Written and illustrated for 8 to 11-year-olds, the stories are part historical fact, part fantasy, relying on a child’s belief in “perhaps.”
Note: Teachers, please contact the Alberta Canola Producers Commission for information about how these books link to curriculum, and how you can order them for your school. www.learncanola.com.
FIELDS OF HOMECopyright ©2010
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
On a hot summer’s day, Chase “Superman” Duffy is taking lunch to his grandfather who is scouting his Alberta canola farm when, dehydrated, he over exerts—and blacks out.
When he wakes up, he is transported to the past where he meets Mr. Slovonuk from Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, the farmer who first brought rapeseed from Poland to Canada.
Copyright ©2012
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Chase “Superman” Duffy likes to go fast! So when his grandfather takes him to the track to see the world’s first and only canola biodiesel Jet Engine Funny Car in action, he’s (literally) blown away by the car’s impressive speed.
And, after hanging out with the inventor and owner of the car. Kevin Therres, Chase and his Grandpa are inspired to build a soap box race car of their own. But will it be fast enough to beat Gordon “Lightning” Smith’s car? Chase hopes it’s fast enough to even beat Superman.
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Copyright ©2013
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Sure people have walked on the moon—but have they tried to grow canola on Mars?
Inspired by the CanoLab project, in which Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk took 250,000 canola seeds into space to determine the effects of anti-gravity on plant growth, Chase explores three climates to determine the best conditions for growing canola. But which planet will have the best crop? Chase meets with three “out of this world” farmers to find out.
Copyright ©2013
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $6.95 (includes GST)
There’s no way Chase intends to let new kid, Nicolai Driscoll, win his school’s baking competition—but when it comes to cooking, Chase doesn’t know the difference between flour and baking soda.
He goes to his Grandmother for help—and is drawn into a family mystery where he journeys through time. In each mouthwatering era, Chase learns a little about food, and a lot about the importance of family and tradition.
Part mystery-adventure, part kid-friendly cookbook Tasting My Story, is sure to capture the imagination of young minds—and get kids excited about spending time in the kitchen.
Copyright ©2014
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
During a trip to the local bug museum, Chase, his sister, Amelia, and their friend, Sophie, are sucked through a mysterious portal and dumped into a “forest” filled with insects of unusual size.
Armed only with super soakers of bug spray and Amelia’s impressive wealth of bug knowledge, the trio must work together to weed out the “pests” before the canola farmer sprays his field. This is Chase’s most thrilling adventure yet!
Copyright ©2014
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
When Chase is tasked with rewriting the school play, he looks to Aesop and his fables for inspiration.
Using nutritional tid-bits he picks up throughout the week, Chase ends up adapting The Tortoise and the Hare for a musical stage show that caters to everything Chase loves—track and field, food, storytelling, and besting his running rival, Gordon “Lightning” Smith.
Copyright ©2014
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
When Chase’s alarm goes off on the morning of his birthday, he can hardly wait to get the celebration started—his mom’s famous pancakes, all of the presents and cake. He’ll even “tolerate” a hug from his little sister, Amelia.
But when he saunters into the kitchen, it’s not pancakes he smells, but the lingering scent of his mom’s perfume as she leaves for yoga class without so much as a Happy Birthday! Instead, Chase finds his first errand, in the form of a haiku.
As the day—and his list of errands—drags on, Chase doubts anyone has remembered his birthday, which makes him sad, even if he is learning an awful lot about biotechnology. What surprises are in store?
Copyright ©2014
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Chase is supposed to be babysitting little Jack Lawrence—but in the blink of an eye, the mischievous toddler runs off into the wetlands, and gets stuck in the mud. He starts to sink and over the sound of the croaking frog, Jack’s terrified scream gets Chase’s heart racing.
Dawning a pair of special Steampunk goggles from his sister, Chase dives after Jack and together, they must navigate the tunnels beneath the soil, where monsters of all shapes and sizes lurk in the shadows. This is Chase’s most spooktacular adventure ever!
