Good News! There’s LOTS of action on the street these days for those who like big trucks and diggers.
Bad News. We are losing parking spots. *sigh*
Good News! We will offer one hour of free parking at the city lots surrounding Spring Garden area to all of our customers.
Bad News. Traffic will be a bit challenging by times given the big construction trucks and Pete’s delivery trucks.
Just Plain News. Birmingham Street will become one way – North to South – as of Monday, May 2nd.
We love books. We love reading them, holding them, recommending them and collecting them. Some of us even love smelling them. As an ode to the favourite books in our lives, we thought we would feature them in their natural habitat…on our bookshelves. So here is a brief snapshot of a woozles’ bookshelf and a new feature on our blog. Stay tuned for more.
Katherine’s Bookshelf & her top ten books in the store right now:
1. The Jolly Postman, Janet and Allen Ahlberg
2. A Great and Terrible Beauty (whole series), Libba Bray
3. Bears on Chairs board book, Shirley Parenteau and (illus) David Walker
4. Grandma and the Pirates, Phoebe Gilman
5. Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror, Chris Priestly
6. See Inside Houses Long Ago, Jones Lloyd and (illus) Barry Ablett
7. The Hunger Games (whole series), Suzanne Collins
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
9. The Balloon Tree, Phoebe Gilman
10. The Princess Creativity Book, Andrea Pinnington
Halifax author and storyteller Steve Vernon will be celebrating the release of his first young adult novel, “Sinking Deeper Or My Questionable (Possibly Heroic) Decision to Invent a Sea Monster”, on Friday April 15th with both a facebook and a twitter book launch party!
The tiny fishing community of Deeper Harbour is in deep trouble—and so is fourteen-year-old Roland MacTavish. Roland’s mom wants to move with him to Ottawa, away from his father, his weird friend Dulsie, and his even weirder grandfather, Angus. So Roland does what any sane teenager would do: He invents a sea monster. Unfortunately, the scheme quickly spins out of Roland’s control, and he has to go to greater and greater lengths to keep up the illusion. And then Roland must deal with a situation far more terrifying than any sea monster. As moving as it is irresistibly funny, Steve Vernon’s portrait of Roland and Deeper Harbour is perfect for anyone who’s ever been stuck badly enough to do something awesomely, brilliantly, heroically stupid. 978-1-55109-777-0 / $10.95
Call us at 423-7626 or 1-800-966-0537 to order or reserve your copy today!
Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
The Princess Who Had No Kingdom by Ursula Jones
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Pluto’s Ghost by Sheree Fitch
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Submarine Outlaw by Philip Roy
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Here’s what Tamora Pierce, creator of the ever-popular Alanna books, had to say when we asked her our 10 questions:
What was the last book you read?
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods
What was your favourite book growing up?
I didn’t have any single favorites, but some of them are: Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and An Old-Fashioned Girl, Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Eloise McGraw’s Mara: Daughter of the Niles and Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
What literary character do you most relate to?
Meg Murry in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Peewee in Robert Heinlein’s Have Space Suit, Will Travel, and Rose in Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January mystery series.
“In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind.” Name that book.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
Describe your ideal day off.
Going someplace where I can look at and feed animals, hang out by a clean, hidden stream where I can putter in the water and watch birds and fish with a good friend or two, and have a very good dinner not too late in the evening.
If you could attempt any profession but your own, what would it be?
I’d like to edit books or do wildlife rehabilitation.
What would your pirate name be?
Soft-spoke Red.
What is your favourite word?
books.
Who do you want to be when you grow up?
I don’t want to grow up. I like things just the way they are–me, my spouse-creature, our friends, our animals, and being able to tell stories to myself whenever I want to.
What is a Woozle?
An unseen creature from the Winnie the Pooh books. (My favorite Pooh character is Eeyore, who is not excitable the way everyone else is when Woozles come up.)
Tamora Pierce is the much-loved author of more than 25 books including the Lioness Quartet, the Circle of Magic Quartet and the Beka Cooper series. Her most recent book, Tortall and Other Lands, was released in February 2011 and is a collection of stories set in the magical realm of Tortall, the world that she has so vividly brought to life in many of her previous books.
Rapunzel, retold by Sarah Gibb
This is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale of a young girl imprisoned in a tower by a witch. The text is written quite simply and matter of factly, such that new emerging readers will be comfortable in trying to read it themselves, with a bit of help. The illustrations are absolutely enchanting. Sarah Gibb uses a gorgeous palette of colours in the pictures, and her use of black silhouettes in the pictures gives them a dainty, filigree feel. A feast for the eyes and for those who like detail! (HC $19.99. Ages 6+).
If you enjoy the artwork in this book, be sure to look for The Princess Who Had No Kingdom by Ursula Jones and illustrated by Sarah Gibb. It is a humorous tale of a princess who works for a living, has no kingdom, and lives happily ever after. The illustrations are as beautiful as those in this edition of Rapunzel. (PB $12.99. Ages 5+).
