Toronto Public Library releases its annual First and Best List for 2015 today. All titles on this list feature a Canadian artist, Illustrator, publishing house or translator. Visit our website for the list, including annotations and e-book versions of some titles. First and Best has been putting out these lists since 2007. […]
Kermit the Frog has so many human attributes. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has an honourary degree. He has an ex and has also managed to come across as a bit of a cad in the process. You can hardly begrudge him his right to privacy but his […]
Theodor Giesel, better known as Dr. Seuss has come out with another book! It's believed he wrote it in the late 50's or early 60's and features the same brother and sister that appear in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. This one is called What Pet Should I Get and you can place a […]
Chris Van Allsburg is one of the most fascinating author/illustrators currently working. He was born 66 years ago in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Though he liked to make models and draw as a child, he went through high school without taking a single art course. He managed nevertheless to bluff his way into the University of Michigan's […]
Robert Munsch is turning 70 today. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to Canada as an adult. He had studied to be a Jesuit priest but "went astray" when he discovered how much he loved doing children's work. He started in orphanages and came to Canada getting a job at a daycare in […]
May 25th is the ninth Geek Pride Day celebrating fandom. The date was selected in 2006 as the anniversary of the theatrical release of the very first Star Wars movie. It's also been Towel Day since 2001 (for fans of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) and the Glorious 25th of May for fans of […]
Cover of Hotel Bemelmans selected mostly because it has a cake on the cover Ludwig Bemelmans was born on April 27th 1898 in Meran, Austria-Hungary. French was his first language: his father was Belgian and Ludwig spent most of his time with a French governess, "Gazelle" (which is easier to say than "Mademoiselle"). His […]
H.C. Andersen 1869 Photo: Wikimedia Commons Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2nd 1805 into modest circumstances. He was the only child of a cobbler who died shortly after Hans's 11th birthday. His mother was an uneducated washerwoman. Nevertheless both paren’ts influenced him profoundly. His father was once given some red silk by […]
1st clue His illustrations are instantly recognizable and beloved to generations of children but he never won a Caldecott award (though he was nominated). 2nd clue Today would be his 111th birthday. 3rd clue Although he wrote one of the bestselling books of all time by limiting himself to only 236 words, […]
We often emphasize the importance of spending time with your children developing a love of reading. But don't just take it from us! Last week, just in time for Family Literacy Day the Canadian Paediatric Society released two new videos that emphasize just how important it is from a medical perspective as well. For children […]