Book Review: “The Penguin Lady” (Sylvan Dell, 2012)

Reviewed by Myles, age 8

The Penguin Lady (written by Carol Cole and illustrated by Sherry Rogers) is about penguins and a lady named Penelope who likes them very much.

Penelope loves black and white. She wears black and white clothes, headbands, earrings, shoes and glasses and lives in a black and white house. Her address is 3316 Penguin Place.

People know Penelope loves penguins, so they give her orphaned penguins they come across in their travels.

Unfortunately, Penelope can’t take care of penguins in her house the way she’d like to. So she gives them all away to a zoo. After she gives the penguins away, she is lonely.

Fortunately, she sees that her neighbour has dalmatians for sale (they are also black and white, of course). So she is not lonely anymore.

This book reminds me of my Grade 1 teacher, because she LOVES penguins! I like to think of her as the real-life Penguin Lady!

This is a great book for kids and adults of any age who love penguins. You should check it out!

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 23:58 Written by kerry 2 Comments

Reading together… from a distance

If you can’t be with your children every night due to business travel or living arrangements, here are a few ideas to help connect with them at bedtime:

1. Record yourself reading a story and upload it (for free) to www.youtube.com or another video sharing web site. Your kids can see and hear you reading to them, and can even follow along in the book!

2. Use a computer webcam to read a story in real-time to your kids; you’ll need to purchase two copies of the same book, though, so your kids can follow along from home as you read.

3. Many companies now offer a wide range of recordable books which allow you to pre-record a story and leave it behind for your child to read at bedtime.

4. If possible, set up a time to call your child just before bedtime and read a story over the phone (or via Skype) together. Just make sure you both have a copy of the book you’ll be reading.

5. If all else fails, agree with your child to read the same book at precisely the same time, and discuss your thoughts and feelings about the story the next time you’re together.

Happy reading!

Friday, 10 February 2012 19:38 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Positive role models for girls in children’s literature

The books we encourage our daughters to read can have an important bearing on their self-image, their view of men and women’s roles in society, and their outlook on love, family and friendship.

Fortunately, there are many strong classic female book characters to choose from.

While there are no perfect people (or book characters for that matter), here are just a few of the character traits we admire in some of children’s literature’s most celebrated heroines:

Pippi Longstocking – courage and creativity
Nancy Drew – curiosity and ingenuity
Anne Shirley – imagination and tenacity
Heidi – high spirits and adventure
Laura Ingalls – strong work ethic and family values
Jo March – boldness and imagination
Trixie Belden – independence and intelligence
Madeline – bravery and kind-hearatedness
The Paper Bag Princess – courage and determination
Pollyanna – perseverance and a positive attitude
Mary Lennox – kindness and resourcefulness
Wendy Darling – nurturing spirit and presence of mind

These are just 12 names that come to mind when I think of strong girls in children’s books – can you think of any others?

Thursday, 02 February 2012 15:39 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Interview with children’s illustrator Patricia Storms

Patricia Storms is a gifted illustrator and cartoonist who has helped breathe life into some of our family’s favourite books and children’s magazines with her amazing images.

When we recently reviewed the book Snowy Science for our blog, we were curious about the illustrator behind the book — so we got in touch with Patricia and peppered her with questions until she begged for mercy (well, not quite).

Here’s what she had to say:

Papertrails Family: Our family is a mix of morning people and night hawks. What time of day do you prefer to create?

Patricia Storms: I am definitely a morning person. For starters, first thing in the morning my brain is fresh and full of energy, not yet weighed down by the worries & stresses of the day. And there’s also something very positive about creating in the morning – that whole concept of the ‘clean slate’ or ‘anything is possible’ because the day is still so young. And of course, with the morning comes COFFEE. Need I say more?

Papertrails Family: Did you have a favourite illustrator/artist growing up as a child? How do you think he/she influenced your artistic style?

Patricia Storms: When I was a kid, I was probably most enamoured with the books by Dr. Seuss. I loved his humour and energy and very unique perspective. Has he influenced my style? Hmmm…perhaps.

My lines have a certain energy and looseness somewhat similar to Seuss. And I generally prefer a simple style of illustration in order to convey a mood or a character, which is certainly reminiscent of Seuss’ work. And Seuss’ work conveys a great deal of emotion, which is something I express in my drawing, too.

