Volume39Number1 Spring2017ISSN0708-594X

CANSCAIPNEWSCanadianSocietyofChildren’sAuthors,Illustrators&Performers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateurs&artistespourenfants

CANSCAIPNEWSCanadianSocietyofChildren’sAuthors,Illustrators&Performers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateurs&artistespourenfants

INTHISISSUE•IntroducingAshleySpires•GillianO’Reilly–WritingtheWordless

PictureBook•MarshaSkrypuch–MeettheProfessionals•MartheJocelyn–Illustrator’sSketchbook

Plusallourofregularfeatures

(LogovariationbyBillSlavin)

CANSCAIPNEWSCanadianSocietyofChildren’sAuthors,Illustrators&Performers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateurs&artistespourenfants

Introducing…

Ashley SpiresbyPauletteBourgeois

WhenwefirstmetatCANSCAIP’sNovember

2016PackagingYourImaginationconference,

AshleySpireswasjustcomingoffofagruelling

tourtopromoteherpicturebook,SmallSaul,

thatyear’sTDGradeOneBookGiveaway.She

wasdouble-checkinghernotes,andtheslide

presentationofherwork,forthemorning

keynoteaddress.Hervoicewascroakywith

laryngitisandshehintedatfeelingfeverish.

Suggestionsthatsheaskanotherauthorto

standinforthetalkandheadhometoDelta,

BritishColumbia,wereinstantlydismissed

becauseshewasafraidofdisappointing

anyone.Anddisappoint,shedidnot.Hertalk

toafullauditoriumwasfunny,likethe

bespectacled,gamineAshley,andfilledwith

revealinginsightsaboutherworkasanaward-

winningauthor/illustratorinmuchdemand

CANSCAIPNEWSCanadianSocietyofChildren’sAuthors,Illustrators&Performers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateurs&artistespourenfants

inCanadaandtheUnitedStates.We’dplanned

tohaveaninterviewforthisprofileafterthe

speech,butAshleywassoillshegrabbedacab

totheairportandhoppedonanearlierflight

thanoriginallyplanned.Awisechoiceasshe

wassickforweeksafterwardwithpneumonia.

Wetriedagaintomeetonthewestcoastin

December,butasluckwouldhaveit,therewas

CANSCAIPNEWSCanadianSocietyofChildren’sAuthors,Illustrators&Performers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateurs&artistespourenfants

CANSCAIPNEWSCanadianSocietyofChildren’sAuthors,Illustrators&Performers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateurs&artistespourenfants

CANSCAIPNEWS 2 SPRING2017

averyun-Vancouver-likesnowyblastofwinter

thatdayandIcouldn’tnavigatetheroads.I

reallyhopedtoseeAshley’sstudiobecause

that’swhereshespendsmostofhertime,but

shedescribedittomeandherfirstwordswere:

“There’sabigTV.”Thiswasthefirstofmany

surprisesinourextendedphoneconversation.

Abig-screentelevisioninanartist’sstudiois

notwhatIhadpictured.Moreaboutthatwhen

weexploreAshley’screative

process.Sheisalsoa

Highlanddancerand

drummedinaScottishpipe

bandbutmoreonthat,too,

anditsromantic

connection,later.

Thefirstsurpriseforme

aboutAshleythecreator,

cameduringthatkeynote

address.Inspiteofhervery

successfulBinky,theSpace

Cat,seriesofjuniorgraphic

novels,andthemagnificent

picturebook,TheMost

MagnificentThing,and

illustratorofbookssuchas

C’mereBoybyCANSCAIP

President,SharonJennings,amongmanyother

projects,Ashleyisriddledwithself-doubt

aboutherabilitiesasacreator.Shesaidthen,

andrepeatedinourphoneinterview,thatshe

doesn’treallylikeherownwork.“It’sahard

thingtoadmit,”shesays.“ButwhenIlookat

myillustrations,andseealltheamazingartout

there,IfeelasifIamalwaystryingtocatchup.

AndIstilldon’tconsidermyselfanauthor.”

SoifyouarescratchingyourheadasIdid

aboutthisrevelation,thenweneedtodiscover

whyanartistwhohassoldaquarter-of-a-

millioncopies(andcounting)ofTheMost

MagnificentThing,tosaynothingofhavingit

turnedintoananimatedfilmbyNelvanainthe

nearfuture,andhasbeentherecipientof

awardsandcriticalaccoladesforherBinkyand

otherseries,issounsureofhertalent.

Ashleygrewupinthesmallcoastaltownof

Tsawwassen,B.C.,withherparents,anolder

sister,eightcats,adogandtheoccasionalnewt.

Ashley’sfamilyownsapetfoodwholesalestore

wheresheworkedpart-timethroughhigh

schoolanduniversity.

Likesomanycreativeteenagers,Ashley

foundhighschoolalonely,alienatingplacebut

shefoundsolaceinherart-workand—here

comesthesurprise—inan

extra-curricularschool

bagpipeanddrumband.

Shefoundher“tribe”asa

Highlanddancerand

drummer.Onesummerata

nationwidebagpipe

competitionshemet

bagpipeplayer,Jared,from

Saskatchewan,andsparks

flew.Therewasnointernet

backthen,sothepairwrote

lettersbackandforth.

Growingupgotintheway

butyearslater,friends

wouldre-introducethem

andtheyfellinlove.Ashley

wasanauthor/illustratorby

thenandshemovedtoSaskatchewanwhere

JaredwasstationedwiththeRCMP.Itwasn’t

idealbecausetheycouldbemovedeverytwoto

fouryearstothe“middleofnowhere.”That

wouldreallychallengetherelationshipJared

andAshleyhadwithhistwochildren—agirl,

10,andaboy,12—sotheymadethedecisionto

movetoBritishColumbiawhereJaredcouldgo

backtouniversityanditwouldbeeasierforthe

childrentogobackandforthfromVancouver

tothesmalltowninSaskatchewanwheretheir

motherlives.Jaredmovedwithnopetsand

soonfoundhisfamilywouldgrowtoinclude

manyfour-leggedfurry“kids.”

Theunboundedloveforanimalsispartof

whoAshleyis.Shemadeachoicenottohave

herownchildren,sothatshecouldthrowher

maternalenergiesintoherstep-familyandher

CANSCAIPNEWS 3 SPRING2017

“Beingontheroadisnotanaturalplaceforme.Ifinditdrainingandit’shavinganegativeeffectonmycreativity…Iamfiguringouthownottodisappointwhilestayingtruetomyself.Myhappyplaceishereinmystudio,drawingwithmyanimalsaroundme.”

animals.There’sGordon,aPomeraniansheltie

dog,cats,Fran,PennyandMina,andatthe

timeofourinterviewalitteroforphanedfoster

kittensthatAshleybottlefeeds.WhenI

remarkedthatherdoghasthesamenameas

myson,shetoldmethatshegivespeople-

namestoallofheranimalsbecausetheyare

family.“Theyarethebestcreaturesonthe

planet,”shesays.And,itappears,great

inspirationforcharacters.

Herpathtobecominga

celebratedauthor/illustrator

meandered.Herfamilyhas

alwayssupportedhercreative

sideandaslongasAshleycan

remembershehasbeen

“makingthings.”Atthe

PackagingYourImagination

Keynote,Ashleyshowedusfive

feltfingerpuppetsthatshe

madeandshareswithher

youngaudiencesinschools.

Theyaredelicateand

expressiveandIassumedthat

Ashleywashandywithasewingneedle.“Ican’t

sewworthadamn,”shelaughed.“MyMomis

terrible,too.”ButAshleyalsomakesexquisite

andplayfulminiaturesculptedcreatures.It’sa

skillshehonedfromtheageofthreewhena

neighbourgaveherapackageofthesculpting

material,Fimo,asoft,smoothpolymerclay.

ShemadeanewFimocritteraday—thesmaller

thebetterandshehaskeptalmostallofthem

tuckedintoaFerreroRocherchocolatebox.

Childrenaredelightedwhentheyrealizeher

sculpturesaredwarfedbyapenny.Andyoucan

seeAshleyworkingher“makingthings”magic

inadelightfulYouTubevideoproducedbyKids

CanPress,“TheMostMagnificentThingBook

Hack”ofAshleyturningthe“dummy”ofher

bookaboutthefrustrationsandjoysofcreating

intoabook/handbag.Thishasledtoanother

fascinatingsidelineforAshley—inadditionto

traditionalschoolvisits,shenowdoes“hacking

workshops”inschoolsaswellasatcorporate

“Beingontheroadisnotanaturalplaceforme.Ifinditdrainingandit’shavinganegativeeffectonmycreativity…Iamfiguringouthownottodisappointwhilestayingtruetomyself.Myhappyplaceishereinmystudio,drawingwithmyanimalsaroundme.”

familyevents.“Theymakethemostamazing

things,”shesays.“Origami,dioramas,evena

car!”

ThesculptingmighthaveledAshleytoa

careerinclaymation—andsheisquicktopoint

outthatPixarisstillwelcometocallanytime—

butinsteadshestudiedphotographyatEmily

CarrUniversityofArtandDesignonGranville

Island.She’dneverevenconsideredbook

illustrationuntilshetooka

classtaughtbyauthor/

illustrator,CeliaKing.Quickly,

Ashleydiscoveredherpassion

forcreatingchildren’sbooks,

andplannedhercareer.The

classassignmentwastowrite

andillustrateonebook.Ashley,

alreadydemonstratingthatshe

canbeveryprolific,broughtin

twenty.

Theproblemwasthatafter

graduation,Ashleyfeltshe

didn’treallyknowhowto

createbooksforchildren.She

didn’tthinkaboutthe“gutter”betweenspreads

andshewasdismayedbythegapshesaw

betweenherillustrationsandthoseinpicture

booksoftheartistsshesoadmired.So,she

pickedupandstudiedillustrationatSheridan

CollegeinOakville,Ontario.Theclasseswere

illuminatinginmanyways.Ashleylearnedto

trustherownsophisticated,zanystyleinstead

ofemulatingothersandshestartedtofeel

comfortablewithwhatshecalls,“sillystories.”

Inspirationcamefromthe“cleverand

shocking”retellingoffairytalesinRoaldDahl’s

RevoltingRhymes,butshedidn’tbelieveshe

wasawriter.

HerworkcaughttheeyeofTaraWalker,

thenaneditoratKidsCanPress,andstilla

championforAshley’snewwork,butnowthe

publisherofPenguinRandomHouseCanada

Children’sPublishingGroup.Atthatstage,

Ashleythoughtofhertextasplace-holdersand

shefocusedontheart.ButTaraknowsagood

“Beingontheroadisnotanaturalplaceforme.Ifinditdrainingandit’shavinganegativeeffectonmycreativity…Iamfiguringouthownottodisappointwhilestayingtruetomyself.Myhappyplaceishereinmystudio,drawingwithmyanimalsaroundme.”

CANSCAIPNEWS 4 SPRING2017

thingwhensheseesitandshetoldAshley,“You

shouldbewriting,too.”

Ashleydidn’tbelieveher,butshedidgoon

towriteherfirstBinkybookandhascontinued

towrite,albeitwithmuchself-doubt.She

laughedwhenoneofher“absoluteidols”,

Marie-LouiseGay,commiseratedandsaidshe,

too,looksateverynewbookshecreatesand

thinks,“Thisisapieceof@#$!.”Perhapsall

authors,illustratorsand

performersfeeltheirwork

isneverasgoodasitmight

be,orasgoodasanother’s

bookandperhapsthatis

whyweallkeepdoingwhat

wedo.

BacktoAshley’sstudio

andtheTV.Atfirst,after

graduatingfromSheridan

College,Ashleymoved

homeandworkedatthe

familypetfoodbusiness

duringtheday.Atlunch

hoursandafterwork,shewouldsketch

charactersfrom4pmuntilatleastmidnight.

“It’seasyformetoworkuntil1:30inthe

morning.”Thenocturnalworkhabitsarenow

ingrained.IfAshleyiswriting—ofteninthe

latemorning—sheneedssilence.Shedraws

laterintheafternoonandsheturnsonNetflix

andlistenstoshows“thatIcanfigureoutthe

voiceofthecharacterandknowwhat’sgoing

onwithouthavingtowatch.”TheWestWing

andGilmoreGirlsarerecentbingeshows.

Whenshecolours,AshleywatchesTV.

Fortunately,Jaredisalsoanight-owl.Gordon,

thedog,whosharesthebed,isalsohappyto

sleepin.“Hedoesn’tcrawloutofbeduntilhis

foodhitsthedish,”laughsAshley.

Whenaskedabouthercreativeprocess,

Ashleyhastoldotherinterviewersthatthe

conceptsforherstoriescomefromherpets,or

otheranimals,astoryshemighthavebeentold,

oradoodleinhersketchbook.But,then

somethinginternalalwaysclicksin.Many

writersarereluctanttodrawparallelsbetween

theirlivesandtheirfiction,butAshley

unabashedlysaysthatsomewherealongthe

waytoafinishedbook,thereismuchofher

personalityandherexperiencesinthestory.

