Welcome to Cantastic Authorpalooza, featuring posts by and about great Canadian children’s book creators! Today’s guest: Oksanna Crawley. Take it away, Oksanna!
My earliest memories of books take me back to my hometown of Val d’Or, Quebec, lying in bed, reading Winnie the Pooh. In Toronto, when I was a bit older, I saved up my money (50 cents!), walked to the store and picked up the latest Peanuts paperback with my favourite, Snoopy. The adorable beagle was one of the first things I remember drawing over and over again. He became mine somehow. A love of creative writing was born when I was in grade 4. My class broke out in cheers and applause after I read my scary Hallowe’en story out loud. That was it! All the way through high school, I enjoyed writing stories and poetry. The poetry was an outlet for the intense emotions teenagers tend to feel.
An 8-year career in radio broadcasting helped me to hone my writing skills. The writing had to be fast, brief and accurate. During my teaching career I must have read thousands of picture books to my students. With their beautiful words and art, they are the jewels of the publishing world. The desire to write one myself never went away. Once I retired, I started to take writing and art courses.
When I got my first publishing contract, it was better than winning the lottery! Pure joy! My latest is a chapter book, Katie Crumble and the Case of the Missing Underwear. I love to make children laugh and I hope this one does. It’s a great way to motivate kids to read, and write stories! Katie is a quirky, stubborn little girl with a wild imagination who loves to solve mysteries with her sweet dog, Aggie McDoogall. I began to write it in a writing class given by Brian Henry. The original protagonist was a smoking dog detective. Funny, I thought, but not a good role model for kids! The story was years in the making. Proof that perseverance is one of the most important traits for a writer. Keep learning and keep writing and revising! I learned to take rejection from publishers and the few words of encouragement I was lucky to get, kept me going. Don’t give up! A second Katie Crumble story is already in the works!
To learn more about Oksanna and her books, visit her website.
Katie Crumble and the Case of the Missing Underpants
Written by Oksanna Crawley & Illustrated by Lydia Ramsey
Published by Plumleaf Press, May 1, 2025
Ages: 6 to 9
ISBN: 9781738165285