Argus, by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated Andrea Wesson
This is the story of a classroom science experiment that has unusual results for one girl named Sally. Each student has been charged with caring for an egg, hatching it, observing the newly born chick, graphing its growth, and so on. Poor Sally’s green spotted egg is different from everyone else’s. Her dragon-like hatchling is different from all of the chicks too! Sally’s teacher tells her not to be difficult, and to continue with the class project as everyone else does. Sally wishes that she could share a chick with someone else, but when Argus disappears, she realises how much she enjoys who he is regardless of his differences from all the chicks.
A humorous tale, with colourful, splashy, and flowing pictures, sure to amuse students of all ages. (HC $18.00. Ages 6+)
Forsythia & Me, by Vincent X. Hirsch
Forsythia is a very talented girl, much admired by her friend Chester for all that she can do, and the many trophies she has won as a result. Chester watches in amazement as Forsythia paints portraits, decorates cakes, plays the piano, and grows prizewinning roses. When Forsythia gets a bad cold, and is confined to bed, Chester amuses his friend by showcasing his many talents. In his own way, he amazes her with what he can do. The illustrations are happy and charming, and you can see and feel the friendship between the children in their smiles. (HC $19.95. Ages 4+).
Red Wagon, by Renata Liwska
This is a lovely story of Lucy and her new red wagon. Her mother entrusts her to go to the market to get some fruit and vegetables, and suggests that she take her new wagon too. Lucy feels that this errand is work and not play. As she heads off with many of her animal friends in tow, the trip becomes an imaginative expedition on the sea, to the circus, through the Wild West, and on a train, among others.
The illustrations are cute, cuddly, happy, and endearing, sure to be enjoyed by parents and children alike. (HC $21.00. Ages 3+).
A Child’s Garden of Verses, pictures by Barbara McClintock
This collection of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poems is illustrated throughout with lovely old fashioned pen and ink type drawings. There are illustrations on every page, sure to capture the eye of any child as they listen to the play-filled verses of Stevenson’s poetry.
This book is a good one for young readers to try by themselves or with help, enjoying the rhymes, the lilt of the language, & the lovely pictures. (HC $19.50. Ages 4+)
- Reviewed by Nadine
Spring is swiftly approaching here at Woozles and as the snow melts away, it is exposing some wonderful new stock. The most exciting arrival this week was a shipment from SugarBooger. They are a California based company dedicated to being both fun and functional. We hope you like it as much as we do.
New in stock...delightful feeding sets...and so much more!
This 4 piece melamine feeding set includes:
Bowl with suction base (prevents baby from tossing it off the table)
Lid (for storing delicious baby leftovers)
Fork and Spoon ( they might run away together, though)
One of the many sippy cups we have in stock
We also have a wide array of new Sippy cups in stock…some even have robots on them.
Each holds 6 oz., is BPA-free and dishwasher safe. These melamine cups are easy to grab and easy to hold onto…so the little person in your life can finally enjoy their juice.
Dress for that mess!
Made of durable, soft cotton-canvas with a washable waterproof coating, this child friendly Alphabet Vintage Kiddie Apron features a friendly magnetic-snap closure that makes it easy for toddlers or pre-schoolers to put on or take off, four handy pockets and cotton-piping back-tie, as well as a re-usable cotton-canvas pouch for storage. Getting messy just got way easier!
A lovely little lunchbag
…And now a lovely little lunch sack to put it all in! The Lady Bug Lunch Sack is made from laminated cotton canvas and fully insulated. Hook-and-loop closure, card for important ID information and handle strap. Measures 10 x 6.5 x 4.5 inches, wipe clean, line dry. Non-toxic and lead-free according to U.S., European, and Canadian standards. Kid-sized, but we won’t tell anyone if you use it yourself.
Canadian Library Association (CLA) awards three prizes each year honouring the best in children’s and teen’s books in Canada. The nominated shortlists for 2011 as announced Tuesday March 1st are as follows:
Young Adult Book Award
Children’s Book of the Year Award
Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration
You can find out more about the awards and the CLA here.
- Posted by Lisa
Our Spot is now a world traveler – can you guess where he went?
"Oooohhhh. Look at those waves", said Spot. "I found some shells too. What a nice warm day in January."
"Look at all of these pretty flowers. The colours are so bright Downunder!"
"Hello", said Koala Lou. "Welcome to my tree!". "Wheee! I am so high up", said Spot. "You have a nice view from up here, Koala Lou!"
"I found a platypus swimming hole!", said Spot. "Shall we go for a swim, Spot?", said Perry the Platypus. "I can show you my webbed feet."
"Did you know that banana plants are herbs, not trees?????? "Mmmm. I am getting hungry," said Spot.
Spot says hi to the Sydney Opera House. "What a nice trip this has been. I am ready to go home to Halifax now," said Spot. THE END
Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party,
by Melanie Watt
How to Catch a Star, by Oliver Jeffers
Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater
Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell
Barnyard Dance, by Sandra Boynton
The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson
The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall
Miss Lina’s Ballerinas, by Christine Davenier
Girl Who Could Fly, by Victoria Forrester
In Aunt Lucy’s Kitchen, by Cynthia Rylant
Biscuit and the Lost Teddy Bear, by Alyssa Capucilli
