qqqq - fitzhenry & whiteside...frightened (what if everybody hates it?). q how do you develop...

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Montreal, QCMichèle Marineau

© 2007

LucR

oberge

Michèle with her husband, François Gravel

Michèle Marineau is an award-winning French-Canadian author who enjoys the pleasure ofsharing stories, emotions and ideas in her

work.

QYou studied medicine, art and translation inschool. What made you switch to writing?

AI simply realized that I was more interested inbooks than anything else. I love working with

books and the people who make them. But I realized

than anything else in the book business.

Qpublished?

A A part of me (a big part of me) was elated!Another part of me found it hard to believe (I

am now a writer; I am doing the same job as VictorHugo and Dickens). Another part of me was a bitfrightened (What if everybody hates it?).

QHow do you develop your characters?

AThe characters begin to appear in my mind. Isee them—not just their features, but the way

they move, the way they speak. I begin to feel that I

know them. I start to know their joys and their hopesand their small secrets. I used to keep all this inmy mind and write about the characters from thisintuitive knowledge I had. Now I tend to take notesabout them—what they like and dislike, importantmoments or events in their lives—and my knowledgeof them increases as I write the book. I make newdiscoveries all the time.

QAre there any social issues you wish to tacklein future books?

A“Social issues” sounds too theoretical for theway I think about my books. I begin with images

in my mind, and I let these images come and go for awhile. I let the story take form that way. Somewherein the process, I may realize that the story is in partabout racism or guilt or hate, and that is when I try tounderstand a bit more about these issues. But they

QWhich of your books do you consider mostsuccessful? Why?

AThe Road to Chlifa is certainly my best success,at least in terms of the number of copies sold, the

awards it has received, and the wonderful commentsabout it. But, for me, each book is a success.

9780889951297, pbWorldAges 14+, Relationships,Immigration & Relocation,Friendship, UnderstandingDifferencesGovernor General’s Award for

People Honor Book, CCBCOutstanding Book, OLA WhitePine Award shortlist

9780889952300, pbWorld Eng.Ages 12+, Coming of Age,RelationshipsCCBC Our Choice selection

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Toronto, ONMichael Martchenko

Michael Martchenko is one of the most popular

He is also regarded as one of the fastest,able to churn out a fully completed illustration inas little as four hours. “One of the reasons I workquickly is the medium,” he says. “Watercolour is fast.I use the white of the board. I use a lot of washes,which cover a lot of ground quickly. I have a prettygood idea of how a piece should look before I start.”Michael illustrates as he reads the text, developingimages in his head. “As I read, I get all these greatpictures in my mind. I think about funny situations,and then start sketching.”

Michael learned a lot about visual humour fromcartoons and comic books. By high school, heknew that he wanted to make art his career. Aftergraduating from the Ontario College of Art in 1966,Michael began working in commercial art andadvertising. His work was spotted at a graphic artsexhibition by Robert Munsch, and from then Michaelstarted illustrating children’s books. “I try to give thekids in my illustrations spunk and make them a bit

standing up for themselves,” he explains.

Michael describes the journey involved in becominga professional illustrator: “Children’s book illustrationis very unpredictable. It’s a wonderful way to makea living, but it can be a terrible way to make a living,too. I illustrated books for years while I kept my dayjob. It wasn’t until I had many books under my beltthat I began to do them full-time. As a young artist,all you can do is promote your work, see as manypublishers as possible, keep developing your workand build up a respectable portfolio. The advantagethat artists have is that kid’s books have so manydifferent styles of art, from beautiful, realistic oilpaintings to black-and-white line and the silly stuffthat I do.”

9780773732957, pbWorldPicture Book, Fanciful



9780773759411, pbWorld ex. KR, FrCPicture Book, Fanciful





9781550419153, hc9781550419160, pbWorld, ex. KR, FrCChapter Book, Level 3

9781550418750, hc9781550418774, pbWorld ex. KR, FrCChapter Book, Level 3

9781550419023, hc9781550419047, pbWorld ex. KR, FrCChapter Book, Level 3

9781550419016, hc9781550419030, pbWorld ex. KRPicture Book, Historical Fiction,Ukrainian Internment During WWITaras Shevchenko Award, OLABest Bets, Amelia FrancesHoward-Gibbon Award forIllustration shortlist

9781550418842, pbWorldPicture Book, HistoricalFiction, Famine in the UkraineCCBC Our Choice selection,ResourceLinks Best Book

9780773757011, pbWorldPicture Book, HistoricalFiction

9780773756977, pbWorldPicture Book, Hockey,Imaginative

Illustration from Jessica

Illustration from

Illustration from

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9781550418149, bbWorldBoard Book, Concept, Lyrical Text




9781550414578, pbWorldAges 12+, Friendship, Dealing withDeath

9781550415513, hc9781550418064, pbWorld ex. KRPicture Book, Adventure, Lyrical TextOLA Blue Spruce Award shortlist, Chocolate Lily Awardshortlist, Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award forIllustration shortlist

9781550416817, hc9781550417227, pbWorldPicture Book, Concept, Numeracy, NatureChocolate Lily Award shortlist, Chosen by the BCgovernment as a title to support their literacy initiative. Everykindergarten child in the province will receive this book in afamily literacy package.