ShepointstoLarf,adelightful,hairy,

vegetarianSasquatchwholivesquietlywithhis

petbunnyEric,andventuresfromhissafezone

tothecitywherehehopestomeetanotherone

justlikehim.Hishopesare

dashedbuthedoesmake

like-mindedfriends.There

ismorethanaglimpseof

Ashleyinthisstory.Her

author’snotetellsreaders

that,“Theartworkinthis

bookwasrenderedin

vegetable-based

watercolour,biodegradable

ink,recycledpapercollage,

andadollopoforganic

SasquatchDetanglerand

ConditioningShampoo.

Thisbookisvegetarian,veganandSasquatch

friendly.”ShejokesthatshesharesLarf ’sbody

hairgroomingissues.Ididn’taskafollow-up

question.

Tothisreader,perhapshermost

autobiographicalbooksare,TheMost

MagnificentThingandOverscheduledAndrew.

InTheMostMagnificentThing,Ashleyshares

thefrustrationsofaninventivegirlwhowants

tomakesomethingspecialforherdog.Every

effortseemstofailandherfuryatherselfgrows

untilsheisasteamingmess.“Herhandsfeel

toobigtoworkandherbrainistoofullofall

thenot-rightthings.”Ittakesawalkwithher

dogtoclearherheadand“bitbybit,themad

getspushedoutofherhead.”Intheend,allof

herattemptedinventions,whichshesawas

failurestobediscarded,aredeemedvaluableby

herfriendsandneighbours.Andthe“girl”

whosenameyouneverlearnbecauseAshley

wantedallherreaderstoidentifywiththe

CANSCAIPNEWS 5 SPRING2017

buddingengineer,doescreateawonderful

thingtosharewithhergrateful,namelessdog.

Everythingaboutthisstoryisabouttheway

Ashleyviewsthewaysheworks:theinitial

enthusiasm,themanytriesthataren’tquite

rightandtheinevitableoverwhelming

frustrationuntilsomething“clicks”—usually

afterawalkwithherdog.

Ashleysayssheoftenfeelsthepressureto

continuetoimproveherselfandshetakeson

waytoomuchintoolittletime,forgettingwhat

ismostimportanttoher.Fortunately,thehero

inOverscheduledAndrewmanagestorein

everythinginandfindsjusttherightbalanceof

joyandactivity.

TheBinkySpaceCatseriesanditsspin-offs

featuringFluffyandGordonhavegainedfans

everywhere,particularlyreaderswhofindthe

graphicnovelformatbothaccessibleand

hysterical.Herhighestcomplimentiswhena

parenttellsher,“mykidwantstoreadthis

everynightandIdon’tmind!”

Binkyisahousecatwhohasneverbeen

outside.Hewantstobuildaspaceshipand

explorewhathethinksisouterspace.Hethinks

thebugsthatcreephimoutarealiensthatneed

tobedispatchedwithacrunch,crunch,crunch

inordertoprotecthishumans.

Creatingagraphicnovel,Ashleyexplains,is

morelikewritingascreenplaythanan

extendedpicturebook.“Thestorygoesthrough

myheadlikeamovie.”Shewritesthewords

firstandthencreatesstoryboards.Sheis

currentlyworkingonmoreofherspacepet

booksandherbiggestbookyet,a200-page

graphicnovelthatshereferstoas“myopus.”

Asyoucanimagine,Ashleyisinhigh

demandforconferencesandschoolvisitsand

shereally,reallydoesn’twanttodisappoint,but

popularityisexactingatollonherphysically,

emotionallyandcreatively.Sheisdoingmore

andmoreSkypeinterviewswhereshecansitin

herstudiowearingsweatpantswithacupof

teaalongsidehercats,andGordon.“Iputona

nicetop,”shesays,“Becausetheyonlyseethe

upperhalfofme!”Shealsopresentsatbig

conferencesthatherpublishersandAmerican

agentfeelare“must-shows.”Sheisquickto

stressthatshelovesconnectingwiththe

readersofherbooksandisenormouslygrateful

foralltheinvitationstoappearinschoolsand

atconferences.Still...sheisgivingthissideof

herprofessionallifeare-evaluation.

“Beingontheroadisnotanaturalplacefor

me.Ifinditdrainingandit’shavinganegative

effectonmycreativity.”Asanocturnalsoul,

Ashley’ssleeppatternsbecomeupendedby

timezonechangesanddaytimecommitments

leaveherexhausted.Shefearssheiswasting

timeandenergythatshehopestofunnelinto

herwork.

Ashleyis—intheverybestofways—the

quintessentialpleaserwhoputstheneedsof

othersbeforeherown.IknowthisbecauseI

wasontheroadalottoo,backinthedaywhen

Franklinwasmuchindemandandafterevery

tour,Ifeltcompletelydrained.Isoadmireher

resolvetodeterminewhatisthebestbalance

betweenthedemandsuponherasapersonand

asanartistwhomuststayconnectedtothe

broaderworldofpublishingandpublicity.

“Iamfiguringouthownottodisappoint

whilestayingtruetomyself.Myhappyplaceis

hereinmystudio,drawingwithmyanimals

aroundme.”

AshleySpireshasaplan.Shewillfinish

everythingshehaspromisedtodo,butsheis

alsoschedulingtimetoplayandtoexplore.Her

fansandherfellowcreatorscanhardlywaitto

seewhatmagnificentthingwillemerge.

PauletteBourgeoisis

awriterofpicture

booksandnonfiction

booksforchildren.

ShesharesAshley’s

loveofmaking

things—mostlyquilts

andhookedrugs.

PhotobyIanCrysler

CANSCAIPNEWS 6 SPRING2017

MEETCONNECTSHARE!

Nevermissameeting:www.canscaip.org/EventsCalendar!AddCANSCAIPeventsstraighttoyourcalendarorinboxwithhandyRSSandcalendartools.

Montreal:CANSCAIPmeetingsareheldregularly.Formoreinformation,contactCarol-AnnHoyte.kidlitfan1972@yahoo.ca

Toronto:MeetingsareheldonthesecondWednesdayofeachmonth,tentimesayear(nomeetingsinJulyorAugust).Meetingsin2017:April12,May10,June14,September13,October11,November8,December13.Seewebsiteforlocationandtopic:www.canscaip.org/Monthly-Meetings.

Saskatchewan:Holdsvirtualmeetingsmonthlyonthe15!".YourSaskatchewanrepresentativeisSharonPlumbHamilton.skcanscaip.wordpress.com.

CongratulationsCANSCAIP Members!SHORTLISTEDforthe2017ShiningWillowReaders’ChoiceAward

LindaBaileyforIfYouHappenToHavea

Dinosaur(Tundra)andWhenSantaWasa

Baby(Tundra)

SeanCassidyforAWoodpecker’sTale

(Fitzhenry&Whiteside)

JanThornhillforKyleGoesAlone(Owlkids)

EricWaltersforTodayIstheDay(Tundra)

SHORTLISTEDforthe2017DiamondWillowReaders’ChoiceAward

CatherineAustenfor28TricksforaFearlessGrade6(JamesLorimer&Co.)

LindaBaileyforSevenDeadPirates(Tundra)

DanBar-elforAudrey(cow)(Tundra)BeckyCitraforFindingGrace(SecondStoryPress)

GordonKormanforMasterminds

(HarperCollins)

JenniferMook-SangforSpeechless(ScholasticCanada)

ValerieSherrardforRainShadow(Fitzhenry&Whiteside)

SHORTLISTEDforthe2017SnowWillowReaders’ChoiceAward

KelleyArmstrongforTheUnquietPast(Orca

Books)

LornaS.NicholsonforFragileBones(Clockwise

Press)

SusinNielsenforWeAreAllMadeofMolecules

(Tundra)

CarolinePignatforTheGospelTruth(RedDeer

Press)

RichardScrimgerforZomboy(HarperCollins)

EmilSherforYoungManWithaCamera

(ScholasticCanadaInc.)

ValerieSherrardforRainShadow(Fitzhenry&Whiteside)

AllanStrattonforTheDogs(ScholasticCanada)

EricWaltersforWalkingHome(Penguin

RandomHouseCanadaYoungReaders)

MEETCONNECTSHARE!

Nevermissameeting:www.canscaip.org/EventsCalendar!AddCANSCAIPeventsstraighttoyourcalendarorinboxwithhandyRSSandcalendartools.

Montreal:CANSCAIPmeetingsareheldregularly.Formoreinformation,contactCarol-AnnHoyte.kidlitfan1972@yahoo.ca

Toronto:MeetingsareheldonthesecondWednesdayofeachmonth,tentimesayear(nomeetingsinJulyorAugust).Meetingsin2017:April12,May10,June14,September13,October11,November8,December13.Seewebsiteforlocationandtopic:www.canscaip.org/Monthly-Meetings.

Saskatchewan:Holdsvirtualmeetingsmonthlyonthe15!".YourSaskatchewanrepresentativeisSharonPlumbHamilton.skcanscaip.wordpress.com.

CANSCAIPNEWS 7 SPRING2017

NOTEWORTHYINMEMORIAM:NorahMcClintock

NorahMcLintockwithFriedaWishinsky(r)

Weareverysadtoannouncethedeathof

NorahMcClintock(1952-2017)alongtime

memberofCANSCAIP.Norahistheauthorof

47YAnovels,mostofthemmysteriesand

thrillers,allofthemgrowingoutoffully-

developedcharacterswholearnimportantlife

lessonsaboutfairnessandstandingupforthe

underdog.Norahwasafive-timewinnerofthe

CrimeWritersofCanada’sArthurEllisAward,

andafrequentnomineeandwinnerofsuch

awardsastheForestofReading,CCBC’sBest

Books,YALSA’sQuickPicks,andJuniorLibrary

Guildselections.Shewillbemissedbyher

manyfriendsinCANSCAIP.

FriedaWishinskyremembers:WhenNorahMcClintockdiedonFebruary7!"Ilostadearfriend—someoneIcouldcallupin

themiddleofthenightifIneededher.

Someonewhocouldcallmeinthemiddleof

thenightifsheneededme.Norahsharedwhat

shewasgoingthroughandgavemethe

freedomtosharemylifetoo.Thosekindsof

friendshipsarerareandspecial.

Norahlovedherfamilyfiercely.Theyhave

lostacaringmom,grandmomandwife.

Theworldofliteraturehaslostabrilliant,

insightfulwriterwhoplungedfearlesslyinto

difficultsubjects.Norah’sbookshadperfect

pacing;hercharactersweremulti-layeredand

sheportrayedthemwithempathyand

understanding.Overthemanyyearsshewrote,

shewascelebratedandrecognizedbycritics

andthepublic.ShewontheCrimeWritersof

CanadaArthurEllisawardforyoungpeoplefive

times.Shewroteinmanygenres—stand-alone

titles,series,non-fictionandevenagraphic

novel.Herbookshavebeentranslatedinto

numerouslanguages.

Despiteliterarysuccess,whatmatteredmost

toNorahwasthewritingprocessandthe

carefulcraftingofeachbook.Shewasalways

opentonewideasandwasexcitedwhenshe

foundone.Shesavouredimmersingherselfina

storyandrelishedhoningeachscenetillitwas

seamless.Sheappreciatedgoodeditorial

feedback.Shewasalwaystruetoher“voice”asa

writer.Shewasaconsummateprofessional.

Iwillmisslaughingwithheroverthe

absurditiesoflifeandpolitics.Iwillmiss

sharingfancyhighteawithher,whichwedid

oftentocelebratenewworkortheendofa

roundofchemo.Iwillmisshervariedinterests,

herhonestyandherpassionforfairness.In

recentyearsNorahtookupdrawing,painting

andcartooning.Ithoughtherartwasalready

terrificbutshewantedittobebetterand

better.

Twodaysbeforeshedied,whenIwas

visitingheratPrincessMargaret,shewas

driftinginandoutofalertnessbecauseofthe

heavypainmedications.Yet,whenher

husbandbegantotellushowtogettoa

Chineserestauranthelikednearthehospital,

Norahsuddenlyopenedhereyesandadded,

“Spadina.”Thenshemurmured,“Sorry.”That

wassoNorah.Despitethefogofillnessand

medicationshewasofferinghelpand

information.Andshewasgratefulthather

friendswerethereforherbutshealsofeltbad

thattheyfeltsad.

CANSCAIPNEWS 8 SPRING2017

Iwillneverforgetherfriendshipandour

talks.Iamgratefulthatwebecamefriendslong

agoinaMontrealhotelbeforebeginningto

teachatayoungauthor’sconference.

“Let’shavecoffeeandtalk,”Isaidthatfirst

morning.Andwedid,everydaybeforewe

began,allthewayhomeonthetrainandfor

manyyearsafter.

FOLLOWCANSCAIP:Lookingforsomegood

tweets?Thereisnowahandypageonthe

CANSCAIPwebsitewheretheTwitterhandles

ofourprofessionalmembersarelisted.Let’s

followeachotherandhelppromoteeach

other’swork.Anddon’tforgettofollow

@CANSCAIPaswell,http://canscaip.org/

page-1862893.

