Sunday March 4th, 2012 Festival of Trees

The Ontario Library Association’s Festival of Trees is coming to Thunder Bay this May to celebrate with young readers the best of Canadian picture books for children. They will be highlighting the Blue Spruce and Silver Birch books with author signings and entertainment.

The goals of the Forest of Reading are many: to encourage children, young people and adults of Ontario to enjoy reading; to develop recognition of Canadian books and authors; and to provide an effective tool for improving literacy in schools and libraries.

The Blue Spruce Award program brings recently published Canadian children's picture books to children ages 4 to 7 in Kindergarten through to, and including, Grade two. Ten titles are nominated that will best help develop the young readers’ skills in evaluating a picture book based on story, text and pictures.

A Flock of Shoes by Sarah Tsiang, illustrated by Qin Leng. A little girl named Abby adores her pink and brown sandals with lime green trim. She wears them constantly, until one day when she is swinging her sandals flip off and fly away. But where did they go?


Giraffe and Bird by Rebecca Bender is about a giraffe and a bird who say they cannot stand each other. When they decide to part ways, they find they really aren’t that happy after all. They soon realize they are much better off learning to get along.



Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!) by Heather McLeod, Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan. Ella thinks that a talking frog is much more interesting than living like a princess in a castle. Prince Frog on the other hand, discovers a whole new world of fun beyond the castle walls.


The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. Based on a South American tale, a brave little hummingbird overcomes both fear and expectation in her attempt to save the forest from a fire. An inspiring message from Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai is included.

Making the Moose Out of Life by Nicholas Oldland. A funny story about a timid moose who lives in the wild but doesn't act like it. He would rather watch timidly from the sidelines. However he occasionally wonders if he is missing out on anything.

Noni Says No by Heather Hartt-Sussman, Illustrated by Geneviève Côté. Noni can do many things, but saying no is not one of them. When she finally learns to stand up for herself and still be a good friend, the results are not at all what she thought they would be!


One Hockey Night by David Ward, Illustrated by Brian Deines. A heartwarming hockey story about Owen who has just moved to the East Coast. He has shoveled lots of snow and practiced shooting pucks on the driveway, but misses the frozen lake that he used to skate on back in Saskatchewan.

Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! by Marie-Louise Gay. An adventurous young rabbit wakes up one day with a plan to dig the biggest hole on earth. Marie-Louise writes a story about the imagination of children and their ability to create fun out of small things.


Small Saul by Ashley Spires. When pirate Small Saul joins the crew of The Rusty Squid, the other pirates soon realize he is different. A story that celebrates individuality and being true to one’s self.



Stanley's Little Sister by Linda Bailey, Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Stanley's home life goes awry when he suddenly finds himself with a new sister. A cat! Making friends with her is not easy.



Information on how to get involved and vote for your favourite book can be found on the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading website. All of these books can be found at the Thunder Bay Public Library. Come in, enjoy them and select yours!

Caron E. Naysmith