Culinary

A middle-grade-friendly introduction to flora of the Great Lakes Region, with outdoor activities, games and quizzes that make learning about nature fun! Great for families and educators.

Get dirty digging up roots. Crouch down to look closely at a carnivorous sundew dissolving a dragonfly. Make an elderberry concoction. Test your plant ID skills with a winter twig quiz. Make a soothing plantain salve to treat an itch. Learn which berries you can eat and which to avoid.

Time spent outdoors encourages children’s self-confidence and independence, increases attention span and physical well-being, and fosters care for the environment. With the increasing intrusion of technology into daily life, and the challenges of climate chaos, it has never been more essential for parents and educators to encourage kids to engage with the natural environment. Plants are everywhere, even in urban areas where parks, empty lots and backyards offer the opportunity to learn from and connect to nature.

Drawing on their years of experience as outdoor educators, co-authors Philippa Joly and Danielle Gehl Hagel feature fifty richly illustrated plant profiles, including information on identification and ecology, cultural uses, and fun activities—all in a way that is accessible and interesting to readers of all ages.

Educator Information
Juvenile Nonfiction.

Additional Information
224 pages | 8.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

For young readers, an inspiring story about a river, a successful Native-led movement for environmental justice, and the making of a scientist.

Growing up in the Yurok and Karuk Tribes, Brook Thompson learned to care for the fish that nurtured her and her family. She knew that along the Klamath River in Northern California, salmon and lampreys are a needed part of life. But she also saw how these fish were in danger. People had built dams along the Klamath River, making it very hard for salmon and lampreys to live. Tribal people and their friends organized to have four of the dams removed, and they won. In I Love Salmon and Lampreys, Thompson tells this inspiring tale, and she shares how it motivated her to become a scientist. Featuring adorable illustrations by Anastasia Khmelevska, as well as fun facts about salmon and lampreys, this is a stirring story about stewarding nature for the generations to come.

Reviews
"[Brook Thompson] compares these salmon transitions to her own life, sharing how she left her family to go out to university to learn how to protect salmon and lampreys and then came home to fight for conservation rights as an engineer and scientist. Maps, back matter, and fun facts enhance this satisfying, engaging story." —Booklist

"A powerful story about protesting for positive changes that protect the environment." —Kids Bookshelf

"The book not only celebrates the resilience of the Klamath River and its inhabitants but also highlights the profound impact of environmental justice on the lives of individuals and communities. It is a powerful reminder that we all have a role to play in protecting our planet and ensuring a healthy future for generations to come." —Mama Likes This

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover 

A middle-grade-friendly introduction to Pacific Northwest flora, with outdoor activities, games and quizzes that make learning about nature fun! Great for families and educators.

Get dirty digging up roots. Crouch down to look closely at a carnivorous sundew dissolving a dragonfly. Munch some lemony-tasting miner’s lettuce. Go on a scavenger hunt for some of nature’s more surprising creations, like the arbutus tree, a sculpture of living copper. Make a soothing plantain salve to treat an itch. Learn which berries you can eat and which to avoid.

Time spent outdoors encourages children’s self-confidence and independence, increases attention span and physical well-being, and fosters care for the environment. With the increasing intrusion of technology into daily life, and the challenges of climate chaos, it has never been more essential for parents and educators to encourage kids to engage with the natural environment. Plants are everywhere, even in urban areas where parks, empty lots and backyards offer the opportunity to learn from and connect to nature.

Drawing on her years of experience as a herbalist and outdoor educator, author Philippa Joly features more than fifty richly illustrated plant profiles, including information on identification and ecology, uses in Coastal Indigenous cultures, and fun activities—all in a way that is accessible and interesting to readers of all ages.

Reviews
“This is an absolutely delightful book, dedicated to helping children and youth build relationships with the plants in their world. It is a rich compendium of plant portraits and descriptions, personal stories, recipes, games and hands-on activities—like making tea from Yerba Buena or making a root-digging stick of Oceanspray. Philippa’s obvious love of kids, plants and the natural world shines through—and it is catching!” — Nancy Turner, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria, and author of Plants of Haida Gwaii

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 12.

Table of Contents
1. Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast
2. Regions and Plants Covered by This Book
3. Plant Names and Language
4. Dos and Dont's of Wildcrafting Plants
5. Understanding Plant Families
6. Plant Guilds
7. Poisonous Plants
8. Invasive Plants
9. Plant Profiles
10. For Parents and Educators

Additional Information
232 pages | 8.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

A deep dive into why humans waste so much food and the consequences for people and the planet

Around the world, a billion tons of food gets thrown away every year, even when hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger. A lot of what we don't eat ends up rotting in landfills which contributes to global warming. The good news is that many governments, communities and individuals are working hard to tackle this giant problem. You can be part of the solution, starting in your own home—and working together, we can decrease our overall waste and make sure all people have food security. Plus, by reducing food waste, we can also fight climate change!

With inspiring profiles of food-waste activists and tasty tidbits on things like best-before dates, Good Food, Bad Waste offers much food for thought.

