Gulliver's Quality Books and Toys

Book Review: Half Brother, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, The Last Great Ape

gullivers — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:03:19 +0000

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

I have been reading about apes and chimpanzees recently. Half Brother is a book for 10-16 year-olds that covers in fictional form all the issues of animal research. Ben Tomlin was an only child for thirteen years, then his parents brought home a baby chimp. He is told to treat the chimp as his brother, while both scientist parents do research to see how “human” they can make the chimp. Eventually funding runs out as the chimp matures and a decision has to be made as to where Zan will spend the rest of his life.

The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary:A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery

by Andrew Westol

The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary tells the story of how in 1997, Gloria Grow started a sanctuary for chimps retired from biomedical research on her farm outside Montreal. Lab chimps arrive severely traumatized by their separation from their mothers, and years of abuse and horrendous treatment. The author spends considerable time volunteering at the sanctuary getting to know the individual animals and their caregivers. The book’s aim was to provide knowledge about and support for the passage of a U.S. bill to ban the use of chimps for scientific research.

www.faunafoundation.org

The Last Great Ape: A Journey Through Africa and a Fight for the Heart of the Continent

by Ofir Drori and David McDannald

An epic journey through Africa by a man who fell in love with a magical and disappearing world and then transformed himself into a warrior on the front lines to protect it and stop the illegal trade of animals and ivory. NGO’s who traditionally don’t “rock the boat” advised him against his planned approach, but his success in accomplishing his goals eventually had a huge impact on the international trade and on follow-through to enforce the law to protect endangered species. It is encouraging to read about progress being made in the efforts to treat fellow species with fairness and respect for their needs.

Books By the Bay 2012 (postponed)

gullivers — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:03:32 +0000

The Books By the Bay Festival will be postponed for 2012. Please check back for a 2013 event!

If you would like to become a member of our committee (or for any other enquiries) please contact Suzanne Brooks at Gulliver’s 705-474-7335 or mail@gulliversbookstore.com or you can contact the Callander Public Library 705-752-2544.

Thank you to all past participants, committee members, sponsors, volunteers (and readers!) for all your support. Without you the festival (7 years running) would not have been such a great success!

Books By the Bay merchandise is still available for purchase. We have umbrellas and t-shirts!

LOCAVORE: May 10, 2012

gullivers — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:50:41 +0000

If buying local is important to you, attend the public information evening hosted by Callander’s Sustainable Community Committee featuring author Sarah Elton. LOCAVORE is the national bestselling book about Canada’s local food revolution. The book won Gold at the Culinary Book Awards and was also a David Suzuki Book Club Pick. There will also be displays by local area food suppliers.

The event will be held at the Callander Community Centre on Swale Street Thursday, May 10, 2012. Doors open at 6:00 pm, presentation at 7:00pm. The book will be available for purchase at the event or before hand at Gulliver’s.

Book Signing: Deborah Ellis, March 19, 2012

gullivers — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:50:31 +0000

We really enjoyed having Deborah at Gulliver’s. Copies of her books are available in-store!

Deborah Ellis is the internationally acclaimed author of a number of award-winning titles for children, including the Breadwinner trilogy, A Company of Fools, The Heaven Shop, and Our Stories, Our Songs. A peace activist and humanitarian field worker, Deborah has traveled the world to meet with and hear stories of children marginalized by poverty, war, and illness.

She is the recipient of the Governor General’s Award, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work, an ALA Notable, and the Children’s Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.

In 2006 Deborah was named to the Order of Ontario.

Gulliver’s Celebrates 25 Years!

gullivers — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:52:30 +0000

We at Gulliver’s celebrated our 25th Anniversary Friday, October 28!

Suzanne Brooks, Gulliver’s owner, cuts into the cake to start off the festivities!

We were thrilled to have Donna Sinclair as part of our evening signing copies of her new book The Long View: An Elderwoman’s Book of Wisdom. Copies of her books are available in store.

New author, Courtney Maika also signed copies of her book A Forest of Gold, logging stories of the Ottawa Valley. Copies of her book are also available in store.

