 1950s, Hubbo O'Driscoll is torn between loyalty to his poor but fun friends and family and the shallow but rich kids at his Ottawa high school. • Covered BridgeCovered Bridge pits earnest Hubbo O'Driscoll against two determined, cynical land developers • Mary Ann AliceMary and her teacher investigate a project to dam up the Gatineau River in 1926 • Uncle RonaldIn 1895, to escape his violent father, Mickey is sent to stay with his Uncle Ronald Chapter Books

24. REGION: Prairie Provinces • Alberta • Saskatchewan • Manitoba

25. Genre: Historical Fiction Josepha: A Prairie Boy’s Story By Jim McGugan Story of immigrant boy learning English in school with the small children, and having to choose between going to work or staying in school. A young boy learns the news that his friend Josepha will soon be leaving school, alienated because no one speaks his language. What can the boy do to show that his friendship with Josepha has meant much to him? Picture Book

26. Genre: Poetry If You’re Not from the Prairie By David Bouchard Poem with the premise that if you’re not from the prairie you can't understand the wind, the cold, the grasses. However, even though we might not know the prairie, we all do know the sun. Picture Book

27. Genre: Contemporary Realistic William Kurelek A Prairie Boy’s WinterFollows William and his family through a winter on their farm in Alberta A Prairie Boy’s SummerSummer on the prairies during the Depression was not a vacation from school; it was hard work. A Northern NativityA young boy imagines the nativity could have occurred anywhere and to any racial group. Picture Books

28. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet A Prairie AlphabetOn each page is a single sentence consisting of words that begin with the featured letter, describing a scenario: "We auction our Aberdeen Angus at Agribition"; "A mouse munches a meal of millet by moonlight." A Prairie YearCaptures the rural lifestyle shared by people in Saskatchewan and Alberta, providing a month-by-month anecdotal record of life on the plains, accompanied by a series of full-page paintings. Heartland SamplerUsingthe frame of a sampler quilt, it takes a unique look at the landscape, customs, history, traditions, and peoples of the Prairies. Picture Books

29. Genre: Contemporary Realistic The Moccasin Goalie By William Roy Brownridge Fictional story of friends who didn’t make the hockey team but really want to play hockey. Based on the true life of the author as a child. He physically couldn’t wear skates, but played goalie on winning hockey teams. Picture Book

30. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Farley Mowat The Dog Who Wouldn’t BeThis is the story about a dog and his boy. The boy was the author and the dog was Mutt. Clearly, Mutt believed that he could do better than just be a dog. Owls in the FamilyA story of a young boy’s pet menagerie – which includes crows, magpies, gophers and a dog – growing out of control with the addition of two cantankerous pet owls, Wol and Weeps. Chapter Books

31. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Northern Exposures By Eric Walters Kevin Spreekmeester has just won a photography contest he doesn’t remember entering. The prize is a five-day trip to Churchill, Manitoba, to photograph polar bears with a renowned wildlife photographer. It all sounds pretty good - it’s a chance for Kevin to escape his controlling parents and the tedium of school. www.ericwalters.net Chapter Book

32. REGION: West • British Columbia

33. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Ann Blades Mary of Mile 18 was her first book. She wrote to give her students something to read about themselves. Mile 18 is now named Buick, BC. Mary of Mile 18Mary finds a wolf pup but is forbidden to keep it as a pet, until it proves its worth on the family farm . A Boy of TacheCharlie, a boy of the Indian reserve of Tache in northern British Columbia, joins his grandparents for the annual spring beaver hunt. But they’re not at the camp long when Za becomes ill and Charlie must go alone to get help. This is a simple, realistic story of how a native people continues traditional ways. A Salmon for Simon – illustratorSimon has been trying all summer to catch a salmon. But when he gets his chance, Simon no longer wants to keep it--it's too strong and beautiful! Picture Books

34. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Waiting for the Whales By Sheryl McFarlane A man teaches his grand-daughter how to identify animals, plants, and how to garden, but most of all, when to watch for the annual return of the Orca whales. A seasons of life story. Picture Book

