Thomas' Snowsuit

Written and performed by Robert Munsch
Originally published in 1989.
MP3 file, 4:33 minutes
<www.robertmunsch.com>

Thomas hates the new snowsuit his mother has bought him. In fact, he hates it so much that he puts up a fight every time he has to wear it. First Thomas' mother manages to wrangle him into the snowsuit, but when recess comes at school, it's another story. Both the teacher and the principal end up involved in the kind of silly hijinks young children enjoy the most.

This is a treasured story from my own childhood. We had a Robert Munsch cassette tape that was played over and over again, never failing to draw major giggles from my brothers and me. When I discovered that MP3 files of Munsch telling his stories are available for free on his website, I was pretty excited. The small files are easy to download, and there are two versions for each story: one of Munsch reading directly from the book and one of Munsch telling the story to an audience of children.

When listening to Robert Munsch, it is impossible not to be carried away by his enthusiasm. His voice communicates both the humour of his stories and his love of entertaining children. He makes great sound effects and pokes fun at the seriousness of adult authority. One of the things I love the most about his recording of Thomas' Snowsuit in front of an audience is how he uses a real child's name in place of Thomas throughout the story. I saw Munsch perform at a Canada Day concert a few years ago, and I was impressed with his genuine interest in his audience then too.

Finally, according to Munsch's website, Thomas' Snowsuit was created at the Mount Saint Vincent University daycare when a kid asked for a story about snowsuits. It was fun to discover after all these years that my favourite Munsch story has a Maritime connection!

Kids' CBC

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007
<www.cbc.ca/kids>
Regular site: Ages 8-11
Preschool site: Ages 5-7
3.5/5

The CBC Kids website is divided into two sections, one for children ages 8 to 11 and one for preschoolers. Visually, both of these pages are very appropriate for the age groups for which they are designed.

The preschool page uses bright colours and cartoon-style graphics and sound effects in an interactive layout. Children can play simple games, learn about their favourite characters from CBC TV, and watch video clips from CBC TV shows. An animated, speaking cartoon of Canada offers an introduction to each section of the preschool website and explains how to navigate the website. Unfortunately, unless children click on cartoon Canada, it is unclear that she is supposed to be there to offer help.

The website for elementary-school aged children uses a mix of different styles of graphics, including anime and more traditional cartoons. Like the preschool site, there are all kinds of sound effects and animations, although the general feel is more mature. Kids can play games; read and write reviews of books, music, movies, and more; download screensavers; or learn more about their favourite CBC TV shows.

I was surprised that CBC, which I have always considered pretty educational in comparison to many other TV channels, did not include more distinctly Canadian material on these websites. This is particularly true of the website aimed at older children. Although the games are interesting and age-appropriate, they are also pretty much the same as what I'd expect to find on any other children's television channel's website.

That being said, one crucial difference I did notice is the complete lack of advertising. CBC for Kids does not even have a sponsor. I think it's wonderful to see websites for children that are not encouraging the formation of commercial habits at a young age.

Overall, the Kid's CBC webpages are among the better children's television channel websites I have seen.

Piper

By Natale Ghent
Orca Book Publishers, 2000
Ages 9-12
2.5/5

After Wesley's father dies in an accident, she and her mother move to her Aunt Cindy's farm in southern Ontario. In addition to raising sheep, Aunt Cindy breeds and trains Australian shepherd dogs. Grieving the sudden loss of her father, Wesley hates living in the middle of nowhere until she witnesses the birth of Piper, an undersized red merle. Wesley names the puppy Piper, and, with the help of a neighbour, begins to train her as a competitive sheep dog. Piper and Wesley are a huge success on the competitive circuit, but everything falls apart when Piper is mauled while saving Wesley's life from a coyote attack. Of course, even though this is realistic fiction, both Wesley and Piper are saved.

This is really only an okay book. Ghent's dialogue is stiff, and it took me quite a while to warm up to the character of Wesley. When Wesley and Piper are attacked, I realized I was more upset at something happening to the dog than I was at the danger to Wesley! The author's notes about Australian shepherds was useful for learning about a dog breed of which I was previously unaware.

Readers who love animals, especially dogs, will enjoy this book. I found it a little boring.

Alligator Pie

Poems by Dennis Lee
Pictures by Frank Newfeld
Macmillan Company, 1974
All ages
5/5

"Alligator pie, alligator pie, / If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die." These are actually the first words I learned how to read when I was in Grade One; however, I had never read the rest of Lee's classic book.

The poems are catchy, with sing-song rhythms and silly plots that invite readers to chant them aloud. Many rhymes include Canadian twists, such as the names of Canadian cities or references to the folkloric figure of Oopik. Although Newfeld's illustrations feel a bit dated, there are other versions of the book available.

Overall, I feel Alligator Pie definitely deserves the title of children's classic.