Sheryl with two of her three daughters, Katie and Cloe

Sheryl McFarlane admits that she didn’t readthat much until her teen years. “Junior highopened up a whole new and unexpected

world for me—the world of books.” Sheryl wasentranced by the world of books—stepping beyondthe boundaries of her neighbourhood, travellingto distant places and meeting fascinating people. She was convinced that authors must be excitingand exotic. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and J.D.Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye were the books that

Catcher in the Rye really

well. This is one of those great books that helpedme to realize that I wasn’t alone. The Hobbit wasan easy leap. It’s about quest and good triumphingover evil. It’s about stepping into worlds that areunknown even when you are afraid. Perfect readingfor a teenager on the threshold of doing the same inreal life!”

Like most authors, Sheryl endured several years

friends were outwardly supportive of my writing,although I sometimes got the feeling that theythought I should just get on with my teaching career,”she says. “My husband, though, always made mefeel that I could do anything. Mind you, he was a tadbiased. Still, I doubt I could have carried on writingwithout this total belief in me. Now, I know there isnothing in the world that I would rather do than writebooks for kids.”

Sheryl’s advice to aspiring writers is to read, readand read. And, of course, write. “You don’t learnhow to write by talking about it or thinking about it,but by doing it. Keeping a journal is a good way tostart. It also gives you the opportunity to become anobserver, which is what writers often are.” Her otheradvice for aspiring writers is not to give up. “Whenyou’ve rewritten a story many times, and it still isn’t

story is going well, and you’re happy with it, there isnothing more wonderful.”

www.sherylmcfarlane.ca Victoria, BCSheryl McFarlane

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www.stephaniemclellan.com Newmarket, ONStephanie McLellan The 12th Annual Mr. Christie’s Book Awards

BACK: Jeff McLellan, Sylvia Cassidy, Sean Cassidy, Maggie Cassidy, Janet McNaughton, Irene Britt (Nabisco) MIDDLE: Stephanie McLellan, Pat Little, Jean Little, Arlene Perly Rae FRONT: Erin McLellan, Tristan

McLellan, Sarah McLellan, Pippa

Stephanie with her children after winning the 12th Annual Mr. Christie’s Book Award

Stephanie’s cat, Merlin

Jeff and Stephanie on

their dogsledding trip in Temagami

9781550418132, hc9781550418156, pbWorld ex. KRPicture Book, Self-Esteem, Friendship

Sarah and Stephanie dogsledding in Temagami

9781550416770, pbWorld ex. KRPicture book, fancifulRuth Schwartz Book Award, Mr. Christie’s BookAward Gold Seal, OLA Blue Spruce Award

Stephanie McLellan has been preoccupiedwith books for most of her life. At the ageof seven, she turned her room into a library,

house. “I remember reading lots of Trixie Beldenand straight through The Twins series by Lucy FitchPerkins,” Stephanie says. “As a teenager, some ofthe authors I enjoyed were Hemingway, Hardy, Eliot,Wouk, Plath, Atwood, Laurence, Munro, Dostoevsky,Yevtushenko, and Solzhenitsyn.”

Stephanie holds both an English and a marketingdegree, and for a while, she worked in advertising. “Iworked both sides of it, most recently as an accountdirector with one of the major agencies,” she says,but every step I took wound me further and furtheraway from my goal of writing.”

The Chicken Cat, which won the Ruth Schwartz Awardand the Mr. Christie’s Book Award Gold Seal. Shealso reviews books for the magazine Today’s Parent. As a reviewer, Stephanie has found an increase inchildren’s books focused on global and historicalissues. “Many picture books today must have anear open to the needs of that market, a relevancebeyond pure whimsy,” she says. As both a reviewerand a reader of kids’ books, Stephanie looks for thesound of the writing and for a core idea that givesthe story its own pulse and makes it worth exploring.“I detest books that write down to kids or that try tocloak a lesson as a story,” she says. “Fortunately,it’s easy to avoid these books as there is no shortageof really wonderful children’s books being publishedall the time.”

Stephanie was recently part of a team of Canadianwriters who wrote scripts for a preschool televisionprogram called Roll Play, which premiered onTreehouse TV last fall. She also has severalmanuscripts in various stages of development.Stephanie credits and thanks Fitzhenry & Whiteside’sChildren’s Publisher Gail Winskill and editor AnnFeatherstone for helping strengthen her stories withinsightful direction.

