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Picture Books
New Releases
Mac Barnett (Author)
Adam Rex (Illustrator)
One of our favourite picture books so far in 2012! Mac & Adam are writing a book together, but they can’t agree on the story – with hilarious consequences. It takes their main character, Chloe, to save Adam from the lion, and the story from disaster! Quick, clever, and completely irresistible. Ages 3+.
Germano Zullo
Prolific writer and poet in his native Switzerland, Germano Zullo, has penned an extraordinary story about a little bird who is reluctant to fly with his friends, and the truck driver who encourages him. Silly, charming and bittersweet, give this book a read and we're sure you'll find someone young or old to delight with it. Ages 3+.
Sylviane Donnio
Little Crocodile used to love bananas, but now he's only interested in eating one thing: a child. His mother and father try their best to persuade him to eat other things but Little Crocodile decides it's time to find a child to eat. Unfortunately for him, the little girl he sets his sights on merely picks him up and tickles his tummy! So Little Crocodile decides to keep eating bananas until he's big enough to try again. Brightly coloured illustrations and silly dialogue make this story surprisingly delightful.
Ages 3+ .
Jan Brett
Both the beautiful and the beastly are gorgeously illustrated in this wonderfully told story by classic children’s author Jan Brett (author of The Mitten). With rich illustrations and fantastic details to discover on every page, this is truly a fairy tale to treasure. Ages 3+ .
Emily Gravett
Emily Gravett is the author of some of our favourite picture books (Meerkat Mail, The Odd Egg, The Rabbit Problem). Back with her singular style, Again! is the story of a young dragon who wants his bedtime story read to him over and over! Always inventive, unusual and a joy to read. Ages 3+.
Cybele Young
This picture book won the 2011 Governor General's Award for children's illustration, and it's easy to see why. The black-and-white drawings in this charming counting book are detailed, meticulous and beautiful. Nine birds construct strange and inventive structures to help them cross to the other side of a river, but only the last bird uses common sense. An intricate, sweet and clever book that shows that sometimes the best solution to a problem is the simplest one. Ages 2+.
Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers, author of one of our all-time favourite picture books Lost & Found, has returned with his trademark illustrations to accompany this absurdly funny story. Floyd has gotten his kite stuck up in a tree, so he does what anyone would do and throws his shoe up to knock the kite down. Unfortunately for Floyd, his shoe also gets stuck. So does his other shoe, as well as a ladder, a bucket of paint, an orangutan and then the kitchen sink! But it doesn't stop there, join Floyd as he tries everything he can think of (and I mean everything) to knock his kite out of the tree. Ages 3+.
Woop Studios
An embarrassment of pandas, a galaxy of starfish and a shiver of sharks are just a sampling of the collective nouns to discover in this breath-taking alphabet book. Every page includes a stunning frame-worthy illustration for each of the twenty-six collective nouns opposite a page of information about that animal. This incredible picture book is sure to enthrall readers of (almost) all ages. Ages 3+.
Eric Carle
Eric Carle is famous for his delightful, unconventional paintings of the natural world, and in this book he paints a blue horse, a pink rabbit, a yellow cow.... Carle grew up in Germany during World War II, where unrealistic art was considered "degenerate." When a young Carle's art teacher secretly showed him paintings by Franz Marc, known for his bright paintings of a blue horses, Carle was shocked by the daring, unusual art. But he soon came to love Marc's stylized paintings and they have had an influence on Carle throughout his lifetime. A celebration of artistic freedom, this gorgeous book encourages young artists to express their natural talents freely and joyfully. Ages 2+.
Chris Van Allsburg
As the story goes, a book publisher was visited over 25 years ago by a man named Harris Burdick, who presented 14 drawings, accompanied by captions, to see if the publisher liked his work. The publisher was intrigued by the images and asked to see the full stories so Mr. Burdick promised to bring the stories the next day, but he never showed up. He didn't show up the day after that either and no one has heard of him since. For years, readers of all ages have been making up stories to go along with the drawings, and this new collection brings together an amazing array of writers who have imagined stories to go along with Burdick's mysterious images. Stephen King, Lois Lowry, Kate Dicamillo, Sherman Alexie and many others contribute to this eerie, beautiful and fascinating follow-up to The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Ages 5+
Chris Van Allsburg
Come and meet the Queen of the Falls and witness with your own eyes her daring ride! Chris Van Allsburg, who brought us The Polar Express, tells the true story of a retired charm-school teacher who sought fame and fortune by doing something no one had ever done before: she would go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel. Van Allsburg masterfully crafts texts and illustrations to tell the story of this eccentric, courageous woman. Ages 3+.
