The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Teaching Librarian 25.1 11 Friend or Foe: The Whole Truth about Animals That People Love to Hate by Etta Kaner, Illustrated by David Anderson Toronto: Owlkids Books, 2015 ISBN 9781771470643 In its presentation of facts about rats, cockroaches, snakes, leeches and six other creatures people love to hate, this book invites critical thinking and debate by presenting two sides to the argument about whether or not each animal is deserving of disdain. The language that is used on each side of the argument is almost as interesting as the trivia about each animal that is presented. On one side, rats give rise to phrases such as "Dirty Rat," "Rat Fink" and "Pack Rat." On the other side, the rats are introduced by a magazine advertisement where the merits of a creature with "teeth of steel, able to dodge speeding cars" who "leaps from great heights in a single bound," echo those of Superman. Targeted at 8-to-12 year old readers, this book is an engaging exploration of creatures with a bad reputation and how language shapes our attitudes towards them. Elliot and the Impossible Fish by Rebecca North, Illustrated by Laurel Keating St. John's: Tuckamore Books, 2017 ISBN 9781771031026 Did you know that a jaeger is a bird that harasses other birds until they drop their prey so that the jaegers can get free meals? This is only one of the discoveries that Elliot makes in his dream quest to catch the biggest fish anyone has ever seen. Elliot also consults with a puffin, a seal and a whale only to find out that they are naturally adapted to the fishing techniques that they use. Resigned to the fact that determination and his fishing line are the only tools he can use, Elliot finally manages to land his fish, only to wake up to discover that the fish was a dream, but not the inexplicable debris from his adventure that has cluttered up his room. Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis Toronto: Coach House, 2016 ISBN 9781552453056 What is love? What does freedom mean and how much is it worth? What is the meaning of life? What is the role of language in giving meaning to life? These are some of the profound questions explored in André Alexis' novel in which capricious Greek gods imbue a pack of fifteen feral dogs in Toronto with human sensibilities and language as part of a bet about the possibility of dying happy. Both the themes that are explored and the content render this book appropriate for mature high school readers. Although they may not be as confused as the dogs by some aspects of human behaviour, high school readers and adults alike may identify with many of the questions the dogs face as they deal with their human consciousness. The dog's eye view of humanity will help that audience experience a new perspective on many aspects of their own world. Derrick Grose continued on page 12