Book Review: City of Water by Andrea Curtis

By Ashliegh Gehl

The water cycle is a beautiful event happening all around us. We feel the precipitation on our skin when walking in the rain or in the thick of an icy winter, catching snowflakes on our tongues. It’s a vital recycling system providing water for all living organisms, and the act of transference is largely invisible. Even when admiring beautiful, fluffy clouds, we romanticize them instead of dwelling on the mechanics.  

Andrea Curtis’s City of Water, a 40-page nonfiction picture book published by Groundwood Books (May 2021), opens with a stunning illustration of the water cycle by illustrator Katy Dockrill. It sets a warm, interconnected tone for the book which both child and adult readers will love. Those familiar with Curtis’s work, such as A Forest in the City, will feel right at home among these pages as they are immersed in the fine needlework of Curtis’s storytelling. 

Straight from the top, Curtis and Dockrill point to an interesting juxtaposition: the movement of water above ground and the system of pipes below. To most, what’s underground is invisible infrastructure. It’s out of sight and out of mind because we merely walk on top of it, unaware of the strategic framework that brings water to, in some cities, millions of people. Throughout the book, Curtis and Dockrill make the invisible visible. If seeing is believing, then Curtis and Dockrill are reinforcing a critical reminder: not everything is as it seems. 

Throughout City of Water, Curtis and Dockrill demonstrate how there is more to water than the cool, clean stream flowing out of our kitchen faucets. In each spread, Curtis narrows the focus and further isolates the movement of water, answering all the questions one may have about how it gets from rain clouds to rivers and eventually to our homes.

Written for audiences aged eight to twelve years old, City of Water ignites a much-needed conversation about a delicate and finite resource that sustains life on earth—a resource humans wouldn’t be able to live without. It’s a sombre thought, but as Curtis so cleverly writes, “The history of cities begins with water—most urban centers grew up near rivers, lakes, or oceans. But as cities expanded, it became necessary to supply residents with drinking water and sanitation systems to get rid of waste.” 

Curtis’s sharp, to-the-point style swiftly takes the reader through the history of water and how, for many around the world, access to it is a constant challenge. A further challenge is that water that is accessible may not be suited for drinking due to pollutants and disease. 

What’s endearing about City of Water is its constant message of hope–and that it’s not too late to make change. Dockrill smartly uses raindrops with illustrations of people and animals within them. Imagine a future where children grow up to see themselves in every droplet of rain and fully understand that their behaviours and actions have an immediate impact on the water cycle. The thread of interconnectedness throughout City of Water is so beautifully fluid that it inspires active participation in making our world a better place.

Book Review: What the Kite Saw by Anne Laurel Carter and Akin Duzakin

By Ashliegh Gehl

What is more freeing than a kite floating high in the sky, teetering on the wind, gazing upon the world with an envious bird’s-eye view? It’s a feeling Anne Laurel Carter’s words and Akin Duzakin’s pictures evoke in What the Kite Saw, a 32-page picture book published by Groundwood Books.

War is often filled with loss, uncertainty, and unknowns. It’s a challenging, emotionally charged concept difficult to convey so clearly in picture books—and yet here we have a work of art navigating the middle ground with a fleet of kites taking flight. It’s the perfect position from which to invite young readers, ages four to eight, into a fiction that is tethered so tightly to reality. A fiction illuminated by the power of imagination during a time of great distress.

It’s also a shared reality because war is war, regardless of where it surfaces. The heartbreak of loss paired with fear slithers in the storyline’s darkest shadows only to be thwarted by a lantern of hope.  

What the Kite Saw was inspired by Palestinian children. It’s very timely and relevant given the resurgence of unfortunate conflict in Gaza. In this narrative, Carter centres the story around a young boy’s point of view. From the first spread, with the streaks of red stratus-like clouds marching with the soldiers in the streets, the story is instantly in motion. You feel the isolation associated with occupation and the devastation imposed on the little boy and his family as his father and brother are taken away. Duzakin’s use of colour in bleak, unbearable moments tells a visual story of separation and what may have transpired.  

It’s through the lifting of curfews—small breaths of air—that the story softly lightens and shows children coming together. It’s a space for the boy to mobilize his friends, to inspire them to create make-shift kites. Shaped like stars and strewn from rooftops, the kites can see the world in ways the boy and his friends cannot. It sees the city, in all of its entirety, and can find the place where the boy’s father and brother have gone. While the small joy of kite flying is but a flicker, quickly deflated by gunfire, it is through the release of a kite, one which escapes and lifts off toward the stars, that the child can see, if only in his mind, his father and brother again. 