FINDINGCANADIANBOOKS:49thShelf.com

isawebsitedevotedtoCanadianbooks

includingbooksforkids.Producedbythe

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withtheCanadianPublishers’Council,and

withfundingfromtheDepartmentof

CanadianHeritageandtheOntarioMedia

DevelopmentCorporationandalead

sponsorshipfromAmazon.ca.,itspurposeisto

makeiteasierforreaderstodiscoverCanadian

booksinallgenres,frombestsellingauthorsto

newtalent,frompublisherslargeandsmall,

fromallregionsofthecountry.ThankstoLENACOAKLEYforpointingustothisgreatresource.

LOGOVARIATION:Ourfront-pagelogo

variationisbyBillSlavin.Youcanseemoreof

hisworkinWhoBroketheTeapot(Tundra)

whichhebothwroteandillustrated,andThe

BigBookofCanada(Tundra)writtenby

ChristopherMoore,plusthemanybooksabout

StanleywrittenbyLindaBailey.

ILLUSTRATORS:Wearelookingformorelogo

variationstodressuptheNEWS.For

inspiration,youcanviewourcurrentonesat

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ofourwebsite.

IfyouareafullCANSCAIPmember/

illustratorandwouldliketosubmityour

versionforpossibleuse,herearethespecifics:

Digitalsubmissionispreferred,soscanyourart

at300dpi(highresolution)andemailthefile

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CREATIVEWRITING:Ifyouareteachingacourseinwritingorillustrationforthechildren’s

market,we’dlovetosendyouapackageofbrochuresaboutCANSCAIPandaboutPackagingYourImaginationtodistributetoyourstudents.Justemailtheoffice

(office@canscaip.org)toletHelenaAaltoknow

howmanyyoumayneed.

CANSCAIPNEWS 9 SPRING2017

Photo by Ian Crysler

From the President’s DeskbySharonJennings

OnFebruary26,IattendedtheCelebrationof

Lifememorialforourcolleague,youngadult

mysteryauthorNorah

McClintock.ImetNoraha

coupleofdecadesago,

throughvolunteerworkat

TheCanadianChildren’s

BookCentre.Overtheyears,

Isawheratvariousevents,

readherbooks,heardher

present,andrecentlyhad

dinnerwithNorahandher

husbandHermaninthe

homesofothercolleagues.

Shewillremainanimportant

memberofourkidlit

community,andshewillbe

missedbymanyofour

writers,editors,publishers,andherreadersand

fansofallages.

EricWaltersworkedwithNorahonthree

projectsinwhichshewasoneofsevenauthors:

TheSevenSeries,TheSevenSequels,and

Secrets.HehadthehighestpraiseforNorah’s

talent,workethic,andprofessionalism,calling

heranall-roundgreatperson.Ericwasin

Vancouverandunabletoattendthememorial,

buthiswife,Anita,readEric’sspeechonhis

behalf.Shebeganwith:“OurCanadian

children’sliteraturecommunityisverysmall:

eitherweknoweachotherorwe’veheardof

eachother.”

Involvedinthepublishingworldforalmost

fortyyears,Iknowthetruthofthis.Manyofus

arefriendsonsocialmedia—neverhaving

met—becausewehavereadeachother’sbooks.

Forbookaddicts,thatisasgoodan

introductionaswewilleverneed.Andmanyof

Photo by Ian Crysler

ushavemetonlyonce,foraweekendata

festival,orevenadayataworkshop,andhave

nourishedafriendshipthathaslastedyears.

(Freeboozeandgoodfoodmayhave

somethingtodowiththis.)Inthepast,Ihave

calledauthorswhoIdon’tknowbecausethey

didatriporaneventthatI’vebeenaskedtodo.

Theywillinglygaveoftheirtimeandadvice—to

astranger,really—simplybecauseweare

membersoftheMargaret

Laurencetribe.And,of

course,weallhave

colleagueswhohavebecome

cherishedfriends.

Ericphonedmeonthenight

ofNorah’smemorial,and

thankedmefor‘showingup’.

Iwasabitflummoxed—like

hewasthankingmefor

breathing.IknewNorah,

she’spartofmyworld,andI

knowsomeofherfriends

whoaredevastatedbyher

death.Whywouldn’tIshow

up?

PerhapsEricwasreferencinganarticlethatI

rememberedreadingaweekortwobefore

whichbemoanedthenumberofpeoplewho

avoidgoingtoafuneral.Thearticleexplained

whyitisnecessarytoattendafuneral.(Forgive

mebecauseIcannotrememberwhowroteit/

whereIreadit.)Noonelikesgoingtoafuneral,

butthewriterurgedreaderstogoforthesake

ofgrievingfamilyandfriends,togivethema

visualofhowmanypeoplefeltconnectedto

theirlovedone.

FollowingEric’scall,Iruminatedabitmore.

Afterdeathisonething,butdoweshowupfor

ourcolleagueshereandnow?Doweattend

eachother’slaunchesandpublicreadings,

workshopsandfundraisers?Dowestrivefor

thatvisualofbumsinchairstodemonstrate

oursupport?Sometimesweprobablythinkit

willbeeasiertobuyabookelsewhereandskip

thelaunch,butthenourcolleagueperhapswill

Photo by Ian Crysler

CANSCAIPNEWS 10 SPRING2017

neverknowthatweboughtthatbook.Orwe

mightn’tbothergoingbecausewedon’tknow

thatauthororwedoknowthatillustratorso‘so

what?’Frommyownexperience,Iknowhow

surprisedI’vebeen,flatteredandgratefuland,

yes,nervous,whenseeingunexpectedfacesata

bookrelatedevent.

Byallmeans,let’sclick‘like’onFacebook,

retweetgoodnews,sharecongratulatory

postingsandphotos.Ifthereisacolleaguewe

haven’tseeninawhile,perhapsbecauseof

illnessorageorthechallengeofmovement,

let’svowtophoneorvisit.I’dsay‘onlyconnect’,

butthat’sbeenwritten.I’mgoingwith‘just

showup.’

Iwroteinanearliercolumnthatas

CANSCAIPPresident,Iwouldtrytogotoas

manyeventsaspossible,tosupportmy

colleaguesofcourse,butalsobecauseIenjoy

doingso.Ilikebuyingbooks.Ilikereading

books.Ilikehearingyourwordsofwisdomand

applyingthemtomyownwriting.Ilike

stealingyourpresentationtechniquesandyour

niftyideasforacakewithyourcoveronit.And

ifIcansupportyourcharitybybuyingyour

book—win-win-win!

Ifyouthinkmetooearnest,I’llfinishwitha

recentlyseenjoke.Afuneraldirectorstaresat

anemptyroom,noonesittinginthehundreds

ofchairs.Hesaid,“Iexpectedamuchbigger

turn-out.Hehadsomanyfriendson

Facebook.”

CANSCAIPNEWS 11 SPRING2017

WELCOME!byMoniquePolak

InthiscolumnwewelcomeournewestMembers.

DAVEATKINSONisachildren’sauthor,

journalist,columnist,

andbroadcaster.His

firstnovelformiddle-

gradereaders,

Wereduck,was

nominatedforthe

2016Hackmatack

Children’sChoice

Award.Daveisa

multipleaward-winningjournalistwhosework

fortheCBChasappearedonTheCurrent,

AtlanticVoice,Tapestry,MaritimeMagazine,

andregionalradioprogramsacrossthecountry.

Heandhiswifearehomeschoolingtheirthree

sillykidsinCharlottetown,PEI.Curefor

Wereduckwasreleasedinfall2016byNimbus

Publishing.FollowDaveatfacebook.com/

daveatkinsonbooksortwitter.com/davyay.

HADLEYDYERistheaward-winning

authorofJohnny

KellockDiedToday

(HarperCollins)and

PotatoesonRooftops

(Annick),among

otherbooksfor

childrenandyoung

adults.Sheworkedin

thechildren’sbook

industryformorethantwentyyears.Hadley

livesinToronto.Tolearnmoreabouther,visit

heronlineatwww.hadleydyer.com.

MELANIEJ.FISHBANEholdsanM.F.A.in

WritingforChildrenandYoungAdultsfrom

theVermontCollegeofFineArtsandanM.A.

inHistoryfrom

ConcordiaUniversity.

Withover17years’

experiencein

children’spublishing,

shelectures

internationallyon

children’sliterature

andL.M.

Montgomery,with

whomshehasbeen

obsessedsinceshefirstreadAnneofGreen

GablesinGradeSix.Afreelancewriterand

socialmediaconsultant,Melanieteaches

EnglishatHumberCollege.Melanie’sessay,

“MyPenShallHeal,NotHurt:Writingas

TherapyinL.M.Montgomery’sRillaof

InglesideandTheBlythesAreQuoted,”is

includedinL.M.Montgomery’sRainbow

Valleys:TheOntarioYears1911-1942.Melanie

livesinTorontowithherpartnerandtheir

entertainingcat,Merlin.HerfirstYAnovel,

Maud,aboutL.M.Montgomery’steenyears,

willbepublishedthisspringthroughPenguin

Teen,animprintofPenguinRandomHouseof

Canada.

PATRICIAHENDERSONhasbeenawritersinceshesold

herfirsthomemade

newspaperbytheside

oftheroadattheage

ofsix.Agraduateof

Queen’sUniversity

andtheNational

TheatreSchoolof

Canada,sheworked

asaprofessionalstagemanageracrossthe

countrybeforebecomingawriter/broadcaster

fortheCBC.Sheistheco-authorofthreeplays

forchildren,editoroffourbooks,writerofa

numberofshortstoriesinthreeanthologies

andowneroftheaward-winningwriting

companyWritingByDesign.Sheistheauthor

CANSCAIPNEWS 12 SPRING2017

ofthenon-fictionbookInsideKingston:

CelebratingPeople’sLives&Passions.Moonof

Mine,inspiredbyherdaughter,isherfirst

picturebookandwillbepublishedbyQuarry

Press.

TERRYLYNNJOHNSONistheauthorofmiddle

gradeadventures

includingFalconWild

(Charlesbridge),Ice

Dogs,SledDog

School,andSurvivor

Diaries,aseriesfor

reluctantreaders

(HoughtonMifflin

Harcourt).Shegrewuponalakeinnorthern

Ontariowhereherparentsownedalodge.A

natureenthusiast,shehasexploredover2,000

kilometresthroughouttheGreatLakes,Alaska,

andNovaScotiaviakayakandsailboat.Terryis

acertifiedcanoeinstructorandwastheowner/

operatorofadogsleddingbusinesswith18

huskieswheresheguidedovernighttripsand

sleptinquinzees.Forthepast17yearsshe’s

workedasaconservationofficerwiththe

MinistryofNaturalResourcesandForestry.

Beforethat,sheworkedasacanoeranger

wardeninQueticoProvincialPark.Terrylives

withherhusbandanddognearWhitefishFalls,

Ontario,andenjoyssnowshoeing,kayaking

andtravellingtoresearchhernextbook.

MIRIAMKÖRNERmovedtonorthern

Saskatchewanfrom

Germanyaftershe

becameintriguedby

thevastwildernessof

theCanadianNorth.

Withnewly-acquired

chainsawskills,she

builtatinycabin

tuckedawayinthe

bush,learnedtorunadogteam,andhowto

surviveinthewilderness.Notlongafterher

inaugurationintotheCanadianlifestyle,she

setoutonherfirstthousand-miledogteam

andcanoeexpeditionalongtheancientroutes

ofthepeopleswhofirstinhabitedthiscountry.

MiriamistheauthorofYellowDog:ANovel

(RedDeerPress),andco-authorwithBernice

Johnson-LaxdalandillustratorofWhenthe

TreesCracklewithCold:pīsimwasinahikan

(YourNickel’sWorthPublishing).Miriam

sharesherpassionforwildernessandthedeep

respectofthepeopleshemeetsonherjourneys

throughherwriting,photographyandvisual

art.Miriamisasessionalinstructoratthe

NorthernTeacherEducationProgramand

provideswritingandartworkshopsto

communityschoolsandorganizations.

CASEYLYALL(5’4”,brownhair,blueeyes,

noknownaliases)isa

middlegradewriter

fromsouthwestern

Ontario.Sheworksat

herlocallibrary

wheresherunsa

numberofteen

groupsandwaitsfor

managementto

discoverthey’reactuallypayinghertohavefun.

Whenshe’snotwriting,Caseylovestobake,

watchan“unhealthy”amountofmoviesand

television,andofcourse,read.She’dconsider

addingdetectiveworktothelistifshecould

findapropercoat.SheistheauthorofHoward

Wallace,P.I.(SterlingChildren'sBooks).

HowardWallace,P.I.-ShadowofaPugwillbe

releasedbySterlinginfall2017.

ANGUSMacCAULLhasrecentworkinPrelude,FillingStationandTheReviewReview,and

workforthcominginCV2.Heisalsotheauthor

ofthepicturebooksLawnteelattheStoreand

LawnteelatHome.HelivesinNovaScotia

whereheisanassociatefictioneditoratThe

CANSCAIPNEWS 13 SPRING2017

AntigonishReviewandacommunications

assistantatAAMunro.

SUSANOURIOUisaliterarytranslator

(FrenchandSpanish),

editorandinterpreter.

