• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

***BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS AND TEENS 2021 CATALOGUE***

The most beautiful ice-fishing shack on the whole coast belongs to Alphonse. But he can’t seem to catch a thing—not even a sock, or an old pair of underwear! How will he ever win the Best Fisherman Contest?!

Katia Canciani lives in Gatineau, Quebec, and has published 36 books for children. She spends her time flying planes and meeting kids in schools.

Katia Canciani's profile page

Christian Quesnel is the author and illustrator of several award-winning comic books, including Cœurs d’Argile, Ludwig, Félix Leclerc: L’alouette en liberté, and Vous avez détruit la beauté du monde, which won the Grand prix de la ville de Québec in 2021. In fall 2008, he became the first comic strip artist to win the Prix à la création artistique from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for his body of work. He holds a master's degree in museology and arts practices from the University of Quebec in Outaouais, in Gatineau, where he is currently a doctoral student.

Christian Quesnel's profile page

Born and raised in Newfoundland, Jocelyne comes from a bilingual family and grew up reading and hearing stories in both French and English from an early age. She loves stories that draw from the culture and history of an area and its people, and even as an adult, she still always wants “just one more story!” A huge word nerd and language enthusiast, she is a trained folklorist, editor, and researcher. She likes nothing better than reading all day, fortified by cups of tea.

Jocelyne Thomas' profile page

• Featured in the Best Books for Kids & Teens Catalogue

“Bold illustrations and a delightfully simple colour palette make this picture book eye catching, with every turn of the page, even though there is no fish catching! Alphonse doesn't win the Best Fisherman Contest. He wins a much more important prize. A perfect winter time reading and great for fishermen and fisherwomen to share with their littlest minnows!”

Atlantic Book Reviews

"The palette of the illustrations includes lots of strong reds and blues and blacks. The texture brings a lot of flow to the sky and water. And the shapes are often playful, even dreamy. As Alphonse saws the wood to build his shack, his long hair flows out behind him, and a bird joins him on his perch (which he’s about to cut off); when he’s astonished, exclamation points form a ring around his head. This whimsy cheer aligns with the tone of 'The Ice Shack’s' adventure."

The Telegram

"The Ice Shack is an entertaining read about Alphonse the ice-fisherman. Alphonse has built himself the most attractive shack around but when it becomes cold and time to fish he can't catch a thing! And if he can't catch a thing he wont win the Best Fisherman Contest. He dedicates himself to proving he's the best fisherman so wholeheartedly he doesn't even sleep. But because of the lack of excitement of no fish he eventually falls asleep and when he wakes the surroundings outside his shack have changed and so begins his wild whale of a tale! My kids loved this one! And the illustrations are fantastic!"

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