Yasmin’s books are now available on Amazon.
Auntie gift’s Noah’s Ark to Anthony and Lyla for Valentine’s Day!
Now on sale on Amazon!
Pete the Pelican – Pete and his pals live on a small island in the Caribbean. Early one day Pete sees the island villagers set out nets to catch fish. All Pete and his pals have to do is land near the nets being pulled into the shore and open their beaks wide! Also available as a Special Edition for Readers with Dyslexia.
Nathan and Grammy reading together…
From 2019 to 2023 Decodable Books
Unit A
Unit B
Unit C
The Cat, the Red Bat and the Red Bed
Aa – Ann the Ant
Black Brent
Ted and the Bed
Bob and the Bat
Min and Her Pet
Cc – Cap the Cat
Bob, the Mop and the Mob
Dd – Dan the Bad Dog
Ee – Ed & Ham
Ee – Em and her Mom
2 Unlikely Heroes of the New World
Take off on an adventure. Travel back in time aboard a Spanish Galleon heading to the New World. What danger lurks beyond the safely of home for a young stowaway? Experience everyday life for those living in the Maya city of Chichen Itza. Play Pok-ta-Pok for the chance to represent your city against other players. How will the invaders change your world?
In 2 Unlikely Heroes, a black Arabian stallion brings ten-year-old Akumal and thirteen-year-old Juan Carlos together as they must help each other in order to survive. Lives change, beliefs shatter, while each hero grows beyond his youthful dreams in this quick read for Middle Grade readers into an historical period of the 1500’s.
Just Nuts
Just Nuts tells the story of a young boy who experiences an allergic reaction at a birthday party after eating a cookie which has traces of nuts. Our hero’s grandpa visits him at the hospital to explain about nuts, where and how they grow around the world.
Illustrations by Jo-Ann Apolzer and nineteen of her art students. Foreword by Dr. Ross O’Neil.
Grandpa’s Gift: The Story of the Canadians’ WWI Battle to Win Vimy Ridge
Grandpa’s Gift tells a story through a grandpa’s eyes to his grandson of an historical battle won by Canadians during WWI on the 100th anniversary. Winning Vimy Ridge from the Germans was instrumental in placing the young nation of Canada on the world map. Many Canadian lost their lives fighting to give the Allies a win after so many losses. An educational history lesson to all. Middle Grade readers will enjoy this quick read through history.
Grandpa’s Gift has earned praise from historians for its historical accuracy and its ability to capture the attention of young readers. Mark Dwor (Vancouver, Chairman, Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars) declares, “All the important necessary details of the battle are there and are presented with movement, clarity and immediacy that impels every reader (regardless of age) to be part of the ferocious momentum of the event.“
Click to download answers to the questions in Grandpa’s Gift
The Sonoran Desert Series
I fell in love with Arizona the first time I visited the state. It is a vast expanse, home of the Grand Canyon and the historic town of Tombstone, Karchner Cavern’s State Park, Kitt Peak and so much more. Arizona is a place where the night sky is awe-inspiring, making you think you can reach up and touch the stars.
Arizona is also a harsh land. Years of drought make the dry landscape beg for more monsoon rains in the summer months. How life exists under these extremes leaves you to wonder about nature. This was what guided me to write a series of educational children’s stories about the lives of animals and birds in this harsh environment, to help young readers learn about nature at its best and worst.
The first story in the Sonora Desert Series, A New Home for the Q’s follows Quinn and Queenie Quail in their search for a new home before the monsoon rains arrive in the Sonora desert. On the way, the Q’s find new friends and avoid dangerous predators. Copies of the books are available online from Amazon and from Barnes & Noble stores, or contact me.
Cruz Coyote & Rory Roadrunner, the second book in the Sonoran Desert Series, is the story of two predators following Quinn & Queenie Quail as they make their new home and prepare for the arrival of eggs and baby chicks. Cruz Coyote lives alone in the Sonoran Desert. Curious about the different creatures he meets, he watches two quails make a hiding place in some bushes. What are they up to? Rory Roadrunner watches the birds too. He knows what they are doing, and he is waiting hungrily. What will Cruz and Rory do when those quail eggs hatch?