Papertrails Family: How do you know when an illustration is truly finished? Or do you feel compelled to keep perfecting until the last possible moment?

Patricia Storms: I know an illustration is finished when my Art Director is phoning me, asking me where it is. But seriously, for me, it’s hit and miss. Sometimes I just instinctively know when to stop, and those are the times when the little creative fairies are sprinkling just the right kinda dust on me and the planets are all aligned and I can fit into my skinny jeans.

Other times, for whatever reason (often it’s because I’m not happy or comfortable with the subject matter in some way), it’s a wretched struggle.

Papertrails Family: What medium do you prefer to use when creating your art (i.e. paint, ink, etc.) and why?

Patricia Storms: I love drawing the traditional way with an HB pencil and then inking with a brush & india ink. Lately though, I’ve been going back to inking with a thin Pigma pen, and have been enjoying messing around with sketchy lines and using a bit more detail and cross-hatching, something I haven’t done in many years.

I use the world ‘traditional’ in order to stress that I do not draw using any kind of computer stuff. I have no issue with drawing digitally for others, but for me, I love the way it feels to push the pencil & brush on paper. I also like the little mistakes that can happen when drawing by hand, which would not be the same if one draws from a tablet, I think.

For the most part, though, I do all my colouring in Photoshop, so I’m not a total purist. I use Photoshop because it’s faster, of course, but also because I’m just not skilled enough in my knowledge of colour to create great drawings using watercolour or acrylic. I wish I was. But I have to be honest with myself – colour is definitely my Achilles Heel in my art.

Papertrails Family: Where did you study art, or are you self-taught?

Patricia Storms: I suppose for the most part, I am self-taught. I have always drawn, and I studied art all through high school, but my teachers generally were not impressed with my cartoon work, and pushed me towards the ‘serious’ side of drawing.

For a variety of reasons (the main one being a lack of confidence) I didn’t go to art school. I studied Library Techniques in college, and worked in libraries for many years, but still always drew on the side.

In my mid-30s I went back to school & studied Graphic Design, and over the years I have taken cartoon and life drawing courses to improve my drawing skills. I still sometimes struggle with the regret of not going to art school in my youth, but it just wasn’t meant to be at that time.

Papertrails Family: Many people try to discourage children from pursuing art as a career. What is your position on artistic careers?

Patricia Storms: Obviously I can’t tell a parent how to raise and guide their child, but I confess I do find it very disappointing that the study of art as a career is so discouraged these days.

Speaking for myself, I lived many, many years bitterly unhappy in my work, full of regret that I hadn’t studied art. It caused me great emotional pain. As a child & teenager, my identity was so closely linked to my creativity (I loved to write as well as draw).

Denying myself the opportunity to develop my artistic self created a major disconnect in my psyche. I’d hate for anyone else to go through that unhappiness.

I do understand the problem of earning a living with one’s art. It’s certainly one of the reasons I didn’t initially pursue it as a career. And trust me, I’m certainly not making the big bucks now.

I guess it comes down to what one wants out of one’s life. Emotional satisfaction, or lots of stuff?

I can recall expressing my fears of trying to make a living with my art many years ago to a very fine cartoonist named Steven Toth, who really helped to get my career off the ground. I was concerned about the lack of security, being an artist. He said to me, “Patricia, nothing in this world is secure.” I’ve never forgotten that. It doesn’t matter what job you have, it can be gone tomorrow. And this is especially evident in today’s economy. Tomorrow is promised to no one. So why not draw a picture?

Papertrails Family: Are there any children’s book projects you’re working on right now that you can tell us about?

Patricia Storms: Well, another book I illustrated will be out this March – it’s called Kid Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Grown-Ups, and is written by Monte Montgomery and published by Bloosmbury U.S.

It’s a humorous middle-grade non-fiction book all about those wacky and bizarre creatures – grown-ups. And I continue to create the comic strip Chirp for the magazine of the same name, published by Owl Kids. Other than that, well… I am hoping that the picture book fairies will be kind to me in the near future, and that’s all I can say about that!

Papertrails Family: Thanks for sharing your time and your talent with us, Patricia. Here’s to the artful life!

Friday, 27 January 2012 02:24 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Create your own family bookplate

What’s the nicest way to say, “Give us back our book already?” You could always write your name in pen or permanent marker in the front cover of the book. But we think a beautiful family bookplate is a great idea as well.

