A beautiful book useful for teens and adults alike. Especially for parents and educators of tweens and teenagers. Enter today for a chance to win a copy.

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani 

Teens and young adults today are struggling. With the pandemic, the situation has been exacerbated. As a mother of two bright teens, I've also seen and experienced how, sometimes, adults can miss the subtle cues that something is wrong. So reading It's Me is an eye-opening look at how tweens and teens view themselves and how the many issues they are going through affects their lives. Because as much as we think we understand, we really don't, so this kind of knowledge coupled with empathy, kindness and love are essential.

In his own words, the author has "compiled real vignettes, written by students, and educators who have been marginalized, biased, or not accepted for one reason or another". These vignettes are in the form of short poems accompanied by the name, age, and illustration of the young person telling their story. The illustrations by Canadian illustrator Briannah are perfect for this book and I think they represent teens well. She captures teens from various nationalities and different ethnic races.

I found these short vignettes powerful, every one of them. We hear the voices of kids who have ADHD, depression, PTSD, dyslexia, bulimia, low self-esteem, autism and much more. As well as kids who are introverts, immigrants, misjudged and prejudiced against. The voice of each kid is candid and sometimes heartbreaking in the way they see themselves, but they all end on a positive note about what makes them unique.

I think this book can be a great conversation starter in the classroom. Teens can write their own vignettes and share it with a classmate as part of an assignment. Then they can share with the classroom the lesson or insight learned from the other person who shared with them. These conversations are important so we learn tolerance, understanding and kindness.

A beautiful book useful for teens and adults alike. Especially for parents and educators of tweens and teenagers. Now more than ever, we need to be part of the change this world so desperately needs when it comes to diversity and equality.

Ends Feb 19, 2021

Reviewed by Lauren Carr

Sharp spent the bulk of her career in new product development—dreaming up intuitive ideas from how to kill bugs to new ice cream forms to hit grocery shelves. A self-proclaimed problem-solver, she loves to think about the things that the world needs and figuring out how to make those things come to life. “Knowing in high school what I wanted to do with my life set me up for the right path. I wanted the same for my child and searched for books to guide her, but came up short,” Sharp said. “That’s when I thought, ‘why not write the book for my child that she needs and that will also help others?”

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Ends Jan 29, 2021

Today I am thrilled to be showcasing and reviewing Where Will I Live as part of the 5th annual Multicultural Children's Book Day (MCBD2018)  whose mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves. A big thank you to Second Story Press for sending me this book.

Buy the Book:

Amazon.ca ~ Chapters Indigo

Second Story Press

Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2018 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board.

Category: Children's Non-Fiction, 32 pages
Published: March 23, 2017
Published by: Pajama Press
For ages 6-9
Content rating: G
Book Description:

In 1995–96 twenty-three grey wolves were released in Yellowstone National Park where, due to over-hunting, there had been no wolves at all for almost seventy years. This reintroduction project was an overwhelming success. Over twenty years later we can still see the changes the grey wolves brought to Yellowstone National Park. Now that the elk graze higher ground, seedlings are growing tall, rivers are getting deeper as beavers return, and a lively pond ecosystem is developing. This true story offers an important lesson about the difference one creature can make in creating a healthy, thriving world.



Reviewed by Sandra Olshaski

Who couldn't love this book about the value of wolves? From the pencil crayon and watercolour illustrations to the beautiful text, it's an amazing book for both adults and children. It highlights how very important are all creatures and how one animal alone contributes to a thriving natural world.

This is an educational tool, both for teaching children geography, as Yellowstone National Park is featured, but as well, enabling them to learn the names of birds, animals, fish, and flies, as illustrated on the inside covers, front and back. I learned that the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone has resulted in the elk grazing on higher ground to escape the wolves, which has resulted in tree seedlings in the valley to grow tall, which has allowed the beavers to use the trees to build dams, which has resulted in the establishment of thriving wetlands.

The colourful illustrations will certainly appeal to children, especially those who are already animal lovers. I appreciate the information pages regarding the history of wolves in North America. I can't say enough about this beautiful book that contains such important life lessons. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani and Son

It's a sad reality that most city children have never seen live wild animals (except perhaps at the zoo) or know much about them. Both my son and I were surprised by how much we enjoyed and learned from reading this book. With clear informative text and beautiful illustrations, the author has succeeded in teaching us that large predators play a vital role in the health of the ecosystems where they live.

Because the European settlers who came to America in the 1800s found it difficult to grow crops and raise livestock in wolf territory, there ensued a wolf hunt that practically obliterated the wolves. This disrupted nature's balance, so in 1995, thirteen wolves that were captured in Canada were released in Yellowstone National Park. And what a difference this has made. This is what this book is about. 

Children who are animal lovers will especially enjoy the depictions of the various animals such as the beavers, elk, birds, hawks, ducks and others, as they experience the healthy changes that the return of the wolves has created. The lesson is that wildlife is to be respected and we need to learn to co-exist with them. My son and I enjoyed this book and we especially liked that on the front and back inside covers are the names and illustrations of all the plants and animals in the book. 

This book should be included in all school libraries and can be used when teaching science and nature in elementary schools. An excellent addition to a home library too.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher for sending us this book for review. We were not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.



Celia Godkin’s career has included work in biology, scientific illustration, and teaching adult art classes at both the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto, where achieved the rank of Associate Professor and received two teaching awards. As an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books, she is best known for debut book, Wolf Island, which won the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award. Celia has continued to write and illustrate children’s books with environmental themes including Fire! which was shortlisted for the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non- Fiction. Skydiver: Saving the Fastest Bird in the World was nominated for the Green Earth Book Award, the Rainforest of Reading Award, and the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award. Born in England, Celia lives in Eastern Ontario.

Find out more by visiting the author's website.