Do you like drawing comics? Have you ever wondered what a surfing whale looks like? Check out my latest ‘how to’ video produced by the Ontario Library Association for the 2021 Forest of Reading Illustrator Series! You can find it here on BiblioVideo’s YouTube channel.
I’m super excited, thrilled AND honoured to announce that my latest book collaboration with author Kira Vermond (Owlkids 2020), Trending: How and Why Stuff Gets Popular, has won the 2021 Forest of Reading Yellow Cedar Award! Thanks to all the voters/kids/readers out there for voting for Trending (and enjoying the book). It’s also our favourite to date as well! Check out the highly entertaining virtual event hosted by comedian/actor, Ali Hassan, here!
The Forest of Reading® is Canada’s largest recreational reading program! This initiative of the Ontario Library Association (OLA) offers ten reading programs to encourage a love of reading in people of all ages. The Forest helps celebrate Canadian books, publishers, authors and illustrators. More than 270,000 readers participate annually from their school and/or public library. All Canadians are invited to participate via their local public library, school library, or individually.
The Forest of Reading Award Programs are where children and young adults pick the winner! Readers choose a program that they would like to be a part of, usually based on their age or grade, and simply begin reading! They can read all ten of the titles, or pick and choose to read only the ones they are interested in. Participants are encouraged to read at least five of the ten titles to be eligible to vote in April. This program aims to encourage a genuine and life-long love of reading among readers of all ages.
TRENDING:
HOW AND WHY STUFF
GETS POPULAR
Written by
Kira Vermond
Illustrated by
Clayton ‘CTON’ Hanmer
Published by
Owlkids Books
WHAT?! During the pandemic?! How??? Why???!!!
Well, thanks to the magic of the internet and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, I will be joining a crew of amazing Canadian creators touring around Canada (virtually) for Canadian Children’s Book Week 2021, visiting schools, libraries, community centres and bookstores to share our love of creating books!
Usually, this amazing week is a physical tour for authors, illustrators and storytellers but since we are living in strange times, the Canadian Children's Book Centre has taken it completely online. This allows for all of those involved to visit several provinces and territories during their travels. A task that would be quite difficult to pull off in normal times!
From May 3rd to 7th, I will be stopping in New Brunswick, Quebec and the Northwest Territories to talk to kids about being an illustrator. We will discuss all things doodles, including comics and how they can use the medium to write stories of their own.
.🇨🇦 🍁 📚 📕 📖 🔖 🧒🏽
#CCBCBookWeek2021 / #liretoutvent
Organizers:
The Canadian Children's Book Centre / Communication-Jeunesse
Funders:
The Canada Council for the Arts #BringingTheArtsToLife
The Government of the Northwest Territories
Sponsors:
First Book Canada (these great folks not only sponsored one of my events but also provided a copy of my latest book, Trending, to every kid taking part in that particular presentation!)
WHERE I’M GOING:
Forest Glen Elementary School, Moncton, NB
LP Fisher Public Library,
Woodstock, NB
Joliette Elementary School,
Saint-Charles-Borromée, QC
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Elementary School,
Blainville, QC
Laurentian Elementary School, Lachute, QC
Belle Anse Elementary School, Gaspé, QC
Líídlįį Kúę Elementary School
Fort Simpson, NWT
Paul William Kaeser High School
Fort Smith, NWT
Click here for a google map of all the schools & libraries I’ll be visiting.
I’m thrilled to announce my new partnership with literary agent, Fiona Kenshole @ The Transatlantic Agency.
Fiona came to agenting after nearly a decade as VP at Laika Studios, creating a development slate of new projects for the Academy Award-winning animation studio, including the Oscar-nominated THE BOXTROLLS and CORALINE.
Previously she was a senior publisher in the UK where she published authors including Michael Bond (Paddington Bear), P.L Travers (Mary Poppins) and the Laureate Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) and was UK editor for Beverley Cleary, Lois Lowry, Bruce Coville, Gary Paulsen and Cynthia Voigt. She was nominated for “Editor of the Year” at the British Book Awards.
Fiona enjoys being on faculty as a conference guest speaker throughout the US and in Europe. She has taught publishing at Oxford Brookes University and Portland State; organized events for the Oxford Literary Festival and is herself a published author. A British citizen, Fiona is based in Portland, Oregon.
She joined Transatlantic in 2013. Her clients’ recent successes include Rosanne Parry’s MG A WOLF CALLED WANDER (Andersen Press/Greenwillow) which has spent 37 weeks in the NYT bestseller list and sold in 11 languages, and Vicki Grant’s YA rom-com, 36 QUESTIONS THAT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT YOU (Running Press), which sold in 22 languages and is optioned for TV.
Transatlantic Agency is a North American literary management company with a vibrant and diverse team of 18 agents known for their integrity, commitment and success representing storytellers across all genres and formats for books, speaking and TV & Film.