Books in Northern Lights Books for Children series

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.

In the home where Cindy lives, no dogs are allowed, so she must bundle puppy up when she goes to work as a cleaning woman in the Hospice. One patient is so blind with illness that he can barely see the dog; it looks like a smudge. But, oh, how nice to hold the puppy. What is Cindy to do? How will she care for Smudge? Reviews "A moving story with a happy ending." _ Quill & Quire "A beautiful story, lovingly told and illustrated." _ Resource Link Nan Gregory is a professional storyteller and has performed in schools, libraries, hospitals, parks and theatres, at conferences and festivals, and from the back of a horse-drawn sleigh. Her career has taken her across Canada and to the United States, Japan and New Zealand. Ron Lightburn is an internationally renowned illustrator of books for children. His illustrations in the picture book Waiting for the Whales earned him the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration and the Elizabeth Mrazik Cleaver Picture Book Award.

I am a princess in the castle keep. I am a pirate on the high seas. I am a cowboy on the lone prairie. I am a wild girl, alone in my stouthearted tree. So begins the story of Wild Girl and Gran - a young girl and her grandmother who become companions in imagination, schemers in adventure and free-spirited in friendship. Together they create a whimsical world that is beautifully charmed and safe. But a shadow falls over this special place when Gran falls ill and leaves the world. Wild Girl does not feel safe or adventurous anymore. One spring day, Wild Girl's mother begins to tell stories about Gran. Wild Girl sees how, together, their love for Gran, and each other, will survive. Wild Girl and Gran is the hauntingly beautiful tale of how imagination renews the human spirit and how love passes across generations, from mother to daughter, to calm a wild girl's heart and make her adventurous again. Awards and Nominations: Winner of the 2001 UNESCO International Youth Library -- White Raven Award Shortlisted for the 2001 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year -- Children's Picturebook Resource Links "Best" in Canadian Resources 2001 IBBY Canada Outstanding Canadian Picture Book 2000 -- 2003 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Citation, Starred selection Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration Nomination Alberta Children's Book of the Year nomination Alberta Book Illustration of the Year nomination

In the great frozen expanse of the high Arctic, Pani, a young Inuit girl, longs to be a great hunter of polar bears like her parents before her. But first, says Pani's grandmother, she must become a great fisher. The next day at the fishing hole, Pani hooks her first fish. In honor of her accomplishment her grandmother presents her with a special ivory fishing lure that once belonged to Pani's mother.Proud of her lure, Pani tells her friends that it is magic and someday she will be a great hunter. But they mock her, insisting that only men can become great hunters. Hurt by their jeers, Pani puts her hands over her ears and runs and runs. Before she knows it she is far out on the polar ice, where she encounters the pale shape of a wounded polar bear cub. Now she must decide whether to hunt or help. "It's all right, Nanook," she says to the weakened cub. "I will take care of you." Inspired by a traditional Inuit legend, The Polar Bear's Gift is about the compassion and resourcefulness of a young girl with ambitious dreams. It is Pani's trial and her triumph to discover that what makes a great hunter is not necessarily a straight aim. It is the lure of the heart on the cold arctic ice.

This hard-hitting novel won, in its original French edition: The Governor General's Award, The Alvine Bélisle Award, and The Brive/Montréal Award. Nominee, Governor General's Literary Award for Translation (from French to English) Karim has journeyed a long way from his home in war-torn Beirut to his new high school in Quebec. Now he must travel the difficult road to a life without war. There is contempt and racism here, too. But there is also My-Lan, a new companion in a new and challenging country. It is an adventure behind the headlines and a lesson in life you couldn't learn in the classroom.

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Citation, Starred Selection Mr. Christie's Book Award Nomination Ruth Schwartz Award Nomination Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature Nomination Amelia Frances Howard–Gibbon Award Nomination Alberta Trade Book of the Year Nomination Alberta Children's Book of the Year Award From Arctic, Bonhomme and Imax to kayak, Ogopogo and zed, Eh? to Zed takes children on an alphabetic, fun–filled tour of Canada. Set in tightly linked rhyming verse, the words for this unique book resonate with classic and contemporary images from every province and territory in the country. Included are place names from Cavendish to Yarmouth and icons that will prompt discussion of Canada's many regions, and its culture, discoveries and heritage. Accompanying the inventive text is a visual feast via the colorful palette of well–known illustrator Alan Daniel. He provides a witty mixture of folk art paintings, toys and models that leap from the page with a whimsical energy that delights the imagination. A treasure for families, a desirable souvenir for visitors to Canada, and a perfect resource for schools and libraries, Eh? to Zed celebrates what makes us truly Canadian, eh.

Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize (2007) nominee Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007 Shining Willow Award nominee, 2008 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 Du_an Petricic illustrations may well encourage a little more unroyal behavior.

Three girls sent away by a father who wishes for them a more prosperous life. Once there lived three Japanese sisters: The eldest sister's name was Aki, which means autumn. She was named this because she was as graceful as the gold and red colored leaves that swirl gently to earth in the autumn breeze. The middle sister's name was Fuyu, which means winter. She was named this because her skin was as fair as the whitest winter's snow. The youngest sister's name was Haruko, which means spring. She was named this because her silky, black hair smelled of the sweetest spring blossoms. The gently eloquent tale follows the progress of three so-called "picture brides" who come to Canada in the early twentieth century, three girls sent away by a father who wishes for them a more prosperous life than he can provide in their hometown of Sendai. Reluctant as they are to leave home, the sisters are nonetheless obedient to their father's wishes. Each takes with her one item that will remind her of their home. One brings a kimono, another a violin, but the youngest, Haruko, brings three seeds of the sakura tree. The sisters arrive on the shores of British Columbia, where their husbands await. Each joins the husband to whom she has been promised, and each has her own way of remembering the family and country she has left behind. Haruko plants the sakura seeds, each of which grows into a cherry tree. One spring, the blossoms swirl away in the wind, and are carried to the doorsteps of the two other sisters. The blossoms remind the sisters of Haruko and their Japanese home. Following the blossoms, they find Haruko's home and the three are reunited under the sakura trees to remember their lives together. This is a book about the meaning of family and home and an exploration of Japanese culture in Canada. Alberta Children's/Young Adult Book of the Year Nominee, 2008 CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens, 2008