Herfirstnovelfor

youth,Nathan,was

publishedin2016and

herpreviousnovelfor

adults,Damselfish,

wasshort-listedfor

twoawards.Susanhas

publishednumerousshortstories,including

"VioletteBicyclette,"whichwontheWestern

CanadianMagazinesAwardforFiction.Fourof

hertranslationshavebeenselectedforthe

InternationalBoardonBooksforYoungPeople

(IBBY)HonourList.ShewontheGovernor

General'sAwardforLiteraryTranslationin

2009(thefirsttimethatachildren’sbookwas

thewinnerinthetranslationcategory)andhas

beenshort-listedforthatsameawardonthree

otheroccasions.Susanhasinterpretedfor

nationalandinternationalconferences

includingtheTruthandReconciliation

Commission.Shehasdonemanyreadingsand

presentationsandgivenworkshopsoncreative

writing,translationandinterpreting,atschools

andnationalandinternationalconferences.

DIANEYOUNGisaToronto-basedwriter

andeditor.Asa

children’sauthor,she

haspublishedSeeNo

Evil,amiddle-grade

novelinOrcaBooks'

Currentsseries.Asa

bookeditorwith

morethan25yearsof

experience,shehas

acquiredandeditedawiderangeof

manuscripts,includingprize-winning

children'sfictionandnon-fiction.Formore

information,pleaseseeherLinkedInand

EditorsCanadaprofilesorcontactherat

d.young.toronto@gmail.com.

FunLinksforWritersRandomNameGenerator:Havingtrouble

comingupwithacharactername?Hereyou

canselectforgender,ethnicity,evenchoose

fantasynames!Thesamewebsitewillalsotell

youthehistoryandmeaningofnames.

http://www.behindthename.com/random/

FantasyWorldbuildingQuestions:Questionstoaskyourselfwhencreatingan

imaginarysetting.

http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-

worldbuilding-questions/

TheSubmissionGrinder:Writeshortstories?

Thegrinderwillkeeptrackofwheretheyare

andwherethey’vebeen.Freebutmustregister

touse.

http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/

Default.aspx

GrammarGirl:Needtobrushuponthe

differencebetweenlieandlay?Affectand

effect?GrammarGirl,MignonFogarty,has

handyexplanationsandtipsforremembering

therulesoftheEnglishlanguage.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-

girl

ScrivenerTips:UseScrivener?GwenHernandez,authorofScrivenerforDummies,

hasplentyoffreetippdfsonherwebsiteto

helpyougetthemostoutoftheprogram.

http://gwenhernandez.com/scrivener-corner/

scrivener-tips/

ThankstoLenaCoakleyforthismaterial.

CANSCAIPNEWS 14 SPRING2017

NEWS ROUNDUPByElizabethMacLeod

DeadlineforSUMMERNEWS:May20,2017We’dlovetohearfromyou!Letusknowaboutyournewbooks,tours,awards,launches,etc.Emailthedetails,includingyourtownandprovince,withthesubjectline:SUMMERNEWSto:NewsRoundup@canscaip.org.

ATLANTIC REGIONSYLVIAGUNNERY’snewestyoung-adult

novel,RoadSigns

ThatSayWest

(PajamaPress),was

publishedin

February.Itmadeits

firstappearancein

Torontoat“Reading

fortheLoveofIt”

whereSylviawasa

speaker.Inthisstory,threeteenagedsisters

takeaJulyroadtripacrossCanadainsteadof

mindingthehouse,astheywereexpectedto

do,whiletheirparentsareinEurope.The

fictionalHalifax-to-Vancouverjourneyloosely

(veryloosely)followssomeeventsofthe

summerroadtripSylviatookinthe1970swith

hersisterBarbandaGermanshepherdnamed

Max.ThoughMax’sencounterwithaskunk

didn’tgetintothenovel,Sylvia’smiddle-of-the-

night,up-close-and-personalexperiencewitha

beardid.SylvialivesinCrescentBeach,NS.

NANCYROSEisthrilledthatherthird

book,TheSecretLife

ofSquirrels:ALove

Story(HachetteBook

Group),continuesthe

adventuresofMr.

Peanuts,amost

unusual,butlonely,

squirrel.(Heplays

piano,doesthelaundry,barbecues,cooks

pancakes...)HemeetsRosieinabookstoreand

afterspendingsomefuntimetogether

chatteringaboutnuts,playinghopscotch,and

climbingonswings,theydiscovertheyarenuts

abouteachotherandcelebratewitha

candlelightdinner.Nancyphotographsthewild

AmericanRedSquirrelsinherbackyardasthey

interactwithminiaturehomemadepropsin

dioramasthatshesetsuponherdeck.Herfirst

twobooksareTheSecretLifeofSquirrelsand

MerryChristmas,Squirrels!(PenguinRandom

HouseinCanadaandHachetteBooksinthe

UnitedStates).NancylivesinBedford,NS.

SUSANWHITE’sfourthyoung-adultnovelTheMemoryChair(AcornPress)hasbeen

shortlistedforthe2017HackmatackChildren’s

ChoiceAward.Susanlooksforwardtovisiting

NovaScotiaschoolsandlibrariesinearlyMay.

SusanlivesontheKingstonPeninsula,NB.

BUDGEWILSON’scollectionofpoems

AfterSwissair

(PottersfieldPress),

herbookforadults

abouttheaftermath

oftheSwissaircrash

of1998,iswellinto

itssecondprinting

andpublicityhas

beenactive.Thecrash

occurredclosetoBudge’shomeonSt.

Margaret’sBay.Shehasgivenreadingsinthree

publiclibrariesandwiththeHubbardsLiterary

Society,aswellasatTheWordOnTheStreet

bookfestival.Budgehasbeeninterviewedon

CTVbyBruceFrisko,andalsoonCBCRadioby

DonConnolly,andshewastwicefeaturedin

theHalifaxChronicleHerald.Budge’sbook

BeforeGreenGables(Penguin)isaboutto

appearinitsfourthnewPolishedition.Budge

livesinNorthWestCoveandHalifax,NS.

CANSCAIPNEWS 15 SPRING2017

QUEBECWelcometonewFriend:KarenNesbitt,Pierrefonds.

NATALIEKURTOGreportsthat

presentationsand

workshopsfor

childrenwereheldat

Montreal’sJewish

PublicLibraryin

JanuaryandFebruary.

Nataliereadnewfairy

talesthatshe’d

written.Shealso

showedhowtomakeahare,themaincharacter

ofthefairytales,fromaglove.Aswell,Natalie

presentedworkshopsusingthreads,buttons,

wireandmanyothermaterials.Attheendof

themeetingasurpriseawaitedtheguestsofthe

library—arealhare!Nataliealsoreportsthata

contestcollection“Moscow–NewYork”was

publishedinJanuarybytheMoscow

organizationoftheUnionofRussianWriters.

Thecollectionincludesstorieswrittenby

modernwritersinEnglish.Oneoftheseis

Natalie’sfairytaleHorse’sDream,translatedby

AnastasiaTogulevaandAnnaIvanina.Natalie

livesinMontreal.

ONTARIO (OUTSIDE TORONTO)WelcometonewFriends:NancyArmstrong,NorthBay;SandyBarbosa,Petersburg;DarbyBayly,Minden;AliceCarter,Ottawa;AnneD’Agostino,Mississauga;JaneDougan,Guelph;JamieDrover,MountForest;BethElliott,Ottawa;RebeccaFollows,Beamsville;

JenniferHuls,Ottawa;PegahIraji,Mississauga;HelenKubiw,Rockwood;AidanMaloney,Brighton;AmyMathers,Kitchener;MaryAnneMcCarthy,Brampton;PamelaMoorhouse,Seguin;StellaPartheniouGrasso,Ajax;PaulaPevato,Nobleton;KellyScodeller,Burlington;ChristinShmanka,

Scarborough;CynthiaSpring,Guelph;ChristinaUrbani,Bolton.

LISADALRYMPLEisexcitedtoannounce

thereleaseofherfirst

titleformiddle-grade

readers.JungleJitters

(OrcaBook

Publishers)was

publishedinMarchin

the“OrcaCurrents”

series.Alaunch

featuringsuchspecial

guestsascreaturesfromtheAmazonrainforest,

willtakeplaceatRoxanne’sReflectionsBook

andCardShopinFergus,Ontario,onApril8.

LisalivesinFergus.

SUZANNEDELRIZZOhasanewpicture

book,MyBeautiful

Birds(PajamaPress).

It’sherfirstasauthor

andillustratorand

waspublishedin

earlyMarch.A2017

JuniorLibraryGuild

Selection,My

BeautifulBirdshas

beenincludedinTheHornBook’s“Welcoming

Refugees”booklists,andhasreceivedseveral

notablereviewsthusfar,suchasQuill&Quire

(starred),andKirkus.Agentleyetmovingstory

ofrefugeesoftheSyriancivilwar,MyBeautiful

Birdsilluminatestheongoingcrisisasitaffects

itschildren.Itshowstherealityoftherefugee

camps,wherepeopleattempttopickuptheir

livesandcarryon.Thebookalsorevealsthe

hopeofgenerationsofpeopleastheystruggle

toredefinehome.SuzannelivesinOakville.

LINDAHUTSELL-MANNINGisdelightedtoannouncethatsubsidiaryrightsforherpicture

bookDinosaurDays(Fitzhenry&Whiteside)

CANSCAIPNEWS 16 SPRING2017

weresoldtoMcGrawHillinDecember.Linda

livesinCobourg.

MARTHEJOCELYN’slatestpicturebook,

SamSorts,was

releasedFebruary14.

Acompaniontothe

popularHannah’s

Collections(both

TundraBooks),

Marthe’snewbook

looksatprimary

mathconcepts,

appealingtotheverymessyandtheverytidyin

thesamefewpages.Uhoh!Sam’sthingsarein

aheap.Timetotidyup…Samsortshis100

favouritethingsinmanydifferentways—

stripes,wings,smell,touch,colour,species,and

onandon.Everythingfitsinmorethanone

place.Hegetstoplayingandthere’sanepic

hullabalooandthen...uhoh!Sam’sthingsare

inaheap...TheTorontoStarcalledthebook

“playfulandbrainy.”MarthelivesinStratford.

TERRYLYNNJOHNSONisthrilledandterrifiedinequalportionstoannouncethatshehas

threenewbookscomingoutthisyear.

Overboard!(HoughtonMifflinHarcourt)isthe

firstinthe“SurvivorDiaries”seriesofchapter

booksandwillbereleasedJuly4.Terry’s

secondbookisFalconWild(Charlesbridge),

whichwillbepublishedSeptember19.SledDog

School(HoughtonMifflinHarcourt)isamiddle

gradenovelcombiningmathanddogsledding

andwillbereleasedOctober3.Terryisa

ConservationOfficerandlivesinWhitefish

Falls.

HEATHERKIRK’sbookSeekingPeace:TheQuakers(BorealisPress)hashadits

publicationdateshiftedfromfall2016tospring

2017.SeekingPeaceisanonfictionbookabout

the360-year-longhistoryoftheso-called

“peacetestimony”ofaninfluentialpacifist

groupknownastheQuakersorReligious

SocietyofFriends.HeatherlivesinBarrie.

AMANDAWESTLEWIS’sbookThePact(RedDeerPress)

hasbeenlistedonthe

2017UnitedStates

BoardonBooksfor

YoungPeople

(USBBY)

Outstanding

InternationalBooks

list.Criteriaforthe

listincludes“thebestofchildren’sliterature

fromothercountries”and“booksthathelp

Americanchildrenseetheworldfromother

pointsofview.”ThePacthasbeengarnering

strongreviewsinCanadaandtheUnitedStates

foritsportrayalofachildhoodmoldedby

propagandaandindoctrinationinNazi

Germany.“…ThePactisparticularlyrelevantin

thisperiodofinternationalinstability,

especiallyasitdepictsabloodthirstydictator

seizingpowerwhileanationstruggles,”says

GaryPresleywithForewordReviews.Amanda

livesinPerth.

JENNIFERMARUNOcelebratesthe

publicationofher

firstpicturebook,

Moose’sRoof

(TuckamoreBooks),

illustratedbyLaurel

Keating.UntilMoose

foundaparkpavilion,

hehadneverthought

aboutaroof.His

friendsBeaver,BearandSquirrelallseemtobe

roofexperts.Withtheirhelp,Moosedecidesto

puthisantlerstogooduse,butalldoesnotgo

well.Moose’sRoofwillbelaunchedonApril8

atBlueHeronBooksinUxbridge,andonMay7

atDifferentDrummerBooksinBurlington.

CANSCAIPNEWS 17 SPRING2017

Jenniferisauthorofthe“CherryBlossom”

Series(DundurnPress).ShelivesinBurlington.

HELENMASONhassoldtwomorebooks.

They’reforthe

“LeavingMy

Homeland”series,

whichisintendedfor

thegradethreelevel.

ARefugee’sJourney

fromSyriawas

numberonein

Amazon’s“HotNew

FebruaryReleases”intheChildren’sSociology

category.Helen’sotherbook,ARefugee’s

JourneyfromAfghanistan(bothCrabtree

Publishing)waslistedinthirdplace.Helen

livesinWellington.

