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Some of our Nonfiction titles are, alphabetically:
* Books for early readers ** Also available as an e-book. Search e-book vendor sites by book title or author name. See more Nonfiction titles on our Healing & Wellness page and our Humour page Contact author/ editor/ publisher Deana Driver for special orders, curbside pickup prices, etc.
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Cream Money: Stories of Prairie People. Compiled and Edited By Deana J. Driver
Description: Selling milk and cream was an integral way of life on the Canadian Prairies in the early to mid-1900s. On many farms, the women were in charge of milking the cows, separating the cream from the milk, and selling that cream to neighbours and townspeople. The extra money earned was used to subsidize the family’s income, especially in years of poor crops. Cream money helped purchase groceries, fabric, farm supplies, and other items that could not be produced on the farm. While children cherished the occasional candy treat purchased with cream cheque money, everyone in the family enjoyed the everyday bounty of delicious foods cooked with homemade butter or slathered with rich, whipped cream. Cream Money honours this bygone era of Prairie farming, celebrating the work of farm families through true stories and poems of how cream money was earned and spent. Stories are written by: Deana J. Driver, Irene K Bingham, Dora Shwaga, Cornelia Mary Bilinsky, Bryce Burnett, Jean Fahlman, Truus de Gooijer, Brenda Garbutt, Maurice Giroux, Jerry Holfeld, Janice Howden, Ryshia Kennie, Betty Harkness, Marilyn (Brown) Meyers, Linda Mikolayenko, Theodore D. Mikolayenko, Laurie Lynn Muirhead, Marion Mutala, Clara Puddell, Carrie Schemenauer, Carrie, Carol McCullough, Lilleth Shantz, Eleanor Sinclair, Glenn Swallow, Roy Tollefson, Dexter van Dyke, Eleanor Wagner, Clifford Walker, and Ruth Wildeman.
A donation from Cream Money books sold will be made to Lung Association of Saskatchewan. Awards/Honours: Shortlisted, One Book One Province, Saskatchewan 2017 ISBN: 978-1-927570-20-3; 6"w x 9"h; 144 pages; 65 photos. © 2015; Ages 13 to Adult; Nonfiction; Prairie authors; Canadian nonfiction; Biography; Prairie Provinces; Anecdotes; Farming; Rural life; History; Family life; Education; Canadian. Also available as an e-book. Order from your favourite e-book vendor.
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Flight: Stories of Canadian Aviation, Vol. 1. By Deana J. Driver and Contributors
Description: Wartime bombings, engine failures, a rudimentary air traffic control tower, and flights with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerobatics team are among the engaging true stories in this fascinating first book of the Flight series.
In their own words or with the help of author Deana Driver or other Prairie writers, Western Canadian pilots and aviation enthusiasts share stories of adventure, assistance, humour, tragedy, and success in this salute to the Canadian aviation industry and its people. The people whose stories are told in Flight Vol. 1 include Second World War fighter pilots and bomber pilots, a pioneer smokejumper, flight instructors, Snowbirds aerobatic team members, private and commercial pilots, a flight attendant, and aircraft passengers. Flight, Vol. 1 includes 35 short stories plus an introduction – 22 stories and introduction written by Deana J. Driver and 13 stories written by eight other Prairie writers: Will Chabun, Sharon Gray, Paul W. Greening, Terry Lewis, Allan Rizzoli, Eleanor Sinclair, Captain Gregg Wiebe, and Walter D. Williams. SK Curriculum: Grade 6 Physical Science, "Principles of Flight". ISBN: 978-1927570-49-4; 6”x9”; 192 pages; 55 photos. © 2019; Ages 13 to Adult. Nonfiction; Transportation; Aviation; Short stories; Anecdotes; Aviation history; Military; Canadian history; Prairie Provinces; Prairie authors. Also available as an e-book. Order from: Kobo, Amazon Kindle, Apple, Overdrive.
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Flight: Stories of Canadian Aviation, Vol. 2. By Deana J. Driver and Contributors
Description: Record-breaking flights, falling aircraft parts, early flight schools, and rescue missions are among the fascinating true stories in this second volume of the Flight series. Animal obstacles, balloon and helicopter trips, unique landing surfaces, and flights with legendary passengers are also chronicled in Flight, Vol. 2.
