The gothic weirdness of a bird living in a ribcage could easily have become distracting; instead, in Lund’s caring hands, it deepens the book’s themes of difference and connection. More ...

If the big kids have dashed ... Dance (North-South Books, $15.95) by Bruno Hachler. Fans are fickle in the rise-and-fall-and-rise story of Bobby Booby, a dancing bird with heavenly blue feet.

Every class has a special theme. On the day CBC News visited, it was space. Birch made sure to pick nice-looking books with great art and colours to keep even the youngest children's attention.