More Binky means more fun, with this collection of Ashley Spires's Binky the Space Cat graphic novels. At last, a box set for fans who can't get enough of lovable Binky, the certified space cat and fearless leader of epic missions (if only in his imagination!). Whether he's single-handedly battling alien invaders (bugs) or painstakingly training a new space cadet (family dog), Binky perseveres until his mission is (sort of?) complete. His hilarious cat's-eye view of the world - and his crucial role in keeping it safe - are unlike any other! And now readers can have all the books in the series in one collection! Bestselling author and illustrator Ashley Spires is a master of the deadpan humor and physical comedy that keep children roaring with laughter and coming back for more. With limited text and lots of visual humor, this delightful and award-winning graphic novel series is perfect for beginning readers - or anyone who appreciates witty humor (or witty cats!). This limited-edition box set includes the entire Binky the Space Cat series, five titles in all: Binky the Space Cat, Binky to the Rescue, Binky Under Pressure, Binky Takes Charge and Binky: License to Scratch!

Ashley Spires is the author and illustrator of many books including the bestselling The Most Magnificent Thing, The Thing Lou Couldn't Do and the Binky the Space Cat series. She is a drinker of tea, eater of candy and lover of animals. When she is not making books, she enjoys yoga, jogging and fostering orphan kittens for her local shelter. Ashley lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, with her dog and far too many felines.

A girl shares her love for her neighborhood, and finds that love multiplies, in this child-friendly story that encourages mindfulness and gratitude. Alice loves her street. She loves its tall maple trees and marigolds and its apartment buildings with their colorful balconies. But not everyone feels the same. “Grumble, grumble, more construction, grumble, late, grumble,” she overhears. So Alice decides to write her street a love letter, which she leaves for someone to find. Through the seasons, as Alice encounters people grumbling about other things, she writes those things love letters, too, and leaves them to be found. She writes to her local park, a maple tree and even the snow. Then, one day, when Alice finds herself grumbling, she discovers a letter someone else has written to the spring crocuses. And Alice feels the joy she has been spreading to others come back to her! Lindsay Zier-Vogel has created a delightful, uplifting story that celebrates how small acts by a single person can make a difference in a community. It inspires readers to pay attention and appreciate what they encounter every day. Caroline Bonne-Müller's busy color-drenched illustrations beautifully evoke the abundance surrounding everyone (grumbling or not!) every day. This story was inspired by the international Love Lettering Project created by the author, in which participants write love letters to their communities and hide them for strangers to find. An explanation of the project at the end of the story encourages readers to write their own letters. This heartwarming picture book aligns with social studies lessons on cultures and communities, and character education lessons on caring, empathy and initiative.

Lindsay Zier-Vogel is a writer and arts educator and the creator of the internationally acclaimed Love Lettering Project. After studying contemporary dance, she received her MA in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto. Her writing has been widely published in Canada and the United Kingdom, and her hand-bound books are housed in the permanent collection at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto. Since 2001, she has been teaching creative writing workshops in schools and communities. She is also a professor for the professional writing program at Humber College and is a columnist with Open Book. Her debut novel, Letters to Amelia, was published in 2021. Lindsay lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Caroline Bonne-Müller was born in France, raised in the Netherlands and has also lived in Malaysia. After studying fashion design in Amsterdam, she worked as a fashion designer for fourteen years. She has been fascinated by picture books since she was a child, but the idea to illustrate them one day was planted after she had her three children. Caroline has illustrated several picture books, including Portrait of an Artist: Claude Monet; Beatrix and her Bunnies: The Story of Beatrix Potter; and So Much More to Helen! The Passions and Pursuits of Helen Keller. Her illustrations have also appeared in magazines, on greeting cards and even on jigsaw puzzles! Caroline now works and lives near Lucerne, Switzerland, looking over a lake and mountains, with her husband, three kids and four cats.

