Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It will published April 7, 2020, by Kids Can Press. You should preorder it. This book is teaming with fabulous Canadian women, all who have achieved greatness in one way or another. It is organized into categories that are arranged alphabetically. These groupings include artists, athletes, doctors, environmentalists, lawyers, poets, politicians and many more. Each category highlights at least two women: a one page biography of a woman who was a groundbreaker in her field, (then) and a one page biography of a woman renowned for her work in the same field today (now). Each is accompanied by a realistic colour portrait by Maia Faddoul. Some categories add another woman who fits both of these criteria. Most of the categories have an information box that lists other important women in that field. The book finishes with ten more pages of shorter biographies of additional inspirational women. The back matter includes a timeline of important dates in Canadian Women’s History, a bibliography and an index. I liked the layout a lot. The categories are colour coordinated. The clean lines in Maia Faddoul's illustrations add just the right touch of extra colour. I also liked the straightforward writing style. It was a joy to read.
Susan Olivia Poole
What I appreciated most about this book is that it highlights the diversity of women in our country. Some are indigenous, some are immigrants and others are children of immigrants. There are women from different cultural and religious backgrounds. They represent different abilities, sexual orientations and gender expectations. They all contribute to, or contributed to making this country a better place for all of us. One woman I wish I could thank for her work is Susan Olivia Poole who invented the jolly jumper. She was the first Indigenous woman to receive a Canadian patent in 1957. I really appreciated having one when my sons were young, and my grandkids both loved theirs when they were babies. I'm sure that parents around the world agree with me. As much as I enjoyed reading about all of these women, I have to admit that this book makes me feel old. While some of these 'then' women are from the distant past, some from the now and then categories are about my age! I would like to see this book in all school and public libraries in Canada. (and in other countries too) It’s a fabulous reference book to use as a start to do more research. As well as providing mentor text for students writing their own essays about important people in their lives, it provides role models for how they can become successful individuals in their own right.
Hello out there. It's #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.
Spring is showing up here in Vancouver Canada. I've been wandering around with just a warm sweater and down vest. The nights are still really cold though. The daffodil buds in our north facing front yard are almost ready to burst. I'm especially excited that the buds on the ornamental cherry trees are swelling and getting ready to put on their annual display. Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. BOARD BOOKS
5 stars
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett This is still a favourite board book around here. It has entertained my grandkids from the time they were little. It still does. Ada has it memorized and can even 'read' it by herself. PICTURE BOOKS
Hide-and-Seek: A First Book of Position Words by R.D Ornot & Sakshi Mangal (Illustrations) 🍁 Bear, Fox and owl play hide-and-seek together. As they search for each other readers are introduced to the language of prepositions. There is plenty of hugging when they find each other. R. D. Ornot's artwork is endearingly charming. This is a perfect book for preschoolers, but is probably too young for school aged children. My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter and I have been rereading this a lot. She loves it. We have been playing hide-and-seek lately so she really gets it. We do lots of hugging when we find each other too!
Owen at the Park by Scot Ritchie 🍁 A young boy helps his father tend the gardens of a public park. In this book he has the special responsibility of informing park patrons about an important activity. Then he gets to start it himself. There is a lot we don't know here. His father is using crutches for an undefined reason. We have no idea if this is a permanent or temporary situation. We don't know the age of the boy or how or why he is helping out. From the illustrations it looks like he mostly enjoys what he is doing. Detractors of this book claim it's about child slavery. Maybe they are much younger me, but I grew up with lots of responsibility and had my first part time job in my tween years. I wonder if they have never been around young children desperate to take on responsibility and help out? I live with, "Can I Do it? Let me help! I can do it by myself!" It's important to remember that for people of all ages, a large part of belonging is about being able to contribute in meaningful ways. That's what I see going on here.
Cooking with Bear: A Story and Recipes from the Forest by Deborah Hodge, Lisa Cinar (Illustrations) 🍁 Cooking with Bear is part story and part recipe book. At the beginning of spring, Bear, the chef, cooks up all kinds of delicious food for his animal friends. He teaches his friend, Fox, how to forage and prepare different meals based on the diets of the different animals they meet on their walk in the forest. The back matter contains an index to all the recipes. I'm torn between cooking up the nut burgers or the hazelnut-chocolate chip cookies first! If you have a young person who enjoys cooking, this book is a must purchase!