When reading this book, read it three times. First, the words and pictures. Second, just the words to absorb the precision of Carter’s pacing and then revisit it a third time by only reading the art. There’s a story in each spread which not only complements Carter’s words but deepens the reader’s understanding of the child’s delicate perspective in ways that will strongly resonate with visual learners. Every movement in Duzakin’s art is a strategic decision to further communicate the story, unlocking another layer of emotion and truly taking this story to another level. As much as it is a story of war and loss, it upholds what we know to be true. Imagination prevails in the darkest of hours and builds just enough resiliency to carry us through to a brighter tomorrow.

In Conversation with Nadia L. Hohn author of Malaika's Surprise

With Ashliegh Gehl

Photo by Elizabeth Dungan

What’s Malaika’s origin story? (When did she first surface for you? How long did you spend crafting her personality and lineage?)

My first Malaika story came about during the Writing for Children I class with Ted Staunton at George Brown College held at Mable’s Fables Bookstore in Toronto in 2010. One of my assignments was to write a picture book. I knew immediately that I wanted it to be based in the Caribbean and to feature Carnival. (In fact, one of the picture books that I illustrated and wrote as a child features both. I use this in my presentations.) The origins were also inspired by all kinds of things, including visiting Caribana parade as a child, my Jamaican heritage, Trinidad Carnival, and my family history.

What has it been like to tell Malaika’s story through Irene Luxbacher’s stunning illustrations? (Is it a collaborative process? Or is it an isolated experience?)

Originally, I wanted to illustrate the first Malaika book. My Groundwood publisher at the time, Sheila Barry, was very kind and honest. She said I have potential to be an illustrator but wanted to go with someone with more experience. When Sheila suggested Irene, I felt that she was the right choice—because she works in mixed media (how I envisioned the book), and her illustrations evoked so much emotion (I felt it in my gut). At that point, I had to let the book go in a sense, which was hard at first. This was my first picture book and I was new to the publishing process. I had to learn to trust that making a picture book is a collaborative process and that everyone involved wanted this to be the best book. I also adjusted to the idea that this story would also become Irene’s, and I am so glad that she connected with my story. We had not met until just before the launch of Malaika’s Costume but since then, we usually talk about the story after it’s complete.

You’re currently working on a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph. How has this experience expanded the breadth of your storytelling?

The MFA program at the University of Guelph has provided me with an opportunity to study in other forms and genres beyond writing for children and young adults. My goal was to polish my craft as a writer in the adult genres. I have learned so much already and there are opportunities to learn from the greats in CanLit. I look forward to more growth.

What do you think needs to happen within the publishing industry to ensure that more #OwnVoices are published? 

I believe that a few things need to happen in order to ensure that #OwnVoices are published. First, in Canada, we need to continue regular measurement of representation working in the publishing industry, as well as start tracking who is getting published according to their identity, including Black Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC). Next, we need to be comfortable using language, that is, adopt a “literacy” and comfortable vocabulary use of terms like equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression within the publishing industry.  We need to have diverse individuals at the decision-making tables. We also need to be unafraid to say what we want in our calls for submission, as well as outreach to underrepresented communities.  

In June 2020, you organized the #KidLit4BlackLivesCanada rally. What was the significance of this event? Are there more rallies or events in the works for 2021? How can others get involved?

The significance of this event was, firstly, to ally with the #KidLit4BlackLives rally held in the US. It was also an opportunity for the Black Canadian children’s literature community and allies to respond to and grieve the incidents of racial injustices experienced by Black and brown peoples in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. My hope is to have another event in 2021, so please stay tuned. You can join the #KidLit4BlackLivesCanada Facebook group and e-mail: kidlit4blacklivescanada@gmail.com.

Our audience is comprised of writers as well as readers. What advice would you give to a writer setting out on their journey? This could be about the writing process or in publicizing and sharing your work.

Start writing. Find a community. Get feedback. Read. Keep at it.  

We are always interested to hear what stories you are working on next. Are you currently writing another book, or do you have one set for publishing later this year?

I just signed a contract for an anthology of sorts so please stay tuned. I am editing my middle grade novel, plus I have some picture books that I am revising along with my young adult novel.

What books are you currently reading and which books have had the most influence on your writing or that you would consider to be your must-read books? 

Currently, I developed a self-directed reading course with a professor focusing on contemporary young adult novels about Black girls as part of my MFA program.  As part of this, I just finished reading Facing the Sun by Janice Lynn Mather, a British Columbia-based author of Bahamian heritage. I just finished reading the young adult novel, Harriet’s Daughter, by Toronto-based Afro-Trinidadian poet M. Nourbese Philip which I had not read since the late 1980s. I believe this book taught me some early lessons about writing for young people. It made me feel that my story and experiences as a Black, Caribbean, and Canadian girl mattered. Even at that age, I knew this book was special. I have not seen one like it since, but it has made me want to write more books reflecting Black, Caribbean, and African identities in Canada.

