Books published by publisher Key Porter Books,2002

From the epic journeys into the unknown by the first people who crossed the Bering land bridge thousands of years ago to Roberta Bondar's landmark voyage into space, The Story of Canada is as vast in scope as the country itself. Authors Janet Lunn and Christopher Moore tell the country's story through rich narrative, recreations of daily life, folk tales, and fascinating facts. The book is splendidly illustrated with original paintings by Alan Daniel, as well as hundreds of historical photographs, maps, paintings, posters, and cartoons. And this updated edition takes Canada's story right up to the present day, with new material on the Charlottetown Accord, the resurgence of Quebec separatism, and Canadian peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia. The result is a highly readable history that is as beautiful as it is informative, an essential reference for every Canadian family.

Hockey Talk is neither an almanac nor an encyclopedia, but a place where the language of the game is defined and celebrated. Expert Andrew Podnieks captures the unique flavor of hockey through the words that characterize it. Familiar English words take on unusual and often comical meaning when applied to hockey, as this exhaustive work shows. For instance, a puck is a “cowpie,” while “wall rats” are those unfortunate fans in the SRO section of the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. This is a must-read for both hockey lovers and language mavens.

Coyote’s mighty pleased with his soft, brown suit — until Raven slyly hints it’s not the finest in the forest. Now, Coyote is obsessed: Bear’s suit is much more impressive. Porcupine — sporty! Raccoon is chic, while Skunk’s suit is perfectly elegant. Perhaps he could just borrow the suits? The missing suits send the forest into an uproar. How can naughty Coyote make amends?

"Under the star, under the star, one angel sees, a manger afar." So begins this charming Christmas counting tale from beloved children’s author Jane Yolen, lauded as the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" by Newsweek. Written with the youngest reader in mind, and accompanied by the stunning, color-drenched artwork of Vlasta van Kampen, Under the Star makes a welcome gift beneath any Christmas tree. Irresistible, easy-to-follow text and engaging images ensure its use throughout the year.

One friendly frog, two chirping birds, three fuzzy bunnies — in this book children can enjoy learning to count with delightful creatures as guides. In addition to the large, easy-to-read English number-words, Gymboree Counting teachers the ins and outs of one through ten in Spanish, Italian, French, and German, with pronunciation guides for each number. Bright colors and rhythmic text make this an ideal book for both learning and parent-child bonding.

This charming introduction to the ABCs features large, easy-to-read letters shown in both upper and lower case. Each letter appears by itself and in a word, allowing little ones to see it in action. Turning from the A in airplane to the Z in zebra, and all of the letters in between, Gymboree Alphabet engages and entertains youngsters as they master this essential language building block.