In their own words or with the help of author Deana Driver or other writers, Canadian pilots and aviation enthusiasts share stories of first flights, aerial skills, adventures, joys, perils, assistance, humour, tragedy, and success in this salute to the Canadian aviation industry and its people. Flight, Vol. 2 includes 37 short stories plus an introduction – 14 stories and introduction written by Deana J. Driver and 23 stories written by 12 other Canadian writers: Will Chabun, Peter Foster, Paul W. Greening, Harry Meeds, Alvin Irlbeck, Malcolm McLeod, Don Macpherson, Vincent Murphy-Dodds, Ron Sather, Ron Stansfield, Walter D. Williams, and Bill Wunsch. SK Curriculum: Grade 6 Physical Science, "Principles of Flight". 978-1927570-50-0; 6”x9”; 192 pages; 62 photos. © 2020; Ages 13 to Adult. Nonfiction; Transportation; Aviation; Short stories; Anecdotes; Aviation history; Military; Canadian history; Prairie Provinces; Canadian authors. Also available as an e-book. Order from: Kobo, Amazon Kindle, Apple, Overdrive.
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Flight: Stories of Canadian Aviation, Vol. 3. By Deana J. Driver and Contributors
Description: Precarious landings, mid-air optical illusions, hidden airstrips, annoying passengers, and long-distance flights for the birds are among the true stories in this engaging third volume of the Flight series. In their own words or with the help of author-publisher Deana J. Driver or 14 other writers, Canadian aviation enthusiasts, pilots, and other aviation personnel share stories of tense flights, perilous routes, historic achievements, impressive flying adventures and more in this salute to Canada’s aviation industry and people.
Flight, Vol. 3 includes 33 short stories plus an introduction – six stories and introduction written by Deana J. Driver and 27 stories written by 14 other Canadian writers: Bill Cameron, Will Chabun, Richard Dowson, Peter Enzlberger, Mary Harelkin Bishop, Dave McElroy, Vincent Murphy-Dodds, Curtis Penner, Don Riekman, Ralph Tweten, Walter D. Williams, Ken Wilson, Mason Adam Wray, and Bill Wunsch. SK Curriculum: Grade 6 Physical Science, "Principles of Flight". Awards/Honours: Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2022, Anthology 978-1927570-62-3; 6”x9”; 192 pages; 79 photos. © 2021; Ages 13 to Adult. Nonfiction; Transportation; Aviation; Short stories; Anecdotes; Aviation history; Military; Canadian history; Prairie Provinces; Canadian authors. 
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Forever Changed. By Cheri Helstrom
Description: Ritchie Scott grew up in the small prairie town of Alameda, Saskatchewan in the 1920s and Dirty Thirties. He was the youngest son of seven children born to Richard Herbert Scott, a well-established businessman and the first mayor of Alameda, and Myrtle Scott (McNaughton) of Wawanesa, Manitoba. Forever Changed, written by Ritchie’s daughter Cheri Helstrom, is told through Ritchie’s eyes, in Ritchie's words, taking the reader from rural Saskatchewan to the north, to eastern Canada (Toronto), across the Atlantic to Britain, to the battlefields of Italy during the Second World War, to an English military hospital and, finally, home to Canada.
The story centres on major, traumatic events in Ritchie’s life which led him to sign up for military duty when he was nineteen. The resulting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had far-reaching effects physically, emotionally, and socially. Forever Changed honours Ritchie’s life and times and celebrates his accomplishments. SK Curriculum: Grades 10-12 - ELA, History, Social Studies Awards/Honours: Runner-Up, Biography, 2016 Great Midwest Book Festival; Honorable Mention, Nonfiction, 2016 Hollywood Book Festival ISBN 978-1-927570-27-2; 5.5"w x 8.5"h; 128 pages; 30 photos © 2016; Ages 13 to Adult; Creative nonfiction; Canadian history; Second World War; Royal Canadian Legion; Biography; Prairies; Memoir; Saskatchewan author. |
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Gina's Wheels. Mary Harelkin Bishop. Illustrated by Diane L. Greenhorn
Description: What would it be like to spend your life in a wheelchair? After meeting Colette Bourgonje, one of Canada’s most accomplished Paralympic athletes, five-year-old Gina explores her own world from her version of a wheelchair. How will this affect Gina when she goes to kindergarten? Based on a true story; a real life Métis story. Includes facts about 10-time Saskatchewan Paralympian Colette Bourgonje.
