(In this beautifully illustrated book, one busy family fin...)
In this beautifully illustrated book, one busy family finds lots to do from sun up to sunset. At the campsite, there’s wood to chop for the fire and fish to catch. And there’s lots of time to explore, climb rocks, splash in the lake, and discover animals in the shadows of the woods. As afternoon turns to evening, supper needs to be made, and just before bed, stories are told around the campfire.
When We Go Camping is as instructional as it is delightful. Each painting highlights the tracks of one animal, which curve from the text into the illustration. Readers can turn to the glossary for more details about the wildlife depicted on each page.
(Do you get books from a public library in your town or ev...)
Do you get books from a public library in your town or even in your school library? In many remote areas of the world, there are no library buildings. In many countries, books are delivered in unusual way: by bus, boat, elephant, donkey, train, even by wheelbarrow. Why would librarians go to the trouble of packing books on the backs of elephants or driving miles to deliver books by bus? Because, as one librarian in Azerbaijan says, "Books are as important to us as air or water!" This is the intriguing photo essay, a celebration of books, readers, and libraries.
(From the singing of little wrens in spring to paper wasps...)
From the singing of little wrens in spring to paper wasps building their nests in summer; from baby bats drinking mother’s milk in fall to baby possums climbing into mother’s pouch in winter, In My Backyard celebrates nature and backyard animals through the seasons. Wildlife artist Ron Broda’s detailed paper-sculpture art beautifully complements Margriet Ruurs’ lyrical text, and young readers will discover a captivating variety of animals and insects.
(A successor to the popular Children Around the World writ...)
A successor to the popular Children Around the World written and illustrated by Donata Montanari, this book allows young readers to visit with fourteen children, each from a different country, to learn about their families. Based on real children, each one's story fills a two-page spread and is told in the first person, beginning with a greeting in the child's native language. From Ryan, who lives on a Texas cattle farm, to Nkoitoi, who tends the family goat in Kenya, to Baatar, who moves regularly with his nomadic family in Mongolia, there is a vast range of homes, locations, customs and activities presented here, all of it enthusiastically illustrated with bright colors and vivid detail by illustrator Jessica Rae Gordon. There is variety in the heads of the families as well: a single parent, multiracial parents and same-sex parents are all represented.
(Author Margriet Ruurs begins this engaging informational ...)
Author Margriet Ruurs begins this engaging informational picture book by posing an intriguing question: "What is a school? Is it a building with classrooms? Or can it be any place where children learn?" The fascinating stories that follow will expand how young readers think of school, as they learn about the experiences of real children in thirteen different countries around the world. From Marta in Azezo, Ethiopia, and Luciano in Merida, Venezuela, to Alina in Taraz, Kazakhstan, and Lu in Shanghai, China, the children who are profiled live in places that truly span the globe.
(Ted Harrison's brightly coloured and wildly imaginative p...)
Ted Harrison's brightly coloured and wildly imaginative paintings set in the Yukon have become synonymous with the North. His instantly-recognizable images of the land of the midnight sun hang in galleries and private collections around the world. But how did a boy who grew up in a drab mining town in northeast England become one of Canada's most beloved and decorated artists?
(This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwor...)
This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children’s writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr’s work, and, using many of Mr. Badr’s already-created pieces, she set out to create a story about the Syrian refugee crisis. Stepping Stones tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. Nizar Ali Badr’s stunning stone images illustrate the story.
(When teenaged Aaron discovers a baby elephant nearly drow...)
When teenaged Aaron discovers a baby elephant nearly drowning in the swimming pool at the guest lodge where he works, he acts quickly and manages to save the animal just in time. The rescued baby is brought to an elephant orphanage for care, and given the name Zambezi. Though Aaron has been raised to think of elephants as dangerous to humans and their crops, on a visit to the orphanage, he learns that illegal poaching of these animals is threatening them with extinction, and the orphanage is trying to prevent that from happening. And when Aaron is offered a job at the orphanage, his life is suddenly transformed, as he discovers a bond of friendship with Zambezi and his lifelong vocation as an elephant keeper.
(Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature is the story o...)
