picture book

A young bear wakes up to find that his mother has left him. He is lonely, cold, and hungry as he tries to find her. Eventually he learns how to take care of himself. Soft watercolor illustrations of landscapes, with a few drawings of scary bears, help tell the lonely lifestyle of male brown bears.

Author and illustrator: John Schoenherr

Immi lives in the Arctic where she rarely has company. One winter day while fishing she catches a little wooden painted bird, colors she has never seen. She continues to catch beautiful carvings. Arctic animals from miles away come to visit and to see her collect. When spring comes, it is time for her to leave. Before she goes, she drops her own craved polar bear necklace in the water. Faraway a young boy on a tropical beach finds the carved wooden polar bear. Full-page watercolor illustrations show how the world between the oceans is not so big.

With the help of Arctic Alaskan animals, twelve Aesop’s fables are retold. Reflectively written, each imaginary fable ends with a moral to the story. The weaknesses and the strengths of the animals are relevant in each stories, which we can sometimes see in ourselves. Soft, representational paintings illustrate this lovely book.

Written by: Susi Gregg Fowler

Raven is accused of stealing Ferret’s raspberries because Raven has been caught steeling before. Raven insists he is not the one who stole the berries. The rest of the animals in the forest are convinced that Raven is guilty, except Hamster. Raven promises it was not he. The animals decide to look for clues, and discover Raven is innocent. The use of dialect, double page soft pastel illustrations, and an animal-centered point of view creates a warm and democratic story of problem solving with friends.

Author: Udo Weigelt

Little Igvillu, a Cairn terrier puppy, was born in Red Deer, Alberta. Her mother told her stories about dogs from all around the world. As she learned about different types of dogs, she decided she wanted to be a sled dog when she grew up. On day the owners of the kennel told her that a storyteller from northern Canada was adopting her. Igvillu was going to live in Rankin Inlet in Nunavut. She loved her new home and all the places she had to run and play, but she still dreamed of being a sled dog.

Molly’s mother drops her off at preschool for the day. While at school, there is an earthquake. Molly and her friends listen to the teacher as she tells the children to do what they have practiced in the event of an earthquake. After the quake, the teacher reassures the students and keeps them busy while they wait for parents to pick up them up. The book is illustrated with colored pencils in childlike drawings. The story, told in limited omniscient point of view, is written in a gentle narrative to teach children what to do in the event of an earthquake.

Ducky, a plastic toy, is packed with hundreds of other bath toys in a crate on a ship from China. A storm causes the crate to fall overboard where Ducky and his other plastic friends are left bobbing in the ocean. Terrified Ducky tells the story from his point of view. After a very long time, Ducky washes ashore and is found by a boy. The boy reports to Mrs. James who is keeping a record of other toys, like Ducky, who have been found in the area.

Moshi’s new friend, Jessica just moved from New York to the Arctic village of Iqaluit. On day in May, both girls are caught in a sudden snowstorm. Nuna, Jessica’s dad’s sled dog leads the girls to safety of a shed where Nuna has delivered a litter of puppies. Nuna leaves the girls in the shed with her pups and brings back Moshi’s father and others to rescue them. Moshi’s father offers her a pup for a pet, and Moshi says rather than having the dog for a pet, she wants her pup to grow up to be a sled dog just like his mother, Nuna.