SYLVIAMCNICOLLwillbevisitingVancouver

PublicLibrariesonMay31andJune1and

speakingontheopeningpanel“Writingthe

WorldNow”atTheWriters’Unionannual

generalmeetingonJune1attheSimonFraser

UniversityHarbourCentre.OnJune7Sylvia

willbevisitingNanaimoNorthBranchLibrary.

HereventsinBritishColumbiaareallpartof

herBestMistakeMystery(DundurnPress)

tour.SylvialivesinBurlington

JENNIFERMOOK-SANGisexcitedbegoingtoVancouverin

Maytoattendthe

RedCedarawards

ceremonyatthe

VancouverPublic

Library.Speechless

(Scholastic)hasbeen

givenawarm

welcomeonthewest

coast,alsobeingnominatedfortheSurrey

Schools’BookoftheYearandtheLangleyBook

oftheYear.Jenniferhasalreadybeenbooked

foracoupleofschoolpresentationsin

Pembertonandwouldlovetodomoreschool

andlibraryvisitswhileinBritishColumbia.

Closertohome,Jenniferwillbeappearingat

thePrinceEdwardCountyAuthors’Festivalin

Aprilandwillleadaseriesof“Sophie’sStudio”

writingworkshopsforchildrenatthe

GoldhawkParkbranchoftheTorontoPublic

LibraryinMayandJune.Shewillalsobea

guestspeakeratBrianHenry’sWritingfor

ChildrenworkshopinCaledoninMay.Jennifer

livesinBurlington.

KATHYSTINSONispleasedtoannounce

thattheworld

premiereofthe

orchestraladaptation

ofherbookTheMan

withtheViolin

receivedastanding

ovationfromthe

sold-outaudienceat

theKennedyCenter

inWashington,D.C.NationalPublicRadio’s

MicheleNorrisnarratedwhileDušanPetričić’s

images,animatedbyMontreal’sproduction

studio,Normal,wereprojectedbehindthe

NationalSymphonyOrchestra(NSO),

conductedbyMichaelStern.Originalmusic

wascomposedbytheOscar-andGrammy-

winningAnneDudleyinaco-commission

betweentheNSOandCanada’sNationalArts

Centre(NAC).JoshuaBell,appropriately

dressedinjeans,t-shirtandbaseballcap,was

thesoloviolinist.TheCanadianpremiereof

TheManwiththeViolinisscheduledtotake

placeattheNACinOttawaonDecember20.

Kathy’sbookTheDanceoftheViolin(both

AnnickPress),alsoillustratedbyDušan

Petričić,waspublishedinMarch.It’sbasedon

anexperienceBellhadasachild,whenhe

madeacrucialerrorathisfirstbigcompetition.

KathylivesinRockwood.

JOSEPHINEVACCARO-CHANGandhercolourfulfriendswillbeparticipatingin“TheBook

CANSCAIPNEWS 18 SPRING2017

Shelf”eventattheNewmarketCommunity

CentreonSaturday,May13,aswellasTheWord

OnTheStreetfestivalatHarbourfronton

Sunday,September24.Josephine,anauthor,

illustratorandpresenter,livesinRichmond

Hill.

DERMOTWALSHEannouncesthathehasworkedforalmost30yearsasadesigner/story

artistanddirectoronhundredsofTVshows

andnumerousfeaturefilmsfromDisney’s

MulantothemorerecentToonboxsuccessful

comedyTheNutjob.Henowoperatesatiny

Oakvillestudiothatoffersanalternativetothe

bigstudioapproach.Anypublisher,authoror

illustratorcuriousaboutwhatisinvolvedin

independentlyproducingananimatedshort

filmorspecialcancontacthimdirectly.Dermot

livesinOakville.

TORONTOWelcometonewFriends:JaneBlondie,LindaBrowne,JacquieBuncel,JessieChen,PriscillaHessels,SajdaKhalil,CindyLam,

MarcoPagliarulo,JacquiRobbins,ElanaSegal,NathalieSimon,LindaWells.

NADIAHOHN’sdebutpicturebook,

Malaika’sCostume,

hasbeenawarded

honourablemention

onthe2016Ontario

LibraryAssociation

BestBetslist;ison

theUnitedStates

BoardonBooksfor

YoungPeople2017

OutstandingInternationalBooksList;isoneof

the2017NotableChildren’sBooksDiscussion

TitleschosenbytheAssociationforLibrary

ServicetoChildren,adivisionoftheAmerican

LibraryAssociationforthe2017midwinter

meeting;andhonouredasaBestPictureBook

of2016ofexceptionalcalibrebytheCanadian

Children’sBookCentre.Asequeltothebook,

Malaika’sWinterCarnival(bothGroundwood

Books),willbeinstoresinSeptember.Nadiais

alsowritingabeginningreaderonHarriet

Tubmanslatedforpublicationinwinter2017by

HarperCollins.

SUSANHUGHESispleasedtoannounce

theupcomingApril

publicationofUp!

HowFamiliesAround

theWorldCarryTheir

LittleOnes(OwlKids

Books),beautifully

illustratedbyAshley

Barronandeditedby

DebbieRogosin.

Amazonsays,“Aroundtheworld,littleonesare

carriedinmanydifferentways:inslings,on

shoulders,inbackpacks,onhips,inbaskets,

andinlovingarms.Up!depictstenplaces

aroundtheworld,fromAsiatonorthern

Canada,SouthAmericatoWestAfrica.Ineach

place,amom,dad,grandparent,aunt,uncle,

cousinorsiblinglovinglycarriesababy.With

variousfamilyconfigurationsandsettings

rangingfromabusyoutdoormarkettoahigh-

riseapartmentkitchen,thebook

wholeheartedlycelebratesdiversity.Gorgeous

cut-papercollageartaddswarmthand

brightness,andbringsthelyricaltexttolife.”

MICHELLEKADARUSMANwillreleaseherfirst

novelformiddlegradereadersthisfall.The

TheoryofHummingbirds(PajamaPress)

followsagirlwhoisdeterminedtobeinthe

schoolcross-countryracedespiteherdisability.

Michellepublishedtheyoung-adultnovelOut

ofIt(Lorimer)in2014.

MONICAKULLING’sfirstnovel,MaryAnning’s

Curiosity,(GroundwoodBooks)willbe

releasedMay1.It’sthestoryofayounggirl’s

excavationofanichthyosaur(anenormous

marinefossil)intheearly19thcentury.Mary

CANSCAIPNEWS 19 SPRING2017

Anningmayhave

beenuneducated,

poorandawoman,

butherlife’sworkof

fossilhuntingledher

tomakemany

discoveriesthat

influencedour

understandingof

prehistoriccreatures

andtheageofthe

earth.

KARENKROSSING’snovelPunchLikeaGirl(Orca)isoneoftworunners-upforthe2017

JoanF.KaywellBooksSaveLivesAward.This

award—presentedtoyoung-adultauthorswho

writetosavelivesandhonourdiversity—is

namedafterUniversityofSouthFlorida

professorDr.Kaywell.Theawardcommittee

selects“thebookthatbestrepresentsan

adolescent’sovercomingasituation—notofhis

orherownmaking—insuchawaytoprovide

significantinsightandhopetoareader.”

ELIZABETHMACLEOD’sbookCanadaYearbyYear

(KidsCanPress)

continuestogetgreat

reviews.School

LibraryJournalsays

it’s“…anexcellent

overviewofCanadian

historyandculture...”

andCMMagazine

ratesCanadaYearbyYear“Highly

Recommended”.CartoonistLynnJohnstoneven

sentathank-younoteforbeingincludedinthe

book!There’snowateachers’guideavailable—

gotokidscanpress.com/sites/default/files/

products/assets/

CanadaYearByYear_2488_teaching_0.pdfto

takealook.ReviewsofLiz’sbookTopDogs:

TrueStoriesofCaninesthatMadeHistory

(AnnickPress)include“Excellent

information…excellentphotographs…

engagingtext”(Kirkus)and“Thetextis

accessibleandburstingwithenergy”(School

LibraryJournal).Lizwilltakepartinthe

Canada150LiteracyChallengeinEastYorkon

April18,giveatalktotheMuskokaAuthors

AssociationonMay6andbetheguestspeaker

attheCanadianChildren’sBookCentre’s

AnnualGeneralMeetingonJune26.

ALLANSTRATTON’snewnovel,TheWayBack

Home,isbeingpublishedinMay2017.His

novelTheDogs(bothScholasticCanadaand

AndersenPress,UK)hasbeenoptionedby

WildMediaEntertainment.

MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN, ALBERTAWelcometonewFriends:LouiseAdie,Nanton,AB;DawnOpheim,Dundurn,SK.

BEVBRENNAispleasedtoannounce

thatamonologue

drawnfromherplay-

scriptadaptationof

hernovelWild

Orchid(RedDeer

Press)willbe

performedby

Sarasvati

Productions’Spring

CabaretofMonologuesinWinnipegthis

March.WildOrchidisthefirstinaseriesof

booksaboutayoungwomanwithautism,and

hasbeenlistedonCBC’s“100YoungAdult

BooksThatMakeYouProudtobeCanadian.”

BevlivesinSaskatoon.

MIRIAMKÖRNER’syoung-adultnovelYellowDog(RedDeerPress)hasbeenshortlistedfora

SaskatchewanBookAward.YellowDogdraws

anauthenticpictureofayoungboycoming-of-

ageinaremotecommunityinnorthern

Saskatchewan.Thirteen-yearoldJeremy’s

CANSCAIPNEWS 20 SPRING2017

interestinsleddogsleadshimtoanunusual

friendshipwithawithdrawnoldmanwhotells

himstoriesaboutlifeonthetraplinewhenhe

wasyoung.Throughlisteningtothestoriesand

embarkingonhisowndogadventures,Jeremy

findsoutmoreabouthimselfthanheever

thoughtpossible.Thenovelisquickly

becomingafavouriteamongstmanynorthern

children(andteachers).Miriamhasbeen

honouredtoconnectwithheryoungaudience

afterthestudentsfinishedanin-depthnovel

study.MiriamliveswithhersleddogsnearLa

Ronge,SK.

ALICEKUIPERSwillpublishherfifthyoung

adultnovel,Me(and)Me(HarperCollins

Canada),onApril11.BifNakedkindlyblurbed

thebooksaying,“AliceKuipershasawayof

drawingmeunder,drowningmeinsomany

layersofemotion,thatIholdmybreathwhileI

readMe(and)Me.Ilovedthisintenseand

wonderfulbook!”AlicelivesinSaskatoon.

LORNASCHULTZNICHOLSONhastwonewbooksoutthis

spring.BentNot

Broken(Clockwise

Press),thethird

youngadultnovelin

her“One-2-One”

series,wasreleased

March15.Her

middle-gradenovel,

SuperheroNinjaWrestlingStar(JamesLorimer

andCompany)willseeitsreleasedateon

May1.LornalivesinEdmonton.

MARIEPOWELLhadanotherbusyyearwiththe

publicationofherthirdtitleinthesix-book

“WordFamilies”series(AmicusPublishing).

Thesequeltoheryoung-adultnovelHawk

(FiveRivers)isexpectedlaterthisyear,along

withtwomiddle-gradenonfictionbooksfrom

ABDOCoreLibrary.MarielivesinRegina.

JUDITHSILVERTHORNE’snewestjuvenile

ghostlyadventure,

GhostsintheGarden

(CoteauBooks),will

bereleasedinMay.

Followingtheir

instinctsinghost

detecting,Samand

J.J.findthemselvesin

farscarierpredicamentsthanencountering

apparitions.Theyarestunnedwhentheyfind

themselvesactuallytravellingbacktotwo

differenttimesinordertohelpaghostsolvea

mystery.Steepedinthehistoricalhouseand

groundsofGovernmentHousein

Saskatchewan,theylearnmoreaboutthepast

thantheybargainedforduringtheirescapades.

Judithwasrecentlynominatedfortwo

SaskatchewanBookAwardsforheryoung-adult

novelConvictions(CoteauBooks)—theresults

willbeannouncedattheendofApril.She’llbe

touringinQuebecduringthe2017Canadian

Children’sBookWeek.JudithlivesinRegina.

BRITISH COLUMBIAWelcometonewFriends:PatriciaMoe,Richmond;JenniferTaylor,Sooke.

CLAIREEAMERhasabusyspringwithtwo

bookscomingoutfromtwopublishers.Whata

Waste!WhereGarbageGoes(AnnickPress)isa

nonfictiontitleforgradesfourtoseven.Claire’s

firstpicturebook,UnderneaththeSidewalk

(ScholasticCanada),willbeillustratedby

ThomasGibault.ClairelivesonGabriolaIsl.

DEBORAHHODGEhasbeenhardatworkonasequeltoBear’sWinterParty,apicturebook

publishedinfall2016.It’sbeenfunforherto

returntotheforestwhereBearandhisfriends

maketheirhome.Thisfall,Deborahwas

invitedtodoaseriesofCanadaCouncil

readingsforlibrariesinRichmond,WhiteRock

CANSCAIPNEWS 21 SPRING2017

andDelta,BC.And

sheislookingforward

tovisitingTorontoin

MayfortheForestof

Readingfestivities,

whereWestCoast

Wild(both

Groundwood)is

nominatedforthe

SilverBirchExpress

award.Deborahlives

inVancouver.

