New Releases by Sheryl McFarlane

Join a mother-to-be and her daughter in award-winning author Sheryl McFarlane and illustrator Laurel Aylesworth’s The Blue Canoe, an enchanting picture book adventure filled with love, reassurance, and cherished connections, discovering the wonders of nature while embracing the arrival of a new baby. Every cabin day is a paddle-on-the-lake day. You’ll be paddling with us too, coming-soon baby. Mom and me and you in our blue canoe. A mother and daughter spend the day on the lake, admiring the local flora and fauna and considering the way their paddling routine might change when a new baby arrives. For nature lovers with a growing family, The Blue Canoe is a poignant picture book conversation that gently addresses a child’s natural worries about shifting family dynamics while celebrating the unchangeable bond between mother and child. The details of the animal families they encounter bolster the child’s confidence and reinforce the mother’s loving reassurance that even though a new baby will bring change, some things are as reliable as the sunrise.

We all love rain—until we are ready for some sun! This joyful ode to rain for kids 2 to 6 explores a child's many emotions when it comes to wet weather. In this charming picture book, a young child’s conversation with the rain poetically captures the ever-shifting feelings we have when it comes to drizzles and downpours. She thanks the rain for helping the strawberries and carrot seeds to grow, and delights in splashing in the puddles with her little brother. Then, she asks the rain if it could take a vacation so she can play in the park and go lightning fast on her scooter. Eventually, it’s too hot for sidewalk chalk and catching frogs, and she begins to miss it. Welcome, Rain! encourages kids to: Get outside to explore and play, even in the rain Understand why rain is important, from helping plants grow to bringing cooler temperatures Cycling through the four seasons, this adorable picture book is a celebration of our feelings for the rain—how we wish it would go away, then long for it when it’s gone—and the necessary role it plays in our lives.

This gorgeously illustrated picture book is a celebration of summer vacation and West Coast island life. Every day is different on Gran's island in the Salish Sea as granddaughter climbs big-leaf maples, eats blackberries, explores tide pools and sandstone caves and examines ancient middens and petroglyphs. She and Gran watch harbor seals sunning themselves and Gran's neighbor carving an eagle out of a piece of cedar while drinking fresh nettle tea. And on her way home, our young narrator sees a pod of orcas, breaching, tail lobbing and spy-hopping as she says goodbye to the island for another summer.

Waiting for the Whales illuminates the unique friendship between grandparent and child and celebrates the restorative power of the natural world. An old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea, tends his garden and waits. Only when the whales return each year to the bay in front of his cottage is his loneliness eased. Until, one day, an unexpected visitor arrives. Originally published over thirty years ago, this award-winning picture book is sure to enchant a whole new generation of readers.

With a long list of activities and events to attend, cousin Thomas paints a picture of city life that makes Jessie’s world seem a little dull in comparison. When her mother suggests they invite Thomas to visit their island, Jessie wonders glumly what she could possibly write in her letter that would sound as exciting as zoos, planetariums or video arcades. But as Jessie looks out over her island home, she sees a world of endless variety, from killer whales in the strait and bald eagles soaring overhead to anemones in tide pools and tiny hermit crabs on the shore. She thinks of countless days spent exploring, fishing, swimming and canoeing.

Going to the Fair is a picture book celebration of the simple pleasures of a visit to the annual fall fair of a rural community. Recommended reading ages 4-8

Waiting for the Whales illuminates the unique friendship between grandparent and child and celebrates the restorative power of the natural world. An old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea, tends his garden and waits. Only when the whales return each year to the bay in front of his cottage is his loneliness eased. Until, one day, an unexpected visitor arrives. Originally published over thirty years ago, this award-winning picture book is sure to enchant a whole new generation of readers.

A lyrical Christmas story for children and families that follows Sam as he catches a ride on a Santa Boat, a floating sleigh that brings Santa Claus to children in remote locations on the West Coast.

Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, Silver Medal, 2007 - Board Book Category Canadian Toy Testing Council's top 10 "Great Books" of the year, 2007 What does it sound like by the sea? The wind WHISTLES, sea lions BELLOW, and tugboats RUMBLE. Little ones will delight in turning the sturdy pages of these books full of sound. The What's That Sound? board books serve a dual purpose for inquisitive little ones. Not only do they link noises to objects but they encourage the association of meaning to letters on a page-the first, crucial step for developing reading skills. Author Sheryl McFarlane's rhythmic, read-aloud text is perfectly complemented by Kim LaFave's bright, colourful scenes. A glorious book with plenty of sounds for little noise makers everywhere.

At the circus, ringmasters cry, elephants trumpet, and the audience cheers.

Overcome by anger, and then denial, Jess attempts to deal with her mother"s illness alone, refusing to accept help or sympathy from even her closest friends.

What do you do about a puppy that runs away? Get moving! That's exactly what our frustrated young owner has to do in this delightful rhyming story. After breaking loose, a little dog leaves chaos in its wake as it races through the streets to a local beach, grabbing snacks from vendors and bystanders, wreaking havoc with a fisherman's haul and splattering drool and cookie crumbs on a teacher's papers. Will our poor heroine ever catch up with her freewheeling canine? Or will someone - or something - else put a stop to this puppy's crime spree? The award-winning author of A Pod of Orcas teams up with a new illustrator, whose hilarious illustrations will appeal to young dog enthusiasts and lovers of mayhem everywhere.

A beautiful new counting book by an award-winning author! There is so much to count at the seashore - one lighthouse, two freighters, three eagles - and on and on, until you get to ten. Then a pod of orcas explodes out of the sea - so many, you can't begin to add them up. But wait. At the end of the day, you can count from ten all the way down again, as ten sailboats, nine fishboats, eight beach umbrellas - and on and on - gradually settle for the evening or pack up and drift away. A gentle and poetic counting book by the award-winning author of Waiting for the Whales and Jessie's Island, Sheryl McFarlane's A Pod of Orcas is just the right bedtime read for eager little counters. Artist Kirsti Wakelin makes her picture book debut with exquisite watercolor paintings that glow with dreamy light and warmth. Parents and educators will appreciate the simple, yet effective design. Each number appears spelled out and in numerical form. And small pictorial "clues" will lead pre-readers to every counting subject.

Robin is a dreamer. While he should be doing his chores on the farm, he is too often running through the fields, pretending to fly as he swings from a rope high in the tree, or daydreaming in the woods. So when the boy finds an injured eagle and eagerly plans to nurse it back to health, his father is reluctant to allow him to take on any extra responsibility.

It's just another day. April goes to school, plays, helps with dinner, takes her bath. But all the while she daydreams about the seashore and her search for the elusive moonsnail.