The Silver Birch Award is comprised of three separate lists: Fiction, Non-fiction and Express. The Silver Birch program is meant for readers aged 8 to 12, (grades 3-6,) .Readers are encouraged to chat about books they are reading, share their reviews, find out what their peers are reading, and begin to compile their own Top Ten book lists. For Silver Birch: http://www.silverbirchonline.ca
The Nominees for 2014 are:
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Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue
Centers: Saving Lives & Changing Hearts by Rob Laidlaw
Enraptured with raptors? Love lions? Protective of pelicans? Rob Laidlaw's latest has something for everyone. Having exposed the cruel treatment of animals in zoos and the entertainment industry with his previous two books, Rob Laidlaw sets out in Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue Centres to show a more positive side of the human-animal relationship: animal sanctuaries. From a donkey sanctuary in Canada to a bear rescue centre in China, this book examines numerous efforts around the world to rescue and care for animals in need. |
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Draw Out The Story: Ten Secrets to
Creating Your Own Comics by Brian McLachlan
From single-panel comics to full-blown graphic novels, there are dozens of ways to use comics to tell a story. And whether kids want to write or draw something funny or scary, long or short, made-up or true-to-life, cartoonist and author Brian McLachlan maintains there are just ten crucial things they need to know to get started. Using colloquial text, images, and examples, each chapter hones in on a different secret to creating great comics. Budding comic artists will learn how to make text and illustrations work together, how to give characters personality, how to choose the right tool for each project, and much more. A worthy addition to the how-to comics canon, Draw Out the Story simplifies advanced concepts for younger readers, providing invaluable lessons and pointers for kids who want to learn to write and draw — and imagine — great stories. |
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Learn to Speak Film: A Guide to
Creating, Promoting, and Screening Your Movies by Michael Glassbourg, Jeff
Kulak
"Seen any good movies lately?" is a question almost as commonly asked as "How are you?" We all love watching movies, as much today as when film began. But with all the information and technology that's readily available, today's filmgoers know that making a movie isn't an act of magic! By starting with the most basic formula (images + motion = film), Learn to Speak Film does away with the special effects and gets to the heart of what makes movies so much more than just something to watch on a Friday night. The lessons within these pages range from choosing a camera to writing dialogue, from handling criticism to preparing a press kit. Whether young readers just love Oscar Night or want to pursue a career as a screenwriter, set designer, or director, Learn to Speak Film will appeal to the inner film buff in all of us. |
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Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual
Schools Around the World by Susan Hughes
When North American kids picture a school, odds are they see rows of desks, stacks of textbooks, and linoleum hallways. They probably don’t picture caves, boats, or train platforms — but there are schools in caves, and on boats and on train platforms. There are green schools, mobile schools, and even treehouse schools. There’s a whole world of unusual schools out there! But the most amazing thing about these schools isn’t their location or what they look like. It’s that they provide a place for students who face some of the toughest environmental and cultural challenges, and live some of the most unique lifestyles, to learn. Education is not readily available for kids everywhere, and many communities are strapped for the resources that would make it easier for kids to go to school. In short, it’s not always easy getting kids off to class — but people around the world are finding creative ways to do it. In Off to Class, readers will travel to India, Burkina Faso, and Brazil; to Russia, China, Uganda, and a dozen other countries, to visit some of these incredible schools, and, through personal interviews conducted by author Susan Hughes, meet the students who attend them too. And their stories aren’t just inspiring; they’ll also get you to think about school and the world in a whole new way. |
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One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese
Child Finds Her Way by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
A seven-year-old Vietnamese refugee, newly arrived in Canada and unable to understand the language, faces a painful operation to straighten an ankle bent by polio. Tuyet’s poignant story was begun in Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War (2012) but readers don’t have to have read that to enjoy this story of healing |
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Our Rights: How Kids Are Changing the World by Janet
Wilson
A girl who spoke out against her government for the rights of aboriginal children, a boy who walked across his country to raise awareness of homelessness, and a former child soldier who wants to make music not war. Here are true stories of kids just like you who are standing up for their rights. Read about how they have made a difference. Dylan Mahalingam from the USA started an online charity to raise money to fight child poverty. The bravery of Nujood Ali Mohammed from Yemen inspired other girls who were being forced to marry too young. Anita Khushwaha from India became a beekeeper to pay for school, even though it was considered a job only men could do. All of them are making a difference for children’s rights. |
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Robbers!: True Stories of the
World’s Most Notorious Thieves by Andreas Schroeder, Rémy Simard
Determined to beat the odds, professional thieves spend their lives figuring out ingenious ways to steal other people’s possessions. In Robbers! you’ll uncover the dirt on eight cunning master thieves, including: • Master-of-disguise Willie Sutton, who robbed banks in costume • D. B. Cooper, who hijacked a plane, demanded $200,000, and parachuted to safety • London’s Great Train Robbers, who held up a moving train to pull off one of the largest ever hauls of banknotes Each story offers a glimpse into the high-octane underworld of the boldest of robbers. The writer’s fascination with criminal masterminds and the illustrator’s action-packed graphic depictions of real-life thievery make this a compelling read for fans of mischief, mayhem, and bad guys on the run. |
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The World In Your Lunch Box: The
Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods by Claire Eamer, Sa
Boothroyd
A ham sandwich on white bread. Macaroni and cheese. Peanut-butter-and-banana roll-ups. They may sound like ordinary items, but they take us on an amazing journey through the rich history and astonishing science of food. Explore a week of lunches—from apples to pizza—by taking a romp through thousands of years of extraordinary events. Some are amusing, like the accidental invention of potato chips. Others are tragic, such as the Spice Wars, which killed thousands of people. Consider that ham sandwich: Ancient Romans first made ham by curing meat with salt and smoke to kill microbes, while yeast (which burps gas) produces the fluffy texture of bread. Aztec farmers bred tomatoes from small, bitter berries into plump, sweet fruit, and watermelons sustained travelers 10,000 years ago in the Kalahari Desert. |
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Warriors and Wailers: One Hundred
Ancient Chinese Jobs You Might Have Relished or Reviled by Sarah Tsiang, Martha
Newbigging
China was one of the most advanced societies in the ancient world. Whether in medicine, the arts, or education, the Chinese far outpaced the Europeans. Although most people were peasants, society included a myriad of other jobs. It may sound like a great position, but being emperor had its downside. If you displeased the gods, you could be put to death. As a silk maker, you would be sworn to secrecy so foreigners wouldn’t learn how to spin the precious thread. Other jobs included wailer (yes, you’ll cry whether you want to or not), noodle maker (noodles were not only delicious, but also a symbol of long life), or Shaolin warrior monk (if you were really good, you could break stone slabs with your fists). A fact-filled introduction, index, and timeline make this book—the sixth in the series—perfect for research projects, while the humorous illustrations keep it fun. |
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Weird Zone: Sports by Maria
Birmingham, Jaime Bennett
We love sports at Owlkids. We don’t discriminate — hockey, baseball, chessboxing, soccer…we love them all! yep, that’s right, we sneaked chessboxing in there. What’s chessboxing, you wonder? We’re glad you asked! Everything you might want to know about this odd sport is in Weird Zone: Sports, a new book by OWL contributor Maria Birmingham. In fact, this backpack-sized book is full of everything you might want to know about over 50 of the strangest, funniest, just plain weirdestsports in existence! |
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