Off the Page
A blog on Canadian writing, reading, and everything in between
Islands: Perfect Settings for Stories
An exploration of literary islands by author of Complicated Simplicity: Island Life in the Pacific Northwest.
Notes from a Children’s Librarian: Satisfying Endings
How do you create a sense of satisfaction in a story’s finale? The following books pull it off!
Introducing the 49th Shelf Summer Books List: Part 2
Our summer reads extravaganza continues with PART 2 of our Summer Books List, and once again, each and every title is up …
Inclusive Learning, Diverse Books: Introducing Top Grade 2021
Welcome to the Association for Canadian publisher’s Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom, a blog and preview video seri …
Most Anticipated: Our Fall 2021 Nonfiction Preview
New books about everything, including food, beauty, art, travel, singing, healing, grieving, shopping, aging, and so muc …
CanLit Yearning
"At the heart of my novella and in each book on this CanLit list is a sense of desire or a yearning (for belonging, iden …
The Chat with Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo
This week we’re in conversation with political trailblazer Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo, whose memoir, The Queer Evangelist, …
Most Anticipated: Our 2021 Fall Fiction Preview
With new books by Miriam Toews, Dawn Dumont, Douglas Coupland, Marie-Renee Lavoie, Omar El Akkad, Zoe Whittall, Trudy Mo …
Speculative Fiction: Vast and Thrilling
"As a reader and a lightly superstitious human, I can’t deny the pull of the unusual, the not-quite-real. I love books …
Writing with Four Hands
"That’s what the Travels series is all about: sending a resourceful, observant, unafraid (well, sometimes a little afr …
Results for keyword: “grandparents”
Notes from a Children's Librarian: Great, Great Books About Grandparents
Our Children's Librarian columnist, Julie Booker, brings us a new view from the stacks every month.
*****
The unique exchange between grandchild and grandparent stays true throughout these stories, some of which deal with big themes, such as Alzheimer's, widowhood, remarriage and loss.
In My Two Grandmothers, by Diane Carmel Leger, illustrated by Jean-Luc Trudel, Memere Hermance is as different from Nannie Henrietta as a bee from a hen. Two distinct portraits are constructed: an Acadian, stylish store owner vs. a Scottish, protective, practical grandma. What makes them angry? Where do they take their grandchildren on adventures? Even their dogs are polar opposites. This delightful tale demonstrates character to the age 6+ crowd. It's punctuated with French sayings and Scottish slang with translations at the back.
Fox Song by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Canadian Paul Morin, is a beautiful story about loss. Jamie wakes in the morning, but doesn't open her eyes. Instead, she basks in the memory of her Abenaki grandma. Jamie remembers all Great Great Gra …
Continue reading >
What Aging Looks Like: A Picture Book List, with Dogs!
What does it feel like to be old?
It’s so important for children to see positive images of aging. There are many wonderful books about children and their relationship with grandparents or an elderly friend.
In my book, The Old Woman, I write about an old woman who lives alone with her faithful companion, her old dog. Depicting an old woman on her own, gives a child a different view of what aging looks like. Life is not about new adventures anymore but the old woman is not lonely or sad. She relishes the simple pleasures of each new day and revels in the memories and thoughts that float through her mind. Nahid Kazemi’s beautiful illustrations merge with my words to bring the old woman and her dog to life, creating the unique visual landscape of the story.
In the following picture books authors and illustrators explore the themes of aging, intergenerational friendships, loss, and dogs in a myriad of approaches and tones from the sombre to the hilarious.
*
Oy, Feh, So? by Cary Fagan, illustrations by Gary Clement
– am I really related to them?
It’s no …
Continue reading >
Notes from a Children's Librarian: Great, Great Books About Grandparents
Our Children's Librarian columnist, Julie Booker, brings us a new view from the stacks every month.
*****
The unique exchange between grandchild and grandparent stays true throughout these stories, some of which deal with big themes, such as Alzheimer's, widowhood, remarriage and loss.
In My Two Grandmothers, by Diane Carmel Leger, illustrated by Jean-Luc Trudel, Memere Hermance is as different from Nannie Henrietta as a bee from a hen. Two distinct portraits are constructed: an Acadian, stylish store owner vs. a Scottish, protective, practical grandma. What makes them angry? Where do they take their grandchildren on adventures? Even their dogs are polar opposites. This delightful tale demonstrates character to the age 6+ crowd. It's punctuated with French sayings and Scottish slang with translations at the back.
Fox Song by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Canadian Paul Morin, is a beautiful story about loss. Jamie wakes in the morning, but doesn't open her eyes. Instead, she basks in the memory of her Abenaki grandma. Jamie remembers all Great Great Gra …
What Aging Looks Like: A Picture Book List, with Dogs!
What does it feel like to be old?
It’s so important for children to see positive images of aging. There are many wonderful books about children and their relationship with grandparents or an elderly friend.
In my book, The Old Woman, I write about an old woman who lives alone with her faithful companion, her old dog. Depicting an old woman on her own, gives a child a different view of what aging looks like. Life is not about new adventures anymore but the old woman is not lonely or sad. She relishes the simple pleasures of each new day and revels in the memories and thoughts that float through her mind. Nahid Kazemi’s beautiful illustrations merge with my words to bring the old woman and her dog to life, creating the unique visual landscape of the story.
In the following picture books authors and illustrators explore the themes of aging, intergenerational friendships, loss, and dogs in a myriad of approaches and tones from the sombre to the hilarious.
*
Oy, Feh, So? by Cary Fagan, illustrations by Gary Clement
– am I really related to them?
It’s no …
