Books published by publisher Key Porter Books,2002

Bird watching is a serious business and the number one outdoor activity in North America. Wetlands, marshes, woods, swamps, shallow lakes, ponds, and prairie sloughs are all considered wetlands and are the homes to a variety of birds that depend on wetlands for their food and habitat.In this comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to wetland birds, photographer and naturalist Scott Leslie profiles some of the most common species that novice birders may observe, including loons, great blue herons, greater yellow legs, bald eagles, warblers, sparrows, and sandpipers. Each entry provides a complete profile of a species including a description of its appearance, habitat, behavior, calls and sounds, food, family life, distribution and migration, conservation concerns, and related species. Also included is a guide to North America's most easily accessible bird-rich wetlands by region, a great resource that explains where to find some of the most fascinating natural areas on the continent.Wetland Birds of North America is the only guidebook on the market that answers questions about common wetland birds, features full-color photographs, and is formatted to fit conveniently into a large pocket or a day pack.

Shapes are all around us, and this guide for small children helps them make sense of these forms. From oval balloons to diamond kites, this vibrant book encourages children to identify the figures that comprise their world. Each shape is named in four different languages, and the book includes a pronunciation guide to encourage multi-lingual learning for small children.

No one has written as passionately or as articulately about the Arctic and its people as Farley Mowat. In Walking on the Land, he returns to write about the Arctic for the first time in two decades. Using a seminal trip he took through the eastern Arctic as his starting point, Mowat interweaves the stories and the fate of the Barrenground Inuit who were his friends with stunning, lyrical description of the land that was their traditional homeland. With great beauty and terrible anguish, Mowat traces the history of the Barrenground Inuit, revealing how the decimation of the caribou herds in the early part of the century, unleashed a series of famines and epidemics that virtually wiped out their population and left them reliant on a far-away government that understood too little of their needs and circumstances. Through his continued friendship with the survivors, Mowat brings us into the present, showing how the remnant population has survived. No Mowat work is complete without a cast of larger-than-life characters and his trademark marvellous storytelling. Walking on the Land is no exception. Old-time Hudson`s Bay company men, eccentric priests, wild bush pilots and well-meaning interlopers people the pages, bringing to life one of Canada`s most haunted places.

And now, a new tongue-twisting adventure from Margaret Atwood! The internationally renowned Margaret Atwood once again turns her talents to a story for kids of all ages. Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda is a boisterous and delightful dissertation on discovering the uncharted depths of one?s personality. Abandoned by his bubble-headed mum and raised by a bunch of dogs, Bob is understandably bashful around humans. Deprived of her parents while still in diapers, Dorinda endures a dreadful existence with distant relatives. On a dark and drizzly December day, Dorinda and Bob meet on a vacant block bestrewn with bushes, buttercups, and benches. They become fast friends. One day, a bewildered buffalo bounds over a barrier at a nearby Botanical Garden. Amid billows of dust and the beeping and blaring of horns, Bob and Dorinda band together to save the day. Relying on their wits?and the useful deployment of Bob?s dog buddies and Dorinda?s distracting dust mops?the dynamic duo restore order and emerge from the episode victorious. No longer bashful and doleful, Bob and Dorinda discover that they can be brave and daring. With Atwood?s trademark rollicking wordplay accompanied by Dusan Petricic?s mischievous art, Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda is a tale to be treasured.

Achieving a perfect balance of sport and humour, McGonigle Scores is a certain delight for hockey fans, McFarlane fans, and anyone who enjoys a fast-moving and highly entertaining tale. When former hockey star Skates McGonigle goes scouting homebrew talent in Northern Ontario, he finds himself outwitted at every snowbank by his archrival, Black Snead. And his blundering admirers--Maybelle Peever, Unbeatable Bates, Emma Dinwoodie and The Human Sieve--don`t offer much in the way of help. McGonigle`s adventures are hilarious, and McFarlane describes each key game in vivid style, with a wind up, free-for-all battle of sticks and skates that will leave the reader gasping.

Teen self-help classics fully revised and updated. Everybody goes through puberty, sooner or later-and everybody does it in their own way. In Changes in You and Me, pre-teens and teens will find answers to all of their questions about growing up-whether they're concerned about what's happening to their bodies, about whether or not they're 'normal,' or about how to know if they're in love. With an edition written specifically for boys, and another written specifically for girls, Changes in You and Me tackles issues of concern for each gender, including menstruation, steroid use, and the burgeoning feelings of attraction to the opposite sex.

In Hook, Line and Sinker, fishing expert Italo Labignan takes kids on a fishing journey. Fishing comes to life in this step-by-step guide to first finding bait for your hook, figuring out what kind of rod, pole or reel to use, casting, and finally, landing your catch. There are also all kinds of fun activities to get your hands wet (so to speak), such as tying knots, making a tackle box, catching bait, and making a float and sinker. A day by the water will never be the same again!

Willoughby finds celebrated author Dennis Lee in an Alligator Pie mode of charming humor and wordplay. Equally suited to parent-child interaction or classroom or daycare groups, Willoughby gets everyone in on the fact. The first two lines set the tone: "Willoughby, wallaby wee / An elephant sat on me." Everyone — from parents to children — then get a chance to change the last word of the first line. Featuring festive color artwork and the lively rhymes of Canada's own "Father Goose," Willoughby Wallaby Woo entertains youngsters while teaching them the joy of words and the pleasures of participation.

A soon-to-arrive new brother or sister promises fun and excitement, but can also be worrying for a child who fears being displaced. In Pumpkin Baby, a young girl with an active imagination tries to face her fears. Spurred on by trips with her mother to a family farm, she imagines a host of babies — each with their own unique characteristics — and wonders if she could, indeed, love such a sibling. Gently and lovingly told by best-selling author Jane Yolen, and illustrated with light, whimsical artwork by Susan Mitchell, Pumpkin Baby is both entertaining and inspiring for any family dealing with this situation.