The Promise Basket by Bill Richardson & Slavka Kolesar (Illustrations) 🍁 This is reminiscent of Love You Forever by Robert Munch. It's tells of a poor mother and her love for her baby. She can't afford to purchase gifts for significant occasions. Instead she searches for a special rock and then wraps it in paper with a poem she has written on it. It's a tradition that continues across her daughter's growing years and eventually into the next generation. Slavka Kolesar's illustrations are gorgeous. This book pulls at my heartstrings, but I'll have to test it out with real kids to see how they like it.
Neekah's Knitting Needles by Sylvia Olsen, Odelia Smith & Sheena Lott (Illustrations) 🍁 This tells the story of a young girl learning Cowichan style knitting. Neekah is finally old enough to learn to knit, so her mother helps her make a hat for her grandmother. The book introduces readers to this important cultural activity and emphasizes how it is passed on from generation to generation. I loved seeing the knitting charts at the bottom of the page. This is an important addition to indigenous collections for all libraries. The only problem is that the book is very text heavy. It didn't bother me, but I am both a knitter and have background knowledge of these sweaters. I would use it as a read aloud with older readers when studying indigenous people. For younger readers, Yetsa's Sweater, by the same author is a better introduction to this art. There has been some appropriation of the Cowichan knitting style, but none of that, or the economic background is dealt with here. The work in this book is based on the work of knitter, Odelia Smith. Neither Sylvia Olsen or Sheena Lott are indigenous, although Sylvia does live on Tsartlip land with her mixed heritage family. Dora Wilson talks about her life as a Cowichan knitter in this short clip from New Journeys.
The following video introduces us to Mary Ellen Joe, a famous Cowichan Knitter. It's 25 minutes long, but delightful!
Flare (Tiny Tails #2) & Splash (Tiny Tails #3) by Kallie George & Geneviève Côté (Illustrations) 🍁 I'm charmed by this early reader series by Kallie George. It highlights young mythical creatures. Geneviève Côtés whimsical illustrations are perfect for it. The books do not need to be read in order. The young phoenix, Flare, never cries, so the sun, the wind, and the rain take it upon themselves to teach him how to do it. (This really reminded me of the story The North Wind and The Sun.) As Flare learns empathy, he also learns to cry. It turns out that his tears have magical powers. Splash is a young sea serpent who has a hard time behaving like sea serpents should. Even his grandfather has a hard time training him. Will Splash be able to behave when it really matters? What I liked most about this book is that at the end, it focuses on learning in meaningful circumstances. Isn't this what all kids need? I'm looking forward to reading the first in the series. NOVELS
3.5 stars
The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust #2) by Philip Pullman & Michael Sheen (Narrator) I wrote a lovely detailed review of this book on Goodreads and it didn't save it! Then I wrote another, much shorter one and it didn't save either! Grrrr. I enjoyed this book, but it was a bit slow and I hated the ending - which wasn't really an ending at all, but more like abandoning the story midstream! Yet in spite of this, I loved being back in Philip Pullman's world with Lyra and Pan, even if the two of them are miles apart.
4 stars
The Afterwards by A.F. Harrold & Emily Gravett (Illustrator) December (Ember) and Happiness (Ness) are best friends who live next door to one another. When Ness, dies, Ember is empty and struggles to cope. Then Betty, her nefarious uncle's dog, is killed in a car accident. He kidnaps Ember and takes her to The Afterwards where he trades her for Betty. While wandering in this parallel world, Ember finds a shadowy Ness. Then a Mrs Todd decides this trade isn't right and returns Ember to the real world. Once home Ember becomes determined to rescue Ness, no matter what. That's what friends do. This book is primarily about grief, loss and coming to terms with it. It's got lots of creepy going on, but there are also moments of sorrow and humour. The night Ember plans to return to The Afterwards to rescue Ness, her Nan and Grandad are over to babysit her. Ember's description of them is hilarious. “Tilda and Porkpie weren’t like most grans and grandads she knew of. They were old people made more like teenagers. Ember wasn’t sure what had gone wrong with them, but they failed to grow up properly.” NONFICTION
4 stars
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib 🍁 I appreciate this book a lot. Not only did it teach me a lot about what it means to be Muslim, I learned what it's like to be a queer Muslim, not only here in Canada, but around the world. I appreciated learning how complex and varied Islam is. I came to appreciate Samra Habib and her family and so will other readers. Yet I never really felt deeply connected to them. I suspect that's because of the journalistic style of writing. I'm still thankful to have read it. I'm now finished all the Canada Reads finalists. Let the debates begin! CURRENTLY I'm listening to A Better Man (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #15) by Louise Penny. I've just started Break in Case of Emergency by Brian Francis. I'm almost done Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner. UP NEXT I'm not sure what my next audiobook will be. I will continue reading from the boxes of books and see what else pops up. PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS #MustReadIn2020: 4/25 #MustReadNFIn2020: 3/12 25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 8/25 100 books by Canadian Authors: 35/100 Goodreads Reading Challenge: 88/333
Hello out there. It's #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.
