Franklin the turtle and his good friend Beaver are playing on the merry-go-round in the park when they discover a hand-drawn picture of a skunk girl with her skunk parents. But there aren't any skunk families living in Woodland, so who could have left this drawing? It's a real mystery. “A mystery!” they both shout. “That sounds like a job for the Super Cluepers!” Franklin, Beaver and five more of their friends --- in their Super Clueper personas, of course --- gather together to begin plotting their strategy. First they must find the skunk girl, then they can ask her if she wants to be their new friend! Combining adventure, mystery and a heartwarming tale about making new friends, this appealing Franklin title is perfect for very young children. Based on the popular 3D-animated television series Franklin and Friends, the Franklin stories continue to be favorites with small children because of the pitch-perfect way they resonate with their own real-world problems. Here, youngsters are encouraged to be curious about the world around them and to work at figuring out things they don't understand. Teachers and librarians will be gratified by the group's decision to begin solving their mystery by first heading to the library. This title provides an excellent story to read aloud to a group. And it's ready-made as a tie-in for a character education lesson on empathy, compassion, inclusiveness or teamwork.

When Franklin sees (and hears) what a terrific job his friend Fox did fixing up the old, broken radio that Franklin had put in the junk box during the Turtle Family Clean-Up and Giveaway Day, he has second thoughts about having thrown it away. So his sympathetic friend Fox offers to give the now like-new radio back to him. Though this pleases Franklin at first, after a little while, he starts to feel uncomfortable about having taken the radio that Fox had worked so hard on. “Aren't you happy to have the radio back?” his friend Bear asks him. “I don't know,” says Franklin. “Something just doesn't feel right.” As with all the books in this series based on the ever-popular 3D-animated TV series Franklin and Friends, this one will have wide appeal for its endearing characters and the wonderful lessons it provides young children about how to deal with difficulties they commonly face in their lives. Here, children can ponder what it means to make a decision and regret it later. In the end, Franklin follows his heart and realizes that the radio makes Fox far happier than him. This book would make a wonderful tie-in to character education lessons on kindness, integrity and fairness. A great read aloud, it could also be used to launch classroom discussions about the environmental issues of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Award-winning nonfiction author Elizabeth MacLeod brings a slice of World War I history to life in this poignant picture book. It is based on the true story of a police horse named Bunny and his riders, brothers Bud and Thomas Dundas, sent to the European front as part of the 9th Battery Canadian Field Artillery. This quietly but powerfully told tale explores many of the actual on-the-ground hardships WWI soldiers endured, including a gas attack, wounded and killed comrades, exploding bombs and episodes of severe hunger. By focusing on the tender relationship between Bunny and the brothers and showing how he was able to provide comfort to the soldiers, the author makes the grim details easier for young readers to absorb. The somber palette employed by illustrator Marie Lafrance in her rich, distinctive and detailed artwork --- all on two-page spreads --- provides the appropriate level of seriousness. As a bonus, the author has provided a brief historical recap at the end that provides more background information about the real-life Bunny, Tom and Bud, with dates and specifics about WWI, which would be useful for creating a global studies teaching plan. The geography of the region is enhanced with a color map. This powerful book would make an excellent resource for any social studies unit about WWI, while it also works as a personalized reminder of the toll that war takes on humanity. Early readers interested in history or horses would enjoy it on their own.

Bestselling children's book author and illustrator Per-Henrik Gürth has created a colorful, lively tribute to hockey with this picture book for the youngest fans. The action-packed story follows a group of animals who take to the ice to play a rousing game of hockey. Highlighted on the pages in large type throughout the story are hockey vocabulary words and terms. The vocabulary ranges from the basics --- such as team, net, shot --- to more complex concepts --- face-off, line change, penalty --- and the author has cleverly used and defined each of them within the story. For example, on the two-page spread where the term power play appears, the illustration is of the two teams facing each other on the ice, five players on one side, four on the other, and the text reads, “It's five against four --- a power play!” Every spread has at least one word or term, though some have more, and on two of the pages the words simply label things in the illustrations. This terrific book could be used three different ways, within language arts as well as physical education. The fun, dramatic story can stand alone as a great read, with pre-readers easily able to use the context of the simple artwork to interpret the language, while the highlighted words and terms offer wonderful vocabulary enhancement for beginning readers. And the content provides an excellent basic tutorial on how to play hockey, and on team sports in general.

Per-Henrik Gürth is a graphic designer and illustrator of more than a dozen children’s books, including the bestselling titles Canada 123 and ABC of Canada. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.

In this heartwarming title from the Piggy and Bunny picture book series, the two friends explore what scares them as they prepare for their first campout together. When Bunny admits to being frightened of monsters, Piggy responds that “even if there WAS a monster, I wouldn't scream like you!” When Bunny asks, “What if the monster GROWLS at you?” Piggy answers, “PWAAT! I can be loud, too!” Then, one by one, all of Bunny's questions about what to do if a monster came near are countered confidently by Piggy. Soon Bunny begins to feel differently about monsters, and says, “I can even turn off the light and wish that monster goodnight!” To which Piggy then admits, “NOOO!! I'm a wee bit scared of the dark.” With Bunny on the left-facing page of every spread and Piggy on the right, the two create a rhythmic back-and-forth that is soothing yet fun. What Piggy and Bunny learn together is that everyone gets frightened sometimes, and having a good friend nearby is the perfect antidote. Children will appreciate that neither of them makes fun of the other's fears, and instead they find ways to comfort and reassure each other. With soft, gentle artwork and deceptively simple text, award-winning author-illustrator Geneviève Côtè has crafted a beautiful picture book that will be a regular favorite at storytime. This would also be a perfect title to begin classroom discussions about emotions, particularly fear, and how to identify, manage and express them.