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www.sylviamcnicoll.com Burlington, ONSylvia McNicoll

9780773674790, mmNA onlyJuvenile Fiction, GuideDogs, FriendshipOLA Silver Birch Award,Manitoba Young Readers’Choice Award

9781550050608, pbNA onlyAges 12+, Guide Dogs,Coming of AgeOLA Red Maple Awardshortlist, CCBC Our Choiceselection

9781550051490, hc9781550051001, pbNA onlyAges 12+, Guide Dogs,Dealing with Death, Comingof Age

9780773760158, pbWorldJuvenile Fiction, Relocation,Mystery

Sylvia and her husband, Bob, horseback riding in Lake Louise doing research for

her new wolf-dog rescue series

Sylvia and her dog, Sputnik

Sylvia McNicoll was born in Ajax, Ontario,grew up in Montreal and graduated fromConcordia University with a B.A. in English

and economics. She rediscovered her love of writingafter she quit her job in the business world to raiseher three children. Since then, she has written over20 novels and taught creative writing at SheridanCollege. She continues to write and tour schoolsand libraries to talk about the writing process.

QAfter working in the corporate world, why didyou decide to go into writing?

AThe corporate world was just a place I rested toearn money to live. I earned my degree at night

and the company paid for it, so I indulged my love ofliterature along with my fascination for economics.

time to write. After my third child, I decided thatif I didn’t have a story published by the time theywere all in school full time, I would give up writing

was published.

QBased on your experiences as a writer, wouldyou discourage or encourage your kids if they

expressed a desire to write professionally?

AOf course, I would encourage my children ifthey expressed a desire to write professionally.

But I also encourage them to go out into the worldand experience as much of life as possible so theyhave something to write about. And I tell them thatwriting can be something that enriches their liveseven if they choose another calling.

QDo reviews or winning awards change the wayyou think about your writing?

AWhenever I read a favourable review or getshortlisted for an award or, heavens, win one,

there’s a moment of pure relief. For one instant, Ithink someone acknowledges I’m good at what Ipour my life into.

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Tololwa Mollel is an award-winning writerand many of his books have won multiple

to literary success.

QDescribe the experience of growing up inTanzania.

AOne of the most powerful memories I havegrowing up in Tanzania was my fascination

with books, which grew out of lack of them. No one Iknew had a home library to speak of. The only placeyou could get a book was school. In high school, forexample, my favourite haunt was the library. I lookedforward to Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, thelibrary’s only opening hours. Since I could borrowonly one book at a time, I would try to read a whole,slim book in the library itself and borrow one when Ileft. I did much writing, too. After reading an inspiring

usually modelled on English Literature books that

QDid listening to your grandfather’s anecdotes

ability and passion to be a storyteller?

Ahad as much to do with my interest in storytelling.He inspired my love of stories and storytelling, andindirectly my interest in writing.

QWhat drives you to write?

Aeach character essential. I like the search forwords that successfully marry action to character,setting and theme, while I listen closely to the dictatesof the story. In a picture book story, every word isworth its weight in gold. And after the characters

way to bring the story to a satisfying end.

QHas your perception of being a writer changedsince you became a published author?

Acome to realize that writing is not all-important.There are many, many other things that are equallyimportant, if not more. Writing can only approachmatching these other things in importance if ithas a purpose to it, preferably one that makes adifference.

QWhat is your advice to aspiring writers?

AAn aspiring writer needs patience. It takes timefor characters in a story or play to grow and

attain credible lives, and it takes us longer than we

which to weave them into a story, play, into a workof art.

QWhat is your greatest achievement?

AMy wife and I raising our children. Bringing upchildren is the toughest job going.

QWhat are your top three priorities?

AGood health, a clear mind and a clean life, butnot necessarily in that order.

QWhat do you want to be remembered for?

AI would like to be remembered as someone whohas given through art and stories, and through

connection with people, particularly my family.

Edmonton, ABTololwa Mollel

9780773730199, hcWorldPicture Book, AuthenticAfrican StoryCCBC Our Choiceselection

9780773728516, hcEng. CAPicture BookCLA Honour Book, WritersGuild of Alberta Award forChildren’s Literature, CCBCOur Choice selection

9780773757165, pbEng. World ex. US, Afrikaans/XhosaPicture Book, Maasai Animal TaleFlorida Reading Association Award,Georgia Reading Association Awardshortlist, CCBC Our Choice selection

9781895555400, hcCA onlyPicture Book, LegendNotable Children’s Trade Bookin the Field of Social Studies,CCBC Our Choice selection

9780195409901, hcWorld ex. KRPicture Book, NigerianTraditional Tale, AnimalsABA Pick of the Lists,Bank Street CollegeChildren’s Book of theYear, OLA Silver BirchAward shortlist, CCBCOur Choice selection

9780773730076, hcWorldPicture Book, Family,Overcoming Fear, Set inTanzania

9780773730038, hcWorldPicture Book, African Fable, AnimalsCCBC Our Choice selection

9781550050820, hcCA onlyPicture Book, Maasai Legend,African ArtGovernor General’s Award, NotableChildren’s Book in the LanguageArts, Notable Children’s TradeBook in the Field of Social Studies,Parents’ Choice Storybook Award,ABA Pick of the Lists, AmeliaFrances Howard-Gibbon Awardfor Illustration, Elizabeth CleaverAward, CLA Notable Books, CCBCOur Choice selection

