Posts about picture books

Welcome to Cantastic Authorpalooza, featuring posts by and about great Canadian children’s book creators! Today’s guest: Stephanie Ellen Sy. Take it away, Stephanie! When my pandemic writing group challenged me to try fiction—specifically a children’s story—I knew exactly which ... Read More  

The keeners among you might already be thinking about the year’s best holiday, Iceland’s Jólabókaflóðið, or Book Flood. If you’ve got young readers on your giving list, I got you. I started my MFA in Writing for Children and ... Read More  

Welcome to Cantastic Authorpalooza, featuring posts by and about great Canadian children’s book creators! Today’s guest: Karen Krossing. Take it away, Karen! Please take a moment to place both your feet flat on the floor. Can you feel the ... Read More  

Like a dog spotting a squirrel, I’m usually the type to be easily distracted by the next new shiny idea. But sometimes I come across a story and it won’t let go. That was the case when I met ... Read More  

Reach back into your brain and try to remember, who was your first comedic duo? Like many others, I think mine was Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. Their Cookies In Bed sketch and Here Fishy Fishy sketch still ... Read More  

I woke up with two lines in my head: In the witching hour, The sky turns orange. Just those two lines—but I knew it was something good. Read More  

In our hyper-online world, we worry about the effect our devices are having on us—and especially on our children. We strategize ways to disconnect from social media, from apps, from the dopamine machines we carry around in our pockets. Read More  

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  

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  

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  

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  

My Grammie’s House (Tundra) beautifully illustrated by Skye Ali, was inspired by the best kinds of childhood memories- the ones that bring back a sense of comfort and contentment. The child in the story gives a tour to potential ... Read More  

A mother and daughter love to canoe on the little lake at their family cabin. With her mother expecting a new baby, their paddling time together provides a perfect opportunity to explore local flora and fauna and for the ... Read More  

Writing for children is an incredible experience and it’s also a lot of hard work. But, I love it. Not every single minute, but when I sit to write, I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. I often pinch ... Read More  

Aliya’s Secret published by Owl Kids is a picture book very close to my heart. Firstly, because it’s my debut picture book as an author / illustrator, and secondly because it was inspired by my own childhood experience, trying ... Read More  

I remember the months of waiting for my first child to be born as both a thrilling and vulnerable time. As is my tendency when encountering change, I prepared and planned as much as I could. I followed developmental milestones ... Read More  

Who is the tree in your life? And whom will you be a tree to? There are many people in our lives, family, friends, teachers, and mentors, who nurture us and make us who we are today. How often do we ... Read More  

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