Book Review: Malaika's Surprise by Nadia L. Hohn

by Ashliegh Gehl

Nadia L. Hohn builds on her children’s literature legacy with Malaika’s Surprise, her third picture book published by Groundwood Books. 

Hohn, a Toronto-based writer, educator, musician and artist, threads the breadth of her expertise through this memorable series to present a heartwarming narrative enriched by Irene Luxbacher’s stunning illustrations. It’s fair to say that Hohn and Luxbacher are a dream team making culturally-rich picture book magic that will stand the test of time.

If you’re new to Malaika’s world, prepare to be enveloped in the warmth of her strong, beautiful voice which is a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois. Malaika was born in the Caribbean, her mother is Afro-Caribbean, and her step-father and step-sister are White French-Canadians. The series’ linguistic stylings embody a diverse community wrapped in inclusivity. The glossary of Caribbean, French and Arabic terms in the frontmatter give a sneak peek to the book’s vibrancy.

What’s great about this series, is that Malaika’s Costume, Malaika’s Winter Carnival and Malaika’s Surprisehave the strength to stand on their own as independent reads. However, when read together, they soar even higher, reaching new heights as Malaika changes and develops. Children and adults alike can believe in Malaika, and empathize with her challenges and understand her worries. 

In Malaika’s Surprise, Hohn strategically builds on the robust foundation of her storyline while preserving Malaika’s observant, curious and caring nature. When Malaika spies a new neighbour, she instantly translates it into the possibility of making a new friend. A friend who speaks Arabic and, much like Malaika, is new to Canada. Within the beauty of differences are the roots of similarities. Through their gestures and interactions is a friendship taking shape. One which the reader hopes to see more of, possibly in future books, as this budding relationship flourishes and blossoms. 

The heart of this series is tethered to family and in Malaika’s Surprise surfaces thoughts about purpose and place. When Malaika learns that she’s about to be a big sister to Émile, her forthcoming baby brother, she wonders how her family will change, and how it will alter the relationship she has with her mother. The idea of a new baby fills Malaika with curiosity, but also with hesitation, worry and doubt. 

Hohn’s writing is deep and immersive. The reader doesn’t think of the writer, but hears and feels Malaika as she navigates her circumstances and the emotions they summon. Only when the book ends, and Malaika is left between the pages, does Hohn’s mastery of the craft command a standing ovation. 

Book Review: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

By Ashliegh Gehl

There’s more than 1,400 miles between New York City and Puerto Plata. Most of the space between is composed of water. Ocean, which connects and divides Yahaira and Camino, central characters in Elizabeth Acevedo’s contemporary young adult novel Clap When You Land. A 417-page read published by HarperTeen.

The novel’s poetic structure is transient. The reader, a passenger in perpetual flight, first touches down in Camino’s Dominican Republic where she is anticipating the arrival of her father who is on flight 1112 out of JFK International Airport. A routine three-hour and thirty-six-minute flight that never reaches its final destination. It leaves no survivors, only wreckage, heartache, uncertainty and fear.

As Camino says: 

I am beginning to learn 

that life-altering news 

is often like a premature birth:

ill-timed, catching someone unaware,

emotionally unprepared

& often where they shouldn’t be:

Although fiction, flight 1112 is loosely based on American Airlines flight 587. It was headed to Santo Domingo but shortly after take-off crashed in Queens, New York and killed 260 passengers, including five others on the ground. An incident which took place on November 12, 2001 – two months after 9/11. Often referred to as the “forgotten” plane crash, flight 587 is one of the worst aviation disasters in American history and has not been forgotten by those impacted by the tragedy. 

Connecting this real-life event to a fictional narrative is part of the book’s strength. Acevedo grips the heart of grief and draws from emotions and experiences brought on by flight 587. She gives grief a platform through verse which connects the story of two estranged sisters, born of two different mothers, who are countries apart and united by a hustler of a father whose secrets ballooned like life vests after his plane crashed.

Clap When You Land is a novel of discovery and an exploration into identity. It feels like non-fiction because the characters and everything they go through are relatable, understandable, sad and in full bloom. It’s jaw-dropping beautiful how Acevedo carefully chooses the perfect words to describe the isolated, yet unified, experiences Camino and Yahaira independently navigate. The death of a father is unchartered waters for both.

There’s a heartwarming rawness to the way Acevedo describes Yahaira’s and Camino’s family situations and their respective communities. Neither is ideal, or without complications. It’s easy to be carried away by the stunning structure, powerful storyline and authentic portrait of sisterhood as their journeys unravel.

