Non Fiction

“Cedric the Cedar” is the name given to the Western Red Cedar. He is a fire control officer and is responsible for protecting the forest and all the animals that live in it. “Cedric” teaches us how firefighters manage wildfires and illustrates the important role fire plays in helping to make our forests healthier.

“Leonard the Larch,” otherwise known as the Western Larch, is the first book in the series. Darcee has chosen Leonard as the “Jokester” of the forest because he loves to spook all his tree friends whenever he gets the chance. Halloween was Leonard’s favorite time of year because that was the only night Mother Earth didn’t discipline him for causing trouble. Each year, Leonard sought after the perfect costume to spook all his friends until finally, Mother Earth suggested he could be a spooky skeleton. He was very excited about the idea and later that Halloween night, he had the best time of his life scaring all his friends with his new costume. Now that he found the perfect disguise, he asked Mother Earth if he could be a spooky skeleton every year. That is why, every year, around Halloween, Leonard’s needles turn yellow and fall because he is getting ready to spook us all!

Darcee has been teaching Forestry for almost six years and a common question asked by many is, “What is happening to our Larches, are they dying?” She is always excited to share her story explaining that the Larch is perfectly fine and healthy. She has learned that some people have actually cut down their Larch tree because they thought it had been attacked by the mountain pine beetle. For this, she knew how important it was for her to create her legends to help educate not only children, but adults too, using Legends that can be shared from one generation to the next.

All of the crafts found in the book are tested by Darcee’s Scout group. She always gets her Beavers and Cubs to complete each craft and if it is successful, she will then put it into her book. The craft included in Leonard the Larch teaches you how you can make amber in a day. This was completed by her son Alexander and he entered it into the School District Science Fair, where it was very well received and made the local newspaper as a huge success.

Can you make amber in a day? Yes you can, and the illustrated instructions tell you how, step by step. Keep in mind, no one can make “real” amber in a day; this amber is plasticized amber that can be molded into any shape you desire, but remains soft and slightly tacky. “Real” amber takes millions of years under high pressure to form the beautiful golden colors that can be seen in jewelry and other art.

It is very easy to get all the different trees’ names confused with each other. When Darcee takes her classes on field trips, she often finds that kids automatically call a tree that is an evergreen, a pine tree. There are many different trees that grow amongst us, so Darcee put photographs of the tree’s bark, cones, needles, branches, and profile to show the differences in each tree. Also included are descriptive clues to aid in proper identification.

Last night in my tub,
in my tub while I scrubbed,
I dreamed that I lived
in the sea with the Whales.
Magnificent Whales. Mysterious Whales.
Mystical, Musical, Mountainous Whales.

The narrator of this tale is a boy who knows that whales are magnificent but endangered creatures. He wants to do anything he can to save them, and as he scrubs in his bathtub, he dreams up a plan to save the whales.

Children from all over the world also get in their bathtubs to save the whales, planting a garden of whales. He knows this is a fantasy, but the dreams of children are the roots of action.

Inventiveness and ingenuity from North America's First Nations.

Everyone knows that moccasins, canoes and toboggans were invented by the Aboriginal people of North America, but did you know that they also developed their own sign language, as well as syringe needles and a secret ingredient in soda pop?

Depending on where they lived, Aboriginal communities relied on their ingenuity to harness the resources available to them. Some groups, such as the Iroquois, were particularly skilled at growing and harvesting food. From them, we get corn and wild rice, as well as maple syrup.

Other groups, including the Sioux and Comanche of the plains, were exceptional hunters. Camouflage, fish hooks and decoys were all developed to make the task of catching animals easier. And even games-lacrosse, hockey and volleyball -- have Native American roots.

Other clever inventions and innovations include:

* Diapers
* Asphalt
* Megaphones
* Hair conditioner
* Surgical knives
* Sunscreen.