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Falkland, BCIrene Morck

9780773755307, pbWorldGrade 7+, FamilyIssues, Coming of Age

9781550416718, hcWorldGrade 6+, Pioneer Stories,ImmigrationGrant MacEwan Award

Alberta Award, CAAChildren’s Short StoryAward, CCBC Our Choiceselection

9781550416954, hc9781550416978, pbWorldPicture Book, Pioneer, FamilyIssuesGrant MacEwan Award HonourableMention, CCBC Our Choiceselection

9781894004329, pbWorldGrade 7+, Pioneer, Storiesfrom the West, ImmigrationNorma Fleck Award forNon-Fiction shortlist, CCBCOur Choice selection

9780889951532, hc9780889951815, pbWorldPicture book, Cattle HerdingCCBC Outstanding Book, AlbertaChildren’s Book of the Year Award, AlbertaBook Illustration of the Year Award

Irene and her dog, Riley

Irene with her mule, Katie

Irene Morck grew up listening to stories. Theinspiration for her book Five Pennies camefrom listening to stories of her father’s early

days in Western Canada. “I always loved hearingmy father tell stories from his pioneer childhood. In1974 my dad was badly injured in a car accident,then a few days later, he had a stroke and heartattack. He couldn’t work anymore, so I encouragedhim to write the story of his life. With shaky hands,he scrawled 800 pages that included stories of hispioneer childhood, his experiences through the

schooling.” When her father died in 1976, Irene’s

endured. “Their family pioneer stories helped meFive Pennies

and then to Apples and Angel Ladders. Old Birdis based on the true story of my dad’s old pioneerschool horse.”

In addition to doing two years of biochemistryresearch at the University of the West Indies, Irenetaught science at a boys’ school in Barbados andJamaica. “The best part about teaching in theCaribbean was the students,” she says. “Most ofthem craved an education. They worked so hard,with enthusiasm and appreciation. Many of thosestudents pulled themselves out of poverty andbecame doctors, scientists, lawyers and professors.Some of those students still keep in touch with me,after more than 25 years.”

Irene and her husband enjoy travelling, snorkelling,hiking, trail riding their mules in the mountains,learning Spanish and cross-country skiing.

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Growing up, Paul Morin envisioned himselfas an artist for an advertising agency. Inschool, he produced video animation and

photography and did some freelance editorial andillustrating for magazines. But it wasn’t any of theseexperiences that inspired him. Paul’s most profound

to visit to his parents, as well as his trips to remoteregions of South America. The exoticism of thesecultures was what Paul wanted to capture in art.

Paul’s advice to aspiring illustrators is to spendhours observing and drawing. “Although art schoolhelps a lot, it is by experiencing and practising thatone develops an artistic style.” Paul has talkedto tribesmen and healers, visited sweat-lodgeceremonies, and recorded the sights and sounds ofthe remote regions he has visited. “I listen to these

mood or atmosphere of each project, and many ofthe paintings have their own musical score.” Paulalso visits these homemade musical scores andvideos when he is feeling uninspired with a particularpainting. He also uses the recordings as teachingtools for school programs, where kids can getglimpses into the backgrounds of the global storieshe illustrates.

sculpture, music, sound and video in order to revealour connection with nature. “In life, I attempt to walkin harmony with the Earth, to allow some of the

www.paulmorinstudios.com Rockwood, ONPaul Morin

9781550050820, hcCA onlyPicture Book, Maasai Legend, African ArtGovernor General’s Award, NotableChildren’s Book in the Language Arts,Notable Children’s Trade Book in theField of Social Studies, Parents’ ChoiceStorybook Award, ABA Pick of the Lists,Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Awardfor illustration, Elizabeth Cleaver Award,CLA Notable Books, CCBC Our Choiceselection

9780773730625, hcCA onlyPicture Book, Australian AboriginalStory, Friendship

9780773728981, hcCA onlyPicture Book, Legend

9780195410754, hcCA onlyPicture Book, Anasazi Desert Story,Ecology

Paul with his wife, Janine, and their two boys, Palmer and Kadin

9780773728820, hc9780773757172, pbWorldPicture Book, Chinese Legend,DragonsRuth Schwartz Award shortlist, CLABook of the Year Award shortlist,NAPPA Award for Folklore

9781550051520, pbCA onlyPicture Book, Historial Fiction,Japanese Internment During WWIIWhite Raven Award, StorytellingWorld Honor Title, Notable Book,Social Studies Children’s BooksCouncil

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www.savethechildren.ca Toronto, ONDavid Morley

David Morley was executive director ofthe Canadian section of MSF/DoctorsWithout Borders from 1998 to 2005. His

humanitarian work has taken him to Congo, Zambia,Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Mexico, DominicanRepublic, El Salvador and Brazil. He is now theCEO of Save the Children Canada.

QWhy did you decide to pursue humanitarianwork as a career?

