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A little girl and her family have just moved across the country by train. Their new neighborhood in the city of Toronto is very different from their home in the Saskatchewan bush, and at first everything about "there" seems better than "here." Then one day there is a knock on the door. It is Anne, who lives kitty-corner and is also eight, going on nine, and suddenly living in Toronto takes on a whole new light.
About the author
LAUREL CROZA is the author of the picture book I Know Here, illustrated by Matt James. It won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among many other accolades. She also wrote the sequel, From There to Here. The Whirlpool is Laurel’s first short-story collection. She lives with her husband in Toronto.
MATT JAMES is a Toronto-based author/illustrator whose books include Yellow Moon, Apple Moon by Pamela Porter (New Mexico Book Award), I Know Here by Laurel Croza (Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award) and The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson. Matt’s art for Northwest Passage won the Governor General’s Award. He also wrote and illustrated Tadpoles, Nice Try, Charlie! and The Funeral, a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book.
Summary
A little girl and her family have just moved across the country by train. Their new neighborhood in the city of Toronto is very different from their home in the Saskatchewan bush, and at first everything about “there” seems better than “here.”
The little girl’s dad has just finished building a dam across the Saskatchewan River, and his new project is to build a highway through Toronto. In Saskatchewan, he would come home for lunch every day, but now he doesn’t come until supper. The family used to love to look at the stars, and the northern lights dancing in the night sky. But in the city, all they can see is the glare from the streetlights. All the kids used to run and play together, but now older brother Doug has his own friends.
Then one day there is a knock on the door. It is Anne, who lives kitty-corner and is also eight, going on nine, and suddenly living in Toronto takes on a whole new light.
Laurel Croza and Matt James have beautifully captured the voice and intense feelings of a young child who, in the midst of upheaval, finds hope in her new surroundings.
Additional text
Finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
Finalist for the Silver Birch Express Award
A Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens
“Readers will feel these immersive, dreamlike images have taken them somewhere far from home.” New York Times
"A low-key, emotionally true approach to a common and usually upsetting childhood experience." Kirkus, starred review
"Readers will come to understand that while 'here' and 'there' are different, different is OK, especially when you have the support of a new friend." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"James’s naive style has an infectious, unfettered energy. Croza’s spare text captures the narrator’s feelings of displacement with poetic immediacy." Quill & Quire, starred review
"The palette of the Toronto scenes is predominately blue-sky sunny, reflecting the story’s ultimate optimism . . . we know that the ride begun at the close of the book promises both amity and adventure." Horn Book
"Little ones struggling to adjust to a new home or missing their old one will find comfort here." Booklist
"Expressionistic acrylic and ink illustrations add depth to the story, as do the marvelous endpapers." School Library Journal
"This is a touching evocation of the mixed feelings of longing and hope that accompany a move. Recommended." Library Media Connections
