During Ontario Public Library Week, I had the joy of sharing This is the Boat that Ben Built with grades 2-4 at Russell Public School, by way of invitation from the Township of Russell Public Library, with coordination support by MASC. What was especially great about this visit was that the students were already very familiar… Read more »
News
Funding for School and Community Readings
Have you been hoping to invite me to your class or public event, but are unsure of how to fund a visit? Here are two programs that could help: National Public Readings (NPR) Program With the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Union’s NPR program provides funding for in-person or live virtual… Read more »
The real and the imagined: school visits with toy animals
I use stuffed toy animals as visual aids to bring my stories to life in school visits. Whether pointing out different characteristics and adaptations, or teaching about animal habitats, having a plushy toy for kids to look at heightens their imagination, enhances their interpretation of the story, and their connection to the natural world…. Read more »
Reflections on a finished draft
Friends, I know it has been a while since I posted some news. I have been intensely focusing all my creative energy on drafting a novel, and today I reached “THE END.” This is a huge deal for me. Sure, I drafted novels before, but that was 10 years ago in my MFA program. With… Read more »
Recipient of the 2023 Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, Picture Book Category!
I am so, so honored to share that Maggie and I are the 2023 recipients of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards, Picture book category! This award is especially meaningful to me as the nominating committee consisted of a youth services librarian (Brooke Windsor, Stratford Public Library) along with a bookseller and children’s… Read more »
It’s been a great year!
What a year! Celebrating firsts, clockwise from the top: First in-person book launch, held with family and friends, at Overflow Brewery in Ottawa This is the Boat that Ben Built was included in the Canadian Children’s Book News publication, and later in their Best Books for Kids and Teens. This is a photo of the shelf… Read more »
Bookstore love: it’s been a great year!
This is the Boat that Ben Built has been out in the world for one year! This is the second post in a short series to mark the occasion. Seeing This is the Boat that Ben Built in local bookstores was such a fantastic feeling! I am grateful for the support of my local booksellers… Read more »
So many readers: It’s been a great year!
This is the Boat that Ben Built has been out in the world for one year! This is the first post in a short series to mark the occasion. The other day, as I was getting ready to go on a school visit, I realized that I was almost out of bookmarks to hand out… Read more »
A school visit to Elmwood!
Had such fun at Elmwood School last Friday, exploring my picture book and the northern river ecosystem with the enthusiastic grade 1-5 students! Their March theme was curiosity, and they really lived up to it with their thoughtful questions about the creative process and the animals in the story.
World Read Aloud Day – Reflections
You never quite can tell what’s going to happen on an in-person school visit. The projector goes out. The microphone screeches. A fire drill is called in the middle of a presentation. (We all lined up in the school yard…) But despite it all, you can usually tell when you’ve connected with them. They’re right… Read more »