Astreet children in Costa Rica, I went because Ienjoyed working with children. I was so impressedwith the strength and resilience of the children Ispent time with there, and I was so captivated byLatin America, that I decided I would keep on doingthis for a while. I’ve never really thought of it as acareer.

QWhat was the pivotal moment when yourealized that humanitarian work was what you

wanted to do?

A There wasn’t a sudden pivotal moment. WhatI wanted to devote my professional life to was

playing hockey, but since I am a poor skater andhave a weak shot, that was not going to happen. But the people who are doing so much to buildstrong lives and strong communities in the face ofinjustice inspire me, and I feel it is a privilege to beable to work with them.

QWhat is an unknown or misunderstood issue inthe world of humanitarian aid?

AInternational aid agencies, by their very nature,are professional beggars. We are trying to get

some resources from our too-rich northern worldto the impoverished places in the countries of thesouth. But in so doing, we perpetuate the notion

that, without our help, development will not happen. Well, that’s not true. There is a wealth of strengthand resilience and courage in the people of Africa,and while we can be of assistance and help ease theburden of injustice, true international developmenttakes place when we work together.

QWhat do you want young readers to learn fromHealing Our World?

AWhat I describe above, and also that anyonecan volunteer to help anywhere—overseas or

at home. There are many opportunities to help, andthese efforts enrich our society.

QWhat is your advice to anyone going overseas

assistance team?

A The hardest part of going overseas is cominghome. The culture shock when we see our own

community with new eyes can be quite profound,and you have to give yourself time for re-entry.

9781550415650, hcWorld ex. KRNon-Fiction, Health, World Issues,Doctors Without Borders

David in West Africa

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Ruth Ohi graduated from the Ontario Collegeof Art. Since then, she’s been illustratingchildren’s books. “My pictures hopefully will

enhance the text, complement the mood the authorhas so carefully created and make the book worthlooking at again and again,” she says. “Creatingillustrations that touch children and stay with themafter they close the book is always a hope I have.”

Ruth says each project has its challenges. Shecites a good example: “Next Stop by Sarah Ellisbasically takes place entirely on a bus. I saw theinterior of the bus as a rotating theatre stage andincorporated different angles and focuses to keepthe action of the book moving.” But the effort isalways worthwhile. “Seeing parents read one of mybooks to a child in their lap, the child totally engaged,is very satisfying.”

Ruth teaches drawing workshops to children. “Theirart always has a freshness and honesty that isbeautiful to witness,” she says. “I think the childrenwho draw for me are some of my favourite artists inthe world.” Her advice to these aspiring illustrators isto keep a sketchbook and draw. “Really look at thingsas you draw them,” she says. “And then draw themagain. My two children practise piano every day for30 minutes each. I have a lot of drawings of dancing

fascinating shapes when playing an instrument. Ino longer have to look at someone playing the pianoto draw someone playing the piano. It is all in thescrapbook up in my head.”

Ruth enjoys sharing her work with her children. “I think the sharing of their own stories throughpictures, showing them how illustrations in bookscome to be, help make the books come alive in awhole new way for them. I believe it helps developand deepen a love of books.”

www.ruthohi.com Toronto, ONRuth Ohi

9781550417036, hc9781550417053, pbWorld ex. KRPicture Book, Generational Story,Dealing with Death

9781550415391, hc9781550418095, pbWorldPicture Book, Transportation,Family

9781550416671, bbWorldAges 2+, Board Book

Ruth canoeing in Algonquin Park Peanut art with a squirrel audience

Ruth hiking in the Grand Canyon

9781550414059, hc9781550417852, pbWorldPicture Book, GenerationalStory, Family RelationshipsOLA Blue Spruce Award

9781550418002, pbWorld ex. KRPicture Book, Family Relationships

9781550417876, hc9781550417890, pbWorld ex. KR, Heb. in ILPicture Book, OvercomingFearCCBC Our Choice selection

Illustration from

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www.margrietruurs.com Shedd, OR, USAMargriet Ruurs

Margriet Ruurs loves her job. Whether writingfor kids, inspiring them to read and write,or reading what kids have written, Margriet

readily shares her two passions—kids and books.

Margriet grew up in The Netherlands reading theworks of Annie M.G. Schmidt, beloved by many Dutchchildren. She adds, “I also loved Pippi Longstocking!”Inspired by some of the “clueless chickens” on herfarm when she lived in British Columbia, Margrietcreated her own lovable character in the plucky henEmma, who has a knack for adventure. Musing overa neighbour’s early-rising roosters and her grownsons’ sleeping habits when they were teenagers,Margriet came up with just the right character forher most recent title, Wake Up, Henry Rooster! “Oneday I wondered how rooster mothers coped withteenager sons! Thus, Henry was born!”

