Reviews (1)

Life With Beethoven.....
"...I write, Uncle, because something terrible has happened.A madman has moved into our house."Young Christoph can't believe his family's misfortune with their new boarder.Mr Beethoven has rented the upstairs rooms, and the terrible noises begin at dawn.There's loud pounding and howling, stomping and crashing.Beethoven has four pianos, some without legs sitting right on the floor so that he can "hear" the vibrations of his music.His room is a mess, papers scattered everywhere, dirty dishes and clothes on every surface, and he writes on the walls.He walks the streets humming and growling, and waving his arms.Christoph is mortified, angry, and embarrassed as he asks his uncle..."I beg you to tell my mother to send Mr Beethoven away."But as the months and then years go by, Christoph's letters begin to change.He develops compassion and tolerance for this eccentric musical genius who lives upstairs, that slowly turns into respect, admiration, and true friendship.....Barbara Nichol and Scott Cameron have authored a creative and inventive story, written as correspondence between uncle and nephew, that combines history, music, and actual events during the three years Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony in Vienna.Christoph's intriguing and compelling letters are full of drama and tension as he tells his uncle what it's like to live with the deaf and tormented composer.His uncle, also a musician, writes back giving Christoph insight and understanding into Beethoven's life and times and famous temper.Ms Nichol's engaging and entertaining text is spellbinding and enhanced by Mr Cameron's dark, lush oil paintings.Together word and art transport you back to the 1820s, and allows the reader to spy on Beethoven as he works.Perfect for youngsters 8-12, Beethoven Lives Upstairs is an evocative and fascinating adventure about a remarkable composer that is sure to whet the appetite of budding musicians, and send them looking for more. ... Read more

Book Description

When Grandpa goes traveling, he sends home postcards. But these are no ordinary postcards, and Grandpa is no ordinary man. At the turn of the century, Sir William Cornelius Van Horne was one of the most influential businessmen in North America. While in Europe in 1909, retired railroad president William Cornelius Van Horne sent hand-drawn postcards to his grandson in Montreal. He loved to draw elephants: elephants standing at the rail of an ocean liner, elephants smoking cigars on trains, and of course, elephants with their “trunks all aboard.”

Author Barbara Nichol was inspired by this collection of elephantine epistles and has written the whimsical and fanciful verse that captures the turn-of-century spirit of Van Horne’s creations. ... Read more

Book Description

Fragments of a handwritten letter have been discovered. Their author’s name is Margaret, and in the letter she describes her memories of a summer of her girlhood long ago when the dippers came up from the Don River.

It was 1912, and a summer full of odd happenings. The letter tells of Margaret’s first encounter with her father, of her mother’s worry that she might lose her job as a maid, and of her little sister’s being overtaken by paralysis and disease.

And, of course, there were the dippers moving up from the river to inhabit the neighbourhood – furry, ungainly, dog-like creatures with leathery wings – creatures unnerving but not dangerous, yet another fact of life to become adjusted to. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very pleasant picturebook for young readers.
Dippers is a pleasant picturebook for young readers about a hot summer in 1912, when fanciful creatures that author Barbara Nichol calls "dippers" came up from the Don River. The Dippers are most curious beings indeed, at first glance resembling cat-sized shrews with wings. Barry Moser's full-page illustrations in soft tones enhance Nichol's inquisitive prose making Dippers a pleasure for young readers who have just graduated from easy-reader picturebooks and are ready to try something with slightly longer and with more complex sentences. ... Read more

Book Description

In One Small Garden, Barbara Nichol brings together stories, memories, and botany to create a book that is as unique and lush as a summer garden. Here, plants from all over the world live and eventually die. Ants, raccoons, and a stray cat cross paths with a lost cockatoo who originated thousands of miles away. Stories and memories of people share space in the garden too.

This is the perfect book for those who understand the enchantment and the wild-at-heart nature of the primmest garden. This is a book to treasure for the whole family. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A lovely picturebook
Good reading skills are recommended for this lush title which blends botany and memories of plants and people. A variety of gardens are profiled, adventures in them are detailed, and young gardeners receive inspirational insights on gardens and beauty. A lovely picturebook. ... Read more

Book Description

Safe and Sound are two small dogs with big ideas: they want to see the world. But the world is not what they expect. First of all, who knew that planes fly so high? that the English Channel includes waves? that in Australia it is autumn when everyone knows it should be spring?

Poor little Safe and Sound record their trials in journals, and it is those journals that form Barbara Nichol’s hilarious long poem.

And so was born their manuscript, and so was born their book,
And if you’d like to read it I will tell you where to look.
You’ll find it in the bookstore under Canine stories, true.
In the section labeled “Biting Off Much More than You Can Chew.” ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sigh, loaded with stereotypes
This is an eyecatching book. It looked funny too--2 dogs named Safe and Sound go on a trip around the world. The pictures were colorful. And so I borrowed it from the library for my young son. The illustrations are indeed interesting, the storyline had potential. Unfortunately, it is loaded with stereotypes. The xenophobic will find it funny and agree with the cultural jokes. But do we want our children to see the world through such simplistic views? Do we want to promote such stereotypical views? I hope not. ... Read more

Book Description

The winning collection of rhymes and poems introduces a cast of canine characters that is bound to steal your heart.From the first joyful notions of very young puppies to the poignant reflections of dogs who have "been around the block," Biscuits in the Cupboard will bring smiles of recognition from readers of all ages. Good or bad, timid or bold, sweet or saucy, angelic or fiendish, each dog has its say. And sometimes the inner thoughts of our best friends are as profound as they are ingenuous. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tap into the joyous simplicity of the canine soul
My 7-year-old nephew loves this book. I'm 34 and I love it just as much! Many of these poems are just what dog poets would write if they could, evoking the bliss of mealtime, the exhilaration of running leashless, the fear of thunder and the vague menace of chicken bones. The pictures are equally irresistible (I love the Great Dane who humbly regrets his inability to fit onto the page). If you love dogs, you want this book. If your young child loves dogs, you NEED this book. ... Read more