GILLIANRICHARDSON’snewbook,outinApril,is

10RoutesThat

CrossedtheWorld

(AnnickPress).

Amongthestories

you’llread,discover

whathasdrawn

pilgrimstohike

Spain’sCaminode

Santiagoforcenturies,howcrucialtheKhyber

PasshasbeenthroughoutAsianhistory,and

whytheannualSerengetimigrationtrailis

centraltobothanimalandhumanlives.Gillian

livesinBlindBay.

CANSCAIPNEWS 22 SPRING2017

Writing the Wordless Picture BookbyGillianO’Reilly

O"#$&'#()*&+#,)+#,anumberofpicture

bookshaveappearedthattellthestoryentirely

throughtheillustrations.Nowords!Howdoes

thisworkfromthereader’spointofview?And

howdocreatorsapproachawordlesstext?

Awordlesspicturebookcanbeachallenge

oradelightforitsreaders.Freedomfromtext

canreleasetheimagination,allowingparent

andchildtotellthestoryastheyseeit—avery

personalprocess.Lackoftextalsoallowsfor

slowerandmoremeticulousreadingandre-

readingoftheimages.And,ofcourse,itisa

wonderfulwaytoexplorestoriesforthose

whoselanguageisnotthatofthecreator(s).

However,awordlesspicturebookdoestake

moreworkandmoreinvolvementonthe

reader’spart,challengingthereaderwhofeels

morecomfortablewithtextorthetiredparent

whowantstoreadagivenscriptaloudrather

thancreatetheirownwords.

Therearealsothedifficultiesfacedbythe

creators.Howdoesanauthorwriteabookwith

nowords?Howdoesanillustratorcreate

imagesinwhatseemstobeavoid?Theobvious

answerwouldseemtobethatawordless

Writing the Wordless Picture BookbyGillianO’Reilly

picturebookmustbeaone-personoperation.

Wecanallunderstandthatatalented

illustratorcancreateandtellastoryinimages

only,withoutanytext.Somewordlessbooks,

however,areindeedcollaborationsbetweenan

authorandanillustrator.Howdoesthiswork?

Canadahasseenahandfulofwordless

picturebookscreatedbytwo-personteams.

Fourofthosearetoldinagraphicnovelformat

witheachpagedividedintopanels.Most

notableisthe2015hitSidewalkFlowerswritten

byJonArnoLawsonandillustratedbySydney

Smith.

Adifferenttakeonthewordlessreadcomes

intheformoftwoconceptbooks,City

AlphabetandCityNumbers,withtextby

JoanneSchwartzandphotosbyfictionwriter

MattBeam(publishedin2009and2011).

CityAlphabetandCityNumbersare

composedofphotographsoftheurban

streetscape—aneonsign,theshadowof

letteringfallingonthegroundorthenumber

onahouse.His“Hair”fromahand-painted

windowsign;Mis“Meet”fromasurveyor’s

markspray-paintedonastreetcurb;$7.99is

thepriceinastorewindow.CityAlphabetgives

Writing the Wordless Picture BookbyGillianO’Reilly

CANSCAIPNEWS 23 SPRING2017

usthefullalphabet.CityNumberstakes

readersfrom0to20,includingthe1/2ina

housenumberorthe3.25%onamilkcarton,

andthenconcludeswithabarcode

162336212021,because—asSchwartznotesin

anafterword—it

is“somuch

morefun”than

21.

Unlikeother

alphabetbooks

andnumber

books,theseare

notmeantto

illustratethe

actualwordsor

numbers—the

“Hair”pagedoes

notshowhair

anymorethan

the“Evoke”page

(fromapieceof

graffiti)depicts

theverb.Each

pagesimply

offerstheimages

oftheletters

anddigits

aroundus.The

“text”issimply

thewordor

numbershown

inthe

photographand

repeatedontheoppositepageinletteringthat

picksupthecolourandpatternofthephoto.

(Informationisprovidedaboutwherethese

imageswerephotographedbutitisnotan

essentialpartofthetext.)

JoanneSchwartzexplains,“Theproject

beganwhenIfirstsawMatt’swonderful

photographs—arandomsetofintriguing

urbanimagesthatformebroughttomindthe

kindofrandomwaychildrenseeandrelateto

thingsaroundthem.WhatIwantedthebooks

todowasplayonthatrandomness,sparka

dialoguewiththeurbanenvironment,inspire

thereadertolookevencloser.”

Theinitialconceptwasforasimplenon-

narrativetextbySchwartztolinkthephotos,

but,shesays,“As

theideaevolved

wedecidedto

uselettersand

numbersasthe

framework...

Theygavealayer

ofstructureto

theexploration

ofcityimages

thatotherwise

mighthave

seemedtoo

disconnected.”

Photographer

MattBeamadds,

“True,butthere

wasan

unpublished

bookTheCityis

Talking,the

originalidea,

whichhad

Joanne’sintuitive

andpoetic

writing

throughout.

WhileI

absolutelyloved

CityAlphabet,I’vealwayslamentedthe

disappearanceofTheCityisTalking,in

particular,theinterplaybetweenmyimages

andJoanne’swonderfulwords.”

Thetwometmanytimesasthebookstook

shape.MattBeamstates,“Anamazing

collaborationitwas!Joannewasmyco-looker,

myco-conspirator,andmycurator!”

Askediftheysimplythrewthetermsauthor

andillustratoroutthewindow,Schwartzsays,

“Wedefinitelythoughtofourselvesas

CANSCAIPNEWS 24 SPRING2017

“Thechallenge[withawordlesstext]isdifferent.Insteadofnavigatingthetextandinterpreting,oraffectinghowthetextisread,youtakeontheroleofthetext.”

collaboratorsbutwedidn’tcompletelythrow

outtheauthor/illustratorroles.Iwassolely

responsiblefortheoriginalconceptandfor

‘writing’,sotospeak,thetextandguidingthe

ideaandMattwassolelyresponsiblefortaking

thephotographs.Whenwecametogether,

though,webothcontributedandcommented

oneachother’spartsandeveryfinaldecision

aboutalltheelementsinthebookwasajoint

one.

“Itwasarichprocessanda

fairlyuncommononeasthe

authorandillustratoroften

havenocontact.Wediscussed

andchallengedeachotherand

hadatremendousamountof

fun.”

SidewalkFlowers,by

contrast,followedamore

traditionalpublishingprocess

inthatauthorandillustrator

didnotmeet.Thebooktellsthestoryofa

fatheranddaughterwalkinghome.Thefather

ispreoccupied(onthephone,trying

unsuccessfullytohailacab)whilethedaughter

quietlycollectsflowersandthendistributes

them—onadeadbird,onasleepingman,ina

friendlydog’scollar.Thebookbeginsingrey,

blackandwhite—withtheexceptionofthe

littlegirl’sredjacket—andendsinfullcolour.

Theseedforthebookwasplantedin2008

whenLawsonandhisdaughterwerewalking

homeinToronto.“Whilewewalked,she

gatheredflowersoutofthecementwallunder

therailroadbridge,andoutofthestone

embankmentbelowHillcrestSchool,andout

ofsidewalkcracksalongBathurstStreet.Iwas

inabighurry,becausemywifewasathome

withthetwolittleones...andIknewshe’dbe

tired.Butwecouldn’tgetacabtostop,and

Sophiewasjustenjoyingtheday,singingto

herself—shewasn’tinahurry...

“Whenwegothomeshedecoratedmywife’s

hair,andtheheadsofherlittlebrothers(our

youngestwasborntwodaysearlier),andthen

“Thechallenge[withawordlesstext]isdifferent.Insteadofnavigatingthetextandinterpreting,oraffectinghowthetextisread,youtakeontheroleofthetext.”

wentskippingofftodosomethingelseinthe

backyard.RightawayIthought‘Thiswould

makeabeautifulpicturebookwithoutany

words.’Thebasicframefellintoplaceright

then—SophieandIhadn’tspokenmuchonthe

walk,soitwouldhaveseemedstrangetoadd

words...Ihadseennothingbuttheuglinessof

thegreystreet—everythingseemedbleakand

colourless,untilIsawwhatSophiewasdoing.I

hadalsobeenrushing,untilI

realizeditwasn’tniceforher—

itwasabeautifuldayandshe

wasseeingthesmall,beautiful

things(theflowers).

“Sothosepartswereallin

placeatthefirstmoment:the

factithadtobewordless;that

thecolourhadtobuild

graduallyoutofablack/white/

greybackground;thatthelittle

girlshouldn’tbeawareofwhat

shewasdoing,andthatnoonewouldnotice

whatshewasdoing—itwasn’tabookabout

applauseforbeingnice;andthatIwanteditto

beset,ifpossible,alongthesamewalkup

BathurstStreet.”

Lawsonwrotedetailednotes,describing

whatshouldhappenoneachpageandeventhe

12speciesofflowerstobeincluded,andcreated

asketchdummyaswell.Hewasworkingona

bookforKidsCanPresswitheditorSheila

Barryandhepresentedtheideatoher.Shewas

encouragingbutKidsCandidnottakethe

book;nordidsevenotherpublishersoverthe

nextfewyears.

Inthemeantime,Barrybecamepublisherat

GroundwoodBooksandtookanotherlookat

SidewalkFlowers.Sherecalls,“Thedecisionto

contractJonArnoasauthorwithoutanyonein

mindasillustratorwasanactoffaithinhim,

andintheprocessofmakingpicturebooks.It

wasalsotheresultofmylookingatthestory

fromadifferentangle.ForalongtimeIthought

theflowershadtobemoreimportantina

botanicalsensethantheyturnedouttobe.I

“Thechallenge[withawordlesstext]isdifferent.Insteadofnavigatingthetextandinterpreting,oraffectinghowthetextisread,youtakeontheroleofthetext.”

CANSCAIPNEWS 25 SPRING2017

thoughtthatthestorywouldworkbestasa

catalogueoforfieldguidetoallthewildflowers

onechildmightfindinawalkthroughan

urbanlandscape.Thiswouldhavebeenavery

nicepicturebook,butnot,maybe,as

interesting,orasflexibleinawordlessformat,

asthestorySidewalkFlowersturnedouttobe.”

IllustratorSydneySmithreceivedthe

detailednotesLawsonhadprovided(butnot

thesketchdummy)as

hewasplanningto

movefromHalifaxto

Toronto.Likethelittle

girlinthestory,hewas

abletolookathisnew

homewithfresheyes.

Thisbookalso

featuredamarked

changeinhisstyle.

“SidewalkFlowerswas

anewbookinanew

citywithanew

publisher.Iwantedto

dosomethingspecial

anddifferentthanI

hadeverdonebefore.

Itwasperfecttiming

thatIwasfeelinglikeanoverwhelmedkidin

thebigcity,notunlikethecharacterinthe

book.SincethenItrytotakearesearchtripfor

eachbook.Beinginanewenvironmentthat

relatestotheprojectdoessomuchforthe

creativeprocess.”

Hebegantheprojectbyplayingwith

differentstyles,“IshowedSheilaBarryand

MichaelSolomonandaskedthemwhich

directiontheyliked.Ithinkthereweresome

crosshatched,realismandthenink,brushand

watercolour.Sheilasimplysaid,‘Thatone.’and

pointedtosomebrushwork...Iwasofftothe

races.Fromthenon,Iwouldbringsketchesin

toshowthemandwewouldgetexcitedabout

thebookandIwouldleavetheofficesfloating.”

Smithsaysthegraphicnovelformatcame

intuitively,“Ithinkthestorynaturallyslipped

intoapanelledsequentialstorytelling.Itwould

notworkaswelltohavefullpageillustrations.

Bybreakingitdownintoactions,youcanfita

lotofimportantandsubtledescriptionsofthe

charactersandelementsofthestory.Also,I

thinkmoreandmorepeoplearecapableof

readingthatformat.”

Authorandillustratorneverworkeddirectly

together;thevisualanddesigndirectionwas

betweenSmith,Barry

andartdirector

MichaelSolomon.

Lawson

enthusiasticallytalks

abouthowthe

illustratortookthe

storytoanewlevel.“It

wasSydney’sideato

makethelittlegirl’s

coatred—thatwasan

importantdecision.I

hadwantedthecolour

tostartwith(andbuild

from)theflowers,and

wouldn’thavethought

aboutthegirl’scoat...”

Reflectingonhowwelltheprocessworked

eventhough—orpossiblybecause—theydidn’t

meet,Lawsonadds,“Thefactthatthestoryhad

aclearphilosophical/visualideaatitscore,and

atightstoryline(Ithink),setinadefinite

place,meantSydneycouldgooffandrespond

visually,withhisownapproach.Heresponded

tothespiritofitperfectlywithhisown

generousspiritandtalent—andallofthat

happenedwordlessly(ormostlywordlessly!).”

Fromtheillustrator’sperspective,how

differentisittoworkfromastoryoutlinefora

wordlessbookratherthanfromatextfora

regularbook?Smithsays,“Therewasalot

morefreedomwithworkingonawordless

book,butthechallengeisdifferent.Insteadof

navigatingthetextandinterpreting,or

CANSCAIPNEWS 26 SPRING2017

affectinghowthetextisread,youtakeonthe

roleofthetext.”

