News and Notes from the Field


Some of L. E. Carmichael's favourite books from childhood

Why I Write for Children

“So when are you going to write a real book?” Any children’s writers reading this are groaning right now, because this is a question we’ve all been asked at least once. Most of us respond with comically-exaggerated confusion and, “As ... Read More  

Jennifer Maruno Introduces Chidori

Welcome to Cantastic Authorpalooza, featuring posts by and about great Canadian children’s book creators! Today’s guest: Jennifer Maruno. Take it away, Jennifer! Chidori is the story of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, told from the point of view ... Read More  

Moose are an iconic species of the boreal forest. This list of resources will support learning in the classroom and at home.

The Great Big Boreal Forest Resource List

Now available - a FREE activity guide for use with your copy of The Boreal Forest! It includes suggestions for science, social studies, and language arts, and will help support a variety of elementary school curriculum outcomes. Not to ... Read More  

Thanks for the Polar Love!

Two quick news nuggets to share: Thank you to Helen Kubiw at CanLit for LittleCanadians, who interviewed me and Byron Eggenschwiler after our book, Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth, won the Lane Anderson Award for best ... Read More  

A Battle Cry for International Women’s Day

Voices are noise, humanly noise—but what knows best in you is not of human shape or sound but of a stranger, wilder beast. Now it turns in your stomach, now it rends your chest. Tell the voices to shut ... Read More  

Emily Deibert: Learning to Take My Shot

Like many tweens, one of my biggest fears growing up was embarrassing myself. I was so scared of looking silly in front of my classmates that I often didn’t let myself try new things—from learning a new dance or ... Read More  

25 Cool Facts About Polar Bears

It's International Polar Bear Day! Since it's 2025, I've rounded up 25 cool facts about these icons of the Arctic, including a surprising discovery I helped make during in my former life as a wildlife geneticist. Is your favourite ... Read More  

Tahrana Lovlin

Tahrana Lovlin, Snow Specialist

Today, my guest is Tahrana Lovlin, brilliant woman and accomplished engineer... with an unusual specialty. Take it away, Tahrana! So I’m writing this because Lindsey asked me to and I’ve known her for almost 30 years (wow, crazy). And I’m ... Read More  

Superpower? by Elaine Kachala

Elaine Kachala: Wearable Technologies Are Giving Us Superpowers—I’m Hopeful, but Also Worried

I was waist-deep in research about fourth industrial revolution technologies (4IR) when, many drafts later, I'd landed on the topic of wearables—technology that's on, in, or attached to your body. The topic cast a spell on me. I had to ... Read More  

Pitcher plants growing in a wetland in Newfoundland

Watery Facts for World Wetlands Day

Today's Cabinet of Curiosities is in honour of World Wetlands Day. I did a lot of research on wetlands for The Boreal Forest, much of which simply would not fit in the book. Here are some favourite facts about ... Read More  

Books Matter. Art Matters. What You Do Matters, Too.

When I was a little girl, bedtime stories were the best part of my day. I'd snuggle up with Mom or Dad in the big green-upholstered armchair for another round of The Digging-est Dog or Stop That Ball (parts ... Read More  

Who's Walking Dawg by Marie Prins

Marie Prins: Dawg and Daily Life

I came to writing for children late in life, well after my own children had grown and left home. But books and stories have always been a big part of my life, even before my mother taught me to ... Read More  

That Time I Accidentally Gave Kate McKinnon a Copy of My Book

I'm back from a whirlwind trip to Boston, where Tech Support and I took in the sights, and where I - with author-friend Rochelle Strauss and teacher-friend Chris Carlton - presented at the National Council of Teachers of English ... Read More  

Middle grade novel, After the Wallpaper Music, by Jean Mills

Jean Mills: The “Before” that Sparked After the Wallpaper Music

Like most authors, I use the world around me - especially my own world of experience – to create stories for young readers. So it’s not hard to identify the spark that ignited my latest Middle Grade novel, After ... Read More  

Meet Me at NCTE!

Happy I Read Canadian Day, everybody! If you’re not familiar, today is the day we celebrate Canadian stories by reading a Canadian book for 15 minutes. All forms of reading count, and you certainly don’t have to stop after ... Read More  

Playdate Surprise by Karen Autio

Karen Autio: Playing with Friends is Important for ALL Kids

Playdates at our home got my super-social daughter, Annaliis, excited. She also loved going to birthday parties, but an even bigger highlight was a playdate at a friend’s home. However, these were rare as she was born with disabilities ... Read More  

The Wind and Amanda's Cello, by Alison Lohans

Alison Lohans: On the Magic of Making Art

Creating new things. Sometimes beautiful things. We rarely know the deep origins, or why a particular “something” begins to wiggle, and then morph into a new creative work. Read More  

Tech Support and crew attempt to pick the lock on a 60-year-old trunk

Good News for Grey Days

Autumn is creeping up on me. It's getting dark earlier and there are more cloudy days, neither of which my light-sensitive brain is very happy about. But as things get a little greyer, I've been gifted two enormous reasons ... Read More