It is surprising how little most of us know about Canada, so a Canada-themed storytime can be a great way to introduce children to our neighbor to the north. Be sure to point out Canada on a globe to show the proximity to the United States. For a craft, you can color Canadian flags (printout available at: (www.coloring.ws/canada.htm ) or make a paperbag puppet of one of the animals featured in one of the books read, including a moose, or one of the crafts featured at www.dltk-kids.com/canada/crafts.html

Perkins, Lynne Rae. PICTURES FROM OUR VACATION.
   A little girl takes photos of the trip to the family farm in Canada.

Andrews, Jan. VERY LAST FIRST TIME.
   A girl learns the traditional method of finding mussels under the ice when the tide goes out.

Stafford, Liliana. THE SNOW BEAR.
   Beautifully illustrated story of a polar bear.

Wood, Douglas. RABBIT AND THE MOON.
   Adapted from a Cree legend, a crane flies a rabbit to the moon.

Numeroff, Laura. IF YOU GIVE A MOOSE A MUFFIN.
   Another of Numeroff's circular stories, this one stars a moose.

Arnosky, Jim. BEAVER POND, MOOSE POND.
   A realistic story of a beaver pond that is inhabited by other forest animals.

Root, Phyllis. LOOKING FOR A MOOSE.
   In a takeoff on “We're Going On a Bear Hunt,” four children go looking for a moose.

Carrier, Roch. THE HOCKEY SWEATER.
   This longer picture book is better suited to school-age children. It tells the true story of a boy who receives a sweater celebrating the hockey team that is the rival of his favorites, and he is forced to wear it.