Last week, February 19th, was the inaugural celebration of I Read Canadian Day. At the library I was in it became I Read Canadian Week. I pulled bunches of titles by Canadian authors - novels and picture books - and set them out on the library tables. I gave students time to find and get acquainted with one book. Then we did an inside/outside circle activity. Partners had 30 seconds each to sell their books to one another before moving along. All the children from grades one to six enjoyed the activity and best of all, almost everyone checked out a Canadian book!
I'm continuing to work my way through the Canada Reads short list before the debate this year. I've also started reading my way through the boxes of Chocolate Lily Readers Choice award books. I've started with the picture books. Some of these are rereads for me, but worth shining a light on one more time. So far they are all so good, I have no idea how we are going to pick the finalists! Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. PICTURE BOOKS
The Ranger by Nancy Vo 🍁 I was intrigued by the cover of this book. Then I fell in love with the first couple of pages. The first shows only a genderless silhouette and the words, "Once there was a ranger. The next page shows an image of a girl and the words, "Her name was Annie." Annie finds a fox who is in a bad way, rescues it, and in turn the two become friends. What we readers eventually come to understand is that friendship is not about keeping score, it's about supporting each other when we need help without any expectation of payment. Sparse text accompanies Nancy Vo's glorious mixed media artwork. This is my second time with this book. Honestly, it just gets better. This time round, because of the interspecies care, I'm aware of how Vo's interpretation of 'western' highlights a rich environmental theme.
Princess Puffybottom . . . and Darryl by Susin Nielsen & Olivia Chin Mueller (Illustrator) 🍁 Poor Princess Puffybottom is one pampered cat (with two mommies) until her subjects bring Darryl, a rambunctious puppy, home. No matter what she does, Princess can not get them to get rid of him. Luckily, Darryl adores Princess Puffybottom and he manages to prove his worth to her. They settle into an amicable relationship hoping there will be no more surprises. One is coming, but you will have to read the book to find out what it is. Olivia Chin Mueller's art is charming. I love the expressions she shows in the animal faces. I love that the art reflects the perspective of the cat in showing mostly the bottom halves of people. The liner notes on the cover jacket by both the author and illustrator are as hilarious as the book.
The Magic Boat by Kit Pearson, Katherine Farris, & Gabrielle Grimard (Illustrations) 🍁 This a book that celebrates collective imagination. A young girl makes a new friend who takes her on adventures in ‘a magic boat.’ When her friend leaves, the boat remains an abandoned old weathered rowboat until she makes a new friend. Gabrielle Grimard’s art is absolutely gorgeous. Her scenery under the sea is especially lovely. My only complaint is that many of the pages have too much text in them.
Great Job, Mom! & Great Job, Dad!by Holman Wang 🍁 I like these two companion books even more than the Cosy Classic board book series created by Holeman and his brother Jack! Both of these books honour all the things parents do for their children and will be perfect for reading and gifting for Mothers and Fathers Days! I like that the mother's paid work is not stereotypical. I especially appreciate the information at the end of the book showing us how Holman Wang gets his felted creations into such realistic settings.