Geneviève Côté is a Montreal artist whose illustrations have graced the pages of publications such as the New York Times and the Boston Globe. Her books have received three nominations for the Governor General’s Award for Illustration, one of which went on to win, and she has also won the the Elisabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award.

This original, fun picture book delightfully describes, in hilarious detail, a small child's idea of utopia. Every two-page spread offers something new about this fantasy life, including, “If kids ruled the world, every day would be your birthday! Birthday cake would be good for you. Your doctor would say, 'Don't forget to eat your birthday cake so you'll grow up strong and healthy!'” And, “You could go to any kind of school you like ... Circus School. Fairy School. Inventing School. Lots of kids would go to Recess School.” The topics that bestselling, award-winning author Linda Bailey has chosen are pitch-perfect for young children, from bedtime and baths (none!) to pets and tree houses (lots!). And illustrator David Huyck's detailed, brightly hued artwork is full of energy, joy and humor that gets right to the heart of a child's view of the world. While this is a book that would happily be enjoyed from cover to cover, it's not hard to envision an enthralled child spending long stretches of time daydreaming about one particular scenario. In the classroom, this book would make an excellent springboard for art projects or creative writing assignments that explore children's own unique image of the perfect world. Particularly gratifying is the emphasis throughout on sharing all the good things brought to life in a world of a child's own making. This book is a truly exuberant celebration of childhood, play and imagination. It's sure to become a classic.

Loula's three brothers, the Rotten Pirate Triplets, don't want to play with her. “Brothers,” mutters Loula, “the worst invention in the world.” She decides what she really needs is a sister, one just like her. So naturally, she asks her parents to make one for her. Only, it's not that easy. Her father explains, “Making a sister is . . . well, it's like making a cake. You need the right ingredients.” To make a sister, they say, you need a papa and a mama, butterflies in the stomach, a full moon, a candlelit supper, kisses and hugs and chocolate. Well, that's no problem. Loula can follow this recipe! And she sets out with her loyal sidekick, the chauffeur Gilbert, to do just that. This second picture book written and illustrated by Anne Villeneuve about the charming and witty Loula firmly establishes her as a classic character who will endure in the hearts of young children. Her slightly eccentric home life adds a delightful whimsy to Loula's escapades, even while the book deals with the very common experience of wishing for a sibling. The artwork, with several different scenes laid out across each spread, is full of energy and expression. Loula's own unique blend of imagination and verve provides an empowering, inspiring and positive message, particularly for girls, that you should take matters into your own hands to improve your life. There are great character education lessons here on taking the initiative and exhibiting resilience when seeking a solution.

Anne Villeneuve has written and illustrated close to 40 books, created games for magazines, illustrated for newspapers and designed cake boxes for a bakery. Over the years, her work has earned her many distinguished recognitions, such as the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles Literary Award in 2000, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award in 2005 and 2009, and the Mr. Christie’s Book Award in 1998.

The hero of this picture book, Sam, has to wait for everything on the playground one day, and this makes him mad. “He got madder and madder until he was the maddest he had ever been in his whole life.” And then, suddenly, an unusual thing appears. It runs around, shoving and tripping and pinching and stomping, until all the other children have run away. “It was hanging upside down from the monkey bars, grinning at him. Sam had never seen anything like it before, but he knew what it was. It was a Temper.” At first, having a pet Temper is fun. But before long, the Temper starts causing trouble for Sam. And eventually, Sam comes to the realization that his Temper is something he needs to learn to control. This funny but poignant title by Sangeeta Bhadra offers a perfect representation of just how frustrated and angry small children can get when circumstances in their lives make them feel helpless. Though never heavy-handed, Bhadra also manages to convey what the consequences can be when that anger takes over a child's behavior. The quirky yet stunning illustrations by Marion Arbona keep the emotional focus on the Temper, as a way to help children identify that their anger is not who they are. The emphasis on feelings makes this a terrific tie-in for character education lessons on self-discipline and taking responsibility for your actions, as well as on patience and perseverance when solving your own problems.

“Max,” said the farmer to his dog one day, “can you catch a thief?” Of course! He can catch anything! And Max eagerly sets off on a quest to find the culprit who has been stealing the farmer's fruits and vegetables. Within moments, the dog is confident he has spotted the thief --- a tiny blue bug, working on a carrot top. “Stop, thief!” Max cries as the bug flies away. Undaunted, Max chases after the bug, from the carrots to the berries to the beans and the cherries, until, eventually, Max watches in satisfaction as the bug flies away over the farm fence. What Max totally misunderstands in his enthusiasm, however --- and what youngsters will figure out right away --- is that the tiny blue bug isn't the thief at all. The real thieves are hiding in plain sight, right under his nose! Author Heather Tekavec has created a perfect storytime choice in this fun and funny picture book, as the kid appeal of being “in the know” while the lovable dog remains clueless will surely invite repeated readings. This story provides an excellent opportunity for discussions about jumping to conclusions and blaming others, or even about life on a farm. It also offers terrific lessons for building early literacy skills, such as moving beyond what is strictly presented in the text and critically thinking about what can be observed in the exuberant and friendly artwork by illustrator Pierre Pratt.