When I Found Grandma by Saumiya Balasubramaniam focuses on Maya’s relationship with her grandma.Melissa Tobin/Handout
Chieri Uegaki's Ojiichan's Gift explores Mayumi's mission to keep her grandfather connected to his beloved Japanese garden.Handout
Two wonderful new picture books explore the relationships between children and their grandparents. In Saumiya Balasubramaniam’s exquisite When I Found Grandma (Groundwood Books, $17.95, 4-7, 32 pages) illustrated by Qin Leng, Maya’s been longing to see her grandma but when she arrives for a visit, she’s not what Maya expected. She’s too loud, her crimson sari is too different and her prayer bells keep Maya from sleeping. But when grandma saves the day, finding Maya when she’s lost, things begin to shift. This gently moving story explores cross-cultural connections in a deeply meaningful way and Leng’s ink and watercolour illustrations wonderfully extend the story. Ojiichan’s Gift by Chieri Uegaki and illustrated by Genevieve Simms (Kids Can Press, $18.99, 4-7, 33 pages) also plays with cross-cultural connections beautifully. Every summer, Mayumi visits her grandfather in Japan and helps him tend his Japanese garden, completely unlike the gardens back in Canada. She loves the rocks and stones and sense of peace that the garden represents. But over time, her grandfather becomes too old to manage on his own and will have to leave his house and garden, which makes Mayumi angry. But then she finds a unique way to allow grandfather to take his garden with him. Uegaki’s story is nicely enriched by Simms’ lovely watercolours.
A Voice for the Spirit Bears by Carmen Oliver is the true story of Simon Jackson and his fight to save this endangered species that live in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia.Handout
Two others that movingly explore the way young people interact with the world present both the tragedies and triumphs that kids face today. Manuelito (Annick Press,$19.99, 12+, 96 pages) by Elisa Amado, illustrated by Abraham Urias, is a powerful and edgy graphic novel that explores the refugee crisis in a way that makes it accessible to younger readers. Thirteen-year-old Manuelito’s life in Guatemala changes as soldiers and gangs close down his school, people are disappeared and an atmosphere of fear sweeps over his village. His parents decide that he’s got to seek asylum in the United States with his aunt, but that’s dangerous, too. And once he’s there, will he be able to stay? Amado’s story comes alive through the movement of Urias’s illustrations. An introduction by Patsy Aldana helps give context to this crisis in our midst. If Manuelito is helpless to change his world, A Voice for the Spirit Bears by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Katy Dockrill (Kids Can Press, $18.99, 6-10, 32 pages) is the true story of Simon Jackson and his fight to save this endangered species that live in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Oliver has created a wonderful picture book that not only traces Simon’s passion for activism and fight to preserve our planet from the time he was just seven years old but gives that fight a powerful voice that is sure to engage young readers. An excellent afterword provides both context and suggestions for kids who are inspired by Simon’s story.
In Ria Voros' The Center of the Universe, Grace Carter’s world falls apart when her mother, a TV celebrity news anchor, suddenly disappears.Handout
The Center of the Universe (Kids Can Press, $19.99, 14+, 512 pages) Ria Voros’s new work is a big book in every way – part thriller, part coming-of-age story, a paean to astrophysics with a drop of teen romance. Grace Carter’s world falls apart when her mother, a TV celebrity news anchor, suddenly disappears. How do you hold your universe together when the person you thought was its centre is missing? This beautifully layered novel packs a powerful punch as Grace discovers that her passion for astrophysics surprisingly mirrors the family dynamics that follow her mother’s abduction. Voros not only exquisitely tells Grace’s story, but gradually weaves her mother’s and grandmother’s stories into the mix as well. And the appearance of real-life astrophysicist Dr. Elizabeth Tasker as a mentor-in-the making is a delicious touch that extends the science of this novel in a very satisfying direction – out into the universe!
Chicken Girl by Heather Smith offers teen readers a compelling portrait of the damage that social media can do when used maliciously.Handout
Chicken Girl (Penguin Random House, $21.99, 14+, 240 pages) This new novel from Heather Smith offers teen readers a compelling portrait of the damage that social media can do when used maliciously. Poppy Bauer is a big-bodied teen whose life revolves around her passions for roller derby, vintage clothes and her twin brother, Cam. She was an optimist, but when a photo of her as Rosie the Riveter is doctored online, she completely loses her self-confidence and ends up hiding in the chicken costume that she wears for her part-time job. But it’s not only Poppy who is off-balanced; her twin has come out and is embracing being gay, but Poppy feels that he’s becoming a stereotype rather than the person he was. But then she meets Miracle, a vibrant and rambunctious six year old and Poppy’s life begins, slowly, to shift. Smith tackles issues of body image and sexual orientation with great compassion and her portrait of Lewis, a teen who is transitioning from female to male, is especially moving.
Caroline Adderson’s The Mostly True Story of Pudding Tat, Adventuring Cat centres on the adventures of Pudding, an albino cat born in Welland County in 1901.
The Mostly True Story of Pudding Tat, Adventuring Cat (Groundwood Books, $16.95, 9-12, 128 pages) For middle-grade readers, nothing could be better than the delightfully madcap and thrilling adventures of Pudding Tat in Caroline Adderson’s playful romp. Pudding, an albino cat born in Welland County in 1901, wants to see the world – and see it he does! With his boon companion, a flea he “hosts,” Pudding goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel, nearly drowns when the Titanic sinks and is on the Western Front for the Christmas Truce of 1914. Adderson not only spins a wonderful tall-tale but the sweet relationship that develops between Pudding and his flea friend unfolds beautifully. Kudos go, too, to illustrator Stacy Innerst, whose chapter drawings give the book just the right sense of history.
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