I don’t know about other writers, but every story I write has a connection to something in my own life and experience. Music, sports, the Nova Scotia shore and, in Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting – ... Read More  

All artists need to warm up. Painters, actors, dancers, musicians, and writers must all do something to tune up the physical and mental muscles required for the work. As choreographer Twyla Tharp says, when you warm up, won’t hurt ... Read More  

Did you know litter on the ground often ends up in water? It can travel from creeks to rivers, and onward to the sea. When I first dreamed of becoming an author, I didn’t exactly picture myself writing a ... Read More  

Tomorrow is I Read Canadian Day, the day we support Canada's fabulous children's bookmakers by reading a Canadian book for 15 minutes. Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to read for more than 15 minutes - in fact, ... Read More  

I live in a village that remained mostly unchanged for a few decades. We were surrounded by corn fields and horse pastures and that suited us just fine.  But then the nearby big city annexed neighbouring towns including ours ... Read More  

I’m not a scientist. I’m a science lover. I have been one since childhood. Back then, a special book on my shelf was a science textbook that my father co-wrote. I couldn’t understand the big words or concepts then, but ... Read More  

My newest picture book, WHEN SPIDER MET SHREW (illustrated by Genevieve Cote and published by Groundwood Books), is about a group of unlikely creatures – Spider, Shrew, Bat, Possum, Dog, and Pony – who find friendship, compassion, and community ... Read More  

My daughter opened my eyes and heart to the world of disabilities. Annaliis was born with spina bifida and used a wheelchair from preschool onward. It was a great joy to see kids welcome and fully include her in ... Read More  

Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts is my sixth book—my first non-fiction. I’ve been talking to students about the news since 2010, when I created TeachingKidsNews.com with educator Jon Tilly. Over the years, ... Read More  

How to Become an Accidental Activist (Orca Books) is the sixth book I’ve written with Elizabeth MacLeod. It’s geared for kids and adults age 8 and up and focuses on a diverse group of women and men of all ... Read More  

I began writing the first draft of this novel so long ago, its working title was Frozen. Well, we all know what happened to that title, thank you very much Disney! I’d go through several more titles before settling ... Read More  

For all the dogs I’ve known in my life, I wrote What the Dog Knows. Such a slow and pleasureful project; it took nearly ten years of revising the story and evolving the characters. No one rushed me, I ... Read More  

I was devoted to my dolls from an early age, and my love of dolls has never left me. I think I have about 26 or 27 now … I’ve lost count. Most of them are tucked away in ... Read More  

A conversation with my grandson was the catalyst that sent me off into the wonderful, surprising world of how animals see. One summer day we were strolling home from the park. I was pointing things out to him: flowers, ... Read More  

Years ago, when my first child was an infant, I swore to myself that I could and would keep writing. I was still working part-time in a restaurant and doing bits of freelance work, but I was determined to ... Read More  

I have shared my life with cats for the last 30 years, and I could not imagine not having a feline companion at home. I adopted my first rescue cat in Harlem, when I was a student at Columbia ... Read More  

Like many authors, I have many author friends. I also have all too many friends who gave writing-to-publish a shot and gave up after a short while. Some of them went on to self-publish their books. I think self-publishing ... Read More  

“Write what you know.” Who said that? I’m not sure, but it’s a phrase – an instruction, really – thrown around as a guideline for writers. It suggests you should draw on what you know, mine your own life experience, ... Read More