Whendoingschoolpresentations,Margriethas founda way to get kids hooked on reading and writing.“We often talk about the books we are reading. Ishare my favourite titles with them, and they tell meabout the books they are reading. I also like to showthem how to use their own imaginations to write

information books about topics that interest them.When you enjoy what you are doing, it makes it somuch easier!” As editor of the online KIDSWWRITEe-zine, Margriet also enjoys the rewards of kids’creative efforts. “The best part, for me, is seeing theamazing stories and poems that children write forfun. They are not writing these stories and poems topass a test. That’s why they are so good! Sometimesa poem makes me cry or a story makes me laughout loud.”

Margriet’s advice for children aspiring to be writersis simple: “READ, READ, READ! Reading booksthat you like will show you the format of stories. Itwill help you to get ideas and to see how much funand how exciting stories are.” She lists Sarah Ellis,Katherine Paterson, Sharon Creech, Linda Baileyand Mem Fox as some of her favourite children’sauthors. Margriet faces with an enviable problem.

out of ideas. Now I am afraid of running out of mylifetime before running out of ideas!”

9780773733145, hc9781550050769, pbWorldPicture Book, Humour,Farm, BarnyardShining Willow Awardshortlist, Mr. Christie’sBook Award Silver Seal,OLA Blue Spruce Awardshortlist, Chocolate LilyAward shortlist, CCBC OurChoice starred selection

9780773731400, hc9780773762053, pbWorldPicture Book, Humour,Farm, BarnyardShining Willow Awardshortlist, Mr. Christie’s BookAward Silver Seal, Tiny

CCBC Our Choiceselection, Grand Prize,Ex aequo, Luxcanada forIllustration

9781550051261, hcWorldPicture Book, Humour, Farm,Barnyard

9780773729728, hc9780773733343, pbWorldPicture Book, Humour,Farm, BarnyardStorytelling World AwardHonor Title

Margriet during a school visit

Margriet with a chicken—Emma perhaps

9781550419528, hcWorld ex. KRPicture Book, HumourOLA Blue Spruce Award shortlist

Illustration from

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Flushing, NY, USAVirginia Schwartz

9781550051407, pbEng. NAHistorical Fiction, Black HistoryParents Choice Gold Award forFiction, Notable Book for a GlobalSociety, ALA Best Book for YA,VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for MiddleReaders, New York Public LibraryBooks for the Teen Age, Children’sLiterature Choice List, CharlotteAward of NY State shortlist,Mustang Book Award, Iowa TeenAward, South Carolina YA BookAward, Maine Student Book Award,Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award,Georgia Children’s LiteratureAward, Garden State Teen Award

9781550419467, pbEng. NAHistorical Fiction, Adversity,Relocation & AdjustmentNew York Public Library Books for theTeen Age

9780773761926, hc9780773761926, pbWorldHistorical Fiction, Black History,Underground RailwayGeoffrey Bilson Award for HistoricalFiction, OLA Silver Birch Award,CCBC Our Choice selection,Manitoba Young Readers ChoiceAward, YA Canadian Book Awardshortlist, Rocky Mountain Book Awardshortlist, Red Cedar Award, New YorkPublic Library Books for the Teen Age

9781550050530, hc9781550050547, pbWorldNative Transformation MythKuriyama International Prize NotableBook, Manitoba Young Readers’Choice Award shortlist, Willow Awardshortlist, Stellar Book Award shortlist, Rocky Mountain Book Award shortlist,CLA Book of the Year Award shortlist,Sunburst Award for SpeculativeFiction shortlist, White Ravenselection

Multiple-award winning author of If I Just Had Two Wings and Send One Angel Down, Virginia Schwartz grew up in an

eclectic neighbourhood in Stoney Creek, Ontario,in a multicultural family—an Austrian grandfather,a Croatian maternal grandmother, and a Ukranianfather and grandparents. “I was fascinated by thelanguage, accents and stories of each neighbour,”Virginia says. “Language taught me to pay attentionto nuances even though I couldn’t always understandthe words, often in foreign languages. I learned tolisten beneath the words for what kind of person wasactually speaking, what their personality was, andwhat motivated them. I was fascinated by charactersearly on.”

Virginia studied English Literature at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity. When she was 26, she moved to New

studying at Columbia University. Virginia was alsowriting on the side, and receiving lots of rejections. “There were many, many times I wanted to give up,”she admits. “When a manuscript came back for thetenth time with a rejection letter, I got discouraged.Sometimes, I would stop writing for up to threemonths. I never thought I would get published but

I hoped for it.” In the meantime, Virginia reads lots

groups, and submitted and revised her work. Shesuggests the same route to aspiring writers who arelooking for their voice.

Virginia admits her perception of being a writer haschanged since she became a published author. “Ithought, like most people I meet, that words justcome out of you perfect on the page and that theyare never altered,” she says. “Perhaps if I knew theamount of work demanded, how a book spans yearsof your life, I may have shied away. I thought of myselfas lazy. As a writer, you have to be very disciplined.”

their dream can become a published work. “It beginsas a dream in an author’s mind, spreads to the heart,and takes over the soul. If boys and girls weren’twilling to allow the spell of a book to carry themsomewhere magical, authors would not be able todo their work. Books need readers. For children arethe ones who will shape and change the future ofthe world with their thoughts, opinions and desires. I thank them for reading with open hearts and openminds.”

