Books published by publisher Fitzhenry and Whiteside

On the long list for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration 2007 ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Bronze Award (Children's Picture Book category) Shortlisted for the Blue Spruce Award 2007 Chocolate Lily nominee 2007-2008 Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007 He's no morning rooster! Henry's a young rooster who loves to have fun. He plays cards with the goats, listens to moosic with the cows, and pops corn with the pigs. After a long night of fun, however, Henry just can't get up early in the morning. His mom insists he's not lazy; Henry just isn't a morning rooster. But Henry's father is off to a convention for a week - guess who must take his place and crow the sun up each morning? Poor Henry. He's just not cut out for this crowing business. But if he doesn't find a way to make it to work on time, the sun won't rise when it's supposed to, the farmer and his wife will be late, and all the farm chores won't get done. They're all depending on Henry. Will he learn to be a morning rooster after all?

A Nature Babies title. As their nest becomes more and more crowded, the baby great horned owls stretch and flap impatiently. But they can't fly just yet. Even if one of them falls from the tree and must find its own shelter on the ground, the little one still depends on its parents' care. There are many weeks to go before the young chicks will be strong enough to fly away and find homes of their own. Each Nature Babies book includes: Original color photographs taken in the wild Simple, informative stories A Did You Know? section of interesting facts Introduction, table of contents, and index for parents and teachers A fine introduction to nature for preschoolers and primary readers.

Emma was one confused chicken. "Tok!" she said, when she peeked through the window and saw what was happening to her eggs. "Is that how they want my eggs? Then that's how I'll make them." But when Emma scrambled her next egg, no one was pleased. She tried again, and again, until finally, she'd had enough. If they didn't want her eggs, she wouldn't give them any!

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction Honour Book, 2007 Silver Birch Express shortlist, 2008 Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice 2007 finalist Canadian Science Writers' Association's Science in Society Journalism Award nominee, Youth Book category, 2007 It hasn't rained in the forest for many weeks. And in the sunny clearing, everything is dry and scorched. Then, late one afternoon, a hot wind begins to blow and storm clouds gather. But instead of rain, lightning fills the sky and strikes a tall tree beside the clearing. The lightning strike shoots down the tree and ignites the dry vegetation below. In no time, the forest is engulfed in flame. Soon there is nothing left but the charred ruins of the forest, devoid of life. But the story is not over. Slowly and gradually, life returns to the forest - from the seeds that blow in on the wind and germinate - to the small creatures that have survived in their burrows below the ground. It will take many years; but eventually the forest will return, filled with life once more.

"A caged lion pacing back and forth on a worn path and dolphins swimming in unending circles are captive animals exhibiting 'stereotypies,' or repetitive abnormal behaviors. These disturbing behaviors are a common sight in many zoos. Laidlaw effectively captures the plight faced by captive wild animals, even in major, apparently high-quality zoos. In four riveting chapters he explores first the general issues of life in captivity, then addresses specific, often severe, problems faced by polar bears, elephants, dolphins and Great Apes. He goes on to discuss types of zoos and their particular flaws, then concludes with advice for readers on objective evaluation of the zoos they visit and offers a list of ten ways to help animals in captivity. This eye-opening look at zoo issues will strike a chord with readers and would be a useful addition to most collections." -- Kirkus Reviews on the hardcover edition "The issues raised in this important and powerful book will resonate with young and old." -- School Library Journal A large family of elephants ambles all day along a well-remembered route across the hot African savanna. Halfway around the world in a zoo in Alaska, a single female elephant paces back and forth in her cramped, concrete pen. During the sub-arctic winter, she lives alone in a dark barn. When you visit a zoo do you ever wonder what it must be like for the animals who live day by day in the same enclosures? Author Rob Laidlaw asks the tough questions that zoos often avoid: should these animals be in there at all? This is an eye-opening look at the lives of captive wild animals -- at bad zoos, good zoos, and the best wild animal sanctuaries.

Award-winning author/illustrator Celia Godkin once again turns to the subject of nature's remarkable ability to renew itself in this beautiful new book. A small island in the Pacific exists in perfect harmony, where all the plants, animals and people are interdependent. But the islanders live with the knowledge that their mountain god sometimes grumbles and threatens to awake. When that happens, the people offer up prayers and garlands of flowers to coax the giant back to sleep. There comes a day, however, when the god will not be appeased. Smoke rises out of the mountain's crater, and ash and cinders begin to fall on the village. The chief tells his people it is time to leave. And days later, when the people have barely landed on another island, the volcano explodes. Soon there is nothing left of the old island but a smoking ruin devoid of all life. But the story is not over. Slowly, gradually, the island begins to support the stirrings of life once more. And with the return to its lush, former glory comes the hope that the island will be home once more to a sleepy village and its gentle, smiling people. Written with the grace and dignity of a native storyteller's voice, When the Giant Stirred demonstrates how even one of the world's most cataclysmic events can be an integral part of nature's cycle. Celia Godkin takes her artwork into a new, exciting level with oils that are saturated with color. Her depiction of a primitive people and their jewel-like paradise is reminiscent of the great post-impressionist Gauguin. This information storybook is a must-have for schools, libraries and homes everywhere.

