Books published by publisher Red Deer Press, 2011

Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize (2007) nominee Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007 Queen Daisy can't help it - It's her feet that are misbehaving! Queen Daisy had a great deal of trouble with her feet. They had a mind of their own and did not like behaving in a royal way. Proper shoes were out of the question, and sometimes her feet did not wear shoes at all! Her feet were especially naughty when Queen Daisy forced them to dress properly. At balls her feet would kick high in the air or tap-dance on the marble palace floors. Once, when a king from a neighboring kingdom brought his mean, bullying ways to Queen Daisy's court, her feet hauled off and kicked the king in the ankle. That's when a meeting had to be called of all the wise women and wizards and footmen in the kingdom to find a solution to Queen Daisy's terrible problem. And what a solution it turns out to be. Queen Daisy's feet will dance into the hearts of restless feet everywhere. Sarah Ellis's wonderfully whimsical tale will ring a bell with all children and adults whose feet get restless. And Dusan Petricic illustrations may well encourage a little more unroyal behavior.

2011 Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Text Nominee Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Medalist, 2011 2011 Skipping Stones Honor Award winner On the 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books honor list Ann Conner Brimer Award for Children's Literature finalist, 2011 2011 Snow Willow Award nominee A 2012 "Woozles' Battle of the Books" Elementary List Title A 2012 "Woozles' Battle of the Books" Teen List Title When civil war strikes Jacob Deng's Southern Sudanese village, seven-year-old Jacob embarks on a seemingly endless journey that tests his courage and determination. His wise mama tells him that he must one day go to school to seek answers and help carve a better future for his people. Wadeng is a Dinka word meaning "look to the future, it will be better; follow your dreams", and it, along with his precious "Mama stone", becomes Jacob's talisman of hope, helping him remain strong on his seven-year search for a place of refuge. Jacob and his young friends are confronted with war, starvation, dehydration, raging rivers, crocodile and lion attacks, and the evil Majok - the constant thorn in Jacob's side - as they struggle to survive on their own. As the boys work and grow together as a family, surviving in harsh conditions, against the odds, Jacob's boyhood desire to become a soldier wanes. Gradually, he comes to the realization that fighting doesn't improve anything and begins to embrace his mother's belief in education as the road to peace and stability. Inspired by the real life experiences of a Lost Boy of Sudan, this novel is about an extraordinary journey of courage, perseverance, and hope.

Eat This! examines how fast food marketing gets you to buy junk and how you can fight back. It shows how marketers embed sales pitches in media to lure consumers to foods that can negatively impact the health of children. The author explains what advertising is, discusses product placement and other tools used to sell products. Curtis provides careful insights into the fast food industry and ways in which young people can push back. "Kids need to know the truth about junk food, and understand the millions of ways it's pushed on them -- every day. Andrea's fun and accessible book gives them the tools to fight back!" -- Jamie Oliver, MBE, world-renowned chef and food campaigner "The title says it all. This is the first and only children's book to tell the awful truth about the way our kids are assaulted by rapacious marketers. But, most importantly, Andrea manages to tell the story to the kids themselves." -- Mark Bittman, best-selling author of How To Cook Everything "Eat This! is a well-conceived, well-researched and empowering resource that helps students, parents and educators decode the marketing speak and arm themselves against powerful techniques used by junk food and beverage marketers." -- Lulu Cohen-Farnell, Founder, Real Food for Real Kids

Alberta Children_s Book of the Year Alberta Book Illustration of the Year Can she find courage in her new big city home? Meg is new to the city with its tall buildings and long shadows. It_s nothing like her Caribbean home. Here, the city closes in on her and she feels safe in her bedroom. But gradually she begins to discover that there_s more to the city than she thought. For instance, there_s the Chinese man who exercises in the courtyard near her apartment. His exercises are intricate and graceful, and they have interesting names. One day on her way home from school, Meg finds a tiny swallow brought down by a sudden early snowstorm, and she takes it home to nurse it. Once it is better, she is reluctant to let the bird go, but her mother and the Chinese man both gently suggest that the bird needs to be free if it is going to live. Meg and her new friend, Jenny, both release the bird. Courage to Fly captures the anxiety of a child who is alone in a new and strange world but whose imagination and courage are nourished by unexpected friendships.

