National Network for Equitable Library Service

Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz tells a tale of a salmon and a sea otter who learn it's ok to say "I don't know" and to ask for help. Thuqi' the sockeye salmon knows it's time to spawn, but she is lost in the Salish Sea and doesn't know the way to Sta'lo', the river. When she asks Tumus the sea otter for help, he doesn't exactly know either, and he dismisses her questions.

Summer camp isn't quite what Henry expected. Henry was ready for a fun summer with friends at a mountain bike camp in the wilderness. However, the head counsellor, Shifty, seems more interested in putting them to work hammering nails and hauling building supplies, instead of teaching bike skills and lighting campfires. Worse still, every time Henry tries to find a bit of freedom, something goes wrong! When Henry is reunited with his old pal Yarp (an extinct short-faced bear) and his fellow yarpies, things start to look up.

An inspiring story about the ups and downs of family. Fourteen-year-old Dylan is sent to live with his estranged grandfather, Angus. Basically strangers, the two avoid each other as best they can. One day Dylan discovers a young orca stranded high up on the rocky beach. Dylan runs to tell his grandfather. There's nothing that can be done, says Angus. The sun is coming up, and soon the orca will die of exposure. But Dylan knows he has to try to save the whale.

Oolichan Moon is a beautifully illustrated children's book about passing down traditional knowledge from Nisga'a Elders and the sacredness of traditional foods, particularly the oolichan fish. Together, author Samantha Beynon and illustrator Lucy Trimble have created a children's book rich with cultural knowledge and tradition that relates to their Nisga'a ancestry surrounding the oolichan fish.

This young reader novel begins with a high school field trip to the former gold rush town of Yale in British Columbia. Here Zach, Kyle, and their eccentric teacher, Miss Reid, are transported back in time to 1866 at the height of the Cariboo gold rush. Stranded in Yale, the threesome are taken under the wing of Theo Cox, who becomes their friend and persuades his brother Enos, who is carrying freight in his wagon to Barkerville, to take the three along with them.

Huxley the cat lives on a houseboat with his human companion, Robin. One day, while they are camping, Huxley gets lost. To get home, he must cross an entire island—passing by and through lakes, rivers, rainforest, subalpine and alpine regions, old-growth forest, ocean, highways, and city. Along the way, he meets strange animals and encounters plants he has never seen before. All through this long, hard trip, Huxley never gives up on getting home to Robin. But will he make it home before the winter storm season?

This playful yet calming book about wonderful forest sounds is the perfect gift for introducing kids to loving—and respecting—the natural world around them. The forest has lots to say... if you listen. When a child steps into the forest, her ears are open and her heart is too. She listens carefully and hears marvelous things. She hears the rustling of leaves sharing their secrets. She hears a beetle balancing on a branch. And the more she listens, the more she learns.

This joyful book about nature sounds for kids 3–7 will transport readers up a magnificent mountain. The mountains have lots to say—if you listen. It's time for a hike in the mountains! A group of friends sets off, ready for adventure, with their ears open and their hearts too. From the rush of a waterfall and a chipmunk chattering cheerfully to the peck of a rascally bird trying to steal a snack, there are many exciting sounds to discover.

This joyful and soothing book about ocean sounds for kids 3–7 will transport readers to the seaside. When a child visits the ocean with his little brother, he whispers to him, "The ocean has lots to say, if you listen." Together, they hear wondrous things, like the rumble of pebbles tumbling and filling the beach with shiny gems, the bark of a seal playing peekaboo, and the whooshing of a shell murmuring messages.

It's the summer of 1990, and Amy (age 11), Beth (age 9), and Marion (age 6) are in for the family vacation of a lifetime. No, they're not going Disneyland, Hawaii, or on a Caribbean cruise. No, they're not flying to Germany to collect pieces of the Berlin Wall. They will be looking at rocks, though. Lots of rocks. So many rocks. You see, when your father is a geologist, that's what you do on your summer vacation.