What to Bring

A moving story about making tough choices when disaster strikes. Malia and her family are spending a day outside when they notice something strange. Huge white-and-gray clouds fill the sky, planes zoom overhead, and the air smells funny. A forest fire is sweeping the area, and they need to evacuate their home. Daddy tells Malia that she needs to choose what to bring. "Pick small things. Things important to you," he says. But there's so much that Malia wants to take with her! Her pillows and blankets. Her family of teddy bears. LOTS of books. As the pile in her room grows, and chaos swirls around her, Malia comes to realise that what is most important to her won't fit in a backpack: her little brother, her cat, and her dog. This heartfelt and powerful story explores a rare perspective: experiencing a natural disaster through the eyes of a child. Malia's authentic voice will resonate with readers, and the book's challenging subject matter is balanced with gentle lessons in communication, problem-solving, and family. AGES: 4 to 7 AUTHOR: Lorna Schultz Nicholson is the author of several picture books, middle grade fiction, YA fiction, and non-fiction hockey books. Her books have been nominated for the Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Red Maple, Red Cedar, and Yellow Cedar awards, the MYRCA award, the Alberta Literary Guild award, and the Saskatchewan Willow awards. She is a frequent presenter in schools, writing workshops, and conferences. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta. Ellen Rooney is a children's book illustrator whose books include the critically acclaimed Her Fearless Run and Grandmother School. Ellen lives in the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, where hot, dry summers bring tourists, peaches, swims in the lake, and the threat of wildfire. The uniquely beautiful landscape inspired the setting for this book. SELLING POINTS: . New from Forest of Reading award nominee Lorna Schultz Nicholson and A Park Connects Us illustrator Ellen Rooney . Child-focused narrative of natural disasters that validates big emotions . Connects to increasingly relevant discussions about climate change . Based on the author's experience of having to evacuate her home in a disaster, and on a similar experience of her neighbour's daughter, who wanted to bring her whole room