Written with compassion and care, a thoughtful story about a little girl who visualizes her depression as a way of learning to cope. Abigail has a dark cloud. It follows her everywhere. It can be a ball of worries, a swirl of fog or a long shadow. But it's always with her, getting in the way of things. Her dark cloud makes the other children distant and messes with her grand jeté during ballet class. It even takes away her appetite for birthday cake. Then one day, Abigail begins to figure some things out about her dark cloud. Like how it's not always the same size. How she can trap it in a sandcastle at the beach. And how, sometimes, she can even step away from it and feel the sunshine on her skin. In this sensitive picture book, symbolic imagery perfectly captures how depression can look and feel. Anna Lazowski's lyrical text together with Penny Neville-Lee's expressive drawings provide young children with a way to understand and talk about their own feelings. The repetition in the text and the visual narrative pull readers in, making this an excellent read-aloud pick to spark discussions about feelings. Neville-Lee's art uses soft, muted colors, with lightness and color gradually added as Abigail moves from feeling overwhelmed by her depression to learning how to live with it and even find relief from it. Reviewed by a child psychologist, this book is a great choice for teaching social-emotional learning, critical thinking and character education lessons on perseverance and resilience.

Anna Lazowski wrote her first picture book for a class assignment in the sixth grade and has been creating stories ever since. Now an award-winning radio producer whose journalistic work has been published in various newspapers and magazines, Anna is also the author of T. Rexes Can't Tie Their Shoes. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with her husband, kids and dogs.
Penny Neville-Lee spent her earliest years drawing and making before studying for an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art. She is happiest when surrounded by pencils, chatting to her two children and coming up with ideas for beautiful books. She lives with her family in Manchester, United Kingdom.

A thoughtful and unique meditation on the shapes found in everyday life, sure to expand young children's thinking. In lyrical language, a mother tells her small daughter about the shapes that make up their lives. At first, the shapes are literal. The shape of their door is a rectangle, their table, a square. Water can be shaped like a cube or a cloud. And then she moves on to the figurative. The shape of learning is a question. The shape of warmth is a space waiting to be filled. Some shapes change, like a child growing up, while some remain the same, like the triangle of the mountain behind their house. The shape of her heart, she concludes, “will always be you.” Bestselling and award-winning author Mượn Thị Văn has written an innovative, poetic and philosophical exploration of shapes and the many forms they can take, touching on objects, families and love. The meditative and heartwarming text is beautifully complemented by Miki Sato's layered, multitextured and three-dimensional-looking illustrations created from different papers and fabrics. A soothing read-aloud, this picture book has the feel of a classic and promotes observation, curiosity, interpretation and discussion. It's an excellent choice for exploring critical thinking, shapes and measurements with young children.

Miki Sato is a Japanese Canadian illustrator who uses a variety of different papers and fabrics to create layered, three-dimensional-looking illustrations. She enjoys experimenting with new textures and incorporates materials such as embroidery thread, glass beads, cotton balls, and sand into her illustrations. Miki lives in Toronto, Ontario.

From award-winning author Heather Smith, a heartwarming, moving story about loss - and remembering. When Granny dies, a young child and their family have a hole in their hearts. They find it helps them fill it to remember her through the things she left behind. To the father, she left a tuba, and to the mother, a locket. To the sister, she left a microscope, and to the brother, a record collection. To the main character, though, Granny left something different: a world of adventure, that they visit with their memories. Through imaginative play with items that belonged to Granny, the child travels near and far. And Granny is right beside them, along for the ride. Using spare prose, award-winning author Heather Smith's beautiful story about loss, grief and memories presents an honest yet optimistic view of how to joyfully remember loved ones after they're gone. Ashley Barron's layered cut-paper collage illustrations bring fun to the story, while colorfully capturing the feel of a child's imagination in flight. This book provides a gentle, thoughtful entryway into a conversation with children - or adults - about losing a loved one, and how to hold them close. It's a wonderful resource for focusing on social-emotional learning, and an excellent representation for a character education lesson on resilience.