We had a great turnout for the event. We’d like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with us. All the local authors who attended and our many great customers and supporters. We’d also like to thank the publishers who donated all of the awesome door prizes: Canadian Manda Group, Kate Walker and Co. Ltd., & Scholastic Book Services. Also, the local media who interviewed Suzanne and have supported us over the past 25 years! Thanks again! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Book Launch: Terrence Rundle West, Nov. 30

gullivers — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:44:50 +0000

Not In My Father’s Footsteps examines the social, religious, economic, cultural and linguistic forces that drive two young, Montrealers—one Jewish from the Main, the other French Canadian of upper-crust Outremont stock—out of Montreal and onto opposite sides of the Spanish Civil War. It’s the 1930s. In Montreal, tensions are running high. French vs. English. Jew vs Christian. Haves vs. have-nots. The city is swirling with unrest. From Outremont to St. Urbain Street, people are struggling to lift off the yoke of strife and despair caused by the most devastating economic depression the world has ever experienced. For young, single men with no jobs, the option is to ride the rails. But that, too, is fraught with danger. For protection they form up in groups, sleep in hobo jungles and challenge strangers. But it offers scant comfort. Police and local officials keep moving them along. Years drag on . They lose hope, drifting to Vancouver. Or labour camps where they’re paid twenty cents a day for meaningless work. Or maybe Spain, to strike back at the fascists. What have they got to lose?

Meet Terrence Rundle West Wednesday, Nov. 30, 7:30-9pm.

Book Signing: Lynn Johnston, Dec. 3

gullivers — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:20:23 +0000

Lynn Johnston will be here to sign copies of her latest treasury In the Beginning There was Chaos. Copies of the first treasury Something Old, Something New and the two Farley storybooks will also be available for purchase. Meet Lynn and have your books signed in time for Christmas gifts Saturday, December 3, from 1-3pm.

Book Signing: Come On Over, Dec. 9

gullivers — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:15:52 +0000

The boys are back in town! If you missed them last time they were here or if you’d like to see them again, then “Come On Over”, Friday December 9, from 7:30-9pm and learn your Northeastern Ontario A to Z’s. The book features anecdotes and histories from over 100 Northeastern Ontario communities. Graeme Mount and Dieter Buse capture both the allure and the survivor tenacity of the northeast’s single-industry towns that either are breaking out of, or are still caught in, the boom and bust cycles punctuating the resource industries Canada’s wealth relies on. For 12 weeks, from September through November 2010, the authors were featured twice weekly on CBC Northern Ontario Radio’s “Morning North” program discussing communities from their book. CBC listeners were invited to comment, and selected anecdotes appear in the book. We’re thrilled to have them back in North Bay!

Book Signing: Noreen Kruzich, Dec. 10

gullivers — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:10:05 +0000

Join Noreen along her seven year journey to follow an Algonkin Trail in a quest to flesh out two Algonkin Chiefs, who have escaped the history books even though they lived at the height of colonization, hear their words and the words of their people, see the land through their eyes and listen in on the fireside chat with today’s descendents as the author unravels the story of the Algonkin people in the greater Ottawa Valley.

Meet Noreen Saturday, December 10, from 1-3pm.

When one truth is unraveled…sometimes a larger truth is revealed.

Book Launch: Northern Shores, Nov. 25

gullivers — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:10:32 +0000

Planned as a coffee table book of canoeing and outdoor photography, the images and stories in “Northern Shores” have all come from within the same area as served by One Kids Place, the Childrens Treatment Centre for Northeastern Ontario. North Bay, Temagami, Bracebridge, Huntsville, Parry Sound – essentially the same areas that encompass two of the worlds most popular canoeing parks – Algonquin and Temagami, are all featured in the book.
With appreciation to the books sponsors, the cost of printing this book have been paid before the book has gone on sale – all monies raised from sales of this book will be going to One Kids Place.

Get your copy Friday, November 25, 4:30-9:00pm and Saturday, November 26, from 9:30-3:00pm