All-Time Favourites
Glen Lovett
Jasper and Ruby are back! A follow-up to the first of Jasper's adventures, this graphic novel just won a gold medal at the Independent Publisher Book Awards! This exciting graphic novel takes place in the rain forests of Vancouver Island, where the husky, Jasper, and his human companion, Ruby, are spending their summer holidays. When their canoeing trip is suddenly interrupted by a spectacular meteor strike, a flash flood ensues and our heroes discover a long-forgotten First Nations rock carving. The carving reveals mysterious clues and sets in motion an exciting, wonderfully illustrated adventure! Ages 6+.
And don't miss Jasper's first adventure, which won a gold medal for excellence in Independent Publishing:The Adventures of Jasper: Lost in Skookum Valley
Patrick McDonnell
At first glance this is a simple story about a little girl and her toy monkey, but its surprise ending had us all enraptured. Whimsical illustrations and an inspiring message make this one of the very best picture books of 2011. Ages 3+
Deborah Underwood
Nominated for the 2010 Governor General’s illustration award, this book quickly became one of our favourites. Quiet can be delicate, thundering, or sweet and cozy. This book will make you feel all the emotions we experience… quietly. Ages 3+.
Be sure to catch the noisier but equally delightful sequel, The Loud Book
Tamara James
We love this adorable book! Animal idioms are cleverly brought together with delightful illustrations to make an inspirational story that will definitely make you smile! A great tool to teach children about idioms, an inspiring message for a young graduate or a wonderful gift for your favourite adult. Ages 4 to adult.
Shaun Tan
A girl finds a bright spot in a dark world. A boy leads a strange, lost creature home. And a group of peaceful creatures cedes their home to hostile invaders. Three beloved and acclaimed tales (The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and the John Marsden classic, The Rabbits) are now available in one stunning edition. With additional new artwork and author's notes, Shaun Tan's genius is on brilliant display. Ages 3+.
Marie-Louise Gay
New in paperback
The Stella books by Canadian award winning author/illustrator Marie-Louise Gay have been much loved for over 10 years. Sam is an adorable and curious young boy. Equally charming is his older and wiser sister Stella, who has just the right answers for all Sam’s questions. Gay’s colourful illustrations work beautifully with the text to produce these treasured stories. Ages 2+.
Emily Gravett
We are huge fans of this extremely talented British author/illustrator (Meerkat Mail, The Odd Egg). Laid out like a calendar, The Rabbit Problem is the tale of two rabbits and their growing family living in Fibonacci’s Field. Discover how many pairs of rabbits there are after one year in a fantastic pop-up on the last page! Is this what happened at UVic and Victoria General Hospital? Ages 3+.
Berkeley Breathed
Pete is a predictable, practical, uncomplicated pig until one stormy night Pickles, an elephant escapee from the circus, sneaks into Pete's house. Her ridiculous plans upset, transform and enrich Pete's life. With its whimsical characters and vibrant illustrations Pete & Pickles is guaranteed to charm! Ages 3+.
Jean-Luc Fromental
What do you do when a penguin is mysteriously delivered to your door every day for a year? At first they're cute but then they really start to pile up! This hilarious, oversize picture book integrates challenging math concepts and environmental concerns into a clever narrative which makes it truly a staff favourite. Ages 4+.
Tim Beiser (Author)
Rachel Berman (Illustrator)
Uncle Tim promised to write a story about a frog for his niece and this is the wonderful result. Great rhyming text tells the story of a frog that discovers his cupboards are bare. Bradley sets off to meet his new neighbours in hopes they will share what they eat! But he soon discovers that mice like disgusting things like cheese and crackers and bears like honey. “So sadly did Bradley slog back to his bog to mope without hope for some food in his log.” Along with Victoria’s own Rachel Berman’s charming illustrations, this book will no doubt become a family classic. Ages 3+.
Michelle Knudsen
This has to be one of our favourite picture books of all-time. Wonderful, nostalgic illustrations by Kevin Hawkes make you fall in love with this friendly lion. Miss Merriweather, the head librarian has many rules but none for lions in the library. "Then leave him be." Lion soon becomes a wonderful addition to the library helping dust with his tail and being the perfect backrest for the children during story time. But one day, lion has to break the rules to save Miss Merriweather! Ages 3+.
Oliver Jeffers
There once was a boy … and one day a penguin appeared on his doorstep. But no one wants a penguin at the Lost and Found, so the boy takes him to the South Pole. Along the way, both discover that being together might be better than being where they belong... Ages 3+.
Melanie Watt
New in this best selling series by Canadian author/illustrator Melanie Watt. Scaredy Squirrel never sleeps -- sleep might mean bad dreams about dragons, ghosts, vampire bats and polka-dot monsters. Our wide-eyed hero has a plan: stay awake all night, every night! Ages 4+.
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