Author: youngadultingubc

Roy is Not a Dog, by Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman

October 15, 2024

One take-away readers can draw from this story is the importance of meeting one’s neighbors and community. As Roy emphasizes, you never know who your neighbors could be, the interesting stories they have, or the fun skills they may have mastered. It can also be daunting moving somewhere new, and this story may help encourage a young reader to reach out and make friends in their community. … More Roy is Not a Dog, by Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman

Welcome, Dark by Charis St. Pierre, illus. Rachel Wada

October 10, 2024

Our imaginations bloom in inarticulate ways at times—magnifying a simple rustle or bird call, or the sound of rain on window’s glass. St. Pierre’s poetic story offers answers: the rustle is the wind, and the call of birds are just a normal part of the world at night, which has its own purpose in the time. … More Welcome, Dark by Charis St. Pierre, illus. Rachel Wada

There Are No Ants In This Book by Rosemary Mosco, illus. Anna Pirolli

October 1, 2024

In total, readers are introduced to ten different kinds of ants, with their main features and differentiators highlighted. The overall plot of the book follows a common occurrence familiar to many, children included: ants showing up to a picnic. … More There Are No Ants In This Book by Rosemary Mosco, illus. Anna Pirolli

Zia’s Story by Shahnaz Qayumi, illus. Nahid Kazemi

September 5, 2024

Qayum’s storytelling is straightforward and direct. She refrains from exploring the inner terrains of her characters’ minds, or using literary devices to convey the gravity of grief and pain. Instead, she states the facts of the events of their lives using a subdued tone, and that in itself is enough to put readers in the characters’ shoes. … More Zia’s Story by Shahnaz Qayumi, illus. Nahid Kazemi