I'm not sure about other mamas, but I have always had a shelf of books that are special to me, whether it was in my bedroom as a child or in my residence room at university. I have always maintained a small collection of books that are special to me, resonated with me and that I could read time and time again. It's never a huge collection, maybe 20 or so books.
Once I had my little one I began a similar collection of special books on the bookshelf in his nursery. They're the books that he's received or that I've read about that tell stories that will thrill his imagination, have vibrant illustrations that will hold his attention, and have messages that will help shape his values and outlook on life for the future. Again, even at the age of two it's not a huge collection but contains the likes of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are," Grey Malin's "Be Our Guest," Chris Hadfield's "The Darkest Dark," and Oliver Jeffers' "Here We Are- Notes for Living on Planet Earth."
When Penguin Random House Canada gifted us Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail's "Alis the Aviator" to review I knew right away that this beautifully illustrated children's book would have a spot on my toddler's shelf of special books. He is the biggest fan of all things aviation-- he is acutely aware of planes flying over when we are outside, has a hot air balloon and A-380 hanging in his room, and is starting to learn all of the different types of planes and helicopters.
Needless to say, this A to Z children's book of planes had his attention from the moment he saw it on the nightstand for bedtime story time! As we read through the book my little guy proclaimed "Lancaster plane" when we read the L page, seeing the plane that flies over our house every weekend in the summer. He was excited when we got to T which featured a Tiger Moth, a bi-plane that his dad recently flew over our house as we watched from the backyard. And of course he's discovering a lot of new planes that he didn't know about before.
The cut-paper art by Kalpna Patel throughout the book is enchanting, featuring bright colours and perfect depictions of planes, hot air balloons, zepplins and more. I'm particularly fond of the nods to Canada's northern aviation history having spent a lot of time flying and exploring Canada's Arctic during the beginning of my career. It will be nice to teach our little one about the planes we flew on during our adventures.
As he gets older, I'm sure my little one will also enjoy the end of the book which includes a proper glossary of each plane throughout the book and a bit about its use and history. I also love that Alis the Aviator is named after Dr. Alis Kennedy, one of Canada's first Indigenous women to obtain a commercial pilot's license.
Reading Alis the Aviator to my toddler made me realize how rich our Aviation history is in Canada and how proud we should be. I look forward to sharing Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail's book with my little one as he gets older and his interest in aviation continues to grow. I know that Alis the Aviator is going to be on our nightly reading list for a long time and will have earned its spot on his shelf of special books as it becomes a treasured favourite.
Thanks again to Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to explore this true gem!
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