Bookplates are customizable, easy-to-create and best of all, they remind others who a book belongs to. All you need is a set of printer labels, a basic computer design program, a printer and a bit of creativity.

For the most basic bookplate design, simply type “From the home library of the YOUR LAST NAME HERE Family” (or “This book belongs to the YOUR NAME HERE Family”) into a Word program, then adjust the size, colour and style of the type as desired. Print as many labels as desired and affix to the front page of your favourite books.

You can always enhance your design by spending a bit more time on it. Is there a symbol that represents your family? Consider including it on your bookplate. Many web sites and computer programs now offer enhanced options when it comes to printing and design, so explore the options of your own home computer.

By the way, bookplates make great gifts, so you might want to think about creating a dozen or so for your kids’ teachers, friends or extended family members.

Did you know… the phrase “Ex libris” [eks LEE-bris] is an adverb taken from the Latin that means ”from the books” or, as we commonly use it today, “from the library of”. The phrase ex libris is popular on bookplates followed by the name of the owner.

Monday, 23 January 2012 13:18 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Family dinner game: “Would you rather…?”

Looking for a great way to spark conversation at the family dinner table? Try out our book-inspired “Would You Rather” game at your next family gathering and see what happens.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Would you rather be shipwrecked on a deserted island with the Swiss Family Robinson or Robinson Crusoe?

• Would you rather discover a brand, new world by falling down rabbit hole like Alice or stepping through a wardrobe like Edmond?

• Would you rather spend the night in a department store like Corduroy or in a museum like Claudia and Jamie in The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Bail E. Frankweiler?

• Would you rather have a pet crocodile like Lyle or a pet monkey like Curious George?

• Would you rather have dinner with Charlotte or Wilbur?

• Would you rather take flying lessons from Peter Pan or Mary Poppins?

• Would you rather solve a mystery with the help of Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy?

• Would you rather be tiny like the Borrowers or humungous like the Big Friendly Giant (BFG)?

• Would you rather travel by raft, like Huck Finn, or by horse, like Pippi?

• Would you rather be a city child, like Eloise, or a country child, like Laura Ingalls?

Now it’s time to come up with a few “Would you rathers” of your own – have fun!

Friday, 13 January 2012 15:37 Written by kerry 2 Comments

Book Review: “Guiness World Records 2012″

Reviewed by Logan, almost 10

Do you want to be grossed out? Amazed? Then Guiness World Records 2012 (Scholastic) is for you!

This book contains lots of silly things like the largest whoopee cushion and the biggest gathering of people dressed as gnomes.

Sometimes I think, “Why would anybody want to do all these things?”

My favourite part about this book is the pictures and seeing all the miraculous (and sometimes crazy) things that people do.

I hope you get a chance to read this book!

Thursday, 12 January 2012 12:56 Written by kerry 0 Comments

It’s a boy’s life: the inside scoop on boys and reading

I’ve done a lot of reading in the past about the types of books boys enjoy reading, but the best evidence I have is right under my own nose: our seven-year-old son, Myles.

Based on what I’ve read and witnessed first-hand, I can safely say that boys require a wide variety of reading materials – not books alone– to get them hooked on reading. Here are just a few examples:

Roadmaps and atlases– My son (like his dad) loves to chart new courses for adventure; and what a great way to get him reading! Globes are also great for getting boys reading and identifying familiar and exotic place names.

Comic books – Yes, those Spider Man and Archie comic books can be considered viable reading options and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Graphic novels – Yeegads, if I had a dime for every book cover featuring an underpant-clad superhero, caveman or suit-wearing rat I’ve stumbled across in my house, I’d be a rich, rich woman.

Guinness Book of World Records – One of my son’s early reading interests included a 2002 edition of this book, and he continues to love reading the updated versions. What boy wouldn’t want to read about the tallest man in the world, the woman with the longest fingernails or the largest pot of spaghetti? This is fascinating stuff!

Anything about pirates. Period.

Picture dictionaries relating to any subject of interest (i.e. cars, animals, Star Wars, etc.).

Magazines about topics of interest to boys. We got Myles a free LEGO subscription a couple of years ago, and he reads each new edition from cover to cover. There are plenty of other affordable boys’ magazines available as well on every subject from sports to animals and everything in between. P.S. Kids also love to get mail, so the arrival of any new magazine is always met with a frisson of excitement in our house.

