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Written by Mireille Messier
Illustrated by Pierre Pratt
Kids Can Press

When an ice storm snaps a small girl's favourite branch from the tree in her yard, she's crestfallen. The girl's mom says it's just a branch. But not to her! "That was the branch I sat on, jumped from, played under. It was my castle, my spy base, my ship..." Luckily, her neighbour Mr.Frank understands. He says the branch has "potential." "What's potential?" she asks. "It means it's worth keeping." And so, with imagination and spirit, and Mr.Frank's guidance and tools, the girl transforms the broken branch into something whole and new, giving it another purpose, and her another place to treasure.

Student Comments
Penny -
Janmay -
Sofia -
Soorya -
Sarah -
Gabriel -

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Written by Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion
Illustrated by Eric Fan and Terry Fan
Tundra Books

Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he's a brave astronaut, exploring the universe. Only one problem-- at night, Chris doesn't feel so brave. He;s afraid of the dark. But when he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest of dark there is-- and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.

Student Comments
Penny - I liked how the author was telling his own story. I also loved the illustrations!
Janmay - The story was okay. It was a bit slow. I liked the part at the end where the author told us that your dreams can come true!
Sarah - It was good. I liked how it was a real story, not a made-up one!
Gabriel - I loved the part where the author got over his fear of the dark (and all the things he thought were hiding in his bedroom)!

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Written by Shelly Becker
Illustrated by Eda Kaban
Sterling Publishing

When Superheroes don't get their way, when they're sad, when they're mad, when they've had a bad day...they COULD super-tantrum, then COULD but they DON'T, because REAL Superheroes just WOULDN'T-they WON'T!

All kinds have trouble getting a grip on their emotions, sometimes-even young superheroes! But what do they do when they're having a bad day? Colourful action-packed illustrations and a dynamic rhyming text reveal the many ways superheroes (and ordinary children, too) can resist the super-temptation to cause a scene when they're sad, mad, frustrated, lonely, or afraid. From burning off steam on a bike or a hike, to helping others, this energetic picture book of fun ideas to help kids cope when they're feeling overwhelmed.

Student Comments
Penny - I think it's kind of silly because superheroes don't usually do bad things. It's silly to see them acting badly! Even if you're having a bad day, calm down like these superheroes did.
Soorya - I liked the part where they were kind of silly, and showed their anger and then their meditations afterwards! I liked the art and the writing!
Gabriel - I really liked the Main Idea of this book! I liked how the superheroes were drawn, and I thought the author's message was a good one!
Sarah - My favourite part was when they were smashing things for no reason (at the beginning), which showed that heroes can get angry too.

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Written By Kari-Lynn Winters
Illustrated by François Tisdale
Pajama Press

Phoebe-half Jamaican, half French-Canadian-hates her school nickname of "French Toast." So she is mortified when, out on a walk with her Jamaican grandmother, she hears a classmate shout it out at her. To make things worse, Nan-Ma, who is blind, wants an explanation of the name. How can Phoebe describe the colour of her skin to someone who has never seen it? "Like tea, after you've added the milk" she says. And her father? "Like warm banana bread." And Nan-Ma herself? She is like maple syrup poured over ...well...

Student Comments
Penny -I like how she was talking about food for skin colour, because I love to eat!
Sofia - This book reminded me of food!
Soorya -This book has food in it, and I love to eat food!
Sarah -I liked all the descriptions of food. I'M HUNGRY NOW!
Gabriel - I liked how this book is related to Pink Day because the people who were talking to the main character were bullying her by calling her 'French Toast' (a nickname she later realized that she actually kind of likes)!

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Written by Glen Gretzky and Lauri Holomis
Illustrated by Kevin Sylvester
Foreword by Wayne Gretzky
Puffin Canada

Taylor is so excited when he makes the hockey team - and not just any team, but HIS team. The boy they are already calling The Great One. Taylor wants to be great too, but he's still got a lot to learn. Lucky for him, Coach Wally is in his corner, guiding him through the ups and downs of being part of a hockey team, and being the best player he can be. As Coach Wally says, if you have a good time, work hard and do your best, "that is all that matters."