Arewordlesspicturebooksagrowing

phenomenon?SheilaBarryagreesthatthere

seemtobemoreofthemnowthanadecade

agobutadds,“Whocanpredictwhetherthere

willstillbeasmanyeighttotenyearsfrom

now?Itistruethatwordlesspicturebooks

workwellforchildrenandparentswhosefirst

languagemightnotbeEnglish,andtheyare

goodtooforchildrenwhomightstrugglemore

withindependentreading.Soitwouldbe

wonderfulifpeopleweretokeepproducing

morewordlessbooks,butofcoursethese

thingsarejustsohardtopredict.”

Equallyhardtopredictaretheinstances

whereanauthor/illustratorteamtakesonthe

interestingchallengeofawordlesspicture

book.Thosewhodo,however,willhavebefore

theminterestingexamplesofhighlysuccessful

pairings.

GILLIANO’REILLYis

theformereditorof

CanadianChildren’s

BookNews.

Note:TheinternationalIBBY

SilentBooksexhibit,

whichtouredCanada

in2015andearly2016,

featured111wordless

booksfrom23countries.ThethreeCanadian

titleswerealsoauthor/illustratorpairings:

HocusPocuswrittenbySylvieDesrosiersand

RémySimard(2011)andBen’sBigDig(2005)

andBen’sBunnyTrouble(2007)writtenby

DanielWakemanandillustratedbyDirkvan

Stralen.Thefinaldestinationoftheexhibitis

theItalianislandofLampedusawherethe

bookswillbeavailabletoboththechildrenof

theislandandthemanyrefugeesforwhomthe

islandoffersshelterandafirststoppingpoint

enroutetoEurope.

CANSCAIPNEWS 27 SPRING2017

MeettheProfessionalsbyMarshaSkrypuch

Pat OldroydMarmaladeBooks

WhenIwasachildmymothersubscribedme

toabook-of-the-monthclub.Eventhoughwe

hadlotsofbooksathomeandIcouldgotothe

librarywheneverIwanted,therewasacertain

magicaboutgettingabrandnewbookinthe

mail.AlwaystheselectionwassomethingthatI

wouldn’thavechosen,butitwasalsoalways

somehowperfect.

WhenIheardaboutMarmaladeBooks,I

wasdelightedwiththethoughtthatawhole

newgenerationofreaderscouldexperiencethe

joyfulanticipationofgettingsurprisebooksin

themail.AtChristmasIsentafriend’s

daughtertheChapterBookBoxandsenttwo

youngbrothersthePirateBox.Inbothcases,

thekidswereoverthemoonwithnotjustthe

books,butthepackageitself,andthewhole

ideaofgettingamysteryboxofbooks!

PatOldroyd,thewomanbehindMarmalade

Books,agreedtoanswermyquestionsabout

herwonderfulservice.

WhatdidyoudobeforeMarmaladeBooks?Beforehavingchildren,IworkedasaSecretary

inVictoria,BC.Istayedhomeforafewyears

whenmykidswerelittlebutfoundmyself

involvedintheParentAdvisoryCouncilattheir

school.Havingasisterwhowasachildren’s

bookeditor(AnnFeatherstone,PajamaPress)

helpedtodevelopourfamily’sinterestingreat

books.

Iwasdiscouragedthattheschoollibrarywas

lowongoodCanadianliteratureanddidn’ttake

advantageofauthorvisits.SoIgotinvolvedand

created“TheBookwormClub”whereIplanned

monthlyauthorvisits,soldtheauthors’books

andusedtheprofittobuybooksforthelibrary.

Ilovedwatchingthekidsinteractwithareal

liveauthor!Theclub’ssuccesswasprobably

instrumentalinmebeingnominatedasPAC

President.IjoinedtheVictoriaLiterature

Roundtable.

SoonafterthatIreceivedacallfromDenise

Cammiade,thechildren’sbookbuyerat

Munro’sBooks.ShewasafriendofAnn’sand

AnnhadalsoworkedatMunro’sbefore

becominganeditor.Denisewaslookingfor

someonewholovedchildren’sbookstowork

withherinthekids’department.OfcourseI

saidyes.IlearnedsomuchfromDenise.It

wasn’tunusualtohearusreadingthenew

bookstoeachotherusingsillyvoices.Sadly

Denisepassedawayacoupleofyearslaterand

JimMunroaskedifIwouldtakeoverthe

department.IhadsuchlargeshoestofillbutI

reallylovedit.AftertenyearsIwasaskedto

helpdevelopandrunthebookdepartmentina

children’seducationalstoreanddecidedto

makethemove.Ilearnedanenormousamount

abouttheeducationalsideofbooks.ButIwas

yearningtodosomethingonmyown.

CanyoutellmeaboutMarmaladeBooks?MyhusbandJamieandIstartedthebusinessat

theendofSeptember2016.Weareamonthly

children’sbooksboxsubscriptionservice.We

coverthreedifferentagegroups;TheBabyBox

has2-3boardbooksforages0-3.ThePicture

BookBoxisforages4-7andtheMiddleGrade

NovelBoxisforages8-12—bothoftheseboxes

CANSCAIPNEWS 28 SPRING2017

includeonehardcoverandonepaperback.The

booksIchoosearenewlypublished,sometimes

withinacoupleofweeksofthecustomers

receivingtheirbox,whichhelpsastheboxes

areasurpriseandtherecipientisn’tlikelyto

ownitalready.

Theboxesaremaileddirectlytothechild

andwewillincludeaspecialnotefromthe

givertothechildifrequested.Wearethrilled

toincludethebestinCanadianpublishingbut

alsoincludebeautifulbooksfromtheUKand

theUS.Ourwebsiteshophasone-time

purchase,speciallythemedboxes(likePirates,

ModernClassics,ChapterBooks)andourPast

Boxes(ifstillavailable)frompreviousmonths.

Ourwebsiteisprettyeasytouseandourboxes

maketheperfectgiftforkids,teachers,schools

andbabyshowers.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea?Asabookseller,Ispentmanyyearshelping

parents,grandparents,auntsandunclespick

booksforthechildrenintheirlives.Whenthey

cameintothekidsdepartmenttheywereoften

quitelostastowheretostart.Iwouldtalkto

themaboutthechild,askingtheirage,likes,

dislikes,readinglevel(iftheyknewit)and

fromtheremaderecommendations.Oftenthe

bookswouldbemailedawaytothechildfora

birthdayorChristmasgiftandIwassopleased

whenthebookshadgoneoverwellandthe

customerwasbackforanothersuggestion.

Itwasseveralyearsagowhentheconceptfor

abooksubscriptionservicestartedchurning

aroundinmybrain.Webegantogetmore

seriousaboutitafterJamieretired.WhenJamie

gotaSock-of-the-Monthsubscriptionfor

Christmaswethought,Whycouldn’twedothis

withbooks?Peoplehavelessandlesstimeto

shoporoftendon’thaveagoodbookstorein

theirtown.Atrustedbooksellersendingthe

bestnewbooksdirectlytothechildrenintheir

lifeseemedlikeawin-win.Anditmeantthat

wecouldstayathomeandspendmoretime

withourtwo-year-oldgrandson.

WhatisyourroleatMarmaladeBooks?IgenerallylookafterthefrontendwhileJamie

looksafterthebackend.Istillvisitwiththe

publishers’repsacoupleoftimesayeartosee

forthcomingtitles,justasIhavedoneformany

years.Iselectandorderthebooksandother

itemsfortheboxes.Ilookafterthesocialmedia

andadvertising.JamieandIbothputtheboxes

togetherandthenhehandlestheshipping,

accountingandphotography.

Whatshouldauthorsandillustratorsknowaboutyourservice?WhenIchoosebooksfortheboxes,Ioftenask

theauthor/illustratoriftheywouldwritea

shortlettertoourreaders.It’sanicewayto

connectdirectlywiththereader.Forthemost

partIhavehadgoodresponsestothisrequest.

Inadditiontopostingaboutthebooksinour

boxes,Ialsopostaboutsomeofmyold

favouritesorbooksthatIwanttoputinthe

boxesbutamunableto.I’mhopingthatpeople

willfindoursocialmediaaccountsandwebsite

asaplacetheycanfindinterestingthingsabout

thechildren’spublishingworld.I’mnot

bloggingasmuchasIwouldliketoandI’m

interestedinapproachingauthorsand

illustratorstobeguestbloggersonourwebsite.

Canyoudescribeyourtypicalday?Ican’tsaythatI’mterriblyorganized!Atthe

moment,JamieandIarebabysittingour

grandsonandabulldognamedWinstonfour

daysaweek.AlongwithMarmaladethecat(yes

therereallyisaMarmalade)itcanbeabit

chaoticatourhouse.Normally,Itrytowork

mostmorningsoncreatingpostsandadsfor

socialmedia.SometimesIhavetowaituntil

ourgrandsonnapsintheearlyafternoon.Then

Iworkonmylistsofpossiblebooks,answer

emailsandfigureoutmonthlyorders.Inthe

eveningsIreadadvancedreadingcopiesof

books—ifIcanstayawake.

CANSCAIPNEWS 29 SPRING2017

Whatdrivesyounuts?Socialmedia!IknowthatIneedtopostalmost

dailybutsometimesIjusthaven’tgotaclue

whattopostabout.Andtryingtofigureoutall

thisalgorithmstuff?!Thepriceofbookscan

frustrateme,asitdoeseveryoneinthe

business.IgetreallydepressedifIcan’tpicka

bookbecausethepriceisjusttoohigh.One

monthIpickedabookthatwasseveraldollars

higherthanitshouldhavebeen.Weprobably

didn’tmakeendsmeetthatmonthbutIjust

hadtouseit.Andasitiswithsomanysmall

Canadianbusinesses,thepostagecouldbethe

deathofus.Freeshippingjustisn’tanoption.

Whatareyougratefulfor?Theabilitytocontinuetofindbeautifulbooks

andputthemintolittlehands.Alsotobeable

toworkfromhomeandspendthisvaluable

timewithmygrandson.

Whatareyourselectioncriteria?Therearesomanythingstolookat.Firstofall,

sinceI’monlypickingabout7booksamonth

theyhavetobetheabsolutebestbothinstory

andillustrations.I’mlookingfornovelswith

charactersthatIcancareabout,thatare

believablefromthepointofviewofan8-12year

old.IadmitIgetannoyedwhencharactershave

toomanyproblemsthrownatthemorwhen

situationsseemedtooforced.

Ilovebeautifulillustrationsandhavemany

favouriteslikeJackieMorris,CatherineRayner,

JonJMuthandWallaceEdwards.Infact,

WallaceEdwardscreatedtheartworkforour

business.Ilikeanythingfromsimpleartworkto

muchmoredetailedillustrations,whereyou

canfindsomethingneweverytimeyouopen

thebook.Humourisalwaysabonus.

Bookdesignisalsoveryimportanttome.I

lovewonderfulendpapers.Agoodfontwith

goodplacementthat’seasyontheeyesforboth

learningreaders,tiredparentsandpoor-

sightedgrandparentslikeme.Thepricehasto

beright;toohighanditjustwon’twork.Size

andweightarealsoafactor,sincetheboxmust

beshipped.I’malsotryingtopickbooksthat

willappealtoboysandgirlsequallyandIlike

toseelotsofdiversity.

Whathasbeentheresponseofkids?Ofparents?Sofar,I’vehadnothingbutpositivefeedback.

Everyoneisreallyenjoyingtheboxes.Westill

havealongwaytogoinconnectingwithmore

parentsandespeciallygrandparents.Butthe

peoplewehavereachedsofarseemtoreally

lovetheideaofhavingagreatboxofbooks,

chosenbyabookspecialistandsenttothe

childrenintheirliveseverymonth.

Whatdoyouseeasthefutureforthebookbusiness?Ithinkthefutureisbright.Fortunately,

children’sbookshavesurvivedthee-book.

Peoplestilllikethephysicalfeelofabookand

wanttocollectbeautifulbooks.Ithinkthat

parentswillcontinuetoappreciatebooksasa

wonderfullearningandentertainingtooland

anopportunityfortheirchildrentohaveless

screentime.

Whatadvicedoyouhavefornewauthorsandillustrators?Knowasmuchaboutchildren’sbooksasyou

can.Spendtimeinbookstoresandlibrariesto

seehowbooksarecategorized.Seewhatbooks

looklikeforeachagegroupandpayattention

towordandpagecountaswellassubject

matter.Talktothebooksellersandlibrarians.

Talkandreadtokidsofallages.Youreallyhave

todeveloptheabilitytostepintoachild’sworld

inordertoconnectwiththem.

Themostsuccessfulchildren’sauthors

obviouslylovetheirchosengenre.Iregularly

seetheirreviewsaboutkids’booksandtheir

supportforfellowauthorsandillustrators.

They’reuponthelatestpublications.Also

booksellersandlibrariansneedtobeyour

friendastheyaretheoneswhowillputyour

CANSCAIPNEWS 30 SPRING2017

bookintotherighthands—andthatcanmake

amajorimpactonabook’ssuccess.

