THE GREATEST GIFTS
Wondering what to give kids this coming holiday season? Take it from Bernie Goedhart: “‘Books,’ said Father Christmas, in a novel I received for review recently, ‘are the greatest gifts of all. Nothing comes close.’ I’d add the fact that they’re easy to wrap — and that they’re wonderful to share with youngsters, especially at bedtime.” Below are some titles worth considering when you’re doing your holiday shopping:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle Philomel
Here’s a perfect example of a book with staying power. Published last month in a limited anniversary edition with a shiny metallic cover, the tale of a caterpillar eating its way through various fruits — and leaving holes just right for tiny fingers to explore — before turning into a stunning butterfly has entranced preschoolers for 50 years now. A note from the author/illustrator, who is approaching 90 himself, appears alongside the title page, and this anniversary edition also includes an afterword from Dolly Parton, who long ago included this title in her Imagination Library project, as well as four pages describing the book’s origins (it started out as a story titled A Week With Willi Worm). For ages 2 to 5.
Inkling Kenneth Oppel, Illustrated by Sydney Smith HarperCollins
Kenneth Oppel’s Inkling, included in a Canadiana column on this Books page in September, would make a great gift for any child interested in graphic novels and art. Combine it with a sketchbook, some pencils and coloured markers, and you’re all set. Ages 8 to 12.
The Log Driver’s Waltz Wade Hemsworth Illustrated by Jennifer Phelan Simon & Schuster
Here is another classic — but it’s only now gaining life as a quintessentially Canadian picture book. It had its origins as a song written by the late Hemsworth, a folksinger, and gained a legion of fans when it was used in a 1979 animated short released by the National Film Board (directed and animated by John Weldon), with lyrics sung by Kate & Anna McGarrigle. This year’s picture book, gloriously illustrated by Toronto’s Jennifer Phelan, incorporates end papers that hint at its cinematic origins, and adults sharing this book with children would be wise to also dig up a video of the NFB film so kids can hear the tune and enjoy the animation. Sharp-eyed children will then be able to zero in on the concert T-shirt our heroine is wearing in one of Phelan’s watercolour pencil drawings. For all ages.
Go Show the World Wab Kinew Illustrated by Joe Morse Tundra
This is a spectacular picture book for any child with an interest in Indigenous culture and heroic achievements. Winnipeg-based Kinew, a musician and former journalist, introduces us to various people from the U.S. and Canada, ranging from such historic figures as Sacagawea, Jim Thorpe and Tecumseh, to current noteworthies, including Beatrice Culleton Mosionier, Carey Price and Dr. Evan Adams. The book is powerfully illustrated by Toronto’s Joe Morse. Ages 5 to 9.
Father Christmas and Me Matt Haig Illustrated by Chris Mould HarperCollins
This is the third instalment in a series that includes A Boy Called Christmas and The Girl Who Saved Christmas. With numerous black-and-white illustrations, this volume tells the story of Amelia Wishart who, at 11, is rescued from a London workhouse and adopted by Father Christmas and his wife, and goes to live in Elfhelm, in the Far North. As a tall, gangly human, she towers over the elves and often feels she doesn’t belong. When she is targeted by Father Vodol, a truly nasty elf, she rises to the challenge and, with the help of the Truth Pixie, shows the elves who is truly responsible for the problems in Elfhelm, saving Christmas in the process — again. Ages 7 to 11.
They Say Blue Jillian Tamaki Groundwood
This book won this year’s Governor General’s Literary Award for young people’s illustrated books with a sweeping panorama of colour and seasonal activities centred on a little girl who begins by musing about blue as the colour of sky and sea. Golden fields turn into just plain yellow grass when grey clouds and rain take over, but could purple mean something new, she wonders, peering at a crocus from under a huge umbrella as winter’s cold and drizzle starts to make way for spring and summer. Ages 4 to 7.
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster Jonathan Auxier Penguin Random House
This book won the Governor General’s Literary Award for text in young people’s literature this year. With Dickensian overtones, this story of 11-year-old Nan Sparrow and the chimney sweep who cared for her from the time she was a baby until he disappeared from her life when she was six, is set in 1875 London, England. Nan, along with boys as young as six, climb up chimneys too narrow for Wilkie Crudd, clean the flues and deliver sacks of soot to their master. It is hard work for hardly any pay. Nan, who is Crudd’s best climber, often dreams about her Sweep, treasuring the small bit of char he left her — a clump of soot with a glowing ember at its heart. When she almost dies in a chimney fire, that bit of char saves her, it having turned into Charlie, a golem with a body shaped from ashes and soot, whose task is to protect Nan. The adventures that follow make for a compelling read. Ages 8 to 88.
Meet the Latkes Alan Silberberg Viking
Here is a tongue-in-cheek account of Hanukkah (or, as Grandpa insists, CHHanukah!) from the viewpoint of a family of potato pancakes. Lucy Latke and her dog, Applesauce, are excited about the first night of Hanukkah, but Grandpa insists on telling them a garbled, rollicking version, beginning with the heroic actions of the Mega-Bees. “You mean Macca-bees,” says an annoyed Applesauce, adding “there were no bees.” In the end, of course, the story of Hanukkah is made clear, complete with a glossary of terms. Ages 3 to 7.