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature is the story of how a young child achieved his dream of painting the world around him and became one of Canada's most famous artists.
(Josh, Mark, Angela and their friends have been waiting fo...)
Josh, Mark, Angela and their friends have been waiting for years to go on the class trip to Drumheller, Alberta. Now they are finally the oldest kids at Pleasant Valley grade school and can get excited about the overnight outing. But first, they have a lot of learn about what they'll see in the dinosaur capital of the world. And they have to raise money for all the pizza they are going to eat on the trip! Once they finally get going, a frightening encounter with a slithery serpent leads to an amazing discovery. One that might be even better than all-you-can-eat deep dish!
Margriet Ruurs is a Canadian writer and educator. Ruurs writes children’s and educational materials. She is best known as the creator of picture books that characteristically combine a lighthearted approach with a reverence for nature; she is also the author of fiction for middle graders and nonfiction for children and adults.
Background
Margriet Ruurs was born on December 2, 1952, in The Netherlands to H. Bodbyl and W. Bodbyl-Schut. Born in the Netherlands, Margriet Ruurs has lived in many places, including California, Oregon, Northern Alberta, and the Yukon; currently, she resides in British Columbia.
Education
Ruurs has a Master of Education degree from Simon Fraser University.
Margriet Ruurs started writing when she was about nine years old. Before immigrating to Canada, she had her first book published in The Netherlands, while working in a primate center. When her own children were growing up, in the Yukon, Canada, she told them stories including one about a purple cat called Fireweed. It became her first book in English.
Ruurs is perhaps most widely recognized as the creator of A Mountain Alphabet, an alphabet book in an alliterative text that is set in the Canadian Rockies and is structured as a hike through the mountain ranges. The book is illustrated by Andrew Kiss, a well-known oil painter of wildlife, who provides twenty-six pictures that each emphasize a letter of the alphabet. Both the text and the art represent the variety of plant and animal life to be found in the Rockies; Ruurs includes both an introduction and an appended alphabet to provide further information about the scenes depicted. Critics note that not all the items beginning with a particular letter were mentioned in the text, though all are listed in the back of the book; this, along with the hidden letter itself, is considered an invitation to young readers to closely examine each illustration.
In Emma's Eggs, Ruurs tells a humorous story while displaying her knowledge and love of animal life. In this picture book, the author features a mixed-up hen who notices what the humans on her farm are doing with her eggs (for example, scrambling them for eating, or decorating and hiding them for an Easter egg hunt), and tries to accommodate them by herself scrambling her eggs or hiding them. Eventually, however, Emma realizes exactly what her eggs are for.
In addition to her picture books, Ruurs is the author of Big Little Dog, the story of a boy and his sled dog that is, according to Quill & Quire reviewer Fred Boer, "told simply and effectively, with both drama and suspense." Ruurs is also the author of an informational book on the Royal Canadian Mountain Police and an instructional book on how to get published; she is a poet as well and has translated a popular children's book by Judith Viorst into Dutch.
Margriet conducts author visits to international schools around the world. She has been to 60 countries and spoken to students in China, Mongolia, Laos, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Kazakstan, Turkey, and many other places. She recently visited schools in Venezuela, Kenya, and Egypt. She is a book reviewer for The International Educator and writes a regular column for Canadian Teacher Magazine.
(In this beautifully illustrated book, one busy family fin...)
2001
Views
Quotations:
"A book sitting on the shelf is just cardboard and paper, but a book in the hands of a reader comes to life! I write the stories but you make the book a book by reading it!"
"Nothing is more fun than playing with words!"
Personality
Margriet loves to work in schools - to tell children about being a writer and to share her love of playing with language. She loves writing poetry because it is such a powerful way to express yourself. She enjoys writing nonfiction because researching a topic in which you are interested can be so much fun.
Interests
Gardening, traveling, hiking, camping, writing educational materials, spending time at home with her children.
Connections
Margriet Ruurs married Kees Ruurs (parks and recreation manager) in 1972. Margriet, her husband, and two sons Amount and Alexander have lived in many places - including California, Oregon, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon.