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NEWS
Welcome to spring, Groundwood Books News readers! We're excited to ring in the season by sharing quite a few awards nominations with you, as well as a terrific list of new releases and a fascinating author interview with Jan Andrews.
If you're in or around Toronto this spring, be sure to drop by the Lilian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library to see the Magic Cities exhibit, featuring City Alphabet by Joanne Schwartz and Matt Beam.
AWARDS
 Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks has been shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award.
Northward to the Moon by Polly Horvath has is as a finalist for the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Book Prize.
The shortlist for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award has been announced, and Queen of Hearts, Harvey by Herve Bouchard and Janice Nadeau, and
Home Is Beyond the Mountains by Celia Barker Lottridge are all on the list.
 
We also have three books nomiated for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award: Book of Big Brothers, illustrated by Luc Melanson, I Know Here, illustrated by Matt James and Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth!, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay.
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NEW RELEASES
WHAT ARE YOU DOING
Written by Elisa Amado
Illustrated by Manuel Monroy
t's the first day of school, but before he goes Chepito runs outside to play. He comes across all kinds of people in his neighborhood -- a man reading a newspaper, a young girl enjoying a comic, a couple of tourists consulting a guidebook, an archeologist studying hieroglyphics . . . "Why, why, why?" he sings, and they each have an answer for him. Later that day Chepito discovers for himself that reading is catching, and he even brings home a book to read to his younger sister.
Set in a delightfully retro world by illustrator Manuel Monroy, this book is a true celebration of reading.
Reviews of What Are You Doing?:
". . . an inspirational example for emergent readers . . . highly recommended." -- CM Magazine
". . . a pleasurable, rhythmic read . . ." -- Booklist
*  A DAISY IS A DAISY IS A DAISY (EXCEPT WHEN IT'S A GIRL'S NAME) By Linda Wolfsgruber
Many girls are named after flowers (or even forms of the word - flower, such as Flora), which inspired Linda Wolfsgruber to create this utterly charming book. Girls' names in different languages accompany her imaginative illustrations, so that the reader discovers, for example, that Gul means rose in Turkish, but that it is Rosa in Spanish and Raisa in Hebrew. Other names in the book include those for buttercup, sunflower, lily of the valley, daisy, bluebell, snowdrop, hyacinth, camomile, violet, tulip, poppy and lily.
Reviews of A daisy is a daisy is a daisy:
"Precious in the very best sense of the word, these sophisticated, delicate images repay repeated examination, as well as sending the sweet message that girls are thought as beautiful as flowers all over the world."
-- Kirkus Reviews
*  HOUND AND HARE By Rortraut Suzanne Berner
Hounds and hares are like cats and mice. At least, that's the way it is in Great Bone, a little village beside the river. Harley Hare and Hugo Hound see each other at school every day, and they're interested in the same things. But they never talk to each other. Why? Because the Hare and Hound families can't stand one another.
When the annual Big Race takes place on the meadow, Harley and Hugo find themselves racing neck to neck, until a terrible thunderstorm breaks out. Hugo is terrified of the storm and the lightning. Harley panics when they discover they are lost. It turns out that between them, they know just what to do. And, working together, they not only save themselves, but become heroes of the day as well.
Reviews of Hound and Hare:
 "The happily-ever-after ending delivers a satisfying resolution to a story about tolerance that successfully uses humor and engaging artwork to avoid didacticism -- a winner."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"A solid bridge between picture book and early reader." -- Publishers Weekly
*  WHEN APPLES GREW NOSES AND WHITE HORSES FLEW TALES OF TI-JEAN By Jan Andrews
Illustrations by Dusan Petricic
In these three imaginative stories, Jan Andrews introduces us to Quebec's traditional folktale hero, Ti-Jean. He's an endearing character who is both wise and foolish, and though he does find himself in hard situations (often of his own making), in the end, he somehow manages to do what needs to be done. In "Ti-Jean and the Princess of Tomboso" he outwits a greedy princess; in "Ti-Jean the Marble Player" he gets the best of a pint-sized scoundrel; and in "How Ti-Jean Became a Fiddler" he turns the tables on a too-clever-for-her-own-good seigneur's daughter, and finds true love in the process.
Reviews of When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew:
". . . a winning introduction to a universal folk character." -- Kirkus Reviews
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MOTHER NUMBER ZERO by Marjolijn Hof
Fejzo, or Fay, was adopted when he was a baby and lives in the Netherlands. He knows only that his birth mother escaped the war in Bosnia and that he arrived in his adopted home with nothing more than a squeaky toy and a few clothes.
Fay's favorite pastime is drawing birds at the aviary in the park, where he meets Maud, the new girl in town. When Maud discovers he is adopted, she urges him to search for his birth mother. With mixed feelings, Fay, along with his parents, pursues the search, but this creates mayhem at home, since there is no possibility of Bing ever being able to find her birth mother. Gradually Fay's complicated feelings about searching for his mother and his ambivalent feelings for Maud unfold.
Reviews of Mother Number Zero:
"Readers able to look between the lines will find plenty to ponder here." -- Kirkus Reviews
"This minimalist work demonstrates the best qualities of contemporary children's fiction emerging in Europe. Canadian readers are privileged that Groundwood has opted to translate and distribute the work here." -- CM Magazine
NEW IN PAPERBACK   
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AUTHOR EVENTS
Join Cary Fagan (Banjo of Destiny) at the Children's Literature Festival Book Bash
Saturday, April 30, 1:00-1:30 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Northern District Branch
40 Orchard View Blvd.
Toronto, ON
FREE
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
A Q&A with Jan Andrews, author of When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew: Tales of Ti-Jean
 When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew introduces readers to the tales of Quebec's traditional folk tale hero, Ti-Jean. Have you always been a fan of this wacky character?
Ever since I first met him, although I can't quite remember when that was -- some time back in my dim and distant storytelling past, I suppose. I love him and I love his Anglophone counterpart -- Jack. They have such a wonderful fund of tales between them and they really do stand for all of us in our moments of folly and of strength, of triumph and weakness, joy and sorrow. I think they make life seem more manageable to young and old and, of course, they're lots of fun.
>> Read more . . .
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BOOKSTORE OF THE MONTH
A Q&A with Heather Kuipers, owner of Ella Minnow Children's Bookstore
Ella Minnow Children's Bookstore
1915 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
416.698.2665
How long has the bookstore been in business?
Ella Minnow opened for business on December 1, 2006.
Do you have a favourite book?
Having a favourite book is like having a favorite child! I have three favourite children, and many favourite books. At Ella Minnow we really love The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester and sell out of it every time we get more in. I personally collect Emily Gravett picture books because the illustrations strike me as pretty much perfect in every way.
>> Read more . . . (scroll down to bottom of Anansi homepage)
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Thanks for reading! Talk to you soon.
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