Paddling Pathways: Reflections from a Changing LandscapeEdited by Bob Henderson and Sean BlenkinsopPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$29.95 ISBN 978-1-988783-81-9 This beautifully-bound anthology of 21 essays written by paddlers and edited by educators—and intrepid canoeists and guides—Bob Henderson (ON) and Sean Blenkinsop (BC) deserves a much longer review than this 500-word assessment. In short: it’s extraordinary. Paddling Pathways: Reflections from a Changing Landscape contains a wealth of thought-provoking essays on the rivers, lakes, and oceans the diverse contributors have navigated via canoe or kayak—often in groups but sometimes solo—and it examines the paddlers’ interior worlds as they contemplate being present; history; culture; relationships with plants, animals and other creatures; Indigenous Canada (land and territorial acknowledgements and “Settler Responsibilities” are included); ecology; climate change; and, as Bruce Cockburn contributes in his Foreword, the “soul-expanding space” where one can get “a glimpse of the world as it was made.” Maps, black and white photos, and the editors’ numerous “Suggested Reading” lists are superb accompaniments to the layered essays. Henderson has previously published books on heritage travel and outdoor life, and Blenkinsop, a professor at Simon Fraser University who writes about “wild pedagogies” and “ecologizing education,” agree that as…

Neighbours Helping Neighbours: The Story of Good Neighbours Food Centreby Wilmer FroesePublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch$24.95 ISBN 9781778690150  I love books that started out as a passion project as the author’s enthusiasm shows through in the words. That is clearly the case with Neighbours Helping Neighbours. In a world filled with negativity and news channels that promote doom and gloom, Neighbours Helping Neighbours is a breath of sunshine. It gave me long-term warm fuzzies. The story of the Good Neighbours Food Centre reaffirmed to me that there is still so much good in this world. People who care are out there.  This book shares an inspiring success story that took place in Rosthern, a small town located halfway between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The community banded together to create a food bank for people who lived with food insecurity. The author, Wilmer Froese, shared the initial planning of the food bank with two other community-minded people. Their vision statement was simple: to give food to people who need it. They opened in September 2011, operating one day a week at the local senior centre before upgrading to a standalone building. They faced some huge obstacles over the following years…

Saskatchewan Dirt: A Pandemic Quest for Connectionby Bev LundahlPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch$24.95 ISBN 9781778690129 We all know you should never judge a book by its cover, but I made that mistake initially with Saskatchewan Dirt. Based on the title, I assumed this book would be about a farmer’s search for ways to connect with others during the height of Covid. Wrong! It’s a “genealogical and geographical pursuit of the early connections between settlers and Indigenous people in southeast Saskatchewan.” This book unfolds in a creative way. Basically, the author and her road trip sidekick, Georgina, hit the highways and back roads of Saskatchewan to uncover the history of the settlers and Indigenous people of that region. (I loved that they spent plenty of time in the Estevan area, my stomping grounds.) Between and after the two road trips they took, the research continued via Zoom meetings and deep dives into the Internet. The details Lundahl unearthed add to the depths of this work. In addition to the genealogical aspects, the residential schools atrocity takes up a portion of the book. (She even touches on Pope Francis’s apology in 2022 for the Catholic church’s role in the history…

The Foxholes at the Borders of Sofa Cushionsby Counce BramptonPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9781988783994 They say it’s about the journey, not the reward. In the literary world, the reward might be considered the publication of a book. For Saskatoon poet Counce Brampton, a “quiet observer of life” who’s lived most of his adulthood in a group home (as a result of OCD and other mental health issues), my sense is that it’s always been about the journey, yet his first poetry collection, The Foxholes at the Borders of Sofa Cushions, has been published, and it opens with a generous introduction by his friend and mentor, internationally-revered writer Yann Martel. Martel began meeting with Brampton when the former was serving as writer-in-residence at the Saskatoon Public Library twenty years ago. The Life of Pi author quickly gleaned that Brampton wasn’t seeking “editorial guidance but affirmation and validation”. Martel continues to provide that today, and explains that “This book is the result of a wish to safeguard what is essentially Counce Brampton’s life work, the mark he will leave”. Interestingly, the poems appear next to images of their first incarnations, handprinted in Brampton’s coiled notebook….

Seagull Island: kiyāsko-miniscikosby Myles H. Charles and Miriam KörnerPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$22.95 ISBN 9781778690105 Seagull Island: kiyāsko-miniscikos is a beautiful children’s book that celebrates traditional life and blends English and Cree to create a captivating tale of family and their deep connection to nature. One morning Luke’s grandfather wakes him up and tells him they are going for a boat ride for the day – to Seagull Island! When they get there, they see lots and lots of nesting seagulls. Carefully Luke’s mosōm and his kohkom show him how to gather the eggs. Finally, when their pail is full, they thank the seagulls for the eggs and set off. They stop at a nearby island to boil the eggs and have some BLT – bannock, lard and tea. Then it’s home to share the rest of the eggs. Miriam Körner’s illustrations are glorious. The pictures fill most of the double pages which gives the reader a chance to immerse themselves in the visuals of the story. There is lots of attention to detail so children can find the butterflies and count the fish and spot the different types of birds. The 24 page, hard-covered book…