Reviews
“A thorough, upbeat look at the problem of food waste proposing some individual responses.”— Kirkus Reviews

“Ideas presented offer an exciting potential source for research and personal activism…A highly readable book with a topic that hits close to many homes. Highly Recommended.”— School Library Connection

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

This book is part of the Orca Thinks series.

Various resources for this title are available to download

• Discussion Guide - Good Food, Bad Waste: Lets Eat for the Planet
• Poster: Good Food, Bad Waste: Lets Eat for the Planet
• Activity - Good Food, Bad Waste: Lets Eat for the Planet

Additional Information
96 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

An anthology featuring stories and recipes from racialized authors about food, culture and resistance

What if talking about racism was as easy as baking a cake, frying plantains or cooking rice? The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) is a celebration of food, family, activism and resistance in the face of racism. In this anthology featuring stories and recipes from 21 diverse and award-winning North American children's authors, the authors share the role of food in their lives and how it has helped fight discrimination, reclaim culture and celebrate people with different backgrounds. They bring personal and sometimes difficult experiences growing up as racialized people. Chopped, seared, marinated and stewed, The Antiracist Kitchen highlights the power of sitting down to share a meal and how that simple act can help bring us all together.

Featuring recipes and stories from S.K. Ali, Bryan Patrick Avery, Ruth Behar, Marty Chan, Ann Yu-Kyung Choi, Hasani Claxton, Natasha Deen, Reyna Grande, Deidre Havrelock, Jennifer de Leon, Andrea J. Loney, Janice Lynn Mather, Linda Sue Park, Danny Ramadan, Sarah Raughley, Waubgeshig Rice, Rahma Rodaah, Andrea Rogers, Simran Jeet Singh, Ayelet Tsabari and Susan Yoon.

Reviews
“Nadia Hohn has done something incredible: she has taken our collective love of food and transformed it into a cultural and educational experience in anti-racism. What’s beautiful about this book are the stories and the simplicity. It’s not about elegant ingredients or elaborate menus. The Antiracist Kitchen teaches deeply profound lessons on self-love, discrimination and social struggles through a series of personal, intimate stories. Sometimes food is the lesson, other times food is the messenger. What you get out of this anthology, however, is a clear picture of what it means to belong and how not belonging can severely impact our lives.” — Kern Carter, author of Boys and Girls Screaming

“Some of these stories will make you laugh, and some will make you cry. But all of them will bring you together in the kitchen.” — Sadé Smith, author of Granny's Kitchen

“A delicious read, chock-full of love, pride, and a whole lotta spice!” — Tami Charles, New York Times Bestselling Author of All Because You Matter

Additional Information
160 pages | 7.00" x 9.50" | colour illustrations and photographs | index 

Aspiring bakers will embrace this charming picture book about baking pie by using simple math, from one of the world’s most creative and celebrated mathematicians.

X + Y are dreaming of baking infinite pie. But they don’t know if infinite pie is real. With the help of quirky and uber-smart Aunt Z, and a whole lot of flour and butter, X and Y will learn that by using math they can bake their way to success!

This charming and tasty story from mathematician Eugenia Cheng reassures young readers that math doesn’t have to be scary—especially when paired with pie!

Additional back matter includes: a letter from Eugenia encouraging readers not to be intimidated by math, explanations of the math concepts explored in the book, and a recipe for Banana Butterscotch Pie!

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 10.30" x 10.40" | Hardcover

Learn all about this delicious treat! Bannock is enjoyed by people across Nunavut. Many families have their own recipes that have been passed down for generations. This book provides information about bannock, its history, and how it is made.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. It is a Level 10 book in the series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. This book's F&P Level is L.

Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
24 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Paperback

“Niam” is an Inuktitut word that means “yum,” and the recipes in this book are kid-tested for tastiness—a sure sign that they will live up to the name!

From simple smoothies to jerk chicken to pizza from scratch, there is something in this book for all taste buds and skillsets. All the ingredients are readily available in Nunavut communities, and all the recipes can be made with country food, so kids both north and south can learn how to create the perfect palaugo (a delightful hybrid of pogos and palaugaaq, traditional Inuit bannock) or make a mean meatball.

Inspired by the Mamaqtuq Nanook Cooking Club, this cookbook isn’t just about simple, delicious, kid-friendly recipes. Woven in amongst the tacos and the sugar cookies are ways to use cooking to give back to the community, traditional Inuit knowledge about country food, and lists of skills that kids will develop as they work their way through each recipe. With recipes for even the littlest chef, this book offers the most delicious kind of learning. Niam!

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5+

Additional Information
60 pages | 8.00" x 10.50"

Learn how to plan and prepare a garden site, celebrate the harvest, create traditional gardens, such as the "˜Three Sisters Garden" of corn, beans, and squash, and make Native American crafts such as gourd rattles and corn husk dolls, and use its many recipes to cook Native meals.

Additional Information
176 pages | 1.11" x 1.11"