Picture books with morals and lessons including loving yourself

One of my son's favourite picture books is Candy Conspiracy (Carrie Snyder) about a number of children who trick the Juicy Jelly Worm into taking their garden of candy (AKA vegetables) and leave them a kingdom full of candy. The...

Family and family secrets in Marissa Stapley’s Things To Do When It’s Raining

In a letter to her early readers, for which I am proud to say I am one, Toronto author Marissa Stapley writes about how of all the books she has written, her latest Things To Do When It's Raining ($22.99,...

Q&A with British Columbia author Karen Rivers about All That Was

Rivers latest book delves into the relationship of two best friends British Columbia author Karen Rivers’ latest book, All That Was ($21.15, Raincoast Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux), was published Jan. 16 and tells the story about two best friends...

Learning about stress and how you manage it with DK Books Stress The Psychology of Managing Pressure

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~ William James, philosopher and physician. It's been a pretty stressful year for me on multiple fronts, and although I have seen a fair amount of...

Toronto author speaks climate change, Donald Trump and Solomon’s Ring: review, blog tour and contest

Sometimes important details slip from my mind. When Dundurn Press asked me to participate in the Solomon's Ring blog tour late last year I had wondered if it mattered if I hadn't read the first book. While they said it...

#ILoveDK and What Next? career book by Toronto’s Barbara Moses

Pick one DK Book , they say. Pick your absolute favourite DK Book and blog about it using #ILoveDK. Does DK Books know how hard this challenge is? While #ILoveDK may be a conversation starter, for me it's a longtime fact...

Ban This Book: review

I loved how it took the banning of Amy Anne Ollinger's favourite book - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – from her school library to turn the quiet and shy braid-sucking fourth grader into an activist,...

Reviewing blogger and YouTuber Tanya Burr’s latest cookbook Tanya Bakes

If I had all the ingredients I needed on hand right now, I would make Tanya Burr's Victoria Spongecake or the Brownie Cake. Wait, maybe I would make the Raspberry & Lemon Friands, a small almond cake, instead or the...

Three Hot Books to Leave the Cold Behind

Check out my other book blog, which I hope will inspire you to travel someplace hot. It’s cold outside! Let these three books inspire you to travel to hot destinations such as Greece, Fiji and other exotic locations throughout the...