Books in Northern Lights Books for Children series

A magical, medieval coming-of-age story of a country boy apprenticed to a silversmith in a cathedral town. The boy misses his far-off home, especially his ailing grandmother. But soon he discovers the extraordinary stone lion atop the cathedral's bell tower, and, perched upon the lion's back, he can glimpse his distant village. On one suspenseful night, the boy learns the secret shared by the stone lion and his grandmother, and he travels to her bedside to comfort her on her final journey.

Alberta Children's Book of the Year Alberta Book Illustration Award Finally, Tiger has real cowboy boots for the annual cattle drive up at Uncle Roy's ranch. As the only city kid on the trail, he wants to make a good impression. But does anyone notice? There is just too much to do. And boy - can the trail be rough! By the time it's all over, Tiger has learned a whole lot about what real means.

Alberta Children's/Young Adult Book of the Year Nominee, 2008 CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens, 2008 Children can make a difference. The horses of Sable Island-they are a romantic and enduring symbol of the will to survive in an unforgiving environment. Hundreds of these wild horses live on the windy beaches and dunes of this remote island known as the graveyard of the Atlantic off the shores of Nova Scotia. Free as the Wind is Jamie Bastedo's re-creation of one of the most fascinating episodes in the history of these wild creatures: the moment in the early 1960s when it was decided the horses would be removed from the island and auctioned off, many of them slaughtered for dog food. School children across the country wrote Canada's then Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, pleading with him to restore the horses to the island, to save them from certain death. This fictional account of that pivotal moment in Canada's history follows young Lucas Beauregard, son of the retiring superintendent of Sable Island, as he befriends and then plots to save Gem, one of the horses of Sable Island. The horses of Sable Island are a national treasure, not only because their history dates back as early as the settlement of Canada, but also because their continued survival showed the world that children can make a difference. Susan Tooke's sparkling paintings capture the spare but magnificent terrain of Sable Island in a way that will captivate readers of all ages.

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007 Buster the Bull makes his getaway in a blizzard, and it's up to Zack to save the Brown Palace Hotel gift shop - and his new friend Alice Zack wrapped his arms around the huge bull's neck. "Don't worry," Zack said, swallowing hard. "No busy city or world famous Stock Show can scare us. Right?" Zack is looking forward to taking Buster the bull to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. As Zack and his dad sing their way down the road, Buster the bull doesn't find his first trip away from the ranch much fun. When the snow turns into a blinding blizzard and Zack's dad must detour through downtown, Buster sees his chance to make his own hay. Thundering out of the truck, Buster gallops straight through the doors of the Brown Palace Hotel where, he confronts Alice, who works with her mother in the hotel gift shop. Zack must act quickly to save his new friend Alice and Buster from disaster. Kathleen Cook Waldron's lively story of a boy and his bull is complemented by the rich and vibrant painting by Alan and Lea Daniel, who capture the drama and triumph of the roundup at the Palace.

Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration winner Elizabeth Mrazik Cleaver Picture Book Award winner Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Text nominee The time is 1900, in the midst of the great waves of European immigration to North America. Standing in the dust and wind of the prairie, a young boy prepares to say good-bye to Josepha, his older classmate, who is leaving the alienating world of the classroom where no one speaks his language. But what a wonderful friend he has been! And without a common language between them, how will his younger friend ever say good-bye? What gift can he give Josepha to show how special their friendship has been? Josepha depicts a facet of pioneer life seldom considered - the immigrant child's struggle to begin again in a strange land.

Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration winner Elizabeth Mrazik Cleaver Picture Book Award winner Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Text nominee The time is 1900, in the midst of the great waves of European immigration to North America. Standing in the dust and wind of the prairie, a young boy prepares to say good-bye to Josepha, his older classmate, who is leaving the alienating world of the classroom where no one speaks his language. But what a wonderful friend he has been! And without a common language between them, how will his younger friend ever say good-bye? What gift can he give Josepha to show how special their friendship has been? Josepha depicts a facet of pioneer life seldom considered - the immigrant child's struggle to begin again in a strange land.