Military publications (with parental guidance). During one visit to our local bookstore, I was stunned to find my five-year-old son sitting (sitting, mind you!) on the floor near the magazine displays, pouring over the pages of a commemorative World War II publication. Since his grandfather was a gunner in the war, he had plenty of questions about the photographs he was looking at. Even the grainy, black and white photographs didn’t deter him. Here was a tangible connection to the grandfather he had only met once in his lifetime. It was an eye-opening experience, and one that has captured his interest even today as he continues to show great interest in subjects relating to great historical battles.

Gross-out books (again, with parental guidance). As we all know, most boys are students of human body noises and fluids, and any story about a farting dog, boogers or, well, poop, can hold a boy’s interest like nobody’s business (pardon the pun).

Joke books – Remember, boys love action, and joke books are really a great form of interactive reading. Myles can’t read a joke book for long before yelling at me across the house, “Hey, Mommy! What do you call a cow who mows the grass?” (It’s a lawn-mooer, in case you were dying to know).

Happy reading, boys (and girls)!

Tuesday, 10 January 2012 19:27 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Family Movie Review: “The Adventures of Tintin”

Blistering barnacles! We saw this movie on our Christmas break, and wow! What an incredible, action-packed family film! (The fact that there are three exclamation marks in this first paragraph alone speaks for itself…)

Aside from the fact that I personally loathe 3D movies (hello, eye strain!), the kids certainly enjoyed every minute of this high-flying adventure movie. In fact they were literally on the edge of their seats for most of the film.

While there was plenty of rough-and-tough action in this movie, the violence was portrayed in such a way that made it more slapstick than frightening for the little ones in the theatre.

As Tintin fans, we all loved the fact that this movie was true to the original graphic comic books by Herge. As a parent, I have to say that sharing one of my own favourite childhood books (in its latest form) with my kids was a real treat.

Now, our red-haired son, Myles, has his heart set on being Tintin for next Halloween – can’t wait for that!

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, check it out. Aside from the 3D effects (which I could have done without), it’s definitely a great film that Tintin fans of all ages won’t want to miss.

Monday, 09 January 2012 20:08 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Book Review: “Snowy Science” (Levin & Johnstone)

Our kids are big fans of hands-on learning, so when we came across this new book from Scholastic, we knew it would be an instant hit.

Snowy Sciency: 25 Cool Experiments by Shar Levin and Leslie Johnstone (with illustrations by Patricia Storms) contains pages and pages of engaging ways to bring science to life in your own snowy backyard – the perfect cure for the winter blues!

Shake cabin fever and create your own iceberg, form your own ice crystals, measure snowfall, collect snowflakes, and much, much more.

The book’s handy glossary helps kids understand new vocabulary words like “quinzhee” (an outdoor home made of ice, similar to a snow cave), “refraction” (the bending of light rays) and “glaciologist” (a scientist who studies glaciers).

The book even answers common questions kids have about winter such as “Why is it so cold in winter?” and “What is snow?”

Complete with entertaining illustrations and easy-to-read text, Snowy Science will warm up the family conversation as you get talking about science in new and exciting ways!

Wednesday, 21 December 2011 15:44 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Book Review: Ringtail Family Books (Sylvie Michaud)

A charming trio of books written by North Vancouver author Sylvie Michaud arrived in our mailbox this week.

The subject of all three books is The Ringtail Family, which consists of Mama Ringtail, Papa Ringtail and Baby Ringtail.

The three book titles are Book of Wishes, Book of Dreams and Book of Love.

Although all three books are related, they are not a series, so we found they could be read in any order.

All three passed our bedtime story reading test since they are family-oriented, contain quiet, thoughtful plots and plenty of hugs and kisses.

As a family we enjoyed Sylvie’s writing style and the imaginary family of raccoons her books so delightfully depict.

We think other families will enjoy these cuddle-worthy books as much as we did!

Sunday, 18 December 2011 21:59 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Interview with children’s author Monica Kulling

We think Monica Kulling is truly one amazing author!

In fact, after our daughter, Logan, reviewed Monica’s latest book last month, she was so excited she took the book into her Grade 3/4 class to share it with her friends.

When the kids in Logan’s class read In the Bag about female inventor Margaret Knight, they came up with some questions for Monica, which she was gracious enough to answer.

