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,[email protected]
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,[email protected]
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
AssociationofCanadianPublisherstogether
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
theever-changinglogositeonthehomepage
ofourwebsite.
IfyouareafullCANSCAIPmember/
illustratorandwouldliketosubmityour
versionforpossibleuse,herearethespecifics:
Digitalsubmissionispreferred,soscanyourart
at300dpi(highresolution)andemailthefile
CANSCAIPLogoSubmissioninthesubjectline.We’dlovetohavecolourful,playfulart.
Forthosewhofindscanningachallenge,
sendpaperarttotheCANSCAIPoffice.
CREATIVEWRITING:Ifyouareteachingacourseinwritingorillustrationforthechildren’s
market,we’dlovetosendyouapackageofbrochuresaboutCANSCAIPandaboutPackagingYourImaginationtodistributetoyourstudents.Justemailtheoffice
([email protected])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
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:[email protected].
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/
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
ISYOURMACHOLDINGYOUBACK?Ifyou’renotcomfortablewithyourApple
computer,yourwritingsoftwareandyourfile
system,you’reprobablywastingvaluable
creativetimeandenergy.RobMorphycanhelpyourelaxandgetwriting.One-on-one,in
home(centralTorontofornow)Appletherapy.
Getbacktowork!ContactRobat
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
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:
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
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
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
MANUSCRIPTEVALUATIONandCOACHINGWrittenafirstdraftandneedfeedback?Needa
line-by-lineedit?Completedanoutline,afirst
chapterandalastchapter,butdon’tknow
wheretogofromthere?Playingwithahalf-
writtenmanuscriptthatyou’renotsuremerits
yourcontinuedefforts?Ifyourmanuscriptis
aimedatachildorteenaudienceandyou’re
lookingforsomehonestandpractical
feedback,[email protected]
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 [email protected]. 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
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
Publication mail agreement #40043364