Mama's "old country" ways were a source of frustration and embarrassment to twelve-year-old Karin, who wanted to be a "modern" Canadian girl. How could she know the harsh words between them would be the last words they ever spoke? With shocking swiftness Mama is gone, and Karin longs to be with her again. And when Mama's precious goldstone pendant is found, can Karin interpret the dreams that come to her every time she sleeps with it around her neck? Does the stone really forecast the future? When it warns Karin of the deadly avalanche that threatens her father and his railway crew, will she be able to prevent another disaster? This poignant and suspenseful tale is based on real events in Rogers Pass, British Columbia, at the turn of the century.

Canadian Library Association Book of the Year, Honour Book Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction, Honour Book Mr. Christie Silver Book Award Ruth Schwartz Award, finalist Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award, nominee Rocky Mountain Book Award, nominee Before Micah came to St. Luc's, he knew how to beg, how to steal, and how to run from a beating. He did not know how to comb his hair, walk in line when he felt like running, or obey anyone's whim but his own. He was a stranger in a strange land. If it had been me, I would have found a way to disappear inside myself until the strangeness wore off. Micah was not like me. Henri has been living within abbey walls all his life, first in the care of nuns, then as a choirboy at St. Luc's, not far from Paris. He expects to spend the rest of his life there, copying books in the Scriptorium with the other brothers, and singing Mass in the great cathedral. Then Micah arrives, a streetwise ragamuffin with the voice of an angel, saved from certain hanging to sing for God instead of coins. Micah comes like a fresh breeze into dead places, bringing exuberant joy at a time when Henri most needs it. For the plague is coming, the grim reaper that will slash at the very roots of Henri's security. And neither Henri nor Micah nor anyone else in their world will ever be the same.

ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2009 nominee On the 2009 USBBY list of Outstanding International Books White Pine nominee, 2009 On Resource Link's Best of 2008 List On the Cooperative Children's Book Center Best-of-the-Year list for 2009 Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2009 Teenagers Kevork and his betrothed Marta are the lucky ones. They have managed so far to survive the Armenian genocide in Turkey, and both are disguised as Muslims. But Marta is still in Turkey, pregnant with another man's child. And Kevork is living as an Arab in Syria. Kevork yearns to get back into Turkey and search for Marta, but with the war raging and the genocide still in progress, the journey will be impossibly dangerous. Meanwhile, Marta worries that even if Kevork has survived and they are reunited, will he be able to accept what she has become? And what has happened to her sister, Mariam, who was sold as a slave to the highest bidder? Daughter of War is a gripping story of enduring love and loyalty set against the horrors of Turkey during World War I.

Like any teenager, Natalie wants to have fun. But it's 1944, and almost all the boys she knows have signed up and are being shipped overseas to fight the war in Europe. Too often she takes the trip to Union Station to wave goodbye to another friend, wondering if he'll ever come home again. And like her other girlfriends, Natalie is getting tired of waiting for the war to be over. There are still dances at the Armories to meet handsome boys in uniform, but is that all a girl can do for the war effort? Natalie has a plan. Her first move was to change her name from Beryl, which didn't sound sophisticated at all. Now she quits school and takes a job at a department store. Buying War Saving Stamps with her meager earnings is not enough for Natalie, however, and soon she finds work at De Havilland Aircraft, making bombers. But it is during this time, when she is taking the most pride in her war work, that Natalie and her family get the news they've been dreading: her cousin, a gunner in the Dambusters Squadron, is listed as missing, presumed dead. And as news of other boys reaches home - some of it good but so much of it bad - Natalie begins to wonder what kind of world will be there for them all when the war finally ends. At times funny and at other times deeply moving, Bernice Thurman Hunter's last novel is drawn from her own memories of being a teenager in Toronto during World War II. In Natalie, Hunter has created a spunky, outspoken and utterly charming character, which readers young and old will revel in. And in her unforgettable portrait of the home front, Hunter has brought to life the daily trials and tribulations of a generation of women who had to stand by while their men went to war.

1 One hungry heron, tall and still, crooks her leg and tips her bill. 2 Two drowsy catfish, way down deep, snuffle through the muck, then go to sleep. 3 Three darting dragonflies hover and dip. Whiz! Pause! Whiz! Zoom! Zoom! Zip! The scene starts out quietly enough, but soon the lone heron is joined by two lazy catfish and three darting dragonflies. Before you can say ten tiny turtles, the pond is alive with a great array of wetland wildlife. Told in clever rhyme, this is a counting book with a difference. Numbers are spelled out in bold text, decorated numerals adorn each page, and amounts are depicted by groupings of swimming, flapping, paddling, darting pond creatures. Up to ten and down again, the count goes forwards and backwards, as thunder rumbles in the background. Plip, plop, the rain begins and lightning flashes. Everything dives for shelter and stays hidden - until the sun comes out. Then life returns to the pond providing a delightful search and count last page. Rarely is so much delivered in one spectacular counting book.

A Nature Babies title. High in the thick mangrove trees, a baby sloth clings to his mother. As he grows, the young sloth learns what leaves are best to eat, and where to climb the treetops to bask in the sunshine after frequent rains. But the sleepy sloth never leaves the safety of the trees. It isn't until his mother finally deserts him that the lonely young sloth must discover the world below all by himself. Each Nature Babies book includes: Original color photographs taken in the wild Simple, informative stories A Did You Know? section of interesting facts Introduction, table of contents, and index for parents and teachers A fine introduction to nature for preschoolers and primary readers.