Books

Be grateful for all your blessings. A poignant conversation between parent and child across the years.

He Who Flies By Night: The Story of Grey Owl tells the true story of how Englishman Archie Belaney fulfilled his childhood fantasy of living in Canada's North with the First Nations people. He transformed himself into Wa-Sha-Quon-Asin or 'Grey Owl,' living with the animals of the forest and coming to love and respect the beauty and balance of nature. Children will love reading of how he lives with his two beaver friends, Jelly Roll and Rawhide, and how part of their beaver lodge was built right up through the floor of his cabin at Ajawaan Lake, Saskatchewan! Grey Owl became a well-respected conservationist, saving his beloved beavers from extinction.

Grey Owl's vision and quest for conservation is shared throughout this book. The story itself is written in an engaging and colourful manner and beautiful paintings by First Nations artist, Mike Keepness, illustrate Grey Owl's remarkable adventures in northern Saskatchewan and take the reader from dawn to dusk and through the seasons. Children will be intrigued to discover a grey owl in every picture and the paintings themselves, in addition to their clarity of depiction, convey the humour and poignancy of Grey Owl's chosen life in the wild.

Most children are unaware of Grey Owl and the lasting legacy of conservation he inspired. It is our hope that He Who Flies By Night: The Story of Grey Owl will continue to share Grey Owl's wonderful, timeless message of respect for nature and wildlife. Grey Owl, a master storyteller himself, often spoke with children about the importance of our place in the environment, saying, Remember, you belong to Nature, not it to you.

"A long time ago, Our People came from the Northern Woodlands to the Great Plains looking for food," Grandfather said. "They saw that the Buffalo lived in harmony with Mother Earth the same as Our People did."

Through the Creator, the buffalo gave themselves as a gift for the sustenance and survival of the Plains Cree people. The largest land animal in North America once thundered across the Great Plains in numbers of 30 to 50 million. They provided shelter, food, clothing, tools, hunting gear, ceremonial objects and many other necessities for those who lived on the Plains.

But by 1889, just over a thousand buffalo remained, and the lives of the Plains Cree people changed. The buffalo is honoured to this day, a reminder of life in harmony with nature as it was once lived. This is the story of how the buffalo came to share themselves so freely.

Everyone is excited when there’s a baby on the way! Share the story of how babies grow before they’re born with your own “little peanut”!

A heartfelt tribute to the nurturing women in our lives. I Know a Woman is a celebration of mothers, and the selfless love and care they bestow on us from the day of our birth until adulthood. The tender words, based on the lyrics of the song of the same name by Sharon Gudereit (from her album Let It Go), along with warm and nostalgic illustrations by visual artist Miranda Pringle, strike an emotional chord in children and adults alike. A perfect gift for the special women whose love makes us who we are.

A grandma’s love cannot be broken ... no matter what! A funny, poignant exploration of a child’s quest to understand the meaning of a grandma’s love. I Will Always Love You ... No Matter What! will resonate with today’s grandmas as they negotiate their role in an ever-changing family dynamic.

If places could talk, what would they say? Every place in Saskatchewan has a story to tell. Journey through time to explore some of them!

A tail that's out of this world! Doo-Doo Dogs to the rescue! Jessie and her sister Jo-Jo (and their bigger cousins, Katcha and Krissy!) are out for their evening stroll when suddenly there’s a swirly-whirly whizzing sound and a loud CRASH! How can the Doo-Doo Dogs pawsibly help two stranded visitors from outer space return home from Earth?

Jessie and her sister Jo-Jo (and their bigger cousins, Katcha and Krissy!) get up to all sorts of neighbourhood highjinks. But when Jessie overhears Mom say that it’s time to go to the vet for her booster shots, she’s very worried—especially when Krissy tells her that the vet might even turn her into a sausage! That can’t pawsibly be true—can it?!

Josh's mom thinks Josh is too old for Mr. Humphries, his teddy bear. But when Josh has to stay at the summer cottage with Grandpa, it's Mr. Humphries who keeps him company at night in the attic room, on the long dark walks to the outhouse, and even for boat rides on the lake. When Mr. Humphries has anadventure of his own, Josh isn't sure he's ready to let him go.

Imagine yourself seated near a flickering bonfire on an African night, listening to stories told by the elders of the tribe; folklore that passes on tradition, culture, history and manners. Or simply entertains.

The stories in this collection transcend four tribal groupings: Bemba, Nsenga, Chewa and Lozi, and provide a snapshot of the depth and breadth of the richness of Zambian culture and heritage.

Discover the wonders of Saskatoon! Share the adventures of two new friends as they explore places important to the city’s culture and heritage.