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Shanda LaRamee-Jones

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This weekend, our Book Lovers’ Holiday Gift Guide Saturday Spotlight is on Books for Young Readers! These gift ideas for young (and young at heart!) readers and many more can be found in our Book Lovers’ Holiday Gift Guide. A list of participating retailers can be found here.

 

Children’s Picture Books

A Giant Man in a Tiny Town
Tom Ryan/Christopher Hoyt
Nimbus Publishing

This is the story of the “giant” Angus MacAskill who traveled the world performing for crowds but never stopped longing to return to the place he loved the best: his Cape Breton home.

 

A Halifax Time-Travelling Tune 
Jan Coates/Marijke Simons
Nimbus Publishing

This dreamy, lyrical story follows a young child and his dog who travel back in time to 1950s Halifax with a whimsical tune. Follow the pair through Halifax landmarks, showing off all the sights and sounds of the city.

 

A Toot in the Tub
Nicolette Little/Tara Fleming
Pennywell Books

Offers a lighthearted rhymed look at “healthful release” for kids, while upholding the importance of being kind to others!

 

Be a City Nature Detective
Peggy Kochanoff
Nimbus Publishing

Why are some grey squirrels black? Does goldenrod cause hay fever? Naturalist and artist Peggy Kochanoff answers these questions and more in this illustrated guide to solving nature mysteries in the city.

 

EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street
Sheree Fitch/Emma FitzGerald
Nimbus Publishing

Sheree Fitch’s playful words invite you to celebrate our gifts, our weaknesses, our differences, and our sameness. Fitch’s quick, rollicking rhymes are complemented by Emma FitzGerald’s lively illustrations.

 

Follow the Goose Butt to Nova Scotia
Odette Barr/Colleen Landry/Beth Weatherbee
Chocolate River Publishing

Cameila Airhart, the loveable Canadian goose with the faulty Goose Positioning System is off on an adventure to Nova Scotia. She has promised to follow the goose butt, but will she stay focused long enough to keep her promise?

 

My First Book of Canadian Birds
Andrea Miller/Angela Doak
Nimbus Publishing

Simple, gentle text gives readers a peek into the habitats of Canadian birds and introduces child and parent to fun facts about everything from bird sounds to egg sizes!

 

Night at the Gardens
Nicole DeLorey/Janet Solet
New World Publishing

What really happens in the Public Gardens after dark? Statues “come alive” and one night Fountain Nymphs convince Juan Swans to fly to the ocean—chaos! Robbie Burns helps, but is it enough?

 

Santa Never Brings me a Banjo
David Myles/Murray Bain
Nimbus Publishing

Based on the beloved holiday song, follow the ups and downs of the holiday season with David, his furry friends, and his family, as he pines for his most-wished-for holiday gift.

 

Summer in the Land of Anne
Elizabeth Epperly/Carolyn Epperly
Acorn Press

Told through the eyes of a family travelling to PEI, this is a celebration of the books we love and all the ways they inspire us.

The Lady From Kent: A Story for Girls
and Bees Dressed Up As Fleas and Crocodiles. Also Elves.
Barbara Nichol/Bill Pechet
Pedlar Press

“Barbara Nichol is an original—brilliant and entertaining…a book to read and reread and then read again, to yourself or out loud, depending on how generous you’re feeling.”  —Eleanor Wachtel


Time for Bed
Carol McDougall/Shanda LaRamee-Jones
Nimbus Publishing

A fun and simple step-by-step bedtime story for babies and toddlers. From bathtime to storytime, this book guides families through a healthy nightly routine with simple text and joyful photos.

 

You Make Me Happy
Doretta Groenendyk
Acorn Press

Whether it be sitting by the fire, reading in the bath or travelling, this book explores the importance of finding happiness all around you.

 

Indigenous Stories

Counting in Mi’kmaw / Mawkiljemk Mi’kmawiktuk
Loretta Gould
Nimbus Publishing

Counting from one to ten in English and Mi’kmaw, young readers will be introduced to both the ancestral language of Mi’kmaki and to Mi’kmaw culture and legend, through beautifully rendered illustrations of the natural world.

 

IKWE Honouring Women: An Indigenous Colouring Book
for Adults and Children
Jackie Traverse
Roseway Publishing

IKWE is a new colouring book by Anishinaabe artist Jackie Traverse. The stunning images celebrate the spiritual and ceremonial aspects of women and their important roles as water protectors.

 

Mi’kmaw Animals / Mi’kmaw Waisisk 
Alan Syliboy
Nimbus Publishing

Colourful images depicting Canadian animals like moose, whales, and caribou, and more make this vibrant book a perfect introduction to the Mi’kmaw language.