Student Comments
Penny -
Janmay -
Sofia -
Soorya -
Sarah -
Gabriel -

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Written by Carolyn Huizinga Mills
Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited

Sally loved taking baths. It wasn't because the water was full of bubbles? or because she had the bathroom all to herself? and it was not because she always came out squeaky clean? Sally loved taking baths because it was the only time she could talk to the Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain. Sally found out about him when her mother sang to Sally's baby brother about Baa Baa Black Sheep and his three bags of wool, one of which went to the Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain. And thus a friendship was born. Every bath that Sally took after that was devoted to discovering more about her new friend.

Student Comments
Group Comments - We thought this book was very imaginative and silly! It showed us to be careful with misinterpreting information, and that it's also very important to treat others the way you'd like to be treated!

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Written by Bree Galbraith
Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Owlkids Books Inc.

When Milo's family moves to a new city, he vows to officially retire from having fun. So he stays inside for days while is little sister, Georgie, yearns to explore the new neighbourhood. Finally, Milo ties Georgie to the end of a ball yarn so she can go out, on one condition: she has to come home when he tugs the string twice.

But one day, Georgie isn't at the end of the string. While means Milo might just have to step outside and discover everything he's been missing. Charming, detailed artwork illustrates their vibrant new city in this heartwarming story about supporting each other, building community, adapting to change, and embracing new things.

Student Comments
Penny - I liked how the little girl was mostly happy in this book, and the boy was mostly sad. They were opposites!
Janmay - I liked how at the end Milo found his sister and his sister gave him some gelato to cheer him up!
Sarah - I like how Milo and Georgie were acting friendly to each other and sometimes they were a bit annoying (like a real brother and sister). This reminds me of my little brother! I love my little brother!

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Written by Roselynn Akulukjuk
Illustrated by Amanda Sandland
Inhabit Media Inc.

As Owl swoops down and blocks the entrance to a lemming den, he is sure that he has a tasty meal in the little animal he has cornered. But this lemming is not about to be late. This smart little rodent will need to appeal to the boastful owl's sense of pride to get away.

Student Comments
Penny - I loved how owls usually are the smartest animals in a story, but in this story the lemming ended up tricking the owl.
Janmay - I liked how at the end the owl's dad taught him how to play with your food!
Sofia - I liked how the lemming was a really smart, cunning and cute character!
Soorya -
Sarah - I liked how the lemming was so tiny (with a tiny brain) and the owl was so big (with a big brain), but the lemming still out-thought the owl!
Gabriel - I liked the picture designs, especially how the background was non-fictional with a fictional (cartoon) character placed on top of it! I also loved the Main Idea of this story!

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Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

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Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

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Written by Jess Keating
Illustrated by Marta Alvarez Magueys
Sourcebooks

This is the story of a woman who dared to dive, defy, discover, and inspire. This is the story of Shark Lady.

Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium. She couldn't imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures. But Eugenie quickly discovered that many people believed sharks to be ugly and scary-and they didn't think women should be scientists.

Determined to prove them wrong, Eugenie devoted her life to learning about sharks. After earning several college degrees and making countless discoveries, Eugenie wrote herself into the history of science, earning the nickname Shark Lady. Through her accomplishments, she taught the world that sharks were to be admired rather than feared and that women can do anything they set their minds to.

Student Comments
Penny - I liked how it's based on a true story of a real shark scientist!
Soorya - The lady wasn't afraid of sharks, even though people told her to be! That's amazing and very brave.
Gabriel - I liked how the girl is very unique, and had very different ideas about being a scientist and scuba diver (even when others told her not to do that)!

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Written by Andrew Larsen
Illustrated by Mike Lowery
Kids Can Press

A young boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister. But there's a problem, he tells her. Though he knows his letters, he doesn't know many words. "Every story starts with a single word and every word starts with a single letter," his sister explains patiently. " Why don't you start there, with a letter?" So the boy tries. He writes a letter. An easy letter. The letter I. And from that one skinny letter, the story grows, and the little boy discovers that all of us, including him, have what we need to write our own perfect story.

Student Comments
Penny - I liked how that instead of writing words, the little boy used pictures to help tell his story (and squiggles and lines)!
Sofia - I love books. They're all awesome! This one was a fun read.
Sarah - I liked the art style in the story! I loved the ending with the martian!
Gabriel - I liked the main idea (the author's message) and how the boy made a silly story on his own. I thought it was a good story too!