Forget-Me-Not

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Nancy Keating

published by Tuckamore Books

A poignant tale of how The Great War touched a country, and of how a man who was certain he had lost what was most important to him, finds it again through the friendship of a child. It is a story of honour and remembrance. One day in the summer of 1917, Bridget Keats sees something new. A stranger Jake Wiseman has come to their small Newfoundland outport. A mysterious soldier who will not show himself, he hides away on a nearby island in the old lighthouse keepers cottage. Some say he was a coward. Some say he was wounded and came back horribly scarred. No one knows for sure. It is Bridget Keats, who must bring his food to him each day. And it is Bridget who learns the truth of what is inside the man when a terrible storm forces Jake Wiseman to make as hard a choice as he has ever made.

Tuckamore Books is an imprint of Creative Book Publishing: www.creativebookpublishing.ca

 

"Children will enjoy this tale of chance companions finding common ground, and wonder along with Bridget and her mother at the fate of a soldier in search of peace and solitude after a horrendous battle." — Kim Kielley, Downhome Magazine

"The poignancy and power of [this tale] are reflected in Nancy Keating's sensitive but unsentimental images." — Susan Perren, The Globe and Mail

Finalist for the Atlantic Book Awards, 2009. To read more about the awards, go to the Atantic Book Awards site by clicking HERE.

Starred selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens, 2009.

The Long White Scarf

by Maxine Trottier

illustrated by David Craig

published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

The princess rode with her mother in an open coach. A cool breeze raced along the banks of the River Thames and up the busy cobbled streets. It whirled around the coach and whipped the scarf from the Princess's neck.

"Mamma!" cried the princess as she grabbed for her scarf.

"Now, Victoria," said her mother with a laugh, "It is only a scarf." And she settled herself in the carriage, looking very regal. Victoria watched the scarf drift through the air and drop onto the river. It was gone.

 

 

 

Trottier's expansive imagination and talent at crafting a delightful story shines in this picture book. — Reesa Cohen. To read the entire review, click HERE.

…elegant, original, entertaining, and highly recommended for young readers. —Midwest Book Review.
To read the entire review, click HERE. The review is about half-way down the page.

Shortlisted for the 2006 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award.

Mr. Hiroshi's Garden

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Paul Morin

published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

"I will take care of your garden, Mr. Hiroshi," I offered.

He smiled. "That would give me great comfort, Mary," he said. "The Koi are greedy, you know. Do not let them get fat." We watched the bus drive away.

For Mary, too young to fully understand about war and far-off places, the promise was meant to last only until Mr. Hiroshi came back. But after a while it was clear that her friend wouldn't be coming home. Still, Mary faithfully kept her word all through that long summer. And when the new people came to live in Mr. Hiroshi's house, she knew exactly what to do.

Once more, Maxine Trottier takes a small piece of a larger story, nurtures it with care, and grows a tale as elegant as a Japanese garden. Mr. Hiroshi's Garden is a simple story of innocence and friendship set against a backdrop of fear and suspicion. A story that must be told and told — but never repeated.

Originally published as Flags. All awards and reviews refer to the earlier release.

Flags is a powerful retelling of a dark incident in Canadian history - the Japanese Canadian internment during World War II. Maxine Trottier has taken a small piece of this much larger and more complex story and told it in a language and setting which young children can understand. — Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada

The White Raven Award of the International Youth Library 2000

A CCBC Our Choice Book

The Paint Box

Maxine Trottier. Illustrated by Stella East

Toronto, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003

While Marietta dreams impossible dreams of travel and adventure, Piero longs for the home and family he has lost. Their lives could not be more different, for she is the cherished daughter of the artist Tinteretto, and he is the "worthless" slave of a sea captain. Yet their friendship grows out of the one thing they share — their love of drawing.

Inseparable,Marietta and Piero spend a precious few weeks of freedom exploring the canals and streets of Venice. Before their time together is over, they will give each other unforgettable and priceless gifts.

Set inVenice during the Renaissance, The Paint Box is a tale of longing and unfulfilled promise, frozen in time and framed by a master storyteller.

Her story of Marietta and Piero, told in a simple and stately prose, manages to suggest a sixteenth century manner of speaking. In a few short pages, she creates believable characters, a vivid setting and a gripping theme.…Highly recommended.— Canadian Review of Materials.
To read the entire review, click HERE.

Short listed by the Canadian Childrens Book Centre for their Our Choice Award 2005

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
Email: bookinfo@fitzhenry.ca

Native Crafts

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Esperanca Melo

published by Kids Can Press

Today many people still create these traditional crafts. Nothing can substitute for being taught by a traditional artist, but in these pages you will see how to adapt the methods Aboriginal people historically used to make your own useful and lasting objects. There are new techniques and materials, but what lies at the heart of the making of Aboriginal art and crafts has never changed. It is the handing down of ideas from one person to another. In this book, a small part of this tradition is passed on to you.