WhatdidIforgettoaskyou?Whatismyfavouritechildren’sbook?Itwould

havetobeWhenWeWereVeryYoungbyA.A.

Milne.Ididn’tsitstillmuchasakidwhich

drovemymothercrazy,butmyfondest

memoriesofmymotherwaswhenshereadthis

booktome.I’vediscoveredsomanybooksin

mytimeasabookseller,it’shardtonarrow

downmyfavourites.LibraryLionbyMichelle

KnudsenandillustratedbyKevinHawkesand

MonkeyBusinessbyWallaceEdwardsareatthe

topofmyPictureBooklist.Fornovels,Ilove

EvaIbbotson’sbooks,especiallyJourneytothe

RiverSea.

https://readmarmalade.com/

hello@readmarmalade.com

Facebook,Twitter,Instagram@readmarmalade

MARSHA

SKRYPUCH’smost

recentbookisAdrift

AtSea:AVietnamese

Boy’sStoryof

Survival,illustrated

byBrianDeines

(PajamaPress).

BUSINESSBRIEFSWRITINGCOURSEWorkshopyourmiddle-gradeoryoung-adult

novelwithANNELAURELCARTER(www.annelaurelcarter.com)thissummer.At

thedowntowncampusoftheUniversityof

Toronto,SchoolofContinuingStudies,shewill

instruct“WritingtheYANovel,”aone-week

intensivecoursefromJuly10to14(course

number2883).Registeratlearn.utoronto.ca

BOOKTRAILERSBringyourstoriestolifeforyourprospective

readerswithabooktrailer.VideographerTim

Clarkwillcreateaprofessional,1to3minute

trailerforastoryinanygenre.Watchhistrailer

forTheChoicebyKathyClarkwhichwas

namedvideooftheweekontheOpenBook

website.ContactTimat

tim@studiomograph.com.

ISYOURMACHOLDINGYOUBACK?Ifyou’renotcomfortablewithyourApple

computer,yourwritingsoftwareandyourfile

system,you’reprobablywastingvaluable

creativetimeandenergy.RobMorphycanhelpyourelaxandgetwriting.One-on-one,in

home(centralTorontofornow)Appletherapy.

Getbacktowork!ContactRobat

rsmorphy@gmail.com.

SEMINARSForinformationaboutPWAC(Professional

WritersAssociationofCanada)’sseminarson

freelancewritingseewww.networds.ca.

CANSCAIPNEWS 31 SPRING2017

CANSCAIPNEWS 32 SPRING2017

TO MARKET, TO MARKETbyBethPollock

Pleasenote:CANSCAIPdoesnotscreenliteraryagenciesorpublishers.Itisyourresponsibilitytoresearchtheirbusinessreputationsbeforesigningacontract.Reputableagenciesandpublishersdonotchargeforreading,editingorpublishingmanuscripts.

PUBLISHERSOnstagePublishing190LimeQuarryRoad,Suite106

Madison,AL,USA35758

http://www.onstagepublishing.com/

traditional-printed-books/

Manuscriptsubmissions:Onstage

Publishingacceptschapterbook,middlegrade,

andYAfictionmanuscriptsubmissions.All

submissionsshouldincludeyourname,

address,anddateofsubmission,aone-page

summary,theintendedaudience,wordcount

andnumberofchapters.Submissionsmaybe

mailedtotheaboveaddress,oremailedto

submissions@onstagepublishing.com.Please

seetheirwebsiteforfullinstructions.

Illustrationsubmissions:Sample

illustrationsshouldincludeonesampleinfull

colourtoshowyourstyle,andonesamplein

blackandwhitetoshowyourskill.Samples

shouldportraychildren,especiallychildrenin

action.Pleaseincludeacoveringletterandmail

totheattentionoftheArtDirectoratthe

addressabove.Pleasedonotsendoriginalsas

theydonotreturnanyartwork.

PemmicanPublications150HenryAvenue,

Winnipeg,Manitoba,R3B0J7

http://www.pemmicanpublications.ca/

Manuscriptsubmissions:Pemmicanhasa

mandatetopublishbooksbyMetisauthors,

withanemphasisonculturallyrelevantstories.

LookingforYAfictionandchildren’sfiction

(bothshortnovelsandillustratedbooks).

Coverlettermustincludefullcontact

informationwithemailaddress,andMetis

writersshouldidentifythemselvesassuch.

Submissionshouldincludebriefsynopsisof

theproject,targetaudience,andwordcount.

Fornovels,senduptothreechapters;for

picturebooks,pleasesendthewhole

manuscript.Mailsubmissionstotheaddress

above.

Illustrationsubmissions:Pemmicanhasa

mandatetopublishbooksbyMetisillustrators,

withanemphasisonculturallyrelevantstories.

Coverletterandidentificationasabove.Send

colourphotocopiesofthreetofourpagesof

samplework,eitherreducedto81/2”x11”

format,orfoldedappropriately.Mail

submissionstotheaddressabove.

AGENTSJenniferWillsTheSeymourAgency

http://www.theseymouragency.com

JenniferWillshasasoftspotforauthor/

illustratorsofsweetandwackypicturebooks.

She’salsointerestedinMGandYAwithasci-fi/

fantasy,horror/suspense,orcontemporary

bent.Pleasequeryherathernewemail

address:

queryjennifer@theseymouragency.com

AdahMeggedNuchiJillCorcoranLiteraryAgency

https://jillcorcoranliteraryagency.com

AdahMeggedNuchiislookingforvoice-driven

MGandYAfictionwithhumourandheart.She

isespeciallyinterestedinimmigrantand

multiculturalstories;unlikelyromancesthat

arewittyandsmart(includingthosewitha

maleprotagonist);strong,irrepressible

heroines;protagoniststhatmakeyouthink;

20!"-centuryhistoricalfiction;mystery,

detective,andspystories;andanythingwitha

strongsenseofplace.ShelovesMGstoriesthat

CANSCAIPNEWS 33 SPRING2017

canstandthetestoftime,andiseagertoadd

picturebookillustratorsandauthorstoherlist.

Queryherviaonlineformathttps://

querymanager.com/query/AdahNuchi.

StephenFraserTheJenniferDeChiaraLiteraryAgency

https://www.jdlit.com/stephen-fraser

StephenFraserislookingforgood,original

writing:picturesbookswithdeliciouswords;

middlegradestoriesthatendure,thathave

strongcharactersandplots;youngadultnovels

thathaveidentifiableteens;andhopeful,

interestingstoriesforthesoon-to-beadult.A

goodmysteryperhaps,aghoststory,some

poetry,somethingwithabitoftheatre.Email

yourquerytofraserstephena@gmail.comand

put“Query”inthesubjectlineofyouremail.

Pleaseincludethefirsttwentypagesinthe

bodyofyouremail,alongwithaone-paragraph

bioandaone-paragraphsynopsis.

MollyO’NeillWaxmanLeavell

http://www.waxmanleavell.com

MollyO’NeilliscurrentlyseekingYAandMG

fiction.Sheisalsolookingforaselectnumber

ofPBillustrators,andauthorsofchapter

books,PB/MG/YAnon-fiction,orMG/YA

graphicnovels.Pleasenotethat,inthepicture-

bookcategory,sheisonlylookingforauthor-

illustrators.Pleaseincludetheword“Query”

andthetitleofyourprojectinthesubjectline

ofyouremail.Fulldetailsonwhatyoushould

includeinyourquerymaybefoundathttp://

www.mollyoneillbooks.com/submissions-

policy/.Sendyourqueryto

mollysubmit@waxmanleavell.com.

BUSINESSBRIEFSTEDSTAUNTONleadsWritingChildren’sFictioncoursesIandIIthiswinter,Tuesday

andThursdayeveningsbeginninginmidApril.

ClassesareheldatMabel’sFablesbookstore.

WritingIsurveysallgenresofkidlit.WritingII

isaworkshopforexperiencedwriters.Clickthe

linksbelowfortheGeorgeBrownCollege

ContinuingEdwebsite:https://writing-

children-s-fiction-i/orhttps://writing-

children-s-fiction-ii/

VISITINGCREATORSLibrariansandteachersinterestedinhaving

author,illustratorandperformervisitscan

checkmembers’pagesontheCANSCAIP

websiteatwww.canscaip.org.

FREELANCEEDITORKathrynCole,formerchildren’sbook

publisheratOxfordUniversityPressand

StoddartKids,andmorerecentlyEditorial

DirectoratTundraBooks,isnowworkingasa

free-lanceconsultantandeditor.Shecanbe

reachedatkcole21@gmail.com.

MANUSCRIPTEVALUATIONandCOACHINGWrittenafirstdraftandneedfeedback?Needa

line-by-lineedit?Completedanoutline,afirst

chapterandalastchapter,butdon’tknow

wheretogofromthere?Playingwithahalf-

writtenmanuscriptthatyou’renotsuremerits

yourcontinuedefforts?Ifyourmanuscriptis

aimedatachildorteenaudienceandyou’re

lookingforsomehonestandpractical

feedback,SusanHughescanhelp.Getintouchwithheratsusanhughes@sympatico.ca

orrefertoherwebsiteformoreinformation:

www.susanhughes.ca.

CANSCAIPNEWS 34 SPRING2017

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS IBBY Canada 2017 Illustrator in Residence at Toronto Public Library (deadline Friday, April 28, 2017)IBBY Canada invites submissions from Canadian children’s book illustrators for the Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence program, for the month of October 2017, hosted at the Toronto Public Library Northern District Branch.The Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence program is a joint project of IBBY Canada, Toronto Public Library, Edmonton Public Library, and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council. The program honours the work of Joanne Fitzgerald (1956–2011), whose books include Plain Noodles, Emily’s House, The Blue Hippopotamus and Doctor Kiss Says Yes (Governor General’s Award winner). Overview of IBBY Canada’s Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence Program:• Held at Toronto Public Library Northern

District Branch (Yonge and Eglinton), October 1 to 31, 2017

• Illustrator leads art activities for classes of children, makes presentations to adults and students, and offers individual portfolio reviews

• Illustrator provides about 15 to 20 programming hours per week, with some evening and possible weekend events

• Illustrator’s original work is exhibited in the library's art gallery

• Remuneration $4,000 plus up to $300

for supplies; travel, accommodation and meals are the responsibility of the illustrator                 

Requirements for illustrators:• Four or more professionally-published children’s books, with publication of a new book expected within the next few years

• Experienced in presentations for audiences of kids, teens and adults

• Friendly and empathetic, with an understanding of the needs of aspiring artists

• Has sketches and finished work that can be displayed in the library’s art gallery

• Available for the month of October 2017 (illustrator not scheduled every day)

• Canadian citizen or permanent resident                                    Email submissions by Friday, April 28, 2017 to promotions@ibby-canada.org. Submissions must be a single attachment of a Word or PDF document that includes:• Your ideas for workshops and presentations for different audiences: school kids, adults, high school/college students (see Programming Guidelines below)

• CV that includes presentation experience and books (with publisher and year)

• Letters of reference (2) about your presentation experience 

PROGRAMMING GUIDELINESThe selected illustrator will lead the following types of workshops and presentations. We encourage illustrators to propose creative and engaging programming ideas, and also be open to suggestions from the library and IBBY Canada.

•WorkshopsforGrades2to6*Adultpresentations*Studentpresentationsathighschools

andcolleges*Portfolioreviews

Forcompletedetailsvisit:http://www.ibby-canada.org/newsletters/winter2017/#jfir

CANSCAIPNEWS 35 SPRING2017

CANSCAIPNEWS 36 SPRING2017

ReturnUndeliverableCanadianAddressesto:CANSCAIP,720BathurstSt.,Unit503,Toronto,ONM5S2R4416-515-1559

office@canscaip.orgwww.canscaip.org

CANSCAIPNEWSAquarterlybulletinoftheCanadianSocietyofAuthors,IllustratorsandPerformers

LaSociétécanadiennedesauteurs,illustrateursetartistespourenfants

Volume39,No.1–Spring2017

TheCANSCAIPExecutiveELECTEDEXECUTIVEMEMBERSPresident SHARONJENNINGS

VicePresident JenniferMarunoPastPresident BillSwanTreasurer MaureenMcGowanMemberatLarge PatsyMacKinnonFriendatLarge LornaPoplak

APPOINTEDEXECUTIVEMEMBERSRecordingSecretaries BevKatzRosenbaumProgramCommittee HeatherCamlot

TheoHerasCatherineRondina

PatriciaStormsIllustrators’Rep HollyMainMembershipCommittee YolandeHirdaramani

HollyMainMichelleNidenoff

ListservManager MarshaSkrypuchSocialMediaCoordinator MelanieFishbanePackagingYourImagination HeatherCamlot

JillianDobsonJoyceGrant

SharonJenningsHollyMain

JenniferMaruno

CANSCAIPSTAFFAdministrativeDirector HelenaAalto

CANSCAIPNews

Editor BARBARAGREENWOOD

Contributors PauletteBourgeoisSharonJenningsMartheJocelyn

ElizabethMacLeodGillianO’ReillyMoniquePolak

BethPollockMarshaSkrypuch

FrontPageLogoVariation BillSlavinNewsletterProduction RobMorphy

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