Mike Deas – illustratör

What would you do if you came face to face with a Large Yellow Waxwing, Wild Turkey or Weather Loach? Who would you call if Common Wall Lizards or Giant Hogweed crept into your back yard? Alex Van Tol can help. In Aliens Among Us, she identifies more than 50 species of alien animals and plants that have established themselves in British Columbia. With the help of colour photographs and Mike Deas’ illuminating illustrations, Van Tol exposes the invaders, then explains how they got here and what they’re doing to the local environment. A former middle school teacher, Alex Van Tol has written eight books for young readers.

For Aliens Among Us, she has harvested the knowledge of museum biologists to alert the next generation of responsible environmentalists. Her list of invaders includes Purple Loosestrife and Yellow Perch, Norway Rats and American Bullfrogs, Northern Snakeheads and Zebra Mussels, to name just a few. This readable and alarmingly informative book will help young people prepare for the invasion, and arm them with the tools to stop the spread of unwanted aliens in British Columbia.

A tiny island is experiencing extreme weather, a rash of shipwrecks and the disappearance of whole swaths of marine life. Is it climate change? A bad storm season? Or is something else going on?

The second graphic novel in the Sueño Bay Adventures returns to the Pacific Northwest, where plucky and independent Jenna finds herself in some trouble after a dog in her care is injured. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Jenna aligns herself with exotic animal dealers looking to make a quick buck off the local floral and fauna. When Jenna finds a rare egg, she unknowingly sets off a sequence of events that could mean the end of the peaceful village of Sueño Bay.

In spite of her attempts to keep them out of her business, Jenna can’t keep her friends from poking around when the supernatural is involved. And soon enough this crew of young sleuths are in a race against time with the greatest Moon Creature of all, Lunar Serpentis.

★“Thrilling, joyous...Deas’s expressive artwork includes the colorful landscapes and flora of Sueño Bay’s forests, from bright greens and yellows in the daytime to subdued blues and grays at night and in the rain. Atmospheric, wordless pages pack a huge punch in this book’s emotional communication. The side effects of loneliness result in magic and danger in this satisfying, relatively self-contained third entry in the ‘Sueño Bay Adventures’ series.”—School Library Journal, starred review

In the small village of Sueño Bay, famous for its mysterious crystals and legendary moon creatures, friends Ollie, Jenna, Sleeves and Kay are building a go-kart for the annual Fall Fair competition.

Living in the nearby hills are tiny moon creatures, the Hivers, who play a crucial role in the health of the local mushroom crop. But the Hivers' important job is interrupted when Sleeves, the youngest of the group, stumbles upon them. Feeling left out of the go-kart project, Sleeves claims the Hivers as his loyal subjects and locks them away when he’s not around. Without the Hivers, the island’s mushroom crop starts to take a turn for the worse. Stories say that the last person who messed with the Hivers, the Hillside Hermit, was cursed to roam alone and never return to Sueño Bay. Is Sleeves destined to suffer the same fate or can he and his friends return balance to the island in time?

This is the third book in the Sueño Bay Adventures series, following Shadow Island and Otter Lagoon.

In the small village of Sueño Bay, famous for its mysterious crystals and legendary Moon Creatures, friends Sleeves, Jenna, Ollie and Kay attempt to solve one of the island's local mysteries—the disappearance of Jenny Mathers.

Sleeves is intrigued by a book about Sueño Bay mysteries—especially the story about Jenny Mathers, who vanished without a trace years ago. His curiosity grows when he finds a note from his dad tucked between the pages, which talks about Jenny’s disappearance and gives warnings about dark Moon Creatures and the need to find protective crystals. When Jenny's son, Jayden, overhears Sleeves talking about the mystery, he pressures Sleeves to go with him to Lost Harbor to find answers. Along with Jenna, Ollie, Kay and Conker, the gang heads up the island in their trusty go-cart on their biggest adventure yet.

This is the seventh book in the Sueño Bay Adventures series, following Shadow Island, Otter Lagoon, Hermit Hill, Candle Point, Crystal Cave and Howler Reef.

Praise for the Sueño Bay Adventure series:

★"Thrilling, joyous...Deas's expressive artwork includes the colorful landscapes and flora of Sueño Bay forests, from bright greens and yellows in the daytime to subdued blues and grays at night and in the rain. Atmospheric, wordless pages pack a huge punch in this book's emotional communication. The side effects of loneliness result in magic and danger in this satisfying, relatively self-contained third entry in the Sueño Bay Adventures series."—School Library Journal, starred review

Nighttime is coming, and Mama says it’s time for bed. “I can’t,” the child explains. “My blanket ran away. I saw it scrambling down the stairs.”

As each family member, from Auntie to the family dog, tries to get the toddler to go to bed, he tells them about the blanket’s journey. It’s packing up a bag, wriggling through the window and climbing over the garden gate! After leading a merry chase down the road, the blanket needs a rest. Maybe it's finally ready for bed...for tonight, at least.

On a trip to the park with his owner, a dog notices a statue of a little girl sitting on a bench.

Could this be a new friend? But when she stays stone-cold silent, he decides to ignore her right back. Besides, she doesn’t play fetch or give pets or offer treats. What’s the point?

But the more the dog visits her, the more he realizes that the girl has some good traits. Unlike his owner, she never makes him dress up in silly clothes or scolds him. She’s always there to listen, and to lean on. Even though she’s different, she’s there for him day after day, and the dog realizes that she might be a rock-solid friend after all.