One Elephant, Deux Éléphants

Sharon, Lois, and Bram
Casablanca Kids, 1978
All ages
5/5

There's a reason One Elephant, Deux Éléphants was recently re-released as a twenty-fifth anniversary special edition CD - it's a classic children's album that is as enjoyable today as it was back in 1978. With its mix of playground chants, traditional songs (such as "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Paw Paw Patch"), and Sharon, Lois, and Bram specials (such as "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants" and "Skinnamarink"), this CD is a great example of high-quality children's entertainment.

The tracks encourage audience participation through the inclusion of children's voices as a central part of the recording. The lyrics of songs such as "Candy Man, Salty Dog" are suitably ridiculous and amusing, while parents will enjoy singing "'A'. You're Adorable" and "Yes Sir, You're My Baby" to their kids. With a mix of English and French songs, as well as one Iroquois lullaby, the CD is also staunchly Canadian.

In my opinion, some of the best children's music ever!

The Glass Castle

Our Canadian Girl Series
By Sharon E. McKay
Penguin Books, 2002
Ages 8-12
2.5/5

After the Halifax Explosion, Penny Reid's father sends her to live with her rich grandmother in Montreal. Unfortunately, Grandmother dislikes Penny's father and forbids the mention of his name. Homesick and lonely, Penny must learn to adapt to her new life and find a way to become friends with her grandmother.

Although The Glass Castle is filled with information about Halifax and Montreal during World War I, including discrimination against the Irish and the conflict between French and English Canadians over participation in a British war, the story's plot is weak and uninteresting. There is minimal character development: Penny is headstrong, Aunt Colleen is kind, and Grandmother is stern. In addition, the writing is poor; several chapters end with cliff-hangers that are not resolved, or even mentioned, in the next chapter.

While I like the idea of the Our Canadian Girl series, The Glass Castle is not a great book.

I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death

By Jan Thornhill
Maple Tree Press, 2006
Ages 8+
5/5

In simple, factual language, Thornhill's book explains what death is and why it is a necessary part of life. Thornhill describes what happens to bodies after they die and talks about different kinds of death, including when people kill animals for food, when people die in accidents, and when people kill other people. Although death can be a scary and emotional topic, Thornhill's calm, matter-of-fact tone allows readers to learn about death without making their curiosity seem morbid or inappropriate.

The creative layout and bright colours of the book are extremely attractive and draw the eye across each page. The text has been divided into smaller sections and placed in boxes, which makes it easier to read. Most of the pictures in this book are actually photographs. In fact, some of these pictures may be considered too intense by parents: for example, the stages of decomposition as illustrated by a decaying pig carcass, the child afflicted by smallpox, or the Tollund Man. One of the major strengths of this book is that it is constructed using the same template as more complex research materials, allowing children to gain experience in using things like tables of contents, headings, and indexes.

While not suitable for younger children, this book truly deserves the many awards and accolades it has received.

Dracula

By Bram Stoker
Retold by Tim Wynne-Jones
Illustrated by Laszlo Gal
Key Porter Kids, 1997
Ages 10+
1.5/5

Dracula is a re-telling of Stoker's novel by the same name. Englishman Jonathan Harker discovers that the Transylvanian count for whom he is negotiating the purchase of an estate near London is actually a vampire. When Dracula arrives in England he seduces and destroys the friend of Harker's fiancee. Harker and his friend, Dr. Van Helsing, must find a way to stop Dracula forever.

I had several problems with this book. The first is that although the idea of exposing young people to a piece of classic fiction by converting it into a picture book may seem smart, Dracula is simply too scary for most children, even when attempts have been made to lessen the fear factor. I consider this book unsuitable for children under the age of ten, and some parents may still find it inappropriate.

Secondly, although the story has been extensively edited, it is still very long and complicated. There is a lot of text on each page, and much of it reads with a stilted feeling (although this may be an effort to retain some of the style of the original novel). The several switches in narration would be confusing to a less advanced reader.

Thirdly, Gal's illustrations, while probably meant to enhance the creepy mood of the story, resemble the pencil-crayon drawings of a high school student. They are suitably somber, yet feel 2-D and fuzzy, as though something is wrong with the perspective. Some pages have dark text over backgrounds like falling snow or stone walls, which makes it difficult to read.

Although this book is meant to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of Stoker's Dracula, in this case I think both the story and pictures are of unfortunately low quality.

That Stripy Cat

Written by Norene Smiley
Illustrated by Tara Anderson
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2007
Ages 2-7
4/5

Smiley's picture book is about a stripy cat in an animal shelter who needs a home. No one wants him, and he almost gets sent to several unpleasant places instead (like the dump). By the end of the story the stripy cat has found a cozy home with an owner who loves him.

Kids will feel sorry for the stripy cat and happy when he finally gets a home. With its repetitive patterns and bright illustrations, this book would be a good choice for reading aloud. In particular, Anderson's pictures do a great job of expressing the personality of the stripy cat.