The series continues with The Adventures of Cruz Coyote. Cruz is learning about humans and the workings of a coyote pack through the help of Hummer Hummingbird.
Can Hummer talk Cruz into joining a pack to end his lonely life in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona?
In Cruz Coyote and the Pack, Hummer Hummingbird advises Cruz Coyote to join the coyote pack. Cruz does not like all the rules of the pack. He prefers to roam the Sonoran Desert alone.
However, Cruz finds himself helping the pack leader’s young pup, Charlie. Will Cruz decide to stay with the pack when Charlie’s mom asks him to join them?
In The Adventures of Hummer Hummingbird, Hummer must search for a safe place to heal. His journey across the Sonoran Desert to a hideaway nest is full of danger. Hummer must stay alert as he dodges predator birds wishing to take him to their families as dinner.
Follow Hummer’s flight to safely as he encounters friends and foes along his path.
(Don’t miss the sixth book in the series, Jenry, the Silly Javelina. See the “new releases” at the top of this page.)
Let Goodnight, Sonoran Friends help your baby or early reader learn about eighteen of the characters featured in the Sonoran Desert series of book by author Yasmin John-Thorpe and illustrated by artist, Sherry Darrah.
Jenry, the Silly Javelina
Jenry, the “spare” javelina, has a problem. Why does he have to follow his family and dine on prickly pear cacti every evening? Jenry runs off from family and safety, in search of a rodent or small animal he can capture and eat.
What awaits Jenry? Will he be successful? Which friends or predators will he encounter on his wild adventure? Will he be safe without his family’s protection?
What Am I? This ABC book is an early reader for beginners, introducing some of the animals, birds and plants in the Sonoran Desert series of books. Meet the residents from an ant to a zebra-tail lizard, and all those in between!
Now Ossana and Odin Owl have given us their own story in the Sonoran Desert series! 
One early spring day Ossana, the mommy horned owl, decides to hatch her four eggs high up on a palm frond. What follows becomes a story showing the test of survival for the owlets. A Tale of Horned Owls is richly illustrated with photos from many of the residents of Quail Creek, who watched the story unfold in their own backyard.
Earlier Books and Stories
The Lone Pilgrim, published December 2011. In 2010, I wanted to mark my sixtieth in an unforgettable way. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St. James, in Spain, is a trek of over 790 kilometers and sounded like a challenging way to celebrate turning 60.
The Lone Pilgrim details my journey of discovery on the Camino de Santiago.
Treasure House 1, published in 2006 in London, England by MacMillan Caribbean Ltd., contains two of my stories; it is a school reader for teachers and parents.
- All Covered In Soot: Lali and her friends wish to know when the nuts off the cashew fruit will be ready to eat
- An Island Treasure: Robert (Bobo) knows there is pirate treasure in the cave, but how will he get to it, when the cave entrance is in the rocks out in the Caribbean Sea and Bobo cannot swim!
Island Garden, published in 2007 by Glaxo Smith Kline. I was one of only four authors selected to write a story for this publication slated for young patients at hospitals in the Caribbean. In the story, An Extraordinary Christmas, Alicia’s birthday falls on Christmas Day, and on her eleventh birthday she gets a special gift—the chance to celebrate in Toronto, Canada with her aunt and uncle, instead of at home in the Caribbean. What will she do with all those cold temperatures and snow instead of the warmth and sunshine of home?
Taking The Heat: Canadian Politicians In the Kitchen, published 2001. Recipes from Canadian Politicians across the country, federal and provincial. Fundraiser for soup kitchens.
The idea for Taking the Heat: Canadian Politicians in the Kitchen was born at the time my husband was a politician and I wanted to show Canadian politicians as ordinary people, doing something ordinary in their daily lives. I asked for their favorite recipes for a national cookbook. The project took two years and includes a section entitled “With Regret,” responses from those who did not contribute. It’s filled with mouth-watering recipes.
These are not available on Amazon. If you’d like one, please email me:
yasminjohnthorpe @ icloud.com
yasmin @ rifbooks.com