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Marsha Skrypuch didn’t begin reading untilGrade 4. Determined to shed the labelof being a “slow” student, Marsha began

reading Dickens’s Oliver Twist. It turned her into avoracious reader and an aspiring writer.

in Canada to write a children’s story about the

person to write a picture book about the famine inUkraine. I am the only YA/children’s writer in Canadato write about the Armenian genocide.”

Marsha loveswriting for children. Itwaswhileworkingas a librarian that Marsha developed her passionfor children’s literature. “Children and young adultsare a much more serious audience than adults are.Adults often just want entertainment. Kids problem-

solve through book reading. I consider myself a kidinside, and I basically write what I like to read.”

rewrote her manuscripts 60 to 70 times. Now thatnumber has dropped to about 10 rewrites—all toensure that her books engage and enrich youngreaders. “I like my readers to be able to step into theshoes of someone else and feel what it would belike to be of a different ethnic group and time period,with different circumstances and challenges. Bydoing so, my readers will realize how similar we allare in our hopes and dreams and that there is nosuch thing as us and them.”

Marsha has plans for many more books. “Thereare so many untold stories. I have a deep need toexplore these stories and reveal them to readers.”

www.calla.com Brantford, ONMarsha Skrypuch

9781550418842, pbWorldPicture Book, Historical Fiction, Faminein the UkraineCCBC Our Choice selection, ResourceLinks Best Book

9781550413526, hc9781550413540, pbWorldGrade 3+, Chapter Book,Immigration, Social Issues,AdversityOLA Silver Birch Express Awardshortlist, Resource Links BestBook, CCBC Our Choice selection

9781550419542, hc9781550419979, pbWorldGrade 7+, HistoricalFiction, UkrainianImmigration Experiences,Social Issues

Marsha signing copies of at the Ontario Library Association

Superconference in Toronto

9781550419016, hc9781550419030, pbWorld ex. KRPicture Book, Ukrainian Internment During WWITaras Shevchenko Award, OLA Best Bets,Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award forIllustration shortlist

9781554550005, hc9781554550012, pbWorldGrade 3+, Chapter Book,Adjustment & Relocation, SocialIssues

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Since 1973 A.G. Smith has illustrated over 100published books, authored two books (WhatTime is It? and Where Am I? for Stoddard

Publications), and taught printmaking and drawingat both Morehead State University in Kentucky andthe University of Windsor in Ontario.

QHow did you get into illustration and developyour style?

AMy background was originally in printmakingand drawing. I did a lot of etching and graving,

working with a style of art called woodcutting. The

in the skills needed for drawing and visual arts.

QHow do you work on the pieces for theDiscovering Canada titles?

ABob writes a chapter outline, which he gives meto look at. Once I read it, I then start researching

the content to make sure it is an accurate portrayalof the era—make sure the soldiers’ uniforms arehistorically correct, the design and architecture ischronologically accurate, and so on. After I draw the

Once the sketch is how I like it, I redraw it on freshpaper and ink it with colour.

I’ve cut out of magazines and newspapers over the

come in handy when you need to draw something. A

models for sketches.

QYour body of work is immense; is there aparticular piece that stands out for you as a

career highlight?

AWhere Am I? really stands out for me. I like itbecause it combines writing and illustrating with

navigation. I love boats and I do a lot of sailing.

QWhat other kinds of art do you create?

AI create paper models using cardstock paper.I’ve made castles, knights and ships. The

Discovering Canada series has a section in eachchapter called “Things To Do,” and often times weinclude a how-to for constructing paper models.We’ve had paper periscopes, paper forts, Vikingships and longhouses, to name a few.

Windsor, ONA.G. Smith

9781550051377, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+, BlackCanadian History, To PresentDay, Activities, SportsHeroes, Inventors

9781550051360, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+, WWI,Canadian History, WarHeroes, Women’s Role inWWI, Activities

9780773753044, pbWorld ex. FrCNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, NorthernFur Trade, Activities, FamousMen & Women of the FurTrade

9780773760431, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, AmericanRevolution 1775-83,Refugees to Canada,Activities

9780773756021, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+, Historyof the Canadian North, LifeBefore Europeans discoveredthe New World, Activities &Stories

9780773761704, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, ColourfulCanadian Rebels WhoChanged Life in Canada,W.L. Mackenzie, Louis Riel,Norman Bethune, etc.

