How to use this Page

Happy birthday to a very special boy! Keep reading… First published in 1964 The Giving Tree has been translated into more than 30 different languages. Written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, this story is about a relationship between a boy and a tree. The tree loved the little boy very much and the little boy [...]

One event that I look forward to every year is The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, a week-long celebration of comics, graphic novels and their creators. It’s impossible to not get inspired as I wander through the festival. There is simply so much talent. With very little self-control, I always end up with a loot bag [...]

The Toronto Librarians are on strike. There is no need to panic… Ahhhhhhhh! Failing to reach a labour agreement over the weekend 2,400 librarians went on strike. All 98 library branches across Toronto are close as of Monday. The library is asking borrowers to hold on to all checked out books and materials. No overdue [...]

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 [...]

“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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Read more after the jump. Portrayed as big and scary, wolves are known to have cravings for girls in red capes, grandmas and little pigs. There is an unfair representation of wolves in children’s books, a gross amount of stereotyping. Like us, wolves have friends and family (wolves are [...]

Scary stuff and not appropriate for sensitive readers. Read more after the jump. There once was a white rabbit who went to the library and signed out a book on wolves. Like Alice in Through the Looking-Glass, the rabbit unknowingly becomes part of the book he is reading. Oblivious to the looming danger of a wolf, [...]

Keep reading if you’re looking for a real nail-biting kind of page-turner… Read more after the jump. Based on the television series Sesame Street, The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover is written by Jon Stone and illustrated by Michael Smollin. Grover is horrified to learn that there is a [...]

Happy Halloween! Read more after the jump. I’ve got something deliciously wicked in mind for Halloween. How to Cook Children: A Grisly Recipe Book, written by Martin Howard and illustrated Colin Stimpson, is guaranteed to make you pee in your pants laughing (otherwise known as “lizzing” by 30 Rock fans). Children are the main ingredient in this [...]

My dad is weird. Besides claiming to be from Mars, my dad has a freezer full of dead goldfishes. Okay, “full” might be an exaggeration; there’s maybe half a dozen or so. My dad stopped raising goldfish after they all died. Instead of flushing them down the toilet or throwing them out with the trash, [...]