Six children’s books for the fall

Summer’s over and kids are back at school, but there are still plenty of books to discover outside of the classroom. Here are some of the latest Canadian picks that will open up new worlds of reading adventures.

The Only Way to Make Bread, Cristina Quintero, illustrated by Sarah Gonzales (Tundra Books, 3-7) A playful celebration of the various kinds of breads that people make around the world including Filipino pandesal buns, arepas, bao, campfire bannock and Jamaican hardo. Quintero, with the help of Gonzales’s engaging pencil crayon illustrations, walks readers through all the steps of making bread and the different ingredients used, along with some easy-to-follow recipes.

100 Chapatis, Derek Mascarenhas, illustrated by Shantala Robinson (Owlkids, 4-7) Waiting for Mom and Dad to call about the arrival of a new baby is very frustrating for Simon – he can’t keep still! – so his grandfather, Pappa, suggests that they make chapatis, a tasty South Asian flatbread that Simon loves, to pass the time. Pappa made 100 chapatis when he was waiting for news the night that Simon’s dad was born so maybe grandfather and grandson can make 100 chapatis too before the call comes? Based on a family story, Robinson’s lively illustrations bring Mascarenhas’s charming story to life.

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen (Candlewick, 6-8) A wonderfully spooky story sure to keep young readers turning pages as they follow Otilla, a young girl escaping from some terrible (but unnamed) danger into a dark forest, where she finds an enormous house. It’s inhabited by a friendly skull who’s in danger too! He’s being pursued nightly by a headless skeleton and desperately needs Otilla’s help. Can Otilla keep him safe? Klassen’s evocative graphite-and-ink illustrations in black and white and muted tones of sepia, rose and blue, perfectly complement the tinglingly compelling story that he’s woven based on a classic folktale. The Skull brilliantly celebrates the power of the oral tradition and Klassen shares his own storytelling journey in an inspiring author’s note. This is storytelling at its very best.

Mehndi Boy, Zain Bandali, illustrated by Jani Balakumar (Annick Press, 6-11) Trying to figure out who we are and what we want to do as we grow up isn’t always easy. Preteen Tez loves glitter and glamour and making art. When he watches a talented mehndi artist paint intricate designs and patterns on his cousin’s hands in preparation for her wedding, he’s hooked. Doing mehndi, a South Asian traditional form of body painting, is how Tez wants to express himself, combining art and his Farsi culture. But when he tells his favourite uncle, he discovers that “boys don’t do mehndi.” Bandali gently and compassionately offers readers a chance to see how to be true to yourself as they follow Tez on his journey.

Bompa’s Insect Expedition David Suzuki written with Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Qin Leng (Greystone Kids, 4-8) David Suzuki shares the wonderful experiences that he’s had with his grandchildren, Nakina and Kaoru, in his latest book for kids. Instead of going into the woods or to the beach or on an expedition to a nearby pond, these three intrepid nature explorers head into the kids’ very own backyard where they discover a treasure trove of insect surprises. Over the course of an afternoon, they watch bees pollinating flowers, dragonflies doing their best to keep mosquitoes under control, caterpillars gobbling up milkweed before spinning their cocoons and muscly ants foraging for food. As always the science is impeccable and adding Qin Leng’s delightful ink and watercolour illustrations, which capture both the fun our explorers have and the wonders of the insects they encounter, to the mix makes this a great addition to any nature library.

Mnoomin maan’gowing/The Gift of Mnoomin, Brittany Luby, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Groundwood Books, 3-6) A stunning picture book, by the author and illustrator of the award-winning Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh/This Is How I Know, that again sensitively explores aspects of Indigenous cultures and tradition. Here the focus is on mnoomin, which non-Indigenous call “wild rice,” a grain that is key to the cycle of life of many Indigenous nations. Luby’s compelling poetic text and Pawis-Steckley’s vibrant illustrations trace mnoomin’s connections in the natural world, providing protection and also sustenance for insects, fish and animals before turning to the vital role it plays in the lives of Indigenous peoples as readers participate in the annual mnoomin harvest.

Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism, Mary Fairhurst Breen (Second Story Press, 9-12) Breen offers young readers a glimpse into the lives of 14 amazing women and non-binary people who have helped make the world safer for kids and adults who identify as LGBTQ. There are some amazing Canadians included here such as lawyer Susan Ursel, who challenged censoring books in schools; former NDP MPP Suze Morrison; artist Faith Nolan, who uses music to explore her own Afro-Scotian Mi’kmaq and Irish heritage, and social issues such as affordable housing and homelessness; and Rogue Witterick, who has advocated for not assigning gender at birth. It includes a useful historical timeline of LGBTQ activism in both Canada and the U.S. as well as an excellent glossary.