PGC Kids Books

The best kids books from independent publishers

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A sneak peak at our upcoming holiday collection, written by @rainbowrowell Almost Midnight. Hitting bookstores this November! #bookstagram #books #comingsoon

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Victoria Williamson’s debut middle grade novel, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle—an uplifting story about friendship and the displacement of Syrian refugees—receives a STARRED review from Kirkus!

“By alternating the two girls' first-person narrations (punctuating them with the fox's voice in verse) Williamson allows readers to quickly relate to both white Glaswegian Caylin and Syrian-immigrant Reema, seeing in them reflections of the many problems children face around the world today...Williamson movingly makes it clear that working-class solidarity traverses borders, race, ethnicity, and religion.” —Kirkus (starred review)

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At the launch of BATTLE FOR PARADISE by Naomi Klein, in conversation with Anwar Knight and Rinaldo Walcott. (at Gladstone Hotel)

[pgckids-blog]

WRITE/DRAW/IMAGINE/MAKE: join Claudia Bedrick, publisher of Enchanted Lion, illustrator and author Ohara Hale, cartoonist Liniers, illustrator Matt Forsythe, and Type Books’ children’s specialist Serah-Marie McMahon for a discussion about making books for kids on Friday May 11!

[pgckids-blog]

The New York Times Books

Matt Forsythe and Kirsten Hall, the illustrator and author of the new picture book, "The Gold Leaf," are here to show us how they made a book together. Matt will demonstrate the illustration...

Creators of The Gold Leaf, Kirsten Hall and Matthew Forsythe, in conversation with New York Times Children’s Book Editor, Maria Russo!

“In a graceful parable with environmentalist echoes, Hall and Forsythe take readers to a forest where spring has returned in a whirl of animal activity and a riot of color…Hall’s understated writing reads like poetry, and Forsythe’s graphic, even geometric, paintings have the feel of animation stills…[A] gentle but firm reminder to respect the scarcity that makes a precious resource precious.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

The Gold Leaf hits Canadian bookstores next week.

[pgckids-blog]

Eagerly anticipating Day One of the 2017 #canadareads at the @cbc. Go Dogs!! #dogpack #fifteendogs (at CBC Toronto)

[pgckids-blog]

See some of Dieter Braun’s incredible illustrations for his new book Wild Animals of the South at Creative Review.

[pgckids-blog]

A wonderful surprise on this beautiful Spring day - advances of The Gold Leaf by Kirsten Hall and Canadian illustrator, Matt Forsythe! A beautiful and vivid story about the importance of environmental preservation and appreciating the natural world around us. The Gold Leaf releases in Canada in May. #bookstagram #beautifulbooks #environmentalissues #enchantedlionbooks

[koyamapress]

The Slate Book Review and the Center for Cartoon Studies have announced the nominees for the fifth annual Cartoonist Studio Prize and John Martz’s Burt’s Way Home has made the shortlist of nominees! Check out all of the wonderful nominees here!

[torontocomics]

Debuting at TCAF 2017 - The Gold Leaf by Kirsten Hall and Matt Forsythe

Published by Enchanted Lion Books

A gold leaf appears in the forest. As soon as the animals notice it, each wants it more than anything else in the world. But in their struggle for it, the leaf is destroyed. Heartbroken, the animals wonder: Will we ever again see such a leaf?

After getting an MA in early childhood education, Kirsten Hall taught preschool and elementary school for several years. The Jacket, her debut picture book, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2015. This is her second book.

Born in Toronto, Matthew Forsythe grew up in London. After publishing his first books, he moved to LA, where he worked on Adventure Time. He now lives in Montreal, working on animations, picture books, and comics.

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We love this book!

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Monday after Daylight Saving Time like...

(Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez)

[mattforsythe]

New book coming out next month from Enchanted Lion (Brooklyn).

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woohoo!

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Comics Alliance preview Volcano Trash by Ben Sears!

[koyamapress]

EverythingMom reviews John Martz’s touching tale of family, Burt’s Way Home.

“Kids will love the story of Burt trying to get back home and his ingenuity (as well as the surprise about his family). Parents will love how the story explores the dynamic beyond birth families.” — Carrie Anne, EverythingMom

Check out the whole review here!

[agoodbookdrive]

Meet Carlin Burton and Matt Hart from the Indie88 morning show! Did you know Indie88 is one of our Good Book Box locations?  Today is the last day to drop off your book donations at Indie or other locations around the city!

Carlin is sharing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and Matt picked Tough Guys Have Feelings Too by Keith Negley to share with A Good Book Drive.

Carlin, what’s your book about?

“It’s a book centered around imagination which is key to a child’s development. “Hold your breath, Make a wish, Count to three, Come with me, And you’ll be, In a world of pure imagination””

What do you hope the next reader gets from reading this book?

“No matter how old you get, your imagination will still be your greatest asset.”

Matt, what’s your book about?

“It’s exactly as the title says, you can be strong and still be vulnerable or sad.”

What do you hope the next reader gets from reading this book?

“I hope that a child will learn that a wide range of emotions aren’t only normal, they’re crucial to being a whole person.”

Thank you Carlin and Matt!

Toronto, drop off your new and gently used kid’s books donations (books for 12 years & under) at these spots during February, and help out The Children’s Book Bank in Regent Park!

Photo by Vanessa Heins

[agoodbookdrive]

Say hello to journalist Peter Mansbridge! He’s sharing The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler with A Good Book Drive. He thinks reading is important because it “broadens your knowledge.”

What’s this book about?

“The book is about a mouse who outsmarts the predators who are after him, from a fox to an owl, to a snake to the very real gruffalo, proving that it isn’t about how big you are, but about how clever you can be. It’s a fun story that has many twists and turns, and has a wonderful rhyming prose that both kids and adults will love.”

Thank you, Peter!

Toronto, drop off your new and gently used kid’s books donations (books for 12 years & under) at these spots during February, and help out The Children’s Book Bank in Regent Park!

Photo by Katrina Thorn

[winkbooks]

Musnet is drawn and painted in a beautiful, lush and inky style popularized by French comics masters

Musnet: The Mouse of Monet by Kickliy odod books 2016, 56 pages, 8.8 x 0.5 x 11.5 inches, Hardcover $13 Buy on Amazon

“Winsome” is the kind of word no one ever says out loud; if you encounter it, it’s only in text. But “winsome” is exactly the right word to describe the Musnet series, which follows an impoverished mouse as he attempts to shake up the art world. Musnet adopts his name in homage to the painter Monet, as the two share both a house and an impressionistic style.

Musnet and Monet aren’t the only two characters in the Musnet books (two of which have been published in English so far). There are plenty of animal friends and foes: a fun-loving carp, a moody squirrel, a ninja-like spider, and, inevitably, a villainous cat. This cast of characters is just one of the things that makes the Musnet books so charming. Another is how French they are, with references to stinky cheese and paté, for instance. A third charm factor is the artwork. Unsurprisingly for books about artists, the illustrations by Kickliy are lovely. The countryside settings are appropriately idyllic, and the creatures are drawn with a shaggy, unpolished likeability.

Whether you’re drawn in by the glimpses into the creative process, the quirky take on Monet’s legacy, or just the rodent romances, the Musnet books are delightful.

– Christine Ro

February 27, 2017