SK Curriculum: Grades K-2 - ELA, Health Studies, Social Studies Awards/Honours: Honourable Mention, Children's Books, 2014 Great Midwest Book Festival ISBN 978-1-927570-12-8; 32 pages; cover art and 12 illustrations by Diane L. Greenhorn; 4 photos; 8"w x 8"h. © 2014; Ages 2 to Adult; Children's creative nonfiction; Canadian Paralympics; Colette Bourgonje; Inspirational; Saskatchewan athlete; Sports; Paralympic cross-country sit-skiing; Acceptance; Tolerance; Inclusiveness; Education; Early readers; Saskatchewan author; Canadian. |
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Miss G and Me. By Jennifer S. Wallace
Description: Ruth Williamson, aka Miss G, grew up in Jamaica. She left at a young age, under her mother's direction, to pursue a nursing education in England. Ruth then chose her own path, which led her to Canada in the late 1960s. Unlike many immigrants from the Caribbean at that time, Ruth ended up in rural Saskatchewan, working as a nurse while adjusting to the culture and climate of the Canadian Prairies. She married Ian MacLeod in Saskatoon in 1971, blending cultures in a mixed-race marriage that was unusual for its era. She built a nursing career that spanned over forty years, and mentored women and children from other countries and backgrounds. It wasn’t until the nickname “Miss G” came up during a phone call from Jamaica that her daughter, author Jennifer Wallace, began asking more questions and unravelling the mysteries of her mother’s life. Miss G and Me uses anecdotes, journals, poetry, and personal essays to weave together the story of Ruth (Williamson) MacLeod – Miss G.
SK Curriculum: Grades 10-12 - Social Studies, ELA, Health 978-1927570-75-3; 5.5”x8.5”; 208 pages; 25 photos. Awards/Honours: John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Award © 2022; Ages 12 to Adult. Nonfiction, Memoir, Poetry, Essays, Journals; Black history; Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / African American & Black; Family & Relationships / Multiracial Families; Canadian history; Prairie Provinces; Canadian author. Also available as an e-book from Kobo, Apple, Amazon, and Overdrive. Search e-book vendor site by book title or author name. |
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Murphy Mondays: The First St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog in a Canadian Emergency Room. By Jane Smith. Illustrated by Wendi Nordell
Description: Murphy, an English Springer Spaniel, is the first St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog to visit an emergency room in all of Canada. The visits by Murphy and his handler, Jane, to the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon Saskatchewan are enjoyed so much by hospital patients that Mondays have become known in the emergency room as “Murphy Mondays”. Jane and Murphy also love to teach children how to wash their hands properly. Singing "Happy Birthday to Murphy" is a fun way to learn.
SK Curriculum: Grades 3-5 - Health Education ISBN 978-1-927570-45-6; 8"w x 8"h; 36 pages; cover art and 10 illustrations by Wendi Nordell; 13 photos; Discussion questions. © 2018; Ages 4 and up; Children's nonfiction; Animals, Dogs; Health care; Behaviour; Royal University Hospital Foundation; St. John Ambulance: Therapy dogs; Sociology; Saskatchewan author; Canadian. |
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Prairie Pilot: Lady Luck was on My Side; The Stories of Walter D. Williams. Compiled and edited by Deana J. Driver
Description: The late Walter Williams, a ‘character’ and International Harvester dealer in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan, wrote 100 true short stories about his flying adventures in the 1950s. Walter wrote about some of his most helpful and humourous experiences flying a small plane to transport pregnant women, injured children, police officers, teachers, corpses, criminals and thrill-seekers to more than 75 communities in west central Saskatchewan and beyond, often ignoring bad weather and common sense in his efforts to help others.
© 2008; Ages 12 to Adult; Nonfiction; Biography; Memoir; Transportation; Aviation; Rural life; Saskatchewan; Alberta; Prairie Provinces; Saskatchewan author; Canadian. Available only as an e-book. Order from: Kobo, Amazon Kindle, Apple, iBooks, and more. |
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Running the Riders: My Decade as CEO of Canada's Team. By Jim Hopson with Darrell Davis
Description: The Saskatchewan Roughriders were mired in mediocrity, a decent football team that couldn’t advance to the Grey Cup as the franchise worked its way out of financial distress and tried to reconnect with its fan base. In 2004, offensive lineman-turned educator Jim Hopson was hopeful that the Roughriders directors would hire him as the team’s first full-time president and CEO. He believed that the team, with its incredible fan base, could become a successful business that consistently posted strong annual profits while playing in and winning multiple Grey Cups. And it happened. After a decade under Hopson’s leadership (2005 to 2015), the Roughriders became the Canadian Football League's strongest franchise, appearing in four Grey Cup games (winning twice) and selling more team merchandise than the other eight CFL franchises combined. They obliterated their debt and posted a record-setting profit after winning a hometown Grey Cup in 2013, which has been described as the biggest moment in the 105-year-old team’s history.
