Eyewitness Books: Seashore

Written by Steve Parker
Stoddard Publishing, 1989
Ages 8-12
4/5

Parker's book contains information about the plants and animals that live on seashores around the world. Readers learn about seaweeds, tidal pools, crustaceans, mollusks, birds, marine mammals, and shoreline conservation. Facts and explanations are accompanied by colour photographs (many of which are extreme close-ups to allow for detail visibility), illustrations, and diagrams.

Parker shares interesting scientific information in simple, easily-understood language. The book is well-organized, with a table of contents, an index, and plainly labelled pictures. These features would be helpful for an elementary-school student learning how to use non-fiction resources for research. However, the book is still easily browseable, for readers who are more interested in casually reading about seashores.

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.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

By Judy Blume
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1970.
Revised 2001.
Ages 9-13
4/5

Almost twelve-year old Margaret Simon's family may not have a religion, but Margaret herself has her own private conversations with God. This book is made up of her thoughts about moving to New Jersey from New York, getting along with her new friends, as well as the usual concerns of young adolescent girls: bras, boys, and first periods.

Margaret is a strong, funny character, and her observations of early teenage life perfectly capture the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. This book is a classic that continues to resonate with many readers. That being said, I have to admit that I did not enjoy Are You There God? when I was a teenager myself, and I still did not really like the novel after re-reading it as an adult.

In this 2001 version, Blume has updated the parts of the book that describe sanitary belts to reflect more modern products, such as adhesive sanitary napkins and tampons.

Disney Princess Magazine

Walt Disney Company and Redan Publishing
Edited by Frevisse Dearsley-Hitchcock
Published 8 times a year
Ages 5 to 9
1/5

This is a terrible magazine, but, unfortunately, I can also see why many little girls would love it: it is focussed around being pretty, dainty, wearing beautiful gowns, and generally being just like the princesses in Disney movies.

The magazine is filled with advertisements for Disney products, including dolls, DVDs, and personalized Disney princess lunch bags, wall clocks, photo albums, etc. Some of these ads are even embedded within the "activities", such as "Draw lines to match each Soft & Sweet doll to her shadow." I feel this is an unfair marketing tactic because most children in the age range at which this magazine is aimed may not be aware of the differences between an advertisement and the rest of the publication.

The activities in the magazine are uncreative and poorly designed. The level of difficulty of the mazes, colouring sheets, matching games, and finding games does not match the level of difficulty of the text.

Finally, although I appreciated that the princesses do not spend all their time day-dreaming about their princes, every time they appear in a picture they are either brushing their hair, looking in the mirror, or holding a little woodland creature on their fingers. While some of the stories and games try to encourage good manners and kindness towards others, most focus on having the prettiest dress, giving the best present, or being the most beautiful princess.

Dreadful.

The Prince's Diary

Written by Renee Ting
Illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Shen's Books, 2005
Ages 7-12
3/5

Ting's version of Cinderella gives readers a peek into the Prince's diary so they can discover the fairy tale from his point of view.

Although this is an interesting concept, unfortunately it does not really work. The story is supposed to sound as though it has been written by the Prince, but the narrator's voice is stilted or formal and not at all like that of a mischievous boy/young man. Cinderella herself is a compelling character, but her personality is communicated through the illustrations, rather than the text itself. Finally, although I enjoyed hearing a male character's version of Cinderella (since the majority of characters in the traditional story are female), I felt the plot was clunky and unexciting - a retelling should add something new and exciting to a story everyone already knows.

Children who love Cinderella may want to read this, but probably no more than once.

Club Penguin

Walt Disney Company, 2007
<www.clubpenguin.com>
Ages 6-12
3.5/5

There was a big news story last year about how Club Penguin, a site for children started in Canada, was a huge financial success and was being purchased by the Disney Corporation. I was curious: what exactly is Club Penguin and why is it so popular among kids and parents alike?

The basic premise of the site is that a child chooses a penguin character and then explores "Club Penguin" as that character. Penguins can play games to earn coins, which can then be used to buy clothes for the penguin or decorations for the penguin's igloo. Penguins can talk to each other and become friends. Although children can join for free, their penguins can only buy things if they have paid their $6/month membership fee.

Taking a look at the site, it's easy to see why parents like it so much: not only has Club Penguin won awards for protecting children's privacy and keeping children safe, in its Parents' Guide the site stresses that it is 100% ad-free and all discussions between penguins are moderated. Parents can choose what level of freedom their children have in chat sessions: there are settings that allow children to type whatever they want into the chat box (with a warning that inappropriate talk in not allowed) or only allow children to select from a list of pre-typed phrases, such as "Hello" or "Will you be my friend?"

To be honest, I'm not sure what makes this site so popular with children. Although I did create my own penguin just to see what the inside of Club Penguin looks like, I didn't chat to anyone or make any friends (I didn't feel it was ethical since I'm an adult), which may mean I'm missing the whole point of the game. Plus since I didn't pay a membership fee, my poor penguin is naked. However, I do like that there are no winner or losers on this site. Friendship, fair play, and co-operation among penguins are encouraged. There is plenty of information for parents and children about how to play and how to be safe online.

Considering some of the available options, Club Penguin seems pretty great to me, even though as an adult I found it pretty boring.

Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Author of Anne of Green Gables

Written and illustrated by Alexandra Wallner
Holiday House, 2006
Ages 7-11
4.5/5

The graduate work I did before I started my MLIS focussed on the life and work of L.M. Montgomery, so I was prepared to be extra critical of Wallner's biography of a celebrated Canadian icon. Not only would I be looking at the criteria that make a good non-fiction book for children, but I knew I couldn't help analyzing pictures and text to see if Wallner had truly done her homework on Montgomery.

I'm pleased to report that I consider this book successful in both areas. Wallner's writing style is simple, with short sentences and a relatively basic vocbulary, but the book still manages to communicate the important facts about Montgomery's life. While sometimes a little date-heavy, the chronological arrangement of the story, from Montgomery's birth to her death, clearly shows how Montgomery went from a little girl in Cavendish, PEI to an internationally-renowned author. The thorough index at the back of the book makes this a good source for children learning to use non-fiction books for research projects, although the lack of headings within the text itself might prove confusing.

However, what really impressed me about Wallner's biography is the illustrations. First of all, it appears as though Wallner has actually researched PEI; the buildings, the beach (particularly the last two-page spread of the Cavendish capes), the home decor, and the red dirt are accurate colours and designs. When Montgomery moves from PEI to Nova Scotia and eventually to Ontario, the landscapes and buildings change too. In fact, Montgomery herself ages in the illustrations, and it is evident from the composition of several pictures that Wallner studied some of the well-known photographs of Montgomery when creating her paintings. In addition, the lightness and brightness of the illustrations reflects the happy, romantic mood Montgomery herself liked to create in her writings.

I also enjoyed several of the small details that might go unnoticed by a child, but would be noticed by a Montgomery fan or scholar. The little black cat on the dedication page looks like the cat Montgomery often drew as part of her signature. The homes in PEI are all wooden and no stone buildings appear until Montgomery goes to school in Halifax. Several of the outfits in which Montgomery is pictured are actually items of clothing she treasured and described in detail in her own journals. Indeed, whenever Wallner writes "Montgomery thought" she quotes directly from the journals.

Because she has often been dismissed as simply a writer for young girls, Montgomery's biographies (for children and adults alike) have not always been of the greatest quality. However, in my opinion, this is good non-fiction book for elementary school children who may be reading Anne of Green Gables (or one of Montgomery's other works) for the first time and might be curious about the author.