Books published by publisher Sonoma Press

When they moved out to the country after the divorce, Mom promised Kirsty a pony of her own. Then Lancelot practically drops in her lap, and Kirsty empties her money box to buy him. He's skinny and starved and only half trained for riding. But he's hers, all hers, and Kirsty is overwhelmed with joy. Because of Lancelot, Kirsty finds a new friend, Faye, whose grandmother, Lucy, runs a pony farm. Because of their friendship, she finds a place to board her pony, and because she makes herself so useful around the place, she finds herself signed up for riding lessons as well. But what she can't seem to find are the words to tell her mother that the pony she'll be riding is her own. Then Kirsty falls and finds herself in the hospital—and in hot water with her family and friends. First there's bickering and blame, then disappointment, and finally doom: Lancelot must go. But at the last moment, Kirsty finds the support she needs, and it comes from the most unexpected source.

From the moment she first steps off the school bus, 12-year-old Jess is enthralled by Point Ellice House. Although the other students on the tour are just happy to have a day off from school, shy Jess feels she knows what is around every corner and behind every door of the beautifully preserved Victorian home. It's as if she has lived in those rooms before. Her repeated visits and her interest impress the guide in charge, who offers Jess a volunteer summer job. But although she loves sharing her growing knowledge of Point Ellice House, Jess finds herself drawn to lonely spots around the property. There, persistent visions of a girl named Rose take her into the past, to a terrible disaster involving an overcrowded streetcar on the Point Ellice Bridge. Jess holds the key to a mystery that has persisted for more than a hundred years. And now it's up to her to solve it and to ease the troubled spirit who has haunted the area for so long. Inspired by the history of Victoria's Point Ellice House and the worst streetcar disaster in North American history, Penny Chamberlain's novel will grab her audience from the first page. And her imaginative interpretation of strange sightings (sightings that persist to this day) will keep young readers absorbed throughout.

For children, feelings may be hard to identify, and can sometimes seem confusing or be misunderstood. The ability to recognize and understand our own feelings, as well as the feelings of others, is necessary for social development. This ability builds the foundation for empathy, problem solving, and self control. Through simple language and appealing illustrations this book helps children envision feelings as friends that they can search for and get to know. Knowing and understanding their feelings can empower children and help them figure out their world.

Millions of people, who live alone and are without a partner, avoid everyday leisure pursuits for fear of being seen to be on their own. Many people in a relationship never do anything on their own. This step-by-step guide helps such people to conquer their fear, and build the confidence to pursue the things that they enjoy doing, regardless of their relationship status.

The arrival of a new baby is exciting, but it also changes family dynamics forever. In this endearing true-to-life story, we meet Tombo, a young Japanese macaque, who lives with his mother, sister, and extended family near Japan's Awaji Island Monkey Center. Primatologist Sarah Turner's deep respect for her subjects and her sparkling photographs illuminate this universal tale of growing up, moving over, and finding our way in the world.

When the farm truck breaks down and there's no money to pay for repairs, Faye's grandmother starts talking about selling the farm. So Faye does the unthinkable. She agrees to sell Robin, her pony. Robin's new owner, Nicole, keeps pestering Faye to divulge her "secret" to make Robin jump. Maybe there's a time when winning means losing the best partner you've ever had. Fans of The Secret Pony will be delighted by this companion novel about Kirsty's friend Faye. Readers new to Julie White are sure to become fans of the author's perfectly evoked world of young riders―and its complicated friendships. Julie White lives on a horse farm in Armstrong, British Columbia. She rides everyday and competes in jumping classes at horse shows, often against her two grown daughters.

Saara is trying hard to put her horrible experience aboard the doomed Empress of Ireland behind her. She goes to school, roller skates with her best friend and enjoys her new baby cousin. And she is so looking forward to starring in the school play! But nightmares-and unanswerable questions-continue to disturb her. War is declared, and the future of the whole world looks uncertain. Then her family is struck with another heavy blow: tuberculosis. Saara's beloved Aunt Marja must go to the sanatorium in Toronto. Who will care for baby Saani? Set in northwestern Ontario at the beginning of the 20th century, her story is Canada's story, as both take up responsibilities handed to them by circumstance and history. Like many Canadians of Finnish descent, Karen Autio grew up in the Thunder Bay, Ontario, area. She now lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, with her husband and two children.

When two giant draft horses take up residence at Dark Creek Stables, the trouble starts. Fences collapse, Mrs. Bailey can't keep up with the feed bills, and Jessa's pony, Rebel, finds himself out in the cold during the worst blizzard of the century. To make things worse, Jessa and her best friend Cheryl can't seem to get along and a surprise visitor nearly ruins Jessa's Christmas vacation. Will Dark Creek ever be the same again?

Joey is a happy Nuu-chah-nulth boy, eager to help and quick to see the bright side of things. But when he loses his beloved grandmother, the sun goes out in his world. Fortunately, she has left something of herself behind—a song, which keeps knocking on Joey's heart, and a dance, which urges him to get up on his feet and choose again. Sylvia Olsen was born and brought up in Victoria, British Columbia. She married into the Tsartlip First Nation and for more than thirty years she has lived and worked and raised her four children in the Tsartlip community. Illustrator Kasia Charko's lively art is a song and a dance in itself. The forest setting, Grandma's house—even the sun in the sky—are richly informed by West Coast artistic traditions, without sacrificing a joyous, childlike appeal.

Canadian equestrian Karen Brain is determined to compete in the Olympics. Soon jumping over obstacles becomes her specialty—literally and figuratively. Then, one day, she falls. Her spine is shattered, and her doctors tell her she might never walk again, much less ride a horse. But obstacles are this rider's specialty. Follow her challenging but ultimately triumphant course from hospital bed to Paralympic medal podium.

Teen moms are nothing new. For as long as anyone can remember, families, communities, and governments have been grappling with the poverty and lack of life opportunities faced by these parents and their children. For First Nations in particular, the issue has become critical. Aboriginal girls are four and a half times more likely to be teen moms than girls from the general population, and more than half of all First Nations families are now started by teen parents. Yet little has been written on the topic for a mainstream audience. In 2003, Sylvia Olsen began a community study with aboriginal teen parents, believing that the best way to shed light on the issue is to listen first to the parents themselves. Just Ask Us is a result of this project, in which thirteen Tsartlip teen moms participated. Just Ask Us takes a comprehensive, first-hand look at First Nations teen mothers, offering ways to counteract the intractable cycle of poverty and turn reserve communities into places of hope for the next generation. Olsen explores issues of teenage sexuality and relationships, birth control, abortion, and violence. She examines aboriginal and non-aboriginal cultural attitudes and practices and how they affect the lives of young moms and their children. Her book weaves the threads of these young mothers' lives together with colours of desperation, enthusiasm, impossibility, and hope.