The arc of Acevedo’s writing resembles the landscape of the ocean. It takes you into the depths of loss and longing, and deeper into a character’s state of being. So deep, that just when you gasp out of shock or beauty, Acevedo pulls you into the shallow waters and brings you closer to shore. The seamless ebb and flow swiftly move the story along; a quiet current, a sneaky tide that rises while you’re not paying attention. Only when you look up from the page do you realize that you’ve travelled through sixty days of heartbreak with two unforgettable characters who will stay with you long after the novel ends. 

Book Review: Crazy Cat by Marta Pona

By Ashliegh Gehl

Marta Pona tapped into her daughter’s love of furry animals and her son’s weekly karate classes for inspiration for Crazy Cat, her debut picture book published by FriesenPress in 2019. 

“His black-belt test was the most excruciating, endurance-testing 3-hour experience of his life at the time, and heart-wrenching for me to watch! Oh, but a character-building event,” writes Pona, on her Goodreads profile, about her son’s experience. 

In this 24-page read, Pona focuses on a dashing feline’s not-so-cat-like characteristics. Bike riding? Crazy Cat does that. A master at karate? Crazy Cat is a master among cat masters. Dogs that are new to the neighbourhood quickly learn that Crazy Cat can’t be pounced on when she lazily relaxes in the sun. Crazy Cat is a fighter and stands up for herself. She’s not afraid to unleash those sharp claws and take a swipe. 

The warm illustrations aptly depict Crazy Cat as she is – free spirited, adventurous, fearless (puddles and sharks aside), and confident.   

By focusing on what makes Crazy Cat different, Marta invites the reader to self-reflect and acknowledge their own unique differences. It’s a base for self-discovery and self-appreciation. At the back of the book there are prompts which position the reader to go beyond the page and think about animal behaviour. The normal and the not-so-normal (we all know a Crazy Cat), and how our differences are often our strengths. 

Pona is a certified Ontario educator who has taught students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. She lives with her family in West Lincoln, Ontario, and is currently working on her second book, The Lonely Lion. Take a mouse-hunting cue from Crazy Cat, and be on the lookout for Pona’s next story.

Book Review: We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

By Ashliegh Gehl

Prepare to be transported to 1986 in Erin Entrada Kelly’s middle grade novel We Dream of Space. This delightful 391-page read, published by Greenwillow Books (an imprint of Harper Collins Canada), explores the internal and external journey of the Nelson Thomas siblings – Cash, Fitch and Bird – as they navigate middle school, grapple with family life, and look to the stars for answers.

As a whole, the Nelson Thomas family is a solar system. Its members are planets, spinning at their own speed, and passing at different orbital frequencies. 

Fitch and Bird may be twelve-year-old twins, but they’re poles apart. Fitch spends his days in arcades, mastering the fine art of pinball, and struggles to contain his explosive temper (kind of like Venus). Bird is a thinker. She’s curious about the mechanics of everything, creates her own instruction manuals, and dreams of commanding a spaceship. (Sorry, Bird. I mean space shuttle.) And yet, she feels unseen and somewhat isolated, not just from her family but from her friends at school. She’s like Pluto. (Am I a planet? Am I not a planet? What am I?) Cash, the oldest among them, is into basketball and at risk of failing school (again). He’s kind of just floating out there without any sense of purpose, in search of direction, and feeling a little sideways, like Uranus, due to a broken wrist.

The novel’s multi-perspective structure gives Cash, Fitch and Bird their day in the sun by isolating their experiences and putting their worldviews into focus. Despite their differences, they desire the same things. They long for family, friendship, and belonging. They cling to flittering glimpses of hope as they grapple with a sense of self. These easy-to-love characters are relatable, more so during those awkward growing pain moments that are necessary, but uncomfortable to witness.

Entrada Kelly’s crisp, clean writing takes the reader straight into the middle school experience where harsh words are spoken, cliques are formed, and there’s a lesson to be learned around every corner. Sharp dialogue swiftly moves the story along, so much so that 1986 feels as if it’s a character unto itself. 

We Dream of Space is more than just a deep dive into the personal and social lives of Cash, Fitch, Bird, and their self-absorbed parents. It takes the reader through January 1986, the month the space shuttle Challenger was scheduled to launch. It was a time when many school children across the United States were learning about the astronauts, their mission, and the significance of Mission Specialist Christa McAuliffe, who was primed to be the first teacher in space. 

Through satellite, NASA broadcasted the launch into classrooms so America’s youth could have a front row seat to McAuliffe’s space debut. On January 28, seventy-three seconds after lift-off, Challenger disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean. A moment, for students like Bird, which revealed that pursuing your dreams can be dangerous. This emotional journey is a ride in which readers of all ages will most certainly enjoy.  As Bird writes, “The universe is waiting.” So, what are you waiting for?