 

 

Parents Choice Recommended Book 2000

Trottier treats her subject matter with great respect. — CM Magazine

Little Dog Moon

by Maxine Trottier, Laura Fernandez & Rick Jacobson

published by Fitzhenry and Whiteside

This quietly provocative story of courage, faith, and kindness is sure to raise awareness regarding the reality in a restricted society. — Dauphin County Library

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@fitzhenry.ca

Dreamstones

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Stella East

Published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Short listed for the 2000 Ruth Schwartz Award

A CCBC Starred Our Choice Book

Short listed for the 2000 Amelia Francis Howard-Gibbon Award

Short listed for the 2002 Hackmatack Award

"In simple but poetic language she evokes the atmosphere of the Northern night, where the ordinary sense of time is altered, and human merges into landscape and myth."
— a Starred Review indicating a book of exceptional merit, Quill & Quire, September 1999.

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@fitzhenry.ca

Flags

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Paul Morin

published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

"I will take care of your garden, Mr. Hiroshi," I offered.

He smiled. "That would give me great comfort, Mary," he said. "The Koi are greedy, you know. Do not let them get fat."

We watched the bus drive away.

For Mary, too young to fully understand about war and far-off places, the promise was meant to last only until Mr. Hiroshi came back. But after a while it was clear that her friend wouldn't be coming home. Still, Mary faithfully kept her word all through that long summer. And when the new people came to live in Mr. Hiroshi's house, she knew exactly what to do.

Once more, Maxine Trottier takes a small piece of a larger story, nurtures it with care, and grows a tale as elegant as a Japanese garden. Flags is a simple story of innocence and friendship set against a backdrop of fear and suspicion. A story that must be told and told — but never repeated.

Republished in 2007 as Mr. Hiroshi's Garden.

Flags is a powerful retelling of a dark incident in Canadian history - the Japanese Canadian internment during World War II. Maxine Trottier has taken a small piece of this much larger and more complex story and told it in a language and setting which young children can understand. — Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada

The White Raven Award of the International Youth Library 2000

A CCBC Our Choice Book

Recipient of The Storytelling World Honor Title, 2000.

Notable Book, Social Studies, Children's Books Council

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@sfitzhenry.ca

The Walking Stick

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko

Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Fall 1998

Our Choice outstanding book selection, CCBC

Outstanding Book, Parent Council,

"The Walking Stick explores the immigrant experience with broad, expansive strokes." --Barbara Novak, The London Free Press, March, 1999

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@sfitzhenry.ca

Prairie Willow

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson

Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1998

"This achingly beautiful story of a young girl and her pioneer family evokes the vastness of the land, the whisper of the wind and the promise and hope of people who settled the endless prairie. Maxine Trottier's lyric prose captures the rhythm of the seasons and of life itself." — a Starred Review indicating a book of exceptional merit, Quill & Quire, May 1998.

Selected as a Starred Book for the 1998/99 Our Choice Awards by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Short listed for the Ruth Schwartz award 1999.

Notable Book, Social Studies, Childrens Books Council Childrens Choice selection, Childrens Book Council and International Reading Association

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@sfitzhenry.ca

A Safe Place

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Judith Friedman

Albert Whitman & Co., 1997

"Any child facing a similar situation would be comforted by this book." —The London Free Press, June, 1997

Awarded first place standing in the 1997 Chicago Women in Publishing competition in the women's issues category; tied for first place in the juvenile trade category.

Selected for the 1997/98 Our Choice Awards by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Albert Whitman & Co.,
6340 Oakton Street,
Morton Grove, Ill.,
USA,
60053-2723.

Pavlova's Gift

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Victoria Berdichevsky

Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1996

A CCBC Our Choice book

"A fine melding of story and pictures." — Best Canadian Picture Books, Emergency Librarian, March-April, 1997

"The story and the pictures are such a moving portrayal of the goodness of giving that they will be a far greater inspiration to your grandchildren than any lecture could ever be." — Margot Griffin, Ask The Book Lady

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@sfitzhenry.ca

The Tiny Kite of Eddie Wing

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Al Van Mil

Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1995

Named the 1996 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Click here to view the acceptance speech.

Recipient of the 1995 FWTAO Writers' Award.

Selected for the 1995/96 Our Choice Awards by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

"This is a beautifully illustrated book and a vivid testament to the power of the imagination." — Toronto Star, 1995.

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@sfitzhenry.ca

To visit the web site of illustrator Al Van Mil, go to
http://members.tripod.com/~alvanmil/.

Alison's House

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Oxford University Press, 1993

Now published under the Fitzhenry & Whiteside imprint

Selected for the 1993/94 Our Choice Awards by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Maxine Trottier deals with problems at home in a light-hearted way." — Books in Canada, November 1993

Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
Web site: http://www.fitzhenry.ca/
E-mail: bookinfo@sfitzhenry.ca