National Network for Equitable Library Service

Seal went for a stroll...The icy puddles were too small for swimmingThe rocks were too tall for climbing.Seal saw bright lights. They sparkled.Seal liked the snow.One snowy night in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, a strange figure peeks out from behind a parked car. A woman screams! So begins a lost harbour seal's adventure through the steep streets of the sleepy winter city.

It's Halloween and Amayah doens't have a costume to wear to school. She dressed as a ghost for the last three years in a row, witches are overdone, and fairies are not her style. She wants to be something different, something creative, something no one else in the world has ever been in the history of Halloween. A sweet story of standing out and fitting in, The Walking Bathroom is the newest book from award-winning author and spoken-word poet Shauntay Grant (Up Home).

The snow knows where the rabbit goes.It knows the hush­shushof the owl's wing.In this deceptively simple children's picture book, a pair of award­winning storytellers share the joys of winter.

It's wintertime in Nova Scotia and two flying squirrels are busy exploring the woods around their spruce-tree home. After a busy night of playing and gliding and snacking, they're ready to settle down and sleep all day. But humans have other plans: the tree is cut down and packed onto a truck bound for Boston, Massachusetts. Turns out their new home has been chosen as Halifax's annual thank-you gift, the Boston Christmas Tree. The little squirrels have no idea they're about to embark on a journey across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine on the way to Boston.

Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse.When the Francis family arrives in big, bustling New York City, Mayann visits with relatives, goes to the zoo, and rides the subway. She even receives a beautiful black doll, something she has never seen before. But one subway ride, she loses her beautiful purse.

Maud Lewis 1-2-3 is a wonderful first counting book and introduction to the joy-filled art of Nova Scotia's most famous folk painter, Maud Lewis. Even the youngest babies will be drawn to the bright colours and bold forms in Lewis's whimsical paintings. Babies and toddlers will have fun searching the vibrant images to count the kittens, oxens, birds, and flowers on each page.

Acadian Mémère and Scottish Nannie seem to have nothing in common but their grandchildren, but in this endearing picture book from bestselling author Diane Carmel Léger and noted illustrator Jean-Luc Trudel, difference is celebrated. A co-publication with New Brunswick’s award-winning Bouton d’or Acadie and simultaneously published in French, Nannie and  Mémère is a whimsically illustrated, heartwarming tale of the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, and a celebration of family, of all shapes and sizes.

In this hilarious picture book written by Hackmatack Award-nominated author Kate Inglis and brilliantly illustrated by Eric Orchard, two best friends imagine ordinary life as classic monsters and mythical creatures. What would Evan the Zombie do for the school talent show? Who would Poppy the Muddy Wood Fairy have over for dinner? From an alien with three hundred eyeballs to giants and goblin queens, this book of tickle trunk fun will delight kids of all ages.

Cecile Souris and her mouse family live under the floorboards of a little Acadian house in Grand Pré, owned by the Dubois family. The house—above and below the floor—is full of good food, laughter, and wonderful music, made with fiddles and spoons. But one day soldiers arrive and take the Dubois family—and the Souris family with them—far away from Grand Pré. Join them on an unforgettable journey in this heartwarming tale of courage, love, and joy as the Acadians continue to celebrate life with fiddles and spoons!

From patchwork-quilt farmland to the winding red roads, from sandy beaches to the endless stars at night, Apples and Butterflies shows Prince Edward Island shining in the bright blue and gold light of fall. Shauntay Grant's award-winning poetry and Tamara Thiébaux Heikalo's rich and wild illustrations pull the reader towards the wide-open space of the island. New softcover edition.