Copyright ©2015
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Between listening to his track coach wax on about H2O and watching his grandfather’s canola crop wilt after an extended drought, Chase Duffy understands the importance of water.
But when he accidentally leaves his water bottle behind during a sweaty summer run, his vision starts to get a little…fuzzy. Dinosaurs, mermaids, the Loch Ness Monster, oh my! Are these real-life encounters—or is Chase suffering the effects of not enough H2O?
Copyright ©2015
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
During a turbulent plane ride with his grandfather, Chase meets Lucky, a tiny leprechaun with a BIG problem—changing climates are causing chaos throughout the cloud city.
Armed with only his limited agriculture background, Chase journeys through the weather-ravaged clouds offering advice, possible solutions, and a very important message: perhaps Cloud 9 isn’t quite as dreamy as Lucky and his friends would like to believe.
Copyright ©2016
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Red sky at morning…
Ahoy, matey’s! Captain Chase “Superman” Duffy and his crew of The Yellow Mist have set sail on the high seas to deliver a ship’s worth of gold canola treasure to the American and Chinese export markets. But as a terrifying storm brews in the distance, Chase must face off against the dreaded pirate Captain Flood and risk losing his ship, or worse—be forced to walk the plant.
Aye indeed, Shiver me Timbers is a pirate adventure perfect for young lads and lasses.
Copyright ©2016
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Chase and his sister, Amelia stumble upon an old bottle of canola oil among the cobwebs and ancient Farmers Almanacs in their grandparents’ cramped attic. But during a sibling scuffle, the bottle falls, and through the hairline break, a genie emerges promising to grant the two four wishes.
Chase leaps at the chance to become the fastest runner in the world—but, of course, things don’t quite go as he wished. And that’s just the beginning. If Chase and Amelia want things to go back to normal, they’ll need to learn a quick lesson about sustainability.
MISCONCEPTIONS
Copyright ©2016
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Copyright ©2016
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Chase knows exactly where to find his sister at Sustainival.
Uh...actually, that's a myth.
The truth is, Amelia has gone rogue. M.I.A. Lost. Now Chase has only a few hours to find her among the rides, carnival games, and crowds—or his mom will ground him for life. For real.
Follow Chase to the fair grounds as he busts common myths in a desperate quest to find his wayward sister before his time runs out.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Copyright ©2016
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
Uh...actually, that's a myth.
The truth is, Amelia has gone rogue. M.I.A. Lost. Now Chase has only a few hours to find her among the rides, carnival games, and crowds—or his mom will ground him for life. For real.
Follow Chase to the fair grounds as he busts common myths in a desperate quest to find his wayward sister before his time runs out.
Copyright ©2016
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
A job in the agriculture industry isn't just about being a farmer—there are actually hundreds of career opportunities that don't even involve setting foot on a field!
If that surprises you, you're not alone. In what may be the funniest Superman Duffy adventure yet, Chase gets a humorous lesson from his grandfather about the different kinds of agriculture careers...or is it really Grandpa at all?
I APPROVE
Copyright ©2017
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
A trip to the local farmer's market with his grandma prompts Chase Duffy to learn about truthful advertising—even for products he knows are great—and the ongoing responsibility of today's farmers to speak about how they grow the foods that we eat.
If that surprises you, you're not alone. In what may be the funniest Superman Duffy adventure yet, Chase gets a humorous lesson from his grandfather about the different kinds of agriculture careers...or is it really Grandpa at all?
Copyright ©2017
Dawn Ius, writer
James Grasdal, illustrator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission, publisher
Canada $9.95 (includes GST)
A trip to the local farmer's market with his grandma prompts Chase Duffy to learn about truthful advertising—even for products he knows are great—and the ongoing responsibility of today's farmers to speak about how they grow the foods that we eat.
