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Award-Winning BooksEnglish Titles
Cover reproduced by permission of Red Deer College Press.
Josepha is the poignant story of a gawky, gangling 14-year-old immigrant boy, at the turn of the century, who is forced to sit in the primary row at his prairie schoolhouse because he doesn't speak enough English. With bold strokes and vivid imagery, the story explores Josepha's relationships with the younger school children and, at the same time, explains his deep need for independence. The award-winning illustrations, which sweep across the pages in rich prairie hues of yellow, gold, orange, and blue, speak of the determination of the human spirit against a backdrop of the vast prairie landscape.
Cover reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Canada Limited. Cover illustration: Paul McCusker, cover design: Renée Cuthbertson.
It is the year 1015 and 14-year-old Thrand, a Greenland Viking, is abducted by a Native clan while part of an expedition to Newfoundland. Although he is as bewildered by his red-ochred captors as they are by his paleness, racial and cultural differences are surpassed as he learns to respect and understand the beliefs of these gentle people. While he gradually wins acceptance into the community, his greatest challenges are in overcoming his desire to return home, and in winning the trust of Abidith, a strong-willed and spiritually gifted young Native woman, who can see into his dreams. An intriguing work of fiction about some of Newfoundland's earliest residents.
Cover reproduced by permission of Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
On a beautiful spring day, hopeful, wary Burl Crow follows his abusive father through the verdant undergrowth of Northern Ontario. In a scene fraught with the potential for violence, the two characters are interrupted by an unexpected and wondrous sight. A grand piano hanging from a low-flying helicopter appears in the hot blue May sky and sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Burl's flight from home, his encounters with a world-famous pianist and others, his search for independence and self-realization are described with lyrical, fast-paced sensibility in this novel which celebrates the optimism and potential of youth.
Cover reproduced by pemission of Tundra Books.
Fearful of the effect of his death upon his people, Gilgamesh, the mighty, all-powerful king of Uruk (a city-state in ancient Mesopotamia) sets out to find the secret of immortality. He faces many challenges and overcomes much adversity on his long and arduous quest. In the end he learns that death is inevitable; it is through courage and good deeds that he will live on in people's hearts and memories. In this retelling of one of the world's oldest stories, Ludmila Zeman's deceptively simple text and powerful other-worldly illustrations are used to good effect to transmit the enigmas of the past and the mysteries of the human condition.
Cover reproduced by permission of Kids Can Press Ltd.
Step back in time with the Robertson family -- Ma, Pa, their six children, and Granny -- to learn about life in backwoods Ontario in 1840. From the opening chapter, when 10-year-old Sarah finds the first egg of the year, to the last, when she eats oatcakes to celebrate Hogmanay, the reader will be enchanted with a cornucopia of facts, fiction, and detailed illustrations which document the daily routines and special events of this fictionalized but competely believable and endearing pioneer family. Other commendable features are the suggested activities, an index, and a glossary of difficult terms. |
