New Release Books by Sheryl McFarlane

When the rocking horse is first given to his boy, they imagine grand adventures together: chases in the wild west, dashes across medieval drawbridges, and daring rodeo performances. Then as the boy grows up, they play together less and less. The rocking horse begins to despair until the boy's little sister climbs on his back and he learns he has love enough for more than one child. But one day she too will outgrow their adventures. What future awaits a treasured toy with so much love left to give? In The Rocking Horse, award-winning author Sheryl McFarlane celebrates the imaginative play of childhood while acknowledging that growing up means reaching out and also letting go. Award-winning illustrator François Thisdale's distinctive art captures the warmth of nostalgia and the brightness of possibility. The rocking horse, like any truly treasured toy, brims with both in equal measure.

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.

This is an enhanced ebook with a read-along function. 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. This reissue of Jessie’s Island, which was originally published over twenty years ago, will introduce a whole new generation of children to the joy of unstructured play and the pleasures to be found in the natural world.

In this timeless picture book, an old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea and awaits the whales' return each year to the bay.

This is an enhanced ebook with a read-along function. In this timeless classic set on the West Coast, 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. One day his daughter and her baby return home to live with the old man, bringing a renewed sense of purpose to his life. As his granddaughter grows, the old man passes on a wealth of knowledge and wisdom as well as his passion for the whales. And each year they wait together for the whales to appear. Waiting for the Whales illuminates the unique friendship between grandparent and child and celebrates the restorative power of the natural world. Originally published twenty-five years ago, this award-winning picture book is sure to enchant a whole new generation of readers.

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

Overcome by anger and then denial, long-distance runner Jess attempts to deal with her mother's cancer alone, refusing to accept help or sympathy from even her closest friends.

Rhyming text describes objects and people found at the seashore through one day of fun, from one lighthouse to a whole pod of orcas, and back down to one lighthouse.

Sam wants to be with his father and sister for Christmas, but his sister is in a hospital on Vancouver Island, so Sam gets a ride from a Santa Boat, a boat that brings gifts to the children all along Canada's West Coast.

A boy and a girl go to the circus and hear all of its sounds. On board pages.

In a rhyming tale, follows a young girl as she chases her energetic puppy through the streets and to the beach.

A sweet, endearing picture from award-winning writer Sheryl McFarlane about the many different kinds of kisses a child receives--and all of the ways he/she is loved.