Hopson’s book, with the assistance of Darrell Davis (an author and long-time sports writer and Roughriders beat writer at the Regina Leader-Post), describes Hopson’s business plans, the resistance to change within the organization, the interplay with the fans of Rider Nation, difficult decisions made, and the euphoria of winning two league championships. An emotional man with a firm disposition, Jim Hopson describes the highs and lows that went along with the job and the path he took, professionally and personally, to the biggest office with the franchise known as “Canada’s Team." ISBN 978-1-927570-23-4; 6"w x 9"h; 224 pages; 68 photos. © 2015; Ages 15 to Adult; Nonfiction; Saskatchewan Roughriders; Sports; Canadian Football League; Prairie Provinces; Business; Leadership; Education; Saskatchewan teacher; Saskatchewan author; Canadian. Buy Running the Riders softcover book:
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The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story. By Alan J. Buick
Description: This award-winning national bestseller tells the true story of Bob Elliott, a 19-year-old Canadian tank commander, and Sussie Cretier, a 10-year-old Dutch girl who met during the Second World War. Sussie's family had run across a mine field, dodging German bullets to seek refuge with the Canadian soldiers. This feisty little girl quickly became a good-luck charm and beacon of hope for the weary Canadian troops.
On Christmas Day 1944, the Canadians honoured their little adopted soldier with a special Army-style coat they ordered from a local seamstress. Decades later, the relationship between Sussie (Sue) and Bob not only endured but flourished. As adults, they fell in love and Sue followed Bob back to Canada, bringing her beloved 'little coat’ with her. Due to author Alan Buick's interest in this amazing true story, Sue and Bob donated her special child's coat to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario as a permanent reminder of this powerful tale of courage, hope and love. $4,500 from sales of The Little Coat has been donated to the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund. $1 from every book sold from 2013 forward is donated to the Canadian War Museum, the new home of the 'child's coat' in this inspiring war story turned love story. Awards/Honours: Honourable Mention, 2010 Hollywood Book Festival ISBN 978-0-9810394-3-5; 6"w x 9"h; 176 pages; 40 photos. © 2009. Second printing 2011. Ages 10 to Adult; Nonfiction; Canadian history; Second World War; Canadian hero; Dutch girl; Canadian Armed Forces; Netherlands; Inspirational nonfiction; Biography; Love story; Literacy; Canadian War Museum; Canadian wartime artifact; Sussie Cretier's coat; Royal Canadian Legion; Saskatchewan author; Canadian. Also available as an e-book. Order from your favourite e-book vendor.
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The Sailor and the Christmas Trees. By Deana J. Driver. Illustrated by Catherine Folnovic
Description: John Hanlon of Brandon, Manitoba, served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. In late November 1944, the frigate he was stationed on was docked in St. John's, Newfoundland. John realized that they would likely be at sea on Christmas Day, so he decided that he and some other sailors should go up a nearby hill and cut down a few evergreen trees, then hide them in the ship until Christmas.
On Christmas morning 1944, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on their way back to Canada from England, John and his friends pulled out those trees and surprised their fellow shipmates with a hearty ‘Merry Christmas’ wish! They also shared this unexpected Christmas gift with some small English children on another ship in that convoy, who were being transported to safety in Canada. Decades later, John met one of the women who was a child on that ship, and they savoured the memory of that special Christmas Day. Includes biography of John Hanlon, facts of the ship's journey, and a glossary. A donation of $1 per book sold will be made to the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund. Awards/Honour: Winner, Children's category, 2015 Holiday Book Festival ISBN 978-1-927570-02-09; 6"w x 9"h; 48 pages; cover art and 14 illustrations by Catherine Folnovic; 9 photos. © 2012; Ages 8 and Up; Children's nonfiction; Second World War; Canadian history; Canadian sailor; Royal Canadian Navy; Royal Canadian Legion; Canadian war hero; Inspirational nonfiction; Early reader; Manitoba; Saskatchewan author; Canadian. |
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