Winner, Mr. Christie's Book Award
The winning collection of rhymes and poems introduces a cast of canine characters that is bound to steal your heart. From the first joyful notions of very young puppies to the poignant reflections of dogs who have "been around the block," Biscuits in the Cupboard will bring smiles of recognition from readers of all ages. Good or bad, timid or bold, sweet or saucy, angelic or fiendish, each dog has its say. And sometimes the inner thoughts of our best friends are as profound as they are ingenuous.
Reviews:
“Writer Barbara Nichol has dug down deep to her inner puppy and come up with a whole batch of dog poems in which the cadence and content are delightfully right.
Dish and Bowl
dish and bowl
Do I love you?
Heart and soul!
The short poems capture absolute silliness as well as moments of awe, all, curiously enough, quite connected to the lives of children. In the illustration accompanying “Autumn,” the head of a goofy dog boings up through a pile of leaves and the poem reads:
Frost upon the morning grass
Berries on the trees
When I am old
I will remember
Mornings such as these.
The poems are pared down and thoroughly polished. They both flow as pleasurable sound and hold a reader’s attention from beginning to end.
Internationally acclaimed artist Philippe Beha has illustrated more than 100 books for kids. In Biscuits in the Cupboard, his very funny, scribbly pictures are perfect for the poems. He conveys so much humour and personality in a few lines. With their joint experience and ability, Nichol and Beha have created a successful lighthearted book of poems with genuinely amusing illustrations – and it’s a treat compared to the dreary nonsense poems too often offered to children.”
-- Quill & Quire
Barbara Nichol is an award-winning author and documentary maker, and a long time contributor to the CBC radio documentary series Ideas. Her book Dippers was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. She is also well known as the author and director of the Juno award-winning original recording of Beethoven Lives Upstairs, and is the author of the book by the same title. Her film Home for Blind Women won the Genie for Best Short Film, and she was nominated for an Emmy for her work with Sesame Street. She has worked extensively in television and radio.
Philippe Beha is the Governor-General Award-winning illustrator of many children's books, including The Prairie Dogs, Biscuits in the Cupboard and Creative Crafts for Critters. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.
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