Hello, Crow by Candace Savage & Chelsea O'Byrne (Illustrator) 🍁 Franny sees the world differently from her father. He doesn’t appreciate that his observant daughter notices things he doesn’t. When she befriends a crow, he has to see it for himself before he believes it. Here in Vancouver, we are all mourning Canuck the Crow, who befriended Shawn Bergman. Shawn shared Canucks exploits on a Facebook page. When Canuck disappeared last summer, we all grieved. This story was at the forefront of my consciousness as I read this, so I really loved the relationship between the Franny and her crow. It’s all believable because it happens. Some people are distressed by the father’s dismissal of Fanny, but that doesn’t really disturb me. It seems like he’s a single parent, and that’s a really tough job. As much as I admire the illustrations, there isn’t quite that marriage between text and art that makes both of them become sublime.
The House at the End of the Road by Kari Rust 🍁 Old people are pretty cool characters in Kari Rust's The House at the End of the Road. Some of us already know this, but you can't have too many reminders of how important relationships between the oldest and the youngest of us are. This book is a hybrid - a cross between a graphic novel and a picture book. Just finished rereading this and enjoyed it as much the second time round. What I'm not so sure of is how well it will be received by readers. I'm going to have to test it out.
Fairy Science by Ashley Spires 🍁 Esther is an unusual fairy. She doesn't believe in magic. Esther believes in science. She prefers "facts, data, and hard evidence to wishing on stars." She has a scientific explanation for all the enchantments the other fairies experience. I love the page where Esther shows other fairies the periodic table explaining that it is a "list of all the elements that make up the universe!" The other fairies respond, "Not all of them. Where are dreams and wishes and sunshine?" When a tree in the woods is dying, the fairies use their magic to try and help it. Meanwhile, Esther does some research, forms an hypothesis, does some experiment and comes to a conclusion. At the same time as she implements her solution, an older fairy performs some magic. When the tree recovers, it's questionable who made the difference. Still, through it all, Esther manages to inspire other fairies to be interested in science. It's Ashly Spires so of course the artwork is stellar. Esther is just the cutest little purple haired imp! If ever there was a book to include in a STEM collection, this is it. The back matter contains an illustrated guide to her sun-beam experiment.
The Not-So Great Outdoors by Madeline Kloepper 🍁 I loved the humour in this one. It is hilarious when the text deliberately contradicts the glorious scenery. The page where the girl complains that something smells like wet dog, is especially delightful. This simple story of a young girl not wanting to go camping with her family is charming, but’s it’s the art that’s truly stunning. Just wow!
Dasher by Matt Tavares Beautiful illustrations are the jewel in this delightful story of how the reindeer came to pull Santa's sleigh. There is too much text on the page to hold the interest of my toddlers, but I am sure that primary aged students will be enthralled by it. NOVELS
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow 🍁 This book is brilliant. Each novella is profound. I'm just having difficulty connecting it to why Canadians should read it because, other than a few mentions of events in Canada, it's primarily focused on the American experience. How is it supposed to be the one book that brings Canada into focus? Some of these stories, especially Unauthorized Bread and Masque of the Red Death, can be a warning about what we want to avoid here in the future, but the other two, Radicalized and Model Minority really didn't work for me with regards to that goal. I don't want to think that what brings us into focus is based on what happens in America. Although, I conceed that perhaps Radicalized makes us focus on how thankful we should be that we have the medical system we have, even it it is flawed. This is a book all Americans should read! I look forward to seeing how Akil Augustine defends it on Canada Reads. CURRENTLY I'm listening to The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman. I'm almost finished We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib. It is the last of the Canada Reads books and a digital fast read so I had to interrupt all my other reading for it! Both of those books are also on my MustReadIn2020 list! I'm also reading Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner. UP NEXT I'm not sure what my next audiobook will be. I will continue reading from the boxes of books and try to get back to The Afterwards by A. F. Harrold. PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS #MustReadIn2020: 3/25 one in progress #MustReadNFIn2020: 2/12 one in progress 25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 8/25 100 books by Canadian Authors: 27/100 Goodreads Reading Challenge: 77/333
Hello everyone, and welcome to Poetry Friday. I'm excited to be hosting today for my second time! Leave your links below and enjoy a special day celebrating poetry. This is my second time highlighting and bragging about Vancouver children's poets. We have a wealth of talent here north of the 49th parallel! Today I'm introducing you to Avis Harley. She has been an important influence in the teaching of poetry to children here in Vancouver, across Canada, in the United States, and around the world.
I met Avis (long A sound here) Harley at her home near the edge of where the forest meets the city. Her home is as elegant as she is herself. Avis was warm and welcoming on a very cold and rainy Vancouver morning. Because I was nervous, I wore my comfortable green plaid jumper. Avis was also attired in green. It's both of our favourite colours! While Avis prepared coffee for me, I admired the photograph of the baby on her kitchen counter and learned that she is a great-grandmother! She had asked for a list of questions ahead of time so I sent them off. Shortly thereafter I received a written response - it seemed like my blog was already written for me! (Much of it in poetry!) However, as I read it over, I came up with even more questions for her. So while munching on fresh fruit, her favourite food, we sat snug and warm inside, and talked about life and poetry. I asked her what she was passionate about, (aside from poetry). I hope by the end of reading this, you might be able to figure out what it is. Early Years and Poetic Influences Avis was born in Vancouver, BC in 1941. She and her three siblings were raised in West Vancouver in a house overlooking acres of forest in the foreground (there was no Lions Gate Bridge, or Park Royal, or houses around them when her parents built their home). They had a splendid view of the harbour and Vancouver beyond that. As a child she listened to her animated grandmother recite nursery rhymes and poetry. Her mother read the A.A. Milne series and Robert Louis Stevenson to them. "I still have those time-worn copies on my book shelf. Perhaps the rhythm and rhyme patterns of these poets were early influences. I always enjoyed playing with words, and kept diaries (with a lock and key!) and wrote poems at a young age. During my final year in high school, I had a wonderful English Literature teacher who introduced me to Tennyson, A.E. Housman, Robert Frost, and so many others. I also took a Creative Writing course in Grade 12, and was exposed to many different kinds of poetic forms, and discovered how poets could turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. I wrote and experimented with a lot of poetry in that class, and realized how important it was to me." Reading has been a part of my daily life. Lucy Maud Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott were favourites in my early days. Books she recently enjoyed include The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Her favourite poetry collection is COMMITTED TO MEMORY—100 Best Poems to Memorize (edited by John Hollander) It’s full of poems I love, and as I age, I try and challenge my brain to memorize some of them. These days Avis enjoys the work of Billy Collins, A.E. Housman, Anne Michaels, Robert Frost, (and others). A favourite poem is one she learned years ago: "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. You can read the poem here. Until our meeting I did not know of Anne Michaels, a Canadian poet. Avis introduced me to "Memorium", a poem I have come to adore. Memoriam In lawn chairs under stars. On the dock At midnight, anchored by winter clothes, We lean back to read the sky. Your face white In the womb light, the lake’s electric skin. I encourage you to read the rest here. After completing her B.Ed Avis taught in schools in Canada and then travelled around the world with a few friends. She ended up teaching in England where she was introduced to the British Primary System. She then returned to teach in Canada where she implemented much of what she had learned there. "My love of children’s poetry grew out of my love of working with children. I have always wanted to be a teacher, and joined the Future Teachers Club when I was in Grade 9 in high school. I taught Grade 1 to Grade 5, and have been listening to the language of children ever since." Eventually she returned to University to complete her MA in Poetry in Children's Literature. At that time no poetry courses were offered. After graduating she was asked to put together a program for teachers. For twelve years she taught a poetry course at UBC in the Language and Literacy Department, "exploring with teachers and librarians ways to bring children and poetry together." Throughout her career Avis has been a writer-in-residence, mentor, workshop leader, and has given poetry presentations in Canada, U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan.
On Writing As a writer, the best advice she received is to keep trying. Resilience is key. Her advice to new poets is, Read lots and lots of poetry. Find your own voice and write what you want to write about. Avis has no specific writing routine except when she is on a roll. For her the easiest thing about writing is choosing a topic. The hardest is to get that poem so it feels complete. Over time she has become experimental and uses a myriad of different forms. She also edits much more. Sometimes I stare at a blank white page stuck in the tabula rasa stage. Before me lies an intriguing task where my chosen subject seems to ask: What to say? Where to begin? How to get out what is within? Should it be free verse? Limerick? Haiku? A couplet? Acrostic? A Clerihew? A myriad of forms to find and explore that inner voice not heard before! My poems go through many revisions. Over and over I edit decisions. Rework! Rewrite! Revise! Refine! Polishing a poem, line by line. Always, when writing, I read aloud. Does the rhythm flow? Do syllables crowd? Does the subject dictate how form should be? Do lines resonate inside of me? And when a poem won’t cooperate I file it away for a later date. Like the metamorphosis of a butterfly, poems evolve and modify: EDITING THE CHRYSALIS “At last,” cried Butterfly, Poised Over its Empty chrysalis, “My final draft!” Publishing and Published Works After sending her work off to numerous Canadian publishers and getting rejection after rejection, she was recommended to send her work off to an American publisher in the education market. The rest as they say, is history. Avis has had her work published in numerous collections including those curated by J. Patrick Lewis and Lee Bennet Hopkins. Her meticulous poetry is tailored for work in classrooms. All writing teachers should have her work in their collection. It is brilliant mentor text. If you are looking for poetry with nonfiction content, Avis presents brilliant examples in multiple poetic formats. All of her work contains additional information in the back matter about either the form itself, or the content of the poem. A few of her poems, were even put to music by Scholastic. Alas I can find no record of them online.
She is most proud of Fly with Poetry: An ABC of Poetry, (2000) "because there is something special about your first published book.
This self illustrated, alphabetically listed collection of different poetic forms begins with an abecedarian poem. Each poem is presented with a description of the format at the bottom of the page. An illustration references the content of the verse. This collection contains the doublet, turned into a poetic form by Avis, where a word is changed, one letter at a time, into another word.
She also created the "Intravista” which was introduced on Sylvia Vardell's blog, Poetry for Children.Avis defines an Intravista as "words within words, arranged vertically, to make a poem within a poem. (The word Intravista has a word tucked inside it!)
How fine a thing am I to be all wing and eye!
A companion book, Leap Into Poetry: More ABCs of Poetry (2001) continues with another twenty six poetic forms, each of them highlighting a different tiny creature. In Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems, Margaret Butschler's gorgeous photographs of ocean life are accompanied by Avis' delightful poetry. The back matter contains additional information about the species in the images. I was never an acrostics fan until I read African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley and photographer, Deborah Noyes. The book pairs photographs of African animals with delightful acrostic poems. This is not acrostic poetry with one almost unrelated word for each letter! In these examples of different kinds of acrostic poems you will forget you are reading acrostic poetry. I had no idea there were so many variations! You can read how I used it with a group of students here. I've highlighted the letters to read vertically so you can see that there is a poem inside this poem.
Eyes read what ears hear.
Another self illustrated book, The Monarch's Progress: Poems with Wings, contains different forms of poetry that inform readers about these magnificent creatures. Harley's work has received many awards and accolades. She is most pleased with African Acrostics being named one of the best books of the year by the New York Public Library. It is in its 8th printing! These days Avis has a work in progress about having fun with collective nouns. She showed me a gorgeous self illustrated book about bees that needs to find a publisher. Avis is a role model for how to age with grace and dignity. When not writing, she keeps herself very busy. For the past 40 years, I have been very involved in two lively book groups, reading a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction and thoroughly enjoying the animated discussions at meetings. Avis is also involved with the Women's Probus Club of Vancouver, and volunteered with the after school music program at St. James Music Academy. Once an avid hiker, she's now part of a walking group that meets daily from 8:15 to 9:15. Birds fascinate her and she keeps track of all the different species who visit her spacious back yard. I suspect she makes the most of birding when she visits Salt Spring Island, her favourite vacation spot. Every Christmas Eve, Avis and her family sit down together to watch her favourite movie, Alastair Sim in Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.” She regularly attends opera and live theatre. Her favourite music is Chopin’s piano compositions and Saturday Met Broadcasts. "Music has been a major influence in my life. I have fun with the ukulele, and I take piano lessons, took voice lessons in my youth, and sang for many years in the Vancouver Opera Chorus. The combination of words and music and how everything comes together to create such harmony has always thrilled me." (Please note that I put those words in bold to help you figure out what she is passionate about. She still practices her piano every day.) If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? From the start, every child would receive quality education. This would mean that education in the arts and music would be as important as learning about math, literature, history, and science. if you haven't figured out what Avis Harley is passionate about, aside from poetry that is, here is your last clue in a poem I scrabbled together using her work as mentor text.
Mastery of the keyboard Underpins Success at the piano, but Integrated voices are a holy Commune wherein the sacred rings I leave you with Avis' favourite quote about poetry: "Poetry begins in delight and ends in wisdom" Robert Frost
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