Brush Strokes and Architecture
Old Penn Station by Call Number: TF 302 N7 L69 2007 folion this heavily pictorial, slim volume, Low's lyrical text and handsome illustrations pay tribute to an imposing piece of American architecture, the original Pennsylvania Railway Station of New York City, describing its cultural impact both in its existence and its destruction.
Watercolour
A World Full of Ghosts by Call Number: BF 1461 C685 2009"Meet skeleton spirits in Alaska -- the Dancing Ahkiyyini -- and gliding ghosts overseas, like Japan's Legless Yurei. Witness groups of ghosts at Mexico's Day of the Dead and the solitary Ibambo on their own in Africa. Of course, each ghost has its own personality. Some like to stay up all night partying. Others, it is said, emerge from the spilled blood of murdered souls. Others still may tidy up your house at night -- but only if they like you. Where can such spooks be found? A World Full of Ghosts takes you around the world to find out. Each fun and frightening profile captures the enduring allure of the supernatural in cultures far and near. Interspersed throughout are first-person accounts of spectral sightings. Meanwhile, a scariness scale rates each tale for younger readers."
Charis Cotter is an award-winning author. She lives in Toronto and Newfoundland.
Marc Mongeau has illustrated more than 25 books for children. His work also appears in magazines and newspapers, such as Newsweek and the New York Times. He lives in Bedford, Quebec.
Give a Goat by Call Number: PZ 7 S37938 Giv 2008This is a good example of the translucent layering effect one can have with watercolours. This is also a good example of the minimalist work often required by watercolour artworks.
"Page McBrier’s Beatrice’s Goat (2001) introduced the work of Heifer International in a picture-book story about a girl whose family is changed by the gift of a goat. Illustrated in whimsical ink-and-watercolor artwork, this message-driven title by the daughter of the organization’s founder shows kids how to get involved in Heifer’s mission. After a teacher reads Beatrice’s Goat to her fifth-grade class, her students work together to buy a goat for a needy family through Heifer’s program. With an initial loan from their teacher, they prepare and sell healthy snacks, eventually earning more than enough to buy the animal, educating their school about Heifer’s work in the process. The story, which includes interesting details of project management, is a clear advertisement for both Heifer and the rewards of community service. Still, teachers seeking portrayals of kids cooperating to make a difference, both in their communities and beyond, will find this book a welcome resource." (Booklist)
At Night by Call Number: PZ 7 B3664 Asl 2007"Winner, Horn Book Award for Fiction
Publishers Weekly Review"
"...square watercolor panels move from scenes in the emptying hallway and into the girl's room. There, readers learn, she lies AWAKE, and the blank space surrounding the single, jarring word contains all the feeling in the close-up of the girl's face, seen for the first time on the opposite page."
Canadiana
Ode to Newfoundland by Call Number: FC 2161.2 B88 2003School Library Journal: "the illustrations offer a splashy mix of impressionism and folk art and are awash with vibrant colors."
Book Description:
"Ode to Newfoundland" is the provincial anthem of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Butler introduces young readers not only to Atlantic puffins, Newfoundland ponies and dogs, and codfish but to heritage sites including L'Anse aux Meadows, where the Vikings settled 500 years before Columbus; Western Brook Pond, a majestic fjord on the west coast; and the Caribou, the provincial monument to those Newfoundlanders who died at the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. He takes us into the lives of Newfoundlanders as they gather together for a "time" (a social gathering), go mummering during the 12 days of Christmas, or head out to sea, where Newfoundlanders have fished for centuries. Ode to Newfoundland is Butler's tribute to his home province, a great introduction to the land and people of Newfoundland, and an imaginative picture book--all rolled into one. (Ages 6 and older)"
