Supermom and the Big Baby by Dave Driver Published by DriverWorks Ink Review by Karen Lawson ISBN 978-1-927570-01-2 Sometimes the idea for a story comes from an unusual source. According to author, Dave Driver, the inspiration for his children’s book came from his wife, Kelli, who regularly talks in her sleep. After being regularly wakened at night by her nocturnal chattering, Dave had a brainstorm and decided to create a story based on her nonsensical ramblings. The result is a lighthearted book entitled Supermom and the Big Baby. The author includes his whole family in his story but the star of the tale is his baby son, Easton. Easton has an argument with his big brother, Cooper, and then grows and grows and doesn’t stop growing. He soon takes over the neighbourhood and is on the loose. The Driver family must figure out how to get their baby back and reduced to normal size. It doesn’t take long before Easton is running amok and terrorizing the neighbourhood. Neighbours try and help corral the giant baby but ultimately it is up to Supermom aka Kelli to save the day and rescue her enormous son and shrink him back to normal size….

A Fraidy Pants Lair By The Turk & Toph Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Reviewed by Jessica Eissfeldt Price $24.95 ISBN: 978-1-894431-47-7 Colorful illustrations help underscore the rambunctious monsters that populate the page in this lively and vivid children’s book about the monstrous consequences of lying. The main character, Freddie, fears her older brother will kill her when she breaks a string on his shiny new guitar. She lies about it to her mother. And that’s when the monsters start appearing. The more lies she tells, the more monsters appear. Cleverly weaving together an entertaining tale with multiple, vivid drawings on each page, A Fraidy Pants Liar serves as a great, yet gentle, guide to help youngsters realize “it’s important to be honest with ourselves to create a world where love is power,” as the reader’s note states. With this ingenious twist on a morality tale, the authors The Turk and Toph use ugly, persistent monsters to illustrate the point that lying is not the path to follow. Being afraid of the consequences of lying is far scarier than being able to speak up and tell the truth. Children will love the cartoon-filled book – the illustrations seem to jump…

Cyclone! The Regina Tornado of 1912 by Warren James and Carly Reimer Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Michelle Shaw $14.95 ISBN 9 781894 431712 One hundred years after the legendary tornado of 1912 left the city of Regina devastated, tornadoes are once again touching down in Saskatchewan. So it’s not surprising that I was a little reluctant to pick up Regina author Warren James’s latest book! Warren James is a storyteller with a passion for history and folklore. Cyclone! The Regina Tornado of 1912 is a carefully researched picture book with an old silent movie feel. It’s simply written and filled with vivid details which give a sense of the magnitude and devastation of the tornado. Children will especially appreciate the numerous detailed images which his words conjure up, such as the fact that the switchboard at the Telephone Exchange literally fell into the basement with the operators still in their chairs. He also relates how the tornado sucked up tons of water, a canoe and two boys from Wascana Lake. Although the book is obviously aimed at young children, its appeal is far broader. At the back of the book are four pages of detailed notes…

Bee Yourself by Kerry Sather and illustrated by David Mark Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Gail Jansen $19.95 978-1-894431-66-8 At one time or another, most of us will have looked in the mirror and wished we were “someone new,” especially as children, where one look around the schoolyard could often have us seeing others who seemed to be more talented, more attractive, and smarter than we could ever hope to be. That’s why first time children’s author Kerry Sather’s book Bee Yourself offers both parents and children alike a wonderful opportunity to see for themselves that sometimes just “beeing” yourself is the best thing around. Taking you on a fun whimsical flight around the countryside, Bee Yourself shows you, through the eyes of a quirky little bee, that every creature has an upside and a downside to its existence and that truly, no one is perfect. Complemented by David Mark’s wonderful illustrations that showcase the imagination of a little bee as it tries on different personalities and personae, you’ll laugh out loud when you see what a bee would look like dressed up as a butterfly,a frog, a bird, a bunny, and more. The hilarity includes an…

The ALWAYS Team by Holly Preston, illustrated by Val Lawton Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Cindy Wilson $19.95 ISBN 978-1-894431-51-4 In The ALWAYS Team Holly Preston and Val Lawton bring to life the legacy of being a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan through the eyes and adventures of three small Regina boys. These mop-topped, likeable little guys (Rob, Stevie, and Brendan) love to play football. The problem is they are losing too many games. The meeting they call to correct this problem pivots on the idea of replacing each of them. The boys’ Gramps comes up with a better solution. Gramps takes the boys to a Roughrider home game where they meet their favourite player, tour the locker room, and ask many questions. At the game they see first-hand all the ideas and practices the Riders use to earn them the title of the ALWAYS team. As Gramps says, “they ALWAYS figure it out”. Watching the Riders play demonstrates to the boys the need for teamwork, to play with heart, and to always remember your fans, the 13th man. Throughout this easy to read, colourful story we see landmarks Val Lawton’s illustrations have filtered onto every page. We see…

