National Network for Equitable Library Service

The kids in class call Natalie "Bluish" because her skin is tinted blue from chemotherapy. Though weak, she also wants to be independent. Dreenie is fascinated by Bluish and wants to be her friend. 

Eleven-year-old Valena lives both in the present and the past as she struggles with racism in her daily life and listens to her mother's tales of her family's proud history.

The Legend of the Buffalo Stone is based on the history of the Blackfoot people—specifically their dependence on the buffalo and how they hunted the great animals on foot before horses were brought to North America—and is retold with the permission and under the advisement of a First Nations scholar and member of the Blackfoot nation. The story centres on Hanata, a young Blackfoot girl who understands the importance of the buffalo for her peoples’ survival.

Life is getting more dismal by the minute in the town of Sultana, Manitoba. Thanks to a dry season that nearly dried up the river, no one wants to camp there anymore. There aren’t enough tourists to keep the local restaurant busy and, if Cody’s best friend’s mom loses her job there, the family will have to move away. Cody, his best friend, Eric, and Eric’s twin sister, Rachel, concoct an elaborate hoax that transforms this tiny town into a hotbed of activity—a hoax involving an “ancient Egyptian” tablet discovered in Sultana.

The year is 1938—two years since Sophie, Molly, Mark, Harriet, Leticia, and Posy made international headlines when they uncover the buried treasure of the notorious Brother XII. Since then, life has been decidedly un-exciting for the adventure-loving crew, who feel more at home on the rolling deck of a sailboat than in their stuffy boarding school. But once again, Uncle Bert (a.k.a. Captain Gunn) comes to the rescue when he invites the whole gang on another holiday abroad.The kids trade in their pirate capsfor cowboy hats and head off on a cattle drive in Interior BC.

For twelve-year-old Sherri, moving is a way of life. Her family has lived in seven different places in as many years, three in the last year alone. But no place has ever been as strange as Gardin, Alberta, a ranching community right out of the Old West and struggling to accommodate new industries. Sherri makes friends with Jamie, another newcomer, who suffers with the burden of his father’s alcoholism. Like Jamie, Sherri and her younger sister, Bonnie, must adapt to life in a small town divided between new and old residents and urban and rural lifestyles.

Robert James Challenger uses the form of parables to teach children important values. The observations of Grandmother and other family members interpret the actions of nature's creatures in a variety of circumstances. His simple, direct stories reflect a philosophy widely embraced—respect for our environment and understanding of all creeds, races and generations. Each of the 18 stories is illustrated by a graceful motif that reflects the strong influence of First Nations art on Challenger's work.

In their last adventure, Cody, Eric, and Rachel were clever enough to fool townspeople with a homemade "ancient Egyptian" tablet. Their exploits brought some much-needed tourism to Sultana, Manitoba, but their deception ensured they would spend the summer doing community service. While mowing the grass in the local cemetery, they stumble across some ancient stones that seem to indicate this was a sacred site long before the arrival of European settlers. All of a sudden, they find themselves on a rescue mission in a world beyond their imagination.

In this latest collection of beautifully illustrated, easy-to-read fables, Robert James Challenger continues to teach children practical, moral lessons about life in today's complicated world. Owl shows Grandson that a problem will only go away when each person involved becomes part of the solution. Little Mallard Duck finds out the hard way that things change over time, and that even when we think we are not ready, it may be time to move on.

Winner of the Aboriginal Children's Book of the Year Award, 2006 Anskohk Aboriginal Literature Festival and Book Awards Kayâs is a young Cree man who is blessed with a Gift that makes him a talented hunter. He knows the ways of the Beings he hunts and can even talk with them in their own languages. But when he becomes proud and takes his abilities for granted, he loses his gift, and the People grow hungry.