Nature’s Apprentices: The Magic of the Peatlandsby Elizabeth Bekolay, illustrated by Jennifer Lynn BeckerPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$19.95 ISBN 9781778690020 Every so often you come across a book that so inspires you that you want to eagerly hand it out to as many people as possible. This is a book about the importance of the peatlands, which are a type of wetland. It’s a book that’s packed full of fascinating facts and educational resources. But it’s the story — a beautiful blend of ecology, fantasy and the joy of childhood adventures — that draws you in and enchants you. Johnny and Marty are two brothers who spend time with their mother, a biologist, up north every summer in a cabin in the boreal forest. Friends nearby have a daughter Willow, who is about the same age as the boys and the three children love roaming the forest. Willow is fascinated with learning about different types of plants and frequently stops to draw one in her notebook. One day on one of their adventures they hear a flute playing a very old and beautiful melody and the children fall asleep. When they wake up, they discover they…

Duty Done: Memories of Fairmont BarracksEdited by Donna Morse and Ric HallPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch$19.95 ISBN 9781988783802 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a lengthy, distinguished legacy in our country’s history. They were established in 1873, just six years after Canada was created. This phenomenal book delves into a slice of that RCMP history.  In 1914, a building was erected in the Cambie Corridor in Vancouver, BC. It served as a private boys school and then a military hospital before the Mounties took up residence there in 1920; they renamed it Fairmont Barracks. I’d wager they had no idea at that time that members of the RCMP would call the place home for the next 93 years.  Duty Done was clearly a labour of love for dozens of people. Beyond the Vancouver division of the RCMP Veterans’ Association, the list of people who devoted time and energy to ensure this book came to fruition is impressive.  You’ll find 28 chapters in this book, although they are called memories instead of chapters. Each of the 28 sections is a story from someone with ties to the Fairmont Barracks. The stories they share are diverse but…

Lola’s Woolly Jumperby Samantha Van De KerckhovePublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$18.95 ISBN 9781778690068 Prairie author Samantha Van De Kerckhove’s love for drawing, painting and storytelling come together beautifully in her children’s book Lola’s Woolly Jumper, which she wrote and illustrated as a gift to her beloved niece and nephews. The term “woolly jumper” is a nod to their family’s Irish heritage. The story follows the adventures of Lola, a happy little lamb who has one wish above everything. She wants a jumper (sweater) just like Farmer Joe’s. Farmer Joe just smiles at her and says: “You can have a jumper like mine. You just have to make it yourself!” Lola tries out various possible solutions around the farm as she puzzles over this problem. But nothing seems to work. The seasons slowly change and finally winter gives way to spring. And Lola discovers that the answer was quite literally all around her. But the story doesn’t end there. We follow the process as Lola’s woolly coat is clipped, cleaned, untangled, spun and dyed. And finally, she has her very own jumper. It’s a simple story on the surface but filled with so much that children can…

The Last Green Dragonby Rud VerhagenPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$19.95 ISBN 9781988783918 The Last Green Dragon is a magical tale of courage, mystery and adventure between two very unlikely friends. Gus is a green dragon who has been raised by a pair of owls since he was a hatchling. Ev is a young girl who was left on the doorstep of a kind old lady named Granny Jenkins when she was a baby. But thanks to a magical opening in Ev’s backyard the two meet and become friends. Although they don’t know it, they are both on a quest and it’s only by joining together that they will each be able to unlock the secrets of their past. Both Gus and Ev are prepared to sacrifice something precious to help the other and they encourage each other when the challenges seem too hard. But just when their friendship seems unbreakable there’s a shocking discovery at the end of the book that threatens to destroy it forever. Fantasy is not usually my go-to genre, but I was absolutely delighted by The Last Green Dragon. Gus and Ev are interesting characters who each have their own personal challenges…

Jessie the Doo-Doo Dog and the Visitors from Outer Spaceby Bill and Jocelyn HutchinsonPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$14.95 ISBN 9781778690006 Dogs, poop, flying saucers and “a tail that’s out of this world”. This is a chapter book that children will adore. The story is told from the perspective of Jessie, a Maltipoo who lives with her bigger cousins Katcha and Krissy, and their human mom and dad. Jessie’s sister, Jo-Jo, also lives close by and comes for frequent sleepovers. One night, on one of their regular walks around the neighbourhood, the dogs come across an incredible sight: a flying saucer! And inside are two small creatures who “looked a lot like Jo-Jo and me—except they had green fur and a pair of matching antennas sticking out of their heads. Space dogs?!” The space dogs have a serious problem. They have run out of fuel for their space craft…and a very special type of fuel is needed. The dogs and their human dad come up with a plan that involves enlisting the help of as many animals as they can find including the rabbits, the squirrels, the gophers, the geese and the beavers. The moose end up…