With descriptive photos and information-packed text, this book explores eight different categories in which the creativity of First Nations peoples from across the continent led to remarkable inventions and innovations, many of which are still in use today.

Beautifully-illustrated alphabet book depicting the people, animals, and way of people living in the North.

“A Salmon’s Sky View” began as the idea of using art to make reading fun and engaging. As a teacher and a parent of creative children, I imagined it would be great to finish reading a picture book and then to have the art directions to re-create the illustrations. I wanted kids to feel the joy of succeeding and expressing themselves.

I chose an art project which I had used as a teacher and had been really successful with children of many ages – looking up through water at a silhouette. Once the art medium of permanent black ink and water colour was chosen, I started thinking of a story line which would go with it.

I wrote the non-fiction story of the life cycle of a salmon. I love salmon. The world I want has an abundance of salmon in it. Not only is the salmon a part of our teaching curriculum but it is a vital part our natural heritage in British Columbia, Canada.

I started sharing my story with students. Many people (especially kids) are intrigued to hear that the art came first - this is an example of the author being a very creative, right brained, visual learner.

I realized that there was much more to this little salmon story and I wanted to understand it. This became the basis of my Master of Arts research. I examined creativity, literacy and I explored how teachers’ viewed visual learners. I worked with teachers who were involved in the stewardship program of incubating salmon in the classroom. This helped me develop an understanding of the creative process and learning styles in relation to my book. We shared the story, art and writing process. We noticed that students’ writing was often richer and more detailed when asked to write after they had created a picture. Teachers’ consistently viewed students as more engaged learners.

"If I can’t picture it, I can’t understand it."
~Albert Einstein

Current brain research confirmed that art integration can lead to gains in literacy and numeracy and that intelligence is multiple. Through enhanced literacy, we can help students make their way in the world as engaged, creative learners. I decided that this was an idea worth sharing and launched my book in July 2009 at the Vancouver Aquarium’s NAME (Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators www.pacname.org ) conference.

A collection of six stories, histories, and memories of four elders of the Kitselas Canyon, land of the Tsimshian peoples of the Northwest Coast. [Some examples include memories of picking berries and smoking salmon, or the legends of Dam lax aam and Chief G'thawn and the wolves.

(74 p., approx. 60 left with NO reprint expected)

How did the plains nations benefit from the buffalo? How did they use other animals to make warm clothing for winter? This illustrated dictionary introduces the way of life of the early Native peoples who lived on the Great Plains. Themes include: homes, food, clothing, transportation, and hunting techniques.

This heavily illustrated, full colour historical narrative is a testament to the past 11,000 years of Aboriginal history in Alberta. It conveys the many challenges that Aboriginal people confronted, and celebrates their
enduring legacy. Berry and Brink explore grassroots political and cultural movements of the 1960s, contemporary self-government initiatives, and the ongoing reclamation of the Aboriginal voice.

Learn about the traditional ways of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in this informative series for young readers. Music and dance, art, tools, transportation, clothing, and housing are some of the topics covered in the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada series.

13 titles in all in this series.

Learn about the traditional ways of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in this informative series for young readers. Music and dance, art, tools, transportation, clothing, and housing are some of the topics covered in the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada series.

13 titles in all in this series.

Learn about the traditional ways of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in this informative series for young readers. Music and dance, art, tools, transportation, clothing, and housing are some of the topics covered in the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada series.

13 titles in all in this series.

Learn about the traditional ways of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in this informative series for young readers. Music and dance, art, tools, transportation, clothing, and housing are some of the topics covered in the
Aboriginal Peoples of Canada series.

Learn about the traditional ways of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in this informative series for young readers. Music and dance, art, tools, transportation, clothing, and housing are some of the topics covered in the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada series.

7 titles in all in this series.

Learn about the traditional ways of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in this informative series for young readers. Music and dance, art, tools, transportation, clothing, and housing are some of the topics covered in the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada series.

7 titles in all in this series.