Vacation time is near! The feel of the grass against our legs, the possibility of sand between our toes. Or maybe not, mother nature has been playing more than a few tricks on us: cold windy sunny days, warm rainy grey days...sigh

Whatever the day at least we can read! Here is my selection of children and young adult books to help us get through the summer and non-summer like days.

Sharing Our World Animals of the Northwest Coast

First Nations and Native artists share their culture and art demonstrating the Unique relationship and the respect they have with animals, The graphics in this book are gorgeous, colourful and engaging. Any child would benefit from this lovely book.

Operatic 

I grew up with Opera and classical music playing in our house each and every day. My parents had the classical music station on all the time and when that wasn’t on, they played a record, usually opera. This definitely made me a little different from my friends. Which is why I can’t wait to Read Operatic. The Main Character Charlie discovers the Opera singer Maria Callas. Charlie uses Callas diva lifestyle as an example of how to survive her own life issues. Making her a little different.

My first Pop - Up Dinosaurs 

Are there any Dinosaur lovers in your house? This is a beautiful pop-up book to get them interested if they aren’t already. Owen Davies is an incredible illustrator of animals and wildlife. Each name of the dinosaur ‘s name is written clearly and then phonetically to help out mom and dad to pronounce those challenging names with ease. 

My Cat Looks Like My Dad

Take a walk around your neighbourhood on a sunny afternoon and I’ll bet that you will find at least one person who looks like the dog they are walking or resembles the cat sitting next to them on their front porch. The front cover of this book caught my eye and made me laugh out loud, both the cat and the man looked like people I know. I’m sure you will relate once you turn the pages of this book.

Big Boys Cry

Levi learns from his father that boys don’t cry. But when he walks to school he learns of a completely different world. A world where men can emote freely experiencing tears of joy, sadness, fear and everything in between. The mantra of Boy’s don’t cry starts to fade as he continues his walk to school. With a single tear, he starts his new school year. And when he arrives home, he finds his father crying. His dad explains that yes big boys do cry, and the reason he is crying is that he was worried about Levi’s first day of school. This book is perfect to read to both boys and girls helping them understand that it's okay to express the emotions that make them cry. 

Door

This Wordless picture book takes us on a mysterious trip with a young boy. He finds a key and opens a door. I can’t imagine a better book than this to evoke any child or adults imagination. The book is filled with silent friendly adventures and mischievous creatures. Illustrated in gorgeous soft colours.

Like a love story

The year is 1989 and the world is so very complicated to Reza an Iranian boy who just moved to the city with his mother and new family. He knows he is gay, but unsure how to embrace it. The AIDS crisis is all over the news and most people's feelings about the LGBTQ+ community are misguided and fearful. Reza finds two people he really cares about by playing the role of a straight boy he finds a girlfriend Judy and her best friend Art an out and proud activist. Confused emotions, suppressed desires, strong friendships and political beliefs make up this beautifully written book. Not just for Young adults this book is great for adults too. It beautifully recreates the atmosphere of being a teen in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Island Book

Island Book, has been taunting me almost every day. And I promise I will get to it. It began as a web comic. Sola the main character encountered a monster at a young age. the monster caused chaos and destruction on Sola's Island and it’s pointed attention to her made her an outcast from her community. Her desire to find the monster and ask why? Sets her on an adventure causing her to leave her island and explore and find new islands and unique friends.

Fergal and The Bad Temper

Do you have a little or big  fiery tempered dragon in your life? I have two maybe three, maybe I can be a bit like Fergal on one of my off days. Fergal’s bad temper gets him into a lot of trouble, causing him to miss dinner, lose friends and no longer play soccer. Once he realizes how much trouble losing his temper can cause he finds new ways to manage it. Everyone can learn from Fergal.