Andrea Curtis – författare

Award-winning journalist Andrea Curtis explores the shadows cast over her family by a century-old shipwreck and uncovers the tragedy, disaster and promise of early life on the Great Lakes.Every family has a story, passed down through generations. For Andrea Curtis that story is the wreck of the SS J.H. Jones. In 1906, the late-November swells of Georgian Bay erupt into a blinding storm, sinking the Jones and claiming the lives of all on board. Left in the wake is Captain Jim Crawford’s one-year-old daughter, Eleanor, who faces a daunting future of poverty and isolation.But Eleanor emerges from her childhood determined to leave behind the restrictions of her small town. She plunges into the excitement of Jazz-era California and 1930s Montreal, struggling to become a poet and a writer. Almost a century later, Andrea knows her grandmother Eleanor only as a sophisticated, respected Montreal matriarch. Until, while researching Jim Crawford’s role in the Jones tragedy, she discovers that Eleanor had a hidden past.Using family stories, archival research and fictionalized re-enactments, Andrea Curtis narrates her family’s history, and that of the place they once called home. Into the Blue shimmers with Curtis’s rich and reflective voice, recreating a little-known but formative time when Canadians persevered through unthinkable loss, violence and disaster, and brings to life a grand era of Great Lakes history. This is a worthy peer to such beloved memoirs as David Macfarlane’s The Danger Tree and Roy MacGregor’s A Life in the Bush.From the Hardcover edition.

This beautiful book of narrative non-fiction looks at the urban forest and dives into the question of how we can live in harmony with city trees.“Imagine a city draped in a blanket of green … Is this the city you know?”A Forest in the City looks at the urban forest, starting with a bird’s-eye view of the tree canopy, then swooping down to street level, digging deep into the ground, then moving up through a tree’s trunk, back into the leaves and branches.Trees make our cities more beautiful and provide shade but they also fight climate change and pollution, benefit our health and connections to one another, provide food and shelter for wildlife, and much more. Yet city trees face an abundance of problems, such as the abundance of concrete, poor soil and challenging light conditions.So how can we create a healthy environment for city trees? Urban foresters are trying to create better growing conditions, plant diverse species, and maintain trees as they age. These strategies, and more, reveal that the urban forest is a complex system—A Forest in the City shows readers we are a part of it.Includes a list of activities to help the urban forest and a glossary.The ThinkCities series is inspired by the urgency for new approaches to city life as a result of climate change, population growth and increased density. It highlights the challenges and risks cities face, but also offers hope for building resilience, sustainability and quality of life as young people act as advocates for themselves and their communities.Key Text Featuresdiagramsauthor's noteglossarysourcesdefinitionsCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

Congested city streets are noisy and thick with cars and trucks, while pedestrians and cyclists are squeezed to the dangerous edges—but does it have to be this way? Imagine a city where we aren’t stuck in cars, where clean air makes it easier to breathe, and where transit is easy to access—and on time. Imagine a city where streets are for people! This fun, accessible and ultimately hopeful book explores sustainable transportation around the globe, including electric vehicles, public transit, bicycles, walking and more. It invites us to conjure up a city of the future, where these modes are all used together to create a place that is sustainable, healthy, accessible and safe. Includes a list of ideas for children to promote green transportation in their communities, along with a glossary and sources for further reading. The ThinkCities series is inspired by the urgency for new approaches to city life as a result of climate change, population growth and increased density. It highlights the challenges and risks cities face, but also offers hope for building resilience, sustainability and quality of life as young people advocate for themselves and their communities. Key Text Featuresdiagramsfactsfurther informationfurther readingglossaryhistorical contextillustrationslabelsresourcesreferences Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

Hope is more than a feeling — it can change the world! Discover how new science and ancient knowledge can help us face an uncertain world.All over the world, kids are struggling with grief, anxiety and fear about the climate crisis, war, and a future that seems out of their control. Sometimes it’s hard to have hope – but hope may be the one thing that can change the world! Modern researchers – called Hope Theorists – are helping us to understand that we can use hope to improve our own lives and those of our neighbors, friends and even the planet.The Story and Science of Hope is an illustrated nonfiction book for middle-grade readers that weaves together ancient history with surprising new scientific research showing hope is more than a feeling — it’s essential for our well-being. People who are high in hope are happier and healthier, they live longer, do better in school and have stronger friendships. Learn the history of hope, how it can be measured, learned and practiced — even where you can find hope in your brain (spoiler: it’s the bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortex, above your eyes and a few centimetres inside your brain)!Backmatter includes real-world examples of hopeful environmental activists and a list of ways that kids can cultivate hope, as well as a glossary of unfamiliar terms, sources and further reading.Key Text Featuresillustrationsdefinitionsfactsfurther informationfurther readingglossaryheadingshistorical contextCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.8Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.8Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.5Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

Get loopy with this playful introduction to the hopeful, transformative possibilities of circular systems!Nature works on a cycle, where everything in the loop has value and nothing is wasted. But modern humans have created a different kind of system: it’s less like a circle and more like a line. We take, make, use and then, when those things break or we’re finished with them, we toss them away.But our planet’s resources are limited, and we’ve taken too much. That’s why all over the world, people are reusing, repurposing, repairing and designing waste out of the system!Explore the ways that people everywhere are creating a loopier world: from growing building materials out of fungi to designing headphones (and cellphones!) that last, to producing vehicles that run on renewable energy. Plus, kids and families have a role to play, too. Loop de Loop introduces young readers to repair cafés, toy rentals, tool libraries and many more fun, innovative ways to build community and a more sustainable world.Includes a list of ways children can take part in circular systems, along with a glossary and sources for further reading.Key Text FeaturesIllustrationsglossarydefinitionsfurther reading Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.8With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.2Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

The second book in the ThinkCities series explores water as a precious, finite resource, tracing its journey from source, through the city, and back again. Living in cities where water flows effortlessly from our taps and fountains, it’s easy to take it for granted. City of Water, the second book in the ThinkCities series, shines a light on the water system that is vital for our health and well-being. The narrative traces the journey of water from the forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and wetlands that form the watershed, through pipes and treatment facilities, into our taps, fire hydrants and toilets, then out through storm and sewer systems toward wastewater treatment plants and back into the watershed.Along the way we discover that some of the earliest cities with water systems date back to the Indus Valley in 2500 BC; that in 1920 only 1 percent of the US population had indoor plumbing; that if groundwater is used up too quickly, the land can actually sink; and more. The text is sprinkled with fun and surprising facts — some water fountains in Paris offer sparkling water, and scientists are working to extract microscopic particles of precious metals found in sewage.Readers are encouraged to think about water as a finite resource, and to take action to prevent our cities and watersheds from becoming more polluted. More than 2 billion people in the world are without access to safe, fresh water at home. As the world’s population grows, along with pollution and climate change, access to clean water is becoming an urgent issue.Includes practical steps that kids can take to help conserve water.The ThinkCities series is inspired by the urgency for new approaches to city life as a result of climate change, population growth and increased density. It highlights the challenges and risks cities face, but also offers hope for building resilience, sustainability and quality of life as young people advocate for themselves and their communities.Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.