35. Genre: Fantasy Paul Yee Grew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Ghost TrainExtreme poverty forces the father to leave his family behind in South China to take a dangerous railroad construction job in BC. After 2 years of sending his pay home, Ba asks that Choon-yi join him, but when she arrives in Vancouver she learns that her father has died in a landslide. Her plans to return to China come to an end, when her father appears in a dream. Roses Sing on New SnowWhile Maylin does the cooking for her family's Chinatown restaurant, her greedy father and two fat brothers take all the credit. When her specially prepared dish, ``Roses Sing on New Snow,'' is served to the visiting governor of South China, he asks the brothers to show him how it was made. www.paulyee.ca Picture Books

36. Genre: Traditional Paul Yee Grew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Tales from Gold MountainEight original stories give readers a sense of the hardships faced by the first Chinese-Canadians. In "Spirits of the Railway," a young man appeases the ghosts of dead railroad workers who were never properly buried. In "Forbidden Fruit," a father's prejudice keeps his daughter from marrying her beloved. Dramatic illustrations accompany the stories. The brief, pithy tales strikingly reflect traditional Chinese beliefs and customs in New World circumstances. Dead Man’s Gold and Other StoriesExplores 140 years of the history of Chinese immigrants to Canada through tales with a subtle sense of the supernatural. They creating a snapshot of the lives and times of these early immigrants--men who left their families in China hoping to bring them to the sweeter life of Gold Mountain, only to come up against racism, discrimination, and unfair immigration laws. www.paulyee.ca

37. REGION: North • Yukon • Northwest Territories • Nunavut

38. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Farley Mowat Lost in the BarrensTwo teen boys must survive while stranded in the Northwest Territories. Jamie is an anglo-Canadian orphan living with his uncle in northern Canada. He and his best friend, Awasin, native Cree, set out with a trapper for an adventure in the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, a canoe accident leaves the boys lost and alone in the northern tundra. Relying on what survival skills they have and their innate courage and ingenuity, Jamie and Awasin must survive and make their way through the soggy bogs and harsh landscape of Canada's north. The Curse of the Viking GraveAwasin, Jamie, and Peetryuk, three adventure-prone boys, stumble upon a cache of Viking relics in an ancient tomb somewhere in Arctic Canada. They discover its significance while out-running officials. Includes little-known information about the customs of Viking explorers. Chapter Books

39. Genre: Historical Fiction Trapped in Ice By Eric Walters Thirteen-year-old Helen is not sure she is looking forward to spending the next six months on board the Karluk, a ship headed on an Arctic expedition. But with the recent death of her father, it is the only work her seamstress mother can find. Helen’s nine year-old brother, Michael, is delighted to be off on a real adventure. Based on true events surrounding the ill-fated Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913, Trapped in Ice is a riveting, fast-paced adventure set in a marvelous but brutal world of ice and snow. www.ericwalters.net Chapter Book

40. Genre: Historical Fiction Maata’s Journal: a novel By Paul Sullivan A picture of Inuit life in Arctic Canada in the early 20th C. Inuit teen, Maata, realizes that in order to thrive in this new world, she must adapt to this new way of life. As she learns to read and write in English, she begins to keep a journal as she struggles to retain her traditional ways. However, when she is chosen to join a mapping expedition to her beloved homeland, she finds that all of her skills -- both from her Inuit and western educations -- become equally invaluable when tragedy strikes. Chapter Book

41. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Ted Harrison A Northern AlphabetTed Harrison's paintings illustrate a northern alphabet, a child's introduction to the alphabet through the landscape, people, flora and fauna of the Canadian North. Children of the YukonBrilliant, colorful paintings depict children of the Yukon at work and play: snaring rabbits, feeding ravens, racing on snowshoes and hunting moose, panning for gold in famous Bonanza Creek, and exploring the ruins of Dawson City. www.tedharrison.com Picture Books

42. Genre: Contemporary / Trad. Michael Kusugak Grew up in Repulse Bay, Nunavut My Arctic 1,2,3Counting book using Arctic wildlife Arctic StoriesCollection of Arctic tales inspired by author’s experience, set in the 1950s. A Promise is a PromiseAllashua disobeys her parents and goes fishing on the sea ice Baseball Bats for ChristmasTrue story resulting from never having seen trees. Hide and SneakOne afternoon Allashua is lured into mischief Northern LightsExplores the Inuit belief that the Northern Lights are the souls playing soccer www.annickpress.com Picture Books

43. Genre: Contemporary Realistic What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? By Richard Van Camp The narrator, a member of the Dogrib Nation asks his family and friends, "What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses?" It's a surprising question since "All's we had up here were dogs.” Illustrated by an artist of the horse-knowing Cree Nation, George Littlechild. Picture Book

44. Across Canada • Not region-specific • Canada-wide

45. Genre: Anthology Meet Canadian Authors & Illustrators By Allison Gertridge • 60 Creators of award-winning children’s books; their photo, their list of books • Brief biographies include why and how they write and illustrate • “Do it Yourself” ideas at each bio, suggesting a writing or drawing prompt inspired by the author or illustrator www.scholastic.ca

46. Genre: Anthology This Land: A Cross-Country Anthology of Canadian Fiction for Young Readers Selected by Kit Pearson Each province and territory (territories are grouped together and called the North) has from one to five selections, reflecting its population and the range of authors who have written about it. There is a nice mix of contemporary and older stories ranging from 1925 (L. M. Montgomery) to 1996 (Janet McNaughton), and a range of cultural backgrounds. Care was also taken to balance protagonist genders and literary genres. ISBN: 01403-8989-X www.amazon.ca

47. Genre: Anthology Winds Through Time: An Anthology of Canadian Historical Teen Fiction Compiled by Ann Walsh Ann Walsh has selected fifteen captivating stories written by well-known authors from across the country. Each contributor has penned a dramatic account of a real episode in Canadian history. From mine disasters to scarlet fever epidemics, from the Great War to the Gold Rush, these writers breathe life into the tales of our ancestors and tell stories only history could have imagined. Authors featured in the anthology include: Joan Weir, Lynne Bowen, Joan Skogan, John Wilson, Barbara Haworth-Attard, Linda Holeman, Andrea and David Spalding, Shirlee Smith-Matheson, Norma Charles, Constance Horne, Joanne Findon, Beverley Brenna, Kathleen Cook Waldron, and Kathryn Hatashita-Lee.

48. Genre: Anthology The Spirit of Canada Edited by Barbara Henner The Spirit of Canada, a visually stunning anthology that celebrates our country’s life and times, is filled with stories, songs, poems, and legends. 150 works by15 of Canada’s children’s artists illustrate almost every page. The Spirit of Canada can serve as a cultural reference guide, as well as a literary keepsake. Taking readers chronologically, and beginning with native creation myths, readers are introduced to a cross-section of Canadian history. Chapters include the discovery of the New World, early settlement, and Confederation, as well as legends, humor, and multiculturalism. www.Fitzhenry.ca

49. Genre: Anthology - Alphabet M is for Maple by Mike UlmerA shining tribute to Canada. From British Columbia to Newfoundland, this Canadian alphabet book shares our nation's symbols, history, people and culture. Eh? to Zed by Kevin MajorSet in tightly linked rhyming verse, the words for this unique book resonate with classic and contemporary images from every province and territory in the country.

50. Genre: Contemporary Realistic Tom and Liz Austen Mysteries By Eric Wilson “Tom Austen and his sister Liz have shared many suspenseful moments while exploring our nation”, says series author Eric Wilson. A former teacher, Wilson designed this series with the reluctant reader in mind. The 20 adventure stories are dialogue-rich, fast paced, and predictable. The stories are rooted in Canada's culture and landscape; Eric Wilson lived in the area he wrote about while creating each story. http://members.shaw.ca/ericwilsonweb/ Chapter Books