What's best in a picture book? A good story to read at bedtime? Pictures that excite or enthrall? An inspiring message that young children can understand?
All of the above are present in the books mentioned below, but not all of them at once.
When Stella Was Very, Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay (Groundwood, 322 pages, $19 hardcover) is a delightful book for the very young.
Part of the Montreal author and illustrator's popular series about a red-haired, adventurous girl, it takes Stella back to her earliest days when "(she) couldn't open doors, look through keyholes or even tie her shoes."
Of course, Gay's quirky illustrations add to the fun. Her artwork is full of whimsy, of flying butterflies, tossing trees and crayon scribbles on the walls.
It is a book that the littlest book lovers will return to again and again.
With Ulysse Nardin Replica the inuksuk the chosen symbol of the Vancouver Olympics, I Is for Inuksuk: An Arctic Celebration by Mary Wallace (Maple Tree Press, 32 pages, $20 hardcover) has topical appeal.
Each letter of the word inuksuk stands for an Fendi Bags Replica important Inuktitut word, and these are accompanied by dramatic oil paintings, blank verse and the word spelled out in Inuktitut symbols.
Wallace, an art teacher who lives in St. Thomas, Ont., has made a virtual industry out of books about the Inuit stone landmark, including Make Your Own Inuksuk and Inuksuk Journey. Here she invites the under six crowd to share in the Olympic spirit.
For simple fun, Freddie's Problem (Peanut Butter Press, 32 pages, $10 paperback) by Winnipeg author Resa Ostrove with artwork by Jason Doll is a comical story about a frog who has eaten too many flies.
Other swamp creatures try to help him soothe his extended tummy until the owl comes up with a solution. Doll, who has worked for Sesame Street and the National Film Board, adds considerably to the story with his amusing and colourful illustrations. The book is available online from Winnipeg's Peanut Butter Press.
On a more serious note, Waiting for the Owl's Call (Sleeping Bear Press, 32 pages, $21.50 hardcover) by Michigan author Gloria Whelan with illustrations by Vancouver's Pascal Milelli describes three young girls in Afghanistan spending their days tying rugs.
The youngest, Zulviya, tries to weave all the colours of her life into the rugs: the yellow-headed thrush, the orange melons, the golden mustard plants.
She wishes she could go to school but knows the loom is all she can look forward to.
embroidered patches
The best thing about this book are Milelli's gorgeous pictures, full-paged and in colour. The book comes with an online teacher's guide.
For a book that may become a keepsake, a new edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with original text by Lewis Carroll and new illustrations by Toronto artist Oleg Lipchenko (Tundra, 112 pages, $25 hardcover) is a good choice for eight to 11-year-olds.
In large format with gold edges, it's a handsome offering that Alice's admirers will love.
Lipchenko's artwork is in sepia tones, suitable to the age of the text, although not as lively as Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations.
Helen Norrie is a Winnipeg writer and children's book specialist. Her column appears o
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