Here are the questions Logan’s class came up with, along with Monica’s answers:

Papertrails Family: We really like your book’s title, In the Bag. How did you come up with the title? Did you have any other ideas for a title to this story?

Monica Kulling: My first title for this book was, Bag It! But I didn’t love it. So I went back to the drawing board and thought of other expressions with the word “bag” in them. “Hold the bag?” Nah. Finally, I landed on “in the bag” which suited the book beautifully and had two meanings, which I like in a title.

PF: Where did you find the information about Margaret Knight to write the book?

MK: When I write a biography, I read as many books on my subject as I can. In the case of Margaret Knight there isn’t one definitive biography about her, but she appears in many books about women inventors and, of course, the Internet is a great source of information.

PF: Our favourite part of the story is when she made the wooden machine and just could not stop making bags. We also liked the part when she went to trial and proved that she was the inventor. What is your favourite part of the story?

MK: My father owned a store and I worked in it for many years. There’s something about a small independent store that is magical for me. So, I’d have to say, that the store scenes are my favourites.

PF: Is this book part of a series of biographies that you have written?

MK: Yes, this book is the third in my “Great Idea” series published by Tundra Books. I have a fourth inventor book coming out in Fall 2012 called Going Up! Elisha Otis’s Trip to the Top, and I’ve just finished writing the fifth one, which is about Marconi and the radio.

PF: Why did you write this story?

MK: I wanted to write about a woman inventor because I think it’s important for girls to know that all inventors aren’t white and male.

PF: Have you written any other books? Are you working on another book right now?

MK: I have written fiction and poetry as well as other biographies. My book, Merci Mister Dash! is about a well-mannered dog and a not so well-mannered little girl. I am working on my sixth inventor. She was the mother of twelve and the inventor of many kitchen wonders, the amazing Lillian Gilbreth.

PF: What book are you reading right now? Do you like to read biographies or do you like to read other types of books too?

MK: I am reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones. It’s fiction based on fact, about blacks who owned slaves in the South before the Civil War. I also love reading biographies, mysteries, and, of course, children’s books.

PF: On behalf of Logan and her Grade 3/4 class, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! We wish you all the best for this Christmas and 2012!

Sunday, 11 December 2011 19:42 Written by kerry 3 Comments

Magazine Review: “Discovery Girls”

Reviewed by Logan, age 9

Discovery Girls is one of my favourite magazines, because it helps girls out who are aged 8 and up.

I get a subscription to this magazine every month, and I love it!

My favourite part of this magazine is the “Embarrassing Moments” because it’s fun to read other people’s embarrassing moments and not have to remember my own.

I also like their articles, because sometimes you can be in the same situation and they give you ideas about how to make it better.

I think the quizzes are the best part of the magazine because I like learning more about myself and the other people in my family (and my friends too!).

The “Ask Ali” section of the magazine helps the most because you can write to the magazine without having to use your true name, and they will answer the questions you have, no matter how hard they are.

And that’s why Discovery Girls is my favourite magazine in the world.

Thursday, 08 December 2011 22:21 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Recipe: “Hot Hot Chocolate” (from The Polar Express)

Anyone who has seen the movie The Polar Express (based on Chris Van Allsburg’s po pular children’s book) will remember the “Hot Hot Chocolate” scene.

We think both the movie and the book are the perfect inspiration for today’s winter warm-up recipe:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Combine all dry ingredients, along with the vanilla and 2 cups of milk. Warm over low heat on the stove. Cool down by adding one cup of cold milk. Add marshmallows and whipped cream and chocolate shavings to taste.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, 06 December 2011 14:13 Written by kerry 4 Comments

Book Review: “It’s Christmas, David”

Reviewed by Myles, age 7

It’s Christmas, David! (written and illustrated by David Shannon) is all about the Christmas season.

I liked this book, because it’s about giving things to other people.

The pictures in this book are like cartoons and sometimes it looks like the artist didn’t erase his pencil lines properly!

It almost looks like a kid drew this book. I think that’s because the author wants us to think that David drew this book.

David asks Santa for a bunch of crazy things like a treehouse, a chocolate cow, a big snake and night vision goggles.

I like that David is always getting into trouble. I ESPECIALLY like the part of the book where he ran down the street without his clothes on!

Luckily, even though he’s naughty, David still gets presents from Santa Claus at Christmas.

This book is full of things that David’s parents say to him (even though he never listens).

And that makes the book really funny.

