Melanie Jackson
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mljackson.bsky.social
Melanie Jackson
@mljackson.bsky.social
Writer/editor www.writersunion.ca/member/Melanie-Jackson
Was tickled to review two children's books for @theseaboardreview.ca, one about an animal I love, the other about an animal I'm now, as a result, feeling a lot less cringey toward. Challenge: guess which is which. @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social lnkd.in/gN4mrpsshttp...
Cats and Us: A Ten-Thousand Year Fascination; and This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake
Refreshingly, two kids’ picture books show animals as reality rather than myth
www.theseaboardreview.ca
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
B4 Armstrong & co., NASA's high flier was Ham. I love #OriGersht's novel #hamsheaven, about the adorable chimp whose space trip set the course 4 humans. > ever I appreciate #JaneGoodall 4 ensuring animals aren't mistreated as Ham was. @warblerpress.bsky.social @theseaboardreview.ca shorturl.at/7vXAj
Ham’s Heaven by Ori Gersht
Poignant novel about the chimp who set the course for human U.S. space travel—but, unlike Shepard, Armstrong, et al., was mostly unappreciated
shorturl.at
October 22, 2025 at 6:57 PM
As important now as ever: Partisans, fighting for freedom. I was delighted to have the chance to read and review the compelling, inspiring new comic book about Partisans for @theseaboardreview.ca @btlbooks.com www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/partisans-...
Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance, Edited by Raymond Tyler and Paul Buhle
Vivid and timely, this comic book tells Partisans' harrowing stories
www.theseaboardreview.ca
October 16, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by Melanie Jackson
October 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Fragile letters, ink faded, by his wife's great-grandfather proved a treasure for Canadian historian #brandonmarriott. From them he's written the riveting Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War. Here's my revu in @theseaboardreview.ca shorturl.at/RA7O8 @simonandschuster.bsky.social
Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War by Brandon Marriott
Vivid, fascinating, and—inescapably—horrifying: Historian Brandon Marriott recounts an ancestor’s WWI experiences
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October 11, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Melanie Jackson
The covers of the books reviewed in the October 8th issue of The Seaboard Review of Books. www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-Seaboa... #canlit
October 10, 2025 at 12:28 PM
This seals it: #gingerngo's Emerson the Elephant Seal, based on the real Em in #VictoriaBC, is now a literary star! In the
@theseaboardreview.ca I also celebrate #sandraboynton's When Pigs Fly! A song for dreamers.
@harbourpublishing.bsky.social
@simonandschuster.bsky.social
shorturl.at/rLCB1
A Stubborn Elephant Seal and a Dreamer Pig
Try, just try, not to love these kidlit protagonists
shorturl.at
September 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM
In our era of rapid change, innovation keeps @branksome.bsky.social not only apace but ahead. Deputy Interim Principal Kimberly BROOKER Carter’96: "[We] ensure Branksome stays responsive to today’s learner and today’s ever-evolving demands and possibilities." My interview with Kimberly in #TheROAD:
Branksome Hall’s Leap Towards Innovation with Kimberly BROOKER Carter’96 | Discover the Latest Updates from Branksome Hall
Read the latest news stories from Branksome Hall, showcasing student success, school events, and inspiring updates from our vibrant and inclusive community.
branksome.on.ca
September 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
@billarnott.bsky.social's latest travelogue, #APerfectDayforaWalkbytheWater, is well worth the reading plunge! The latest issue of @theseaboardreview.ca
just 💧ed – here's my review. @arsenalpulp.bsky.social www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/a-perfect-...
A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water by Bill Arnott
Down to the sea in shoes: Bill Arnott delights yet again
www.theseaboardreview.ca
September 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
At #TheWriters'UnionofCanada table, at the always festive and fun #WordVancouver, yesterday: fellow TWUC-er #DeborahPatz and I enjoy each others' books. (The fellow behind my left shoulder appears to be a would-be photo bomber.)
September 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
September 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Congratulations, @theseaboardreview.ca!