Heather Smith is the author of many critically acclaimed children's books, including The Agony of Bun O'Keefe and The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden. Her middle-grade novel in verse, Ebb & Flow, won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award. Originally from Newfoundland, Heather now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her East Coast roots inspire much of her writing.
Ashley Barron is an author and illustrator who specializes in cut-paper collage. Her books include My Forest Is Green, My Ocean Is Blue and My City Speaks, as well as her authorial debut, Love You Head to Toe. Ashley lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her partner and their three cats.

A sweet, playful story about identity - and what it means to belong. Why, of course Donkey's a cat. He spends all his time with the other cats on the farm. He licks his fur and pounces, just like they do. He even cuddles with them at nap time. Though, he must admit, sometimes he does feel ... a little off. So, when Farmer says to him, “Donkey, you're acting like a cat!” it gets him thinking. What if he's not a cat? And if not, then what is he? Will going off on his own help Donkey figure out what he is and where he belongs? Award-winning author Kari-Lynn Winters's delightful story of self-discovery uses kid-perfect hilarity to deliver the message that every individual has something unique to offer to their community. The contrast between Donkey and his cat friends makes for laugh-out-loud silliness in Kelly Collier's endearing and amusing art (ever seen a Donkey perch on a fence post?). Pages are filled with spot illustrations, speech bubbles and action words that keep the visual appeal high. Sure to be a story-time crowd-pleaser, this picture book could easily spark discussions about identity, fitting in and belonging. It also works well for character education lessons on adaptability, inclusiveness, initiative and caring.

Kari-Lynn Winters is an award-winning children's author, playwright, performer and academic scholar. An experienced teacher of writing, she has worked with students across Canada and the United States and is a professor at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Kelly Collier is the author-illustrator of A Horse Named Steve and Team Steve. She has an identical twin sister who is her best friend (most of the time) and her favorite person (all of the time). Kelly lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and their daughter.

From the creators of the highly acclaimed Why Do We Cry? comes this poignant, evocative exploration of the many reasons we feel fear. After a clap of thunder, the lights in Max's house go out. Max's father lights a candle, and Max asks, “Dad, have you ever been afraid?” His father says everyone is afraid sometimes. Then he slowly and carefully begins to describe the contours of fear. He explains how even small fears can seem to flood everything around us. He enumerates the many different things that can make us afraid: shadows, feeling lonely, losing what we love, not being able to control the future and fading away. And he reassures his young son that while our fears can stop us in our tracks, we must keep going. Award-winning author Fran Pintadera's poetic text together with Ana Sender's stunning imagery make for an entrancing picture book about emotions. It makes clear that fear is a normal part of life and that when we can identify our fears, it's easier to accept them and to move past them. A wonderful conversation starter, this book could be used to help young children understand and process their fears and, more generally, why we feel our feelings. It makes an excellent choice for lessons on social-emotional learning. Back matter includes informational content about the different types of fear, the purpose and usefulness of fear, and an activity to further explore some of the story's key concepts.

Fran Pintadera is a storyteller, community theater facilitator and award-winning author of more than thirty books for children. He lives near Alicante in Spain.
Ana Sender began her illustration career in textile design but now mostly illustrates children's books --- and even writes them herself sometimes, most recently The Cottingley Fairies. She lives and creates in Barcelona, Spain.

A girl who loves solo space travel learns that having a partner can be even better. Avni loves being the only astronaut in her space station. She's in charge of when she takes off and where she goes. But space exploration can be a lot of work for one astronaut. It's time for a new mission: find an assistant. Avni crisscrosses the distant galaxies (her neighborhood) in search of the perfect partner. Does that even exist? Will Avni make space for a copilot or will it be mission impossible? Award-winning author Mahak Jain has crafted a witty and wonderful story about friendship, imagination and the thrill of a good adventure. Andrea Stegmaier's dynamic and highly detailed art uses line drawing overlays in orange, for Avni, and blue, for Aya, to cleverly depict the world as seen in each of their imaginations. It's a terrific representation of a child making room for both their own creativity and another's perspective. Avni's regular mantra, “An astronaut never gives up,” celebrates the power of perseverance and collaboration without compromising one's goals. This book highlights the character education concepts of teamwork, cooperation, adaptability and resilience. It also offers an invitation to children to use their imaginations and remain open to the exciting possibilities of exploration (as astronauts or aquanauts!).

