Children's Books

Put Me in a Book

By Robert Munsch
What if you saw an author and asked him to put you into his book?  That’s the premise for a story that Madame O’Dell’s class of Laurentian School, North Bay created and then sent to renowned story-teller Robert Munsch.  The author liked it so much that he did indeed put the girl into a book.  Thanks to the clever class, the heroine manages to escape and turn the tables on the author.  So, not only is it a very cute story, it’s our very own, and we welcome Mrs. O’s class into the writing fraternity.  You have put North Bay on the map with your creativity..

Chester's Masterpiece

By Melanie Watt
Chester’s Masterpiece is the third frisky instalment from Melanie Watt’s mischievous cat Chester.
Other children’s books from the Montreal born author include:
Scaredy Squirrel
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend
Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach
Scaredy Squirrel at Night
Chester
Chester’s Back!
Have I Got a Book for You!.

The Heart and the Bottle

by Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers writes and illustrates his children’s books and in the past they have been hit or miss with me.  His latest story, The Heart and the Bottle is a definite hit.  It tells the story of a girl who loves to explore the world and discover new things until the day her grandfather passes away.  She puts her heart in a bottle that day because it is broken.  But without a heart she loses her zest for all things.  Then she meets a little girl just like she was, full of curiosity and questions.  As a woman she must decide whether her heart should stay in the bottle and be safe or if she should remove the armour and take a chance that she will get hurt again.

This story is sweetly and simply told.  It brings memories of childhood hurts that we must all survive, but also revives the notion that though our hearts hurt they also leap with joy.  This book reminds us all what soft-shelled creatures we are and that to open our hearts is to chance pain and suffering but also great joy.  The illustrations are as enjoyable as the story.  Enjoy,Kristy

The Orange Shoes

by Trinka Hakes Noble, Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger
This is a story that I loved from the first time I read it.  It tells us about a young girl named Delly Porter who walks on a dirt road to school everyday in bare feet.  She had a very happy life until one day a classmate said that only poor kids don’t have shoes.  One day the school said they were going to put on an auction to raise money for art supplies.  Delly wanted to get new shoes for this event but her dad said he needed new tires for his truck.  Delly and her father were out on a walk in town when she spotted the shoes she wanted, but they were too much money.
This book shows us how to appreciate the little things and to make the best of a situation.  I highly recommend this book, it’s warmth and joy will get to your heart and will show kids the true meaning of love.  You shouldn’t let anyone make you feel bad, its what you think that is important.  I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. Irene

Leviathan

by Scott Westerfeld
Illustrated by Keith Thompsonr

With a bang, the world plunges headlong into the nightmare of the First World War and one boy’s fate is forever altered in Scott Westerfeld’s fast-paced, steampunk novel Leviathan. Prince Alekander Ferdinand, son of the murdered arch duke whose death triggered the First World War, must flee for his life, pursued by his own countrymen. While on the run he meets Daryl Sharp, a girl disguised as a boy on the British airship the Leviathan, her identity hidden behind much swagger and swearing.

What sets Leviathan apart however is the world it creates: a world similar yet very different to ours. Technology has advanced along a different path. Steam powers the Germanic war machine known as Clankers, they rumble across Europe in their iron tanks and bi-pedal weapons. Britain and its allies are known as Darwinists for their reliance on bio-engineered technology. The pinnacle of which is the Leviathan, a massive bio-engineered whale airship; it’s literally alive and flies through the sky like a zeppelin sustained by a complex web of life that surrounds it. The Leviathan airship, in my opinion, is Westerfeld’s most masterful creation in the novel; just imagine looking up at the sky and seeing a whale fly by. Blending the past with the future, this is the essence of the novel, and that is the essence of steampunk. Brock