We're getting closer to 500 subscribers (free & paid)! Join us! www.theseaboardreview.ca
September 14, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reporting live from, well, the pages of CBC TV news correspondent Brian Stewart's riveting memoir #OntheGround: my review in today's edition of @theseaboardreview.ca. Thanks to editor James Fisher for the chance to relive Brian's adventures!
On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Brian Stewart
The thrill—and trauma—of being a foreign correspondent
www.theseaboardreview.ca
September 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
The sunny faces of #WhistlerBC. These lovelies, aka Black-Eyed Susans or Rudbeckia hirta, are everywhere.
September 6, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Thanks, as always, for your advocacy, #TheWritersUnionofCanada.
Alberta Must Reverse Book Bans | The Writers' Union of Canada
writersunion.ca
September 2, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Tx @theseaboardreview.ca 4 letting me steal a look at glam thieves, fictional (#ToCatchAThief) & real (#AGentlemanandAThief): shorturl.at/r9hNu. I start with, how could I not?, #CaryGrant: "The handsome thief inches along a ledge. From a window, a dowager screams, “Oh!” But, on closer look, 'Oooo…'"
August 28, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Newsom’s Twitter troll is genius because pleading and crying in front of an authoritarian does nothing, but pointing and laughing enrages the authoritarian.
August 24, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Melanie Jackson
“Small children from poor or middle-class families who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better on cognitive tests and in first grade than children who do not watch it,” Renata Adler wrote, in 1972.
The Invention of “Sesame Street”
Renata Adler’s 1972 review of the program that revolutionized children’s television.
www.newyorker.com
August 15, 2025 at 4:05 PM
‪Fruitful experience! A tart, tasty plum inspired me to reread #RumerGodden's #GreengageSummer. @theseaboardreview.ca kindly features my retrospective review of this classic I first read as a teen. Interesting how reactions to a story change on becoming a (somewhat) mature adult. rb.gy/w1k9qc
August 15, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Crisp & dee-lish as an Okanagan 🍎: #ASeasonInTheOkanagan, by #BillArnott. Bill's travel writing is, as always, fun; also poignant, as he revisits his childhood home and memories, & the history & lore of this lovely region. Here's my revu: shorturl.at/y5drE @theseaboardreview.ca #RockyMountainBooks
A Season in the Okanagan by Bill Arnott
Another tour—and tour de force—guide by BC writer Bill Arnott
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August 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Tickled to have my take on #Antifa, #GordHill's updated history of #antifascism, named🌟review in @theseaboardreview.ca. Hill's vivid, clever illos & captions are at once appealing, inspiring & worrying. But info is power, as fascies know, so go, Gord! @arsenalpulp.bsky.social
iny.one/1MtKw9
August 12, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Melanie Jackson
N.C. Wyeth (American, 1882–1945)
"The Giant", 1923.
Oil on Canvas, 182.9 × 152.4 cm.
Private Collection.
#art #painting #painters #BlueSkyArt
July 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Melanie Jackson
Did you know? If you become a "Founding Member" at The Seaboard Review of Books (only $60), we'll send you a book as our way of saying "thanks" for your support! We just sent one out this week. Find out more: www.theseaboardreview.ca
The Seaboard Review of Books | Substack
Embark on a Journey to Discover Great Reads. All our content is free. No paywalls, ever. Based in Canada. Click to read The Seaboard Review of Books, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscriber...
www.theseaboardreview.ca
July 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Reposted by Melanie Jackson
We don't want to just fill our #Picturebook readers' minds; we want to ignite them into action.

#KidLit #EduSky #EduSkyAu #BookSky #Parents #Teachers #ReadYourWorld
August 4, 2025 at 12:40 AM
In WWII Ann Charney, her family & other Jews hid from Nazis in a Polish barn. #DOBRYD is Charney's evocative memoir of emerging into liberated Poland. With an intriguing intro re why, on 1st pub in 1973, DOBRYD was largely ignored. A treat to review 4 @theseaboardreview.ca #BarakaBooks rb.gy/izt7fv
June 23, 2025 at 5:03 PM