Monday, 05 December 2011 22:21 Written by kerry 0 Comments

“Reading Inspires Children” (video clip)

Click on the image above for a great, short video on how reading inspires kids (courtesy of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation).

Friday, 02 December 2011 18:15 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Book Review: “LEGO City: All Hands on Deck” (2011)

Reviewed by Myles, age 7

I liked LEGO City: All Hands on Deck (Scholastic) because it is about LEGO and I have lots of LEGO at my house. It’s also about boats, and I like boats too. It also talks about windsurfing and someday I’d like to try windsurfing.

My favourite part in this book is where the sailor sees the scuba diver, because I’d like to scuba dive someday. I also like sailing.

This is the second book I read about LEGO. The first one was called LEGO City: 3,2,1 Liftoff! (Scholastic). It was also fun to read.

I think LEGO made these books because they wanted people to enjoy LEGO in a different way. Both of these books made me feel like playing LEGO!

This summer we visited a huge LEGO store in Mall of America in Minnesota and also another one in Chicago. I bought lots of LEGO men and a spaceship set that lets you build three space ships. The 3,2,1 Liftoff book gave me new ideas for building LEGO spaceships.

The words in both these book were pretty easy to read (both books are Level 1).

I’d recommend them to any kids who love LEGO as much as I do!

Tuesday, 29 November 2011 22:48 Written by kerry 1 Comment

Book Review: “Tweenie Genie: Genie in Training”

Reviewed by Logan, age 9

Tweenie Geenie: Genie in Training by Meredith Badger is a story is about a twelve year old girl named Poppy.

I loved this book! In fact, I’ve borrowed it three times already from our local public library!

Poppy thinks she’s just an ordinary girl. But on her twelve birthday she finds out that she is a genie!

Poppy has lots of fun learning how to be a genie. But soon finds herself breaking the genie rules.

When she can’t figure out how to levitate, for example, she doesn’t even know if she’ll get to pass Stage One of her training! Will she pass? Or fail?

You’ll have to read this book to find out!

I absolutely can’t wait for the second book in this series to come out in January.

I’ll be the first in line to get a copy!

Friday, 25 November 2011 23:45 Written by kerry 0 Comments

Book Review: “In the Bag” (by Monica Kulling)

Reviewed by Logan, age 9

In the Bag: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up is written by Monica Kulling and illustrated by David Parkins.

This is the true story of how the paper bag was invented.

It used to be that people would just wrap paper into cones and put their purchases in them. But that was until Margaret Knight came along.

Margaret Knight was a little girl who loved to invent things. She was always building things for her brothers and her family, like kites and sleds.

When she was only 12 years old, she designed a stop-motion device to keep threads on looms from breaking and putting factory workers in danger.

When she got older, Margaret worked in a paper bag factory in Springfield, Massachusetts.

One day at work she hit on the idea to create a new kind of paper bag.

She tried out many ideas before one of them worked.

After two years, she created a wooden paper bag model that worked. She was so excited that she made millions of paper bags.

She took her invention to an iron factory and asked for an iron model of her wooden paper bag model to be made.

Someone tried to steal her idea, but she fought it in the courts and won!

So today we have flat-bottomed paper bags and it’s all because of a brave woman named Margaret Knight.

I liked this story a lot because it showed women can do anything men can do (like invent things!).

Now Margaret Knight is one of my heroes! Thank you, Monica Kulling, for sharing this great story with the world.

Saturday, 19 November 2011 21:06 Written by kerry 1 Comment

Book Review: “The Magnificent Mario” (Mike Leonetti)

We’re a family of hockey fans (go Sens!), so any book by hockey writer Mike Leonetti is always of great interest to us.

Leonetti’s latest book, The Magnificent Mario (with life-like illustrations by Gary Chatterton) is no exception.

Both Logan and Myles enjoyed reading this book out loud before bedtime. They particularly liked the play-by-play movement of the book, which recapped some of Mario’s most memorable games (including wining the Stanley Cup in 1991.

As parents, we liked the book’s messages about hard work and believing in your team. Besides that, the illustrations were just fantastic – as close to photographs as drawings can be.

Telling the story of Mario’s talent and perseverance, Leonetti reveals his own love of the game. It’s this passion for the sport that make his books so popular, and keep hockey fans coming back for more.

Friday, 18 November 2011 22:03 Written by kerry 0 Comments

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