Posts about Karen Patkau


A monarch butterfly feeding on a red zinnia.

Frieda Wishinsky: How a Zinnia Sparked a Book

I’ve always been fascinated by the story behind a book.  What sparks an idea or theme? My latest picture book, A Flower is a Friend with luminous art by Karen Patkau, published by Pajama Press, began with a packet of ... Read More  

A Flower is a Friend, by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Karen Patkau

Karen Patkau: A Flower is a Friend

This book was a collaboration from the beginning. Ideas for words and images exchanged between friends. On a warm summer day, as Frieda and I relaxed in her beautiful garden, we noticed birds and insects whizzing and settling among the ... Read More  

Triceratops Stomp by Karen Patkau

Cantastic Authorpalooza: Karen Patkau

A plaster cast of an embryo fossil and three eggs circulated around the room. Dr. David Evans, a paleontologist at the Royal Ontario Museum, described his remarkable find: a dinosaur nursery where he found dinosaur eggs! Read More