 

The Gathering
Theresa Meuse/Arthur Stevens
Nimbus Publishing

A young Mi’kmaw girl attends her first spiritual gathering in this vibrant picture book from the team behind the bestselling The Sharing Circle.

 

Une Journée Poney ! Pemkiskahk’ciw Ahasis ! A Pony Day !
Hélène De Varennes/Opolahsomuwehs (Imelda Perley)/Paul Lang
Bouton d’or Acadie

Both bursting with laughter, a grandpa takes his granddaughter Josephine on her first pony ride. Many surprises are awaiting her!

 

Fiction for Young Readers

Dylan Maples Adventures

The Mystery of Ireland’s Eye
Shane Peacock
Nimbus Publishing

Dylan is going kayaking to the island of Ireland’s eye off the coast of Newfoundland to see the ghost town. Why does an old man on the dock of St. John’s tell him to beware?

The Secret of The Silver Mines
Shane Peacock
Nimbus Publishing

A Toronto millionaire has hired Dylan’s dad to retrieve a fortune in silver allegedly stolen from his grandfather years ago. But was the fortune really stolen? And if so, where has it been hidden?

Bone Beds of the Badlands
Shane Peacock
Nimbus Publishing

Bone Beds of the Badlands transports readers to the heart of dinosaur country in Alberta, in the most gripping and terrifying Dylan Maples Adventure yet.

 

Secrets of Sable Island
Marcia Pierce Harding
Nimbus Publishing

Shipwrecked on Sable Island, Caleb befriends the ghostly girl who rides bareback over the dunes, and realizes that he must do whatever he can to save her, and himself.

 

Headliner
Susan White
Acorn Press

This stunning new middle grade novel by Ann Connor Brimer Award-wining author Susan White deals with the aftermath of a tragic accident and its effect on the surviving family.

 

Piper
Jacqueline Halsey
Nimbus Publishing

Dougal Cameron and his family sail from Scotland aboard the Hector, on their way to Nova Scotia. When a violent storm knocks the ship off course, Dougal must fight to stay alive.

 

Rika’s Shepherd
Orysia Dawydiak
Acorn Press

This action-packed adventure by Hackmatack-nominated author Orysia Dawydiak tells the struggles of a young shepherd and will delight any young reader.

 

Fiction for Teens

The Goodbye Girls
Lisa Harrington
Nimbus Publishing

Lizzie and her friend Willa devise a genius business – personalized breakup baskets for her classmates. Then things go horribly wrong and soon family, friendship, and a budding romance are on the line.

 

Worthy of Love
Andre Fenton
Formac Publishing

Halifax slam poet Andre Fenton’s vivid and readable novel for teens.

 

 

Nonfiction

100 Things You Don’t Know About Atlantic Canada (For Kids)
Sarah Sawler
Nimbus Publishing

The author of the bestselling 100 Things You Don’t Know About Nova Scotia has collected the most interesting, most surprising, and bizarre facts that you never know about Atlantic Canada, just for kids.

 

50 Things to See with a Telescope: A young stargazer’s guide
John A. Read
Formac Publishing

A new guide for anyone who’s looking at the heavens and wonders what they’re seeing.

 

Be Prepared!
Frankie MacDonald and Sarah Sawler
Nimbus Publishing

Nova Scotia’s favourite weather reporter, Frankie MacDonald, along with author Sarah Sawler, shares stories from Frankie’s early years, along with facts about all things sunny, rainy, snowy, and stormy.

 

Black Women Who Dared
Naomi M. Moyer
Second Story Press

Inspirational stories of ten Black women and women’s collectives—anti-slavery activists, business women, health-care activists, civic organizers and educators. Remarkable women whose stories will fascinate and educate.

 

Hope Blooms 
Hope Blooms
Nimbus Publishing

The inspiring story of Dragons’ Den darlings Hope Blooms: a Halifax-based, youth-driven social enterprise focused on growing sustainable, healthy food and youth mentorship.

 

My River: Cleaning Up the LaHave River
Stella Bowles and Anne Laurel Carter
Formac Publishing

Kids who care about the environment will love Stella’s story of her science project on the dirty LaHave River that brought real change.

 

There be Pirates!
Joann Hamilton-Barry
Nimbus Publishing

Learn about what everyday life was like for some of the fiercest pirates of all time. Explore the history of piracy, from the ancient Romans and Greeks to modern-day pirates.

 

See more gift ideas in our Book Lovers’ Holiday Gift Guide! View it online here or pick it up at your local bookstore or library.

Don’t forget to check out last week’s spotlight on Art, Poetry, and Music books for the art-lovers on your list!

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This latest entry in the world of concept books for the very youngest of readers features the distinctive art of beloved Nova Scotian folk artist, Maud Lewis. It is a perfect combination.

