Are you interested in finding out about how to write or illustrate a children’s book and get it published? Do you live in Vancouver area? If so, you may be interested in an upcoming event at the Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, on Tuesday, March 11 at 6:30 pm.

WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING KID’S BOOKS: THE INSIDE STORY.

Listen to a panel of professional children’s authors and illustrators and find out how they broke into this exciting and competitive field, and built their careers. Ask them anything!

Find out:

•  How to improve your writing
•  How to find a publisher and submit your work
•  What agents do
•  What to look for in a book contract
•  What the financial rewards are

The panelists include: Nikki Bergstresser, Hayley Lowe, Cynthia Mackey, Kirsten Pendreigh, and Pam Withers, and the discussion is moderated by Ellen Schwartz. All are members of CWILL BC, the Children’s Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia.

The event takes place at VPL, Central Branch, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. It’s a joint event between the library and CWILL BC, and it’s always a wonderful, informative and entertaining night! I highly recommend it!

My dear friend and long-time colleague, Norma Charles, and her daughter, Andrea Charles, have a lovely new picture book: The One and Only Question, illustrated by Ken Daley and published by Groundwood Books.

It tells the story of Zeke’s first day at his new school and how his head is filled with one big question: What will he do when they call him the N-word like they did at his old school?

As little frustrations mount during the day—a boring class, a mustard stain on his favourite shirt— Zeke is prepared for the worst when a classmate approaches him in the schoolyard. But it’s not to bully him—it’s to spread kindness. Told with compassion and sensitivity, this story of a child finding safety and friendship in the classroom will help educators address racism-based bullying.

Ken Daley’s vibrant illustrations bring warmth and humour to the story, while showing hints of what makes this new school a safer space.

The One and Only Question will prompt young readers to ask questions of their own about how to handle bullying — while also encouraging conversations about everyone’s right to a safe learning environment.

The book includes an author’s note explaining the authors’ personal connection to this story, as well as a list of suggestions about what to do about racism-based bullying to help educators, caregivers and victims.

Congratulations, Norma and Andrea! It is a wonderful and important book!

Happy Earth Day!

On this important day, when we recognize the importance of nature and all living things, I’d like to introduce my newest book, West Coast Wild Baby Animals, published by Groundwood Books.

Children have a keen interest in the creatures that live on our beautiful Earth, and that is one of the big reasons I write so many books about wild animals and the habitats in which they live.

In this most recent book, young children will meet the wild baby animals of the Pacific west coast. As a board book, it is a companion to the earlier West Coast Wild ABC.

Children and their grownups will see wolf pups, bear cubs, whale calves and eaglets thriving in the ancient rainforest, rugged beach and majestic ocean of the Pacific west coast. This newest work is a charming introduction to baby animal names and behaviours, with art composed of gorgeous watercolour scenes, and painted by Karen Reczuch.

We hope that this new book will delight toddlers and babies everywhere!

I’m so happy to announce my new book West Coast Wild Rainforest!

It is the fourth and final book in my series about one of the most beautiful places on earth! Thank you to my wonderful co-creator, Karen Reczuch, for her gorgeous art, and to my publisher, Groundwood Books, for being such a delight to work with. Here are a few lovely interior pages for you to peruse.

I was very happy to receive the advance copy of my new book West Coast Wild Rainforest. It’s beautiful!

It is a book that was lovingly created with my marvellously talented collaborative partner, Karen Reczuch. The two of us spent the better part of a week last fall hiking through the temperate rainforests on the west coast of Vancouver Island. We were absolutely entranced with the beauty and wonder of these magnificent places.

Our book will be available in stores and libraries in early March. Until then, please enjoy this sneak preview of the cover image and click here to see more details, or visit Groundwood Books.

Today is a happy day! My new book West Coast Wild at Low Tide has arrived in the world!

I feel lucky to share in the creative process with my collaborative partner, Karen Reczuch, who has painted such beautiful pictures. Together, the two of us have taken multiple trips to the west coast of Vancouver Island to do research and breathe in the wonderful sea air. This wild coastline may be the most spectacular place in the world!

We saw many fascinating creatures  while poking around in tidepools. It was fun to choose the marine animals that kids would find most interesting. (The Giant Pacific octopus is one of them!)

If you’d like to read more about our west coast adventures, please see “The Joys of a Wild Collaboration” that was posted on the 49th Shelf blog. I hope you enjoy it!

And if you’d like to purchase our new book, check your favourite local bookstore or online retailer. Or find it at Groundwood Books, our publisher’s website.

Thank you for your interest!

I’m getting excited about the release of my two spring books and was happy to see that my publisher (Groundwood Books) is, too!

Here’s a preview image they posted to Twitter announcing the upcoming books. By the looks of it, I’m in good company!

See more about West Coast Wild at Low Tide and West Coast Wild ABC or any of the other books on Groundwood’s website.

As we head into 2022, our pandemic challenges remain. But we bravely carry on! I wish you health and happiness for the New Year.

Looking ahead, I am pleased to say that I will have two new books released in the spring: West Coast Wild at Low Tide and West Coast Wild ABC. Both were written out of my great love for the Pacific west coast and my wish to share this place with children across the country. It’s been a special experience working on these projects – since my collaborative partner, Karen Reczuch, is as fond and fascinated by the wild coast as I am. Together we have had a marvellous time taking research trips to the coast and creating our books about this spectacular place.

Please enjoy this sample of pages from West Coast Wild at Low Tide (available in March, 2022).

Happy New Year!

Bears amble, cougars prowl and eagles nest in this beautiful nature alphabet book celebrating the Pacific west coast!

It’s been such fun to create a board book for the youngest readers! Here is the first page from West Coast Wild ABC.

Babies and toddlers can delight in the gorgeous watercolour illustrations and learn about the fascinating creatures that inhabit this region. As they turn the pages, they will see an ancient rainforest, a rugged beach and the majestic Pacific Ocean. In addition, the large upper and lowercase letters accompanying the art may be used to encourage alphabet recognition.

This little book will be available on May 1, or it can be pre-ordered at your local bookstore or online now!

A West Coast Wild book for babies and toddlers! I’m very happy to announce that I’ve written my first board book – and what fun it was! So few words! It will be released in the spring alongside West Coast Wild at Low Tide (see previous post).

I’m thrilled to add to the series about the wild and wonderful Pacific west coast. I hope you enjoy the books!