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Children's Fiction General

Apples and Butterflies

A Poem for Prince Edward Island

by (author) Shauntay Grant

illustrated by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo

Publisher
Nimbus Publishing
Initial publish date
Oct 2012
Category
General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771083607
    Publish Date
    Oct 2015
    List Price
    $12.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781771085038
    Publish Date
    Feb 2017
    List Price
    $1.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781551099354
    Publish Date
    Oct 2012
    List Price
    $19.95

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Where to buy it

Out of print

This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 4 to 8
  • Grade: p to 3

Description

I want to rest inside a sunrise dream
an endless stretch of sea and sand and foam
I want to go
go where butterflies dance like children

Apples and Butterflies is a gentle, lyrical poem about a family's autumn vacation and shows Prince Edward Island in a light we don't often see—the bright blue and orange light of fall. Tamara Thiébaux-Heikalo's rich and wild illustrations build a narrative with the text, showing us the family beachcombing, flying kites, and picking apples. Shauntay Grant's award-winning poetry makes the reader long to go with her, and conveys the wide-open space of the island, where you can

breathe air that tastes like apples:
red
ripe
and ready for picking.

About the authors

Shauntay Grant is a poet, playwright, interdisciplinary artist, and children’s author who lives and works in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). A former poet laureate for the City of Halifax, she “creates artworks that are engaging and accessible, but also challenging, rigorous, and informed by deep research” (Royal Society of Canada). Her play The Bridge (Playwrights Canada Press) premiered at Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall, a co-production between 2b theatre company and Neptune in association with Obsidian Theatre Company. Set in a rural Black Nova Scotian community, this multilayered story of a family torn apart by betrayal received eleven Robert Merritt Award nominations, winning four, including for Outstanding New Play by a Nova Scotian. Grant’s first stage play Steal Away Home won the Jury Award for Outstanding Drama at the Atlantic Fringe Festival. Her other plays include KK (Boca Del Lupo, Red Phone project), Passing (Eastern Front Theatre, Micro Digitals project), and the ten-minute monodrama Beyere (Obsidian Theatre Company, 21 Black Futures project). An associate professor of creative writing at Dalhousie University, Grant holds professional degrees in creative writing, music, and journalism. Her theatrical work for young audiences has toured with Neptune Theatre’s Tour Company, and she has been commissioned by Against the Grain Theatre to write the text/poetry for Identity: A Song Cycle. She is the editor of the anthology From the Ashes: Six Solo Plays (Playwrights Canada Press) which collects groundbreaking solo plays by Black Canadian women and womxn. Her first solo stage play is in development with 2b theatre company. Grant is the author of several books for children including My Fade Is Fresh (Penguin), When I Wrap My Hair (HarperCollins), and Africville (Groundwood), which won a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Her other honours include an Established Artist Recognition Award from Arts Nova Scotia, a Poet of Honour prize from Spoken Word Canada, a Joseph S. Stauffer prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, and Arts Nova Scotia’s inaugural Black Artist Recognition Award.

Shauntay Grant's profile page

Tamara Thiébaux-Heikalo has drawn and painted all her life, and is the illustrator of six previous books for children, including Driftwood Dragons and The Cat From Kosovo. She and her artist husband, Daniel Heikalo, live in Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.volantemultimedia.com

Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo's profile page

Excerpt: Apples and Butterflies: A Poem for Prince Edward Island (by (author) Shauntay Grant; illustrated by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo)

I want to rest inside a sunrise dream an endless stretch of sea and sand and foam I want to go go where butterflies dance like children

Editorial Reviews

A young girl narrator describes a family getaway to Prince Edward Island in this charmingly illustrated picture book with poetic touches. Following a refrain of “I want to,” she relates scenarios such as “I want to rest inside a sunrise dream / an endless stretch of sea and sand and foam.” Here, we see her joyfully greeting a swirly pastel sky. The lyrical text, with only a few lines per page, is simply constructed, though it’s occasionally esoteric for kids—for instance, “I just want to breathe / breathe air that tastes like apples: / red / ripe.” Nonetheless, the intricate, vibrant artwork incorporates playful and evocative elements, and the warm portrayal of a family appreciating nature’s wonders and sharing in familiar activities like walking the beach or picking apples may inspire readers to dream or reminisce about their own vacations with, as the girl says, “no alarm clocks / and no chores . . . only time / lots and lots of time.”

Other titles by Shauntay Grant

Other titles by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo

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