Lewis’s signature artworks feature vibrant images of everyday life in a rural community: assorted animals, houses and churches, adults and children at work and play. The rich and vivid colours will capture the attention of infants and toddlers who will be equally enchanted by the bold, uncomplicated images throughout. While each spread features a whole host of things to look at, even very young children will enjoy poring over the pages in search of the given number of objects. The book starts simply, with one hummingbird which is front and centre and easy to spot. So too with the two horses and three kittens. As the numbers get higher, children have a slightly more complex task at hand, counting the number of hooves on the two oxen and the number of roofs and then windows on the houses.

A welcome treat for parents who will get to savour the joyful whimsy of these celebrated paintings alongside their young readers, this is a counting book to treasure. It will also serve as a celebration of Nova Scotia and one of the region’s most iconic artists, making it an ideal gift for families who have moved away or visitors wishing to bring back a souvenir of their time in Nova Scotia.

Maud Lewis 1,2,3
Carol McDougall and Shanda Laramee-Jones, Art by Maud Lewis
Nimbus Publishing

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Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones
Authors Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Baby Play and Baby Look are the first two books in the new Baby Steps series by co-authors Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones (Nimbus Publishing). It is obvious from the moment you pick up these delightful books that the authors have done their research into what is developmentally appropriate for baby’s first language and literacy experiences. McDougall, a librarian, and LaRamee-Jones, an elementary school teacher, realized their common interest in the development of literacy during the early years while volunteering in the Read To Me! Nova Scotia Family Literacy program.

“By gifting a bag of books to parents of newborns and adopted children the program intends to raise awareness of the important role books play in language and literacy development in the early years,” explains LaRamee-Jones, provincial coordinator for the program. Although most consider language to be developing when we begin to hear a child speak their first words, research shows it is actually in the first months after birth when every consonant and vowel spoken to a baby is shaping their neural development. “After years of many conversations and observations Shanda and I felt inspired to create our own books which we believe offers baby an ideal learning experience,” adds McDougall, the program’s director. In sharing Baby Play and Baby Look with your baby you will certainly be creating an excellent “learning through play” environment.

BabyPlayWith this in mind, in Baby Play, your baby is exposed to rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, intonation and emotional literacy all squeezed into twelve pages. Short enough to hold baby’s attention but long enough to cover a plethora of early language skills.

The book covers the key moments in baby’s day from the first eye contact and interaction between parent and child in the morning through playtime, bath time and time spent outside. With subtlety the authors raise the reader’s awareness to the natural cues baby gives, signals to which not all adults are attuned. They have cleverly woven in a lesson for the reader with “Baby, baby turning away. What’s that you say? Had enough play? Well…that’s ok. Enough for today”. A subtle lesson to every parent and caregiver on how to read baby’s body language and know when enough is enough.

Throughout the book there is one theme, which is reiterated time and again…Love. You read it in the text, you see it in the pictures and you feel it in the interactions between parent and child. That is one four letter word that parent, caregiver or child should never get tired of hearing. Again it is an important message which every emotionally developing baby needs to overdose on and the co-authors’ awareness of this is repeatedly apparent. “Not everyone is comfortable in verbalizing the love they feel. “Our hope is that by reading Baby Play out loud, the word “love” becomes a more integral part of the reader’s language,” explains LaRamee-Jones.

Baby Look adopts a different function being in a concertina style, which is an ideal format for those oh so crucial tummy times. With this book fully extended, babies can see the faces of seven uniquely different infants smiling at them.

Baby LookIn preparation for this article I held a little focus group of my own; I had the opportunity to show Baby Look to a friend’s six-month-old son and watched with interest as his eyes opened wide with wonder. He then giggled, smiled and reached for each individual baby to greet and socialize with them. It was as if he had woken up from his nap to find seven new friends had come to his crib for an impromptu play date. Flip the book over and you have a panorama of action pictures as the same babies crawl, clap, drum, splash, eat and kiss their way round your baby’s very own gallery. This simple text adds an auditory learning experience to an already important visual one. Taken one step further by acting out the text the reader can get physical with baby’s developmental movement.

Both board books are durable and at six and a half inches square are ideal for popping in the side pocket of your diaper bag, the car seat pouch or displaying on baby’s bookshelf. There is something refreshingly unique in the use of real life baby models for the photography of these books. With each one set against a white background the babies’ skin tones, hair colours, features and clothing become very vivid especially for the developing vision of infants. At an affordable $8.95 each they are an inexpensive way of investing in your child’s early childhood development.

It is never too early to begin nurturing a love of books in your child and this series will certainly get your infant off to a great start.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2013 issue of Atlantic Books Today