9780773752092, pbWorld ex. FrCNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, Life of theVikings Who First DiscoveredCanada, Activities & Stories

9780773756656, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, War of1812, Activities, CanadianHeroes

9780773753419, pbWorld ex. FrCNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, Life in NewFrance, Famous Explorers &Men & Women from the NewWorld, Activities

9780773759015, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, Building ofthe Railway in Canada fromCoast to Coast, Uniting ofCanada, Activities

A.G. in his shop building a Norwegian pramA.G. and Nordland’s boat

A.G. and Nordland’s boat

9781550051353, pbWorldNon-Fiction, Ages 8+,Canadian History, RoyalCanadian Mounted Police

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September 1, 1915 – July 29, 2003 Bluffton, OH, USABarbara Smucker

Barbara Smucker’s books have beenpublished in 16 countries and translatedinto French, German, Japanese, Swedish,

Spanish, Dutch, and Danish. These questions aboutBarbara were answered by her son, Tom Smucker.

QWhat three traits do you remember the mostabout your mother while you were growing up?

What is your favourite memory of your mother?

AMom was compassionate. She really liked towrite and was frustrated when she couldn’t.

And she was deeply religious but not doctrinaire.

QWas Barbara Smucker the writer any differentfrom Barbara Smucker the mother?

AWriter and mother were just about the same. Her personality comes across in her books.

She loved to interview people, and do historicalresearch for her books. She met Dad when he cameto Kansas from Ohio, and she interviewed him forthe local paper, where she was a journalist.

QDo Barbara’s three children have literary talentsor aspirations?

AMy sister is a voracious reader; my brotherworked in the public schools of Atlanta until he

retired; and I have a spotty but lengthy career as arock critic. But, alas, none of us displays any literarytalent.

QDo you know the inspiration behind the characterof Selina?

AMy mother actually grew up on the same blockwith both sets of her grandparents in Kansas,

but my parents moved to Canada during theVietnam War years. I believe somehow this was theinspiration for the Selina books, and in some way

QWho was your mother’s favourite author, or herfavourite book?

AMom liked E.B. White’s and Carl Sandburg’schildren’s books and, of course, books by her

friends who were children’s book authors livingnearby in Ontario. She made it a point to visit thesetting for Anne of Green Gables on Prince EdwardIsland.

QWhat was the highlight of your mother’s literarycareer?

AI believe the highlight was the recognition shereceived in Canada for her books.

QWhat did your mother want readers to takeaway from her books?

AAlmost all of Mom’s books were about peoplecrossing borders, geographic and otherwise.

I believe she wanted people to appreciate thesejourneys, in the past and in the present. In particular, Ibelieve she wanted children to appreciate the bordercrossings their ancestors may have made, and toappreciate the journeys of their friends and peers. She had a deep appreciation and understanding ofthe importance of tolerance, inclusion and freedom.

QIs there anything you would like to say to readerson behalf of your mother?

ABesides interviewing and writing, Mom mostenjoyed meeting with school children across

Canada, and loved reading the letters that theywrote to her. Thank you, children of Canada andchildren of the world.

Barbara’s wedding portrait9781895555707, hc9780773758377, pbWorld ex. USAges 5+, Picture Book,Pioneer LifeAmelia Frances HowardGibbon Award, ElizabethMrazik-Cleaver Award, RuthSchwartz Award

9780773730182, hcWorld ex. USAges 5+, Picture Book,Pioneer Life

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tedstauntonbooks.tripod.com Port Hope, ONTed Staunton

Ted Staunton has been entertaining readers ofall ages since his Puddleman was publishedin 1983. He also developed the workshop

series, Creating Picture Books and Creating Novels,for students in the junior grades and up. Ted is alsoan instructor in the Writing for Children course atGeorge Brown College. “It seems to me that thetoughest thing for writing students to grasp is howto show character in a story, rather than tellingabout it,” he says. Trained as a teacher, Ted is alsoa speaker and performer in venues across Canada. He has appeared before the International ReadingAssociation, the Canadian Booksellers Association,Reading For The Love Of It, the HarbourfrontInternational Children’s Festival, and on numerousCanada Council tours.

Ted is a member of the musical group BornYesterday. “I’m the songwriter and front man,” he

explains. “My main talent, though, is for carrying theequipment. Lately the band has been busy recording,and we have two new CDs that will be releasedover the course of this year. In the meantime, weperform as much as we can.” Ted’s band plays inand around the town of Port Hope, Ontario, which ishis hometown. “Life in Port Hope is much the wayI describe it in my novels Hope Springs a Leak andSounding Offbut nobody’s mean about it, because, after all,everyone knows about you, too.”

Michael in Puddleman, Ted admits “is based a bit onme as a kid, though I didn’t realize that when I wroteabout him.”

Ted playing drums in the band, Born Yesterday

9780889952058, pbWorldJuvenile Fiction, HumourCCBC Our Choiceselection

9780889952065, pbWorldJuvenile Fiction, Humour

9780889952072, pbWorldJuvenile Fiction, HumourCCBC Our Choiceselection





9780889951747, pbWorldJuvenile Fiction, HumourOLA Silver Birch Awardshortlist, HackmatackChildren’s Choice BookAward shortlist, CCBCOur Choice selection

9780889951907, pbWorldPicture BookCCBC Our Choice selection

9780889952935, pbWorldAges 12+, Coming of Age,Relationships, HumourCCBC Our Choiceselection

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