Lisa Wojna

Our best friends. They can be pets or working dogs; they race for sticks and balls or find survivors of disasters, and they are the subjects of some of the most amazing and touching stories: * Employees of the Albany post office adopted a stray puppy named Owney, and in his life he traveled hundreds of thousands of miles with the mail to places aro …

We all love to have that perfect phrase for that perfect moment. As Goldwyn Smith once said, Nothing can stand against a really resolute quoter. Find some of the greatest, funniest and most memorable words spoken by Canadians in this easy-to-use collection.•I just am a Canadian. It is not a thing which you can escape from. It is like having blue …

Christmas--a time of peace on Earth and goodwill towards all--is also a time of gift-buying craziness and rampant commercialism. How did we get from the birth of Jesus to department store Santas? Read about the traditions and superstitions surrounding one of our most important holidays, and learn how other cultures celebrate the season: * The U.S. …

Manitoba is full of fascinating places and colourful people. Read this entertaining and lighthearted collection of facts from every part of our middle province:- The grey owl is Manitoba's official bird- According to one source, the Harlequin Romance publishing empire had its roots in the windy city of Winnipeg- The Golden Boy, a bronze statue wrap …

Babies are life's little miracles. Everything about them -- from conception to birth and beyond -- is fascinating. Book of Babies includes intriguing scientific facts, strange stories, famous stars and their little ones, and cultural traditions from across the globe: * The Chinese believe that if a pregnant woman reads good poetry and thoughtful bo …

Wanted posters featuring the mug shots of leering criminals trying to stay one step ahead of the law have been a common sight on post office and police station walls. Canada's Most Wanted brings you stories of Canada's most notorious fugitives and the dogged law enforcement officers sworn to bring them to justice: * Kevin Louis Vermett, one of Cana …

William ''Canada Bill'' Jones once proclaimed that it was ''immoral to let a sucker keep his money.'' As a result, confidence men and women looking to make a quick buck find it easy to exploit the trusting and compassionate Canadian nature. Many have misrepresented, misguided and lied their way through some of the most convincing schemes ever pulle …

Canadians don't spend a lot of time bragging, but as this collection shows, our citizens have a lot to be proud of--the many amazing firsts that have come from this country and its people and their impact on our culture and the world: * Alexander MacKenzie was the first recorded explorer to complete the transcontinental crossing of North America * …

One of Canada's best-kept secrets is the amazing list of inventions, both great and ridiculous, that were created by Canadians! Author Lisa Wojna celebrates Canuck ingenuity and tells the stories behind an array of innovations. From the space shuttle's Canadarm to the electron microscope, Canadians can lay claim to many creations. Some have changed …

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We want women leaders today as never before. Leaders who are not afraid to be called names and who are willing to go out and fight. I think women can save civilization. Women are persons.-Emily Murphy, 1931Emily Murphy and four other determined women took their fight to be legally declared persons all the way to the Privy Council in Britain, and in …

Some were taking a stroll through their neighbourhoods on a warm summer evening. Others were at home, tackling a few household chores. Still others were on their way to work, but the people in this book have one thing in common...they all vanished, without a trace:- Demolition crews discover a body buried beneath the cement floor of a Toronto busin …

People often form strong attachments to the animals in their lives, and sometimes the connection is so deep that pets put their lives on the line for the ones they love: * Angel, a golden retriever belonging to 11-year-old Austin Forman of Boston Bar, BC, intercepted a cougar as it leapt at her owner *Ning Nong, a four-year-old pet elephant in Phuk …

Shrouded in mystery, unidentified flying objects have been reported in every corner of Canada. Surprisingly, some of these seemingly far-fetched stories may be based in fact, while others will never be explained: * Residents of Harbour Mille on the island of Newfoundland spent a cold January night in 2010 trying to photograph grey, missile-shaped o …

Murder. It's horrible to imagine someone you know or love could ever fall victim to such a heinous crime. Worse is an unsolved crime, when families never learn why their loved ones were taken, or by whom. They wait and hope that somewhere, someone will come forward with information on these and so many more of Canada's cold cases: * The last time a …

Since becoming a province in 1905, the Alberta government enacted many laws to match the wild spirit of the frontier. Later, the unique character of the people spawned many more. Read about some of the quirky laws Alberta has hidden in its books: * In 1914, municipal leaders in the town of Ponoka banned the building of mud huts with straw roofs bec …

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If you can imagine it, somewhere there's probably a law against it. Laugh out loud over some of Canada's strangest laws -- but not too loudly, or you might get a ticket: * Until 2002 in BC, you couldn't stand up while having a drink in a restaurant * In Halifax, cabbies are required to wear socks * You're not allowed to dogsled on the sidewalks in …

Don't walk under ladders! Place a star on the top of your Christmas tree. Superstitions and traditions often govern how we participate in life. But what of the uniquely Canadian superstitions and traditions practiced across the country? - Canadian folklore suggests eating fish from the head downward; for a filet of fish, eat the widest part first a …