Beliefs & Religions Around the World by Judy Kirton illustrated by Val Lawton Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Jessica Bickford $16.95 978-1-894431-60-6 Beliefs & Religions Around the World is a colourful and informative starter guide to world religion for small children. The sincere story by Judy Kirton spotlights seven different belief systems in descending order based on worldwide membership, and the illustrations by Val Lawton depict bright, happy families enjoying their culture and faith. Each different belief is introduced by a child who says where most of the people of that faith live, with an accompanying illustration of the globe. This is followed by any special books or teachings, any particular prayer location, and one or two special holidays. Any words that would be difficult for a small child, such as mosque, are also spelled out phonetically so it is a great opportunity for kids who are learning to read to tackle some more challenging words. The illustrations show families celebrating their faith in traditional clothing, which demonstrates a bit of cultural diversity around the world. The book presents a joyful global community that includes those of a particular faith, those whose family has more than one…

Make a Rabbit by Mary-Ann Kirkby Review by Karen Lawson Published by Polka Dot Press $18.95 ISBN 978-0-9783405-2-0 Make a Rabbit is a delightful children’s book that will capture your heart from the first page. The first look at the title may have you reaching for scissors and glue but no, Make a Rabbit is not a children’s craft book. The term is a Hutterite expression that gently and delicately explains the rite of passage that every toddler goes through when he is ready to leave the world of diapers behind. Mary-Ann Kirkby first reflected on life within a Hutterite colony in her memoir entitled I am Hutterite. In her children’s book, Make a Rabbit, she has used a Hutterite colony as her setting and tackled an issue that all parents can relate to as their baby makes the transition from baby to toddler. As a former member of the Hutterite community, Kirkby understands her subject matter well and uses her knowledge of their culture to teach her readers about this special group of people that are an important part of our prairie history. Eddy Hofer is a lovable, rambunctious, curious, child. He is loved not only by his parents,…

Linger by Marny Duncan-Cary and illustrated by Megan Mansbridge Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Karen Lawson $12.95 ISBN 978-1-894431-10-1 Linger is the first collaborative effort by Marny Duncan-Cary and Megan Mansbridge. Duncan-Cary is song writer and singer from Lumsden and Mansbridge is an accomplished artist. Together they are a winning combination and have created a gem of a book. Although it is a child’s picture book, Linger is one of those heartstring-tugging classics that everyone falls in love with. The first day of school is an emotional milestone. It is full of excitement and anticipation but also apprehension as your child takes her first flight from the nest. What mother hasn’t shed a tear to see her baby climb the steps of the big orange school bus for the first time and watch it disappear down the road? Duncan-Cary explains why she wrote this book in the foreword; she shares how difficult it was to realize and to acknowledge that her child was becoming independent and was growing up. Duncan-Cary was so overwhelmed by her emotions on that warm, autumn day when her youngest daughter started school that she went home and wrote the song Linger. The…

Baba’s Babushka by Marion Mutala Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Karen Lawson $14.95 ISBN 978-1-894431-53-8 Baba’s Babushka is a delightful Christmas tale written by Saskatchewan author Marion Mutala. She has created a charming story that celebrates her proud Ukrainian heritage and lives up to the subtitle of her book, “A Magical Ukrainian Christmas.” Natalia, the star of this lively story, is a little Ukrainian girl living in rural Saskatchewan who is taken, with the reader, on an enchanted journey back in time. Although Natalia is excited, like all children, about Christmas, her joy is marred by a deep sadness. This will be the first Christmas that her beloved grandmother, Baba, will not be present to share in the fun, festivities, and traditions of Christmas with her family. One day a brightly-coloured red and blue babushka, or headscarf, appears out of nowhere that reminds Natalia of the one her Baba used to wear. Mysteriously transported to another time and place, Natalia finds herself sharing a meal with a strangely familiar family who perform all the same Christmas Eve traditions her own family does. Though she is unsure why, Natalia feels very close and connected to another little girl…

This is a children’s story, yes, with age-appropriate language and credible characters – it was realistic and delightful how often friends and extended family were visiting the grandparents to work together on a mossbag, for example, or help fix an old truck — but it also deals with the “grown-up” issue of traditional vs. contemporary life.