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I grew up using chopsticks, so whenever I am asked to set the table at a friend’s house, there is a moment of panic and stark reminder of how different I am even though I have called Canada home since I was three. (By the way, setting the table in an Asian family is easy [...]

Lots of things go bump in the night. When I was a kid, any sound coming out of the dark would send my imagination running wild (to be honest it still does). For years I would sleep under the covers, thinking it would hide me from any monster, goblins or ghosts. My philosophy: if I [...]

When I was in elementary school every spring the skies would be filled with colourful little dots. I don’t remember what the annual fundraiser was for, but it was pure joy to watch hundreds of balloons being released into the skies. Weeks before the event students were asked to sell raffle tickets. On the day [...]

Something weird and wonderful. Keep reading… Having seen Marc Craste’s commercial work, Helen Ward set out to write the story of Varmints with him, “I like to think in pictures, so it is very important to me that I know and love the work of the illustrators for whom I write.” Helen tells a story [...]

I get an obscene amount of spam offering me everything from a good time to magical pills that would enhance body parts I don’t even have. Recently I found buried among the junk an email from Owlkids Books that knocked my sock off. It was an offer to go through their 2011 catalog and pick [...]

As seniors in high school we got to go camping for a couple of days as a class field trip. It was an attempt to recreate the trips taken by the Group of Seven, a group of Canadian landscape painters who spent days in the wilderness drawing and searching for inspiration. Since I had never [...]

Redonkulous is one of my favorite words, it’s silly but it will always get a smile out of me. If you have seen Shrek (or have seen it a dozen times like me) than you’ll understand why redonkulous warms my heart and tickles my funny bone. Keep reading… Before Shrek hit the silver screen and [...]

“Little Island Comics is the first kids comic book store in North America – maybe even the world!” I am not sure if I should be terrified or super excited that it’s here. Endless joy just steps away from my backyard! Will this only feed my addiction? Brand spanking new Little Island Comics opened in [...]

Happy Halloween! This treat is for the adults. Keep reading… The Highwayman, written by Alfred Noyes and illustrated by Charles Keeping is not for the faint heart and surely not for four-to-eight-year-olds as recommended by the publisher. This tragic and haunting poem was first published in 1906 in Blackwood’s Magazine. Set in 18th century England, [...]

One of the biggest mysteries in children’s book publishing is ‘Who is Harris Burdick?’ His name is well known among authors and illustrators but his existence is a mystery. Harris Burdick simply vanished one day leaving behind no record except fourteen drawings to prove his existence. Keep reading… Chris Van Allsburg first came across Harris [...]

According to the People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals (PETA) 45 million turkeys are killed every year for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in our family use to feature a big turkey but when I stopped eating meat (about ten years ago) our family started getting creative with our Thanksgiving dinners. Thai hot pots, Indian curry, Vietnamese [...]

With a hundred plus vendors set up on more than 20 acres of land, the Aberfoyle Antique Market can overwhelm even the most experienced antique enthusiasts. A few weeks ago I spent the day wandering up and down the aisles of the open-air market, enjoying the blue sky above and the autumn sun. Every nook [...]

I can’t remember the last time I went to the zoo. When we were kids we used to go all the time. All of us would pile into my dad’s red station wagon and head off to the zoo; by the end of the day we would all be tired and smelly from having spent [...]

Ten million people are suffering in rain-starved East Africa. Severe droughts have caused crops to fail and herds of cattle to die, leaving thousands of people hungry and in need of aid. Rain is expected in October, but not enough to break the cycle of drought. With my head buried in children’s books, I often forget [...]

Sometimes you just need to take a walk to clear your mind. Read more after the jump. Best described as “A sunny, slapstick silent comedy” by The New York Times, Rosie’s Walk, written and illustrated by Pat Hutchins is a story about Rosie the hen, who went for a walk blissfully unaware of the fox trailing [...]

There was a time-honored tradition in our family whenever my sister and I had a loose tooth. My dad would tie one end of the string around the loose tooth and the other end to a doorknob. Standing a good couple of paces from the open door, anxiety would build while I wait for the [...]

My family and I emigrated from Vietnam to Canada in 1981. We settled down in the diverse and growing community of Parkdale. During the early 80’s, Parkdale was home to many immigrants. We were all different, each with our own story of how we came to Canada. Together in school we learned English and the [...]

With a slight break in the hot weather I decided to spend my Sunday afternoon at the antique market. It’s important to size up your opponent when negotiating with vendors, and to bring your poker face. There is not much to my game plan; I tend to wear people out. I usually let the salesperson [...]

Brutal Canadian winters become a distant memory when temperatures hit the high 30’s (Celsius). For the last couple of days the city has been wrapped in a thick blanket of hot air; causing sweat to pour out of every crevice, even when I’m sitting still. With heat alerts issued, the city pools have become popular [...]

You know that feeling you get when you are riding a roller coaster? Fear and excitement rolled together! Screaming for your life in terror, and so excited you want to hurl! That pretty much sums up how I feel about my upcoming camping trip. I agreed to spend three days in the woods before finding [...]

S-N-A-K-E, just saying the word makes my skin crawl. When I was 6, I rushed home from Sunday school with a full bladder. Making a mad dash to the bathroom I was just about to sit down when out of the corner of my eye I spotted something slithering in the tub. My grandfather went [...]

I kept a journal as a kid, which I poured all my teenage angst into. Anger, gossip, heartbreaks, embarrassing moments, the best days and the worst days of my teenage years all recorded. The pages of my journals were a jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings. I burned them years later not wanting a reminder [...]

My blog entries would read like gobbledy goop if it weren’t for the generosity of my friends; Jennifer and Lynne have the tedious task of picking through and polishing up my entries before posting. Writing is a real struggle for me; I would spend hours in front of my computer wrestling with my thoughts. Walking [...]

I am off to New York for a couple of days, packing my copy of A Walk in New York, Up & Down New York and This is New York, my official travel guides to the big city. I am leaving plenty of room in my luggage to bring back souvenirs because New York City is [...]

This is New York. Read more after the jump. First published in 1960, This is New York, written and illustrated by Miroslav Sasek is an historical account of the 60s. Touring the city with his sketchbook, Sasek captures everyday life in New York from The Statue of Liberty to the 90, 000 fire hydrants in the [...]