Mahak Jain is a writer and editor. Her picture book Maya (Owlkids Books), illustrated by Elly MacKay, was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a CBC Books Best Book of the Year, and winner of the 2017 South Asia Book Award. Mahak lives in Toronto.
Andrea Stegmaier is an illustrator and architect who has worked on many children's books, including AAAlligator! (Kids Can Press) by Judith Henderson. She lives in Stuttgart, Germany.

An author and his hero embark on a genre-bending journey to find the right story. The brave captain of a tiny spaceship is surrounded by flying saucers. Though the situation appears dire, he knows just what to do ... um, wait! The brave captain - ahem, boy - tells the author to stop the action: He's got it all wrong. This is not the boy's story. He belongs in a different story. The author considers this. Then he begins again, with a story about Cattle King Carl, the quickest cattle wrangler in the West ... No! Still not the boy's story? Hmm. Is he a dragon-slaying knight? No! A vampire's next victim? No! A boy going on a date? No! Will the author ever come up with the right story? Multi-award-winning author Ryan Uytdewilligen employs a funny and unique take on metafiction and the literary technique of breaking the fourth wall to provide an easy-to-understand exploration of literary genres. The book also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process that highlights the value of perseverance and teamwork. The appealing graphic novel-style art by award-winning illustrator David Huyck features loads of visual interest and humorous details for readers to pore over. With each new story depicting a different genre, this book is an excellent resource for language arts lessons on literary genres. An author's note defines the genres and the differences between fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

Ryan Uytdewilligen is a multi-award-winning author who enjoys writing in a variety of different genres, as well as for film and television. His novel for adults, The Cattle Driver, earned the 2019 Will Rogers Medallion for Best Western Short Fiction. This is his first children's book. Ryan lives in Coaldale, Alberta.
David Huyck is an award-winning illustrator, as well as a printmaker, a painter and a sculptor. He is the illustrator of Manners Are Not for Monkeys, That One Spooky Night and Wingmaker, as well as If Kids Ruled the World, which won both the Blue Spruce Award and the Shining Willow Award. He lives with his family in Northfield, Minnesota.

A baby book with a grown-up twist that will have new parents laughing out loud. Since babies don't understand a single word being read to them, why not give their weary parents a break with some laugh therapy and commiseration? In this clever incarnation of a baby book of new words, the striking art is baby oriented, while the simple text is grown-up hilarious: “This is a house. It's a lot like the one we had to remortgage to pay for your daycare.” And “This is an owl. Like you, it thinks day is night and night is day. Its brain is very small.” Of course, as with every perfect baby book, it ends sweetly: “These are mountains. They are what we would move to keep you happy and healthy.” For new parents everywhere, it hits all the right notes! While Cameron Spires's sympathetically funny text is geared for adults, it's tame enough to be read to a child, unlike that of other parody books. Subjects of Grace Cho's brightly colored and mildly cheeky illustrations - of simple subjects, like a rooster, a unicorn, a whale - are visually appealing and will keep babies engaged. In board book format, it makes a perfect gift for expecting or new parents.

Cameron Spires is a senior creative at one of Canada's most prominent ad agencies, Rethink. He's the creator of a webcomic called "Goat to Self" that has over 150k followers across social platforms. He lives in Delta, British Columbia, with his wife and two daughters.
Grace Cho is an advertising professional at one of Canada's most prominent agencies, Rethink. On her own time, Grace is a sought-after illustrator who has done work for the New York Times, H and M, Netflix and more. Grace is based in Vancouver, British Columbia.