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2024 Forest of Reading (Junior School): Silver Birch Express (Gr. 3-4)

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Epic - Books for Kids

Alina in a Pinch

Moving to a new city means Alina has to make new friends, and nothing is worse than lunch at a new school. When her grandmother visits, Alina is inspired to help her cook the delicious Afro-Indian meals she’s always loved, but a cruel note from a mysterious lunchtime bully leaves a bitter taste that even Nani’s excellent cooking can’t erase.

With an audition for Junior Chef fast approaching and Nani’s wise lessons helping her, can Alina embrace her heritage and convince her classmates that being different is a good thing?

Bear in the Family

Jasmin and Hunter did not expect to find an orphaned bear cub stuck in the neighbours’ well. Rescuing the tiny cub from the well was the easy part; now they need to care for it until the people from the bear-rescue sanctuary can make it safely through the fires to pick it up. The cub turns out to be exactly what one would expect of a wild animal―a huge handful!

Crimson Twill: Witch in the City

Crimson Twill is a little witch, but you might not know it. She lives in the country and loves polka dots and puppies instead of pointy shoes and black dresses. She even wears a big bow on her hat—which is crimson, just like her name. Tonight, for the very first time, Crimson is riding on her mother’s broom all the way to New Wart City to go shopping at Broomingdale’s! The huge department store has everything a witch could itch for. For Crimson, each floor (hats! cats! brooms!) is a new adventure. But is Broomingdale’s ready for a witch as unique as Crimson?

Flipping Forward Twisting Backward

Claire is by far the best gymnast on her team, and she’s well on her way to qualifying for the state championships. The gym is where Claire shines. But at school, she’s known as a troublemaker. She seems to spend more time in the office than in class—which is fine with her since it enables her to hide the fact that she can’t read. She has never been able to make sense of the wobbling jumble of letters on a page. No one except her BFF knows.

But when a sympathetic principal wonders if Claire is acting out because she’s dyslexic, her mother balks. She’s afraid Claire will be labeled “stupid” and refuses testing. Claire has always assumed she’s dumb; she never imagined her reading problem could have a solution. Is she strong enough to take on both her reading challenges and her mother’s denial? Is it worth jeopardizing her spot in qualifiers?

Tâpwê and the Magic Hat

Based on Cree storytelling traditions: kids follow Tâpwê as he navigates tricksters, takes part in a powwow, and delights in his Magic Hat.
Indigenous voice: Written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, who is Cree; the book is dedicated to the Piapot and Obey families of Piapot Reserve.

The Strangest Thing in the Sea

An intriguing look at some very strange creatures in the sea --- but which is the strangest? A feathery tutu dancing through the water? A tiptoeing rock wearing a wig? A mountain of skulls on the ocean floor? Not everything is quite as it seems in this fascinating exploration of 12 bizarre and little-known sea animals.

Pink, Blue, and You!

Is it okay for boys to cry? Can girls be strong? Should girls and boys be given different toys to play with and different clothes to wear? Should we all feel free to love whoever we choose to love? In this incredibly kid-friendly and easy-to-grasp picture book, author-illustrator Elise Gravel and transgender collaborator Mykaell Blais raise these questions and others relating to gender roles, acceptance, and stereotyping.

Who's Looking?

In this nonfiction picture book, a young girl and her baby sister's outdoor adventure (hiking through the forest, picnicking in the grass and swimming in the ocean) is overseen by the local fauna. The way those animals view the girls is very different from how the girls see each other. Goats see far and wide in a panorama, whales don't see color the way humans do and a high-soaring eagle's sharp vision can clearly see a tiny mouse far below.

This Is What I've Been Told

In this story of language preservation, Author/Illustrator and Anishnaabemowin language teacher Juliana Armstrong illuminates a number of Anishnaabemowin words along with their cultural connections, passed down from her Ojibway ancestors. Knowing our culture means knowing who we are. When we know who we are, we can walk in a good way.

Kaleidoscope Of Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Life: Their Colors And Patterns Explained

Paleo-artist and author Greer Stothers reimagines the dinosaurs and their prehistoric peers, using fossils and the examples of living species to bring this often misrepresented world to life.

Could big dinosaurs have been gray like elephants?
Would a snow-dwelling dino have been a brilliant white?
What could mutant dinosaurs looked like?
As well as the dinos, there’s also a section that takes a look at other extinct animals, shows how animals from the Ice Age may have looked, and explores how clues about long-dead creatures can be discovered from art by the prehistoric peoples who encountered them.

Meet the authors & illustrators!