Have you danced the round dance yet? Of course you have - you're in my dream. You've danced in circles next to me You now know things aren't as they seem. Beloved children's author David Bouchard has teamed up with emerging writer Shelly Willier to create a heart-warming tale in his newest book, The Drum Calls Softly. Discover the beauty of the traditional Round Dance through the lush descriptive verse of Bouchard and Willier that leads you through the cycles and seasons of life, the forming of new friendships and the understanding of values. Illustrations by internationally acclaimed painter Jim Poitras colorfully grace the pages, bringing the words alive through the intricate movements of the Round Dancers. And Northern Cree teams up once again with David Bouchard, providing the translation from English to Cree and the haunting drum music on a bound-in book CD. Also available in French and in Cree, and accompanied by a CD. Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2009 Bologna Ragazzi Award Mention book, 2010

When it began, he was just another stranger without a name. When it ended, he was the most notorious criminal in North America, the object of the largest manhunt in RCMP history. This is the story of Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper, a silent man of superhuman strength and endurance, who defied capture for fifty days in the bitter cold of winter, north of the Arctic Circle. He was a man who crossed hundreds of miles of frozen tundra on foot, who survived dynamite blasts and the pursuit of police, trappers and the army, and who became the first man to cross the Richardson Mountains in a blizzard.

"Night and Snow held their tails high; their eyes glow like embers. They are father and mother to the grown wolves in their pack who were pups only two winters ago. Night and Snow are the leaders, the Alpha male and female..." Life in a wolf pack is vividly portrayed in this lavishly illustrated picture book by award-winning author-illustrator Georgia Graham. As Night and Snow and the older members of the pack venture far from the den to locate food for the family, Haze is left to tend to the pups. That's when he hears the sounds of a rival wolf pack. And they're getting closer. As the den keeper it is up to Haze to defend the pups... if he can.

Taylor Jane Simon is 18 years old and spending the summer with her mother in Prince Albert National Park. The holiday has been planned so Taylor's mother can spend time with her latest boyfriend, Danny, and work in the pizza restaurant near the park that Danny runs. Taylor would just as soon stay at home in Saskatoon, but because she suffers from an autistic condition called Asperger's Syndrome, she can't stay on her own. Taylor's mother encourages her daughter to explore the park's possibilities on her own. For Taylor, whose life experience has been seriously limited, this means facing the test of meeting new people who work in the park's nature center - and facing it alone. Summer also holds out the possibility of finding her own boyfriend, though Taylor isn't quite sure what that may involve. What she discovers will change her life forever. Written as an epistolary novel, Wild Orchid is frank but optimistic, literal yet innocent. A courageous wit attends Taylor's gradual emergence as her own person, and the reader will find the exploration of Taylor's mind a revealing and heartwarming encounter.

For five decades, Alan Maitland was celebrated for his resonant mellow CBC radio voice - and perhaps, most famously, for the stories he read over the airwaves in his alter ego of Fireside Al. For 19 years, Fireside Al read his favourite stories to a devoted radio audience and even though Alan Maitland died in 1999, his voice has been captured for posterity in a highly valued set of sound recordings of these magnificent performances. Now ten of Maitland's favourite Christmas stories are being given new life in this Christmas gift book for the whole family. Fireside Al's Treasury of Christmas Stories includes: The familiar words of O. Henry's celebrated short story, "The Gift of the Magi" Along with Francis P. Church's famous Christmas editorial: "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" "The Santa Claus Trap" by Margaret Atwood Stephen Leacock's gentle seasonal wit in "The Errors of Santa Claus" Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "Christmas at Sea" and Robert Service's "The Trapper's Christmas Eve" Each with a very different take on the theme of seasonal love and joy. And there are more delectable treats in store from Fireside Al's Christmas cupboard. The treasury gains special lustre from the magnificently detailed and richly colored paintings of Alan Daniel, Canada's best-loved illustrator of children's books. Above all the package is completed by a bound-in CD of Alan Maitland's reading of the ten stories included in the book.

This ambitious historical novel is a follow-up to Amanda West Lewis's very successful novel, September 17, published in 2013. Peter Gruber is a ten year old German boy who, in May of 1939, is dealing with the drowning death of his closest friend, and living with his mother in Hamburg. The novel follows his life through the war years and the ultimate defeat of Germany -- and explores how an intelligent, sensitive youth responds to the propaganda and posturing of the Nazis. It also provides insights into the realities of living in a country at war, seen through the eyes of a boy who is drawn into the Hitler Youth and who has growing misgivings about what he is being told about his country and its destiny. On the 2017 USBBY Outstanding International Book honor list. One of 49th Shelf's favorite books of the year for young readers. Recommended by World of Words, an educational resource website from the University of Arizona. 2017 Snow Willow Award nominee.

Told through the eyes of 13-year-old Joan, Dark Matters introduces young readers to the fragile wonders that thrive below our increasingly threatened night-time skies. This book is packed with fascinating and unexpected facts and illustrations about how plants and animals react to light pollution, and comes up with tips and suggestions on how young people can help protect our important night-time environments. Because - dark really matters.