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A New Year Begins!

Happy New Year!

Here we are in 2010, a number that feels a bit science-fiction-y to me. I hope you’ve had a happy holiday time. I’m pleased to report that our celebrations (Christmas, New Year’s and multiple family birthdays) went off without a hitch. We had a lovely time!
As a writer, of course, I look forward to getting back to my quieter life where I spend much of my day in solitude, reading, researching and writing. I will leap into the new year by writing a new book, and am looking forward to the challenges it presents.
I wish you all a happy, healthy and productive New Year. Thank you for kindly reading this little blog. I appreciate it. 🙂
Cheers!

Thank you, Sage Salfi!

Sage Salfi, aged 7, is the reviewer of two of my recent books, Desert Animals and Wetland Animals. She says, “I had fun reading these books.”

If you’d like to read the full text of her review, it’s in the current edition of KNOW, the Science Magazine for Curious Kids. The online version is here.
Thank you, Sage! I’m so glad you liked the books! 🙂

Small Beneath the Sky

I am currently reading a memoir by Canadian author and poet, Lorna Crozier. Small Beneath the Sky: A Prairie Memoir is prose, written the way you’d expect a poet to write. It is lyrical, lovely and understated. After being in Saskatchewan (my birthplace) this fall, I am finding this memoir very evocative of the time and place in which it is set (Swift Current in the 1950s).

So often as I read, I think to myself: I wish I could write like this. It is especially true for this book.
The cover design is eye-catching. I love seeing the sky in its blue beauty, and the rolling wheat fields. I also like how big the word “small” is and how small the word “sky” is. Very clever indeed!
If you’re interested in reading the book, I highly recommend it. For a Globe and Mail review of it, go here. For an excerpt, go here.
Cheers!

Clay Man: The Golem of Prague

I recently had the pleasure of reading an inspired new book by my friend and fellow author, Irene Watts. Clay Man: The Golem of Prague tells the story of how, in 1595, a protector of the Jewish ghetto in Prague came into being. Clay Man, the protector, was molded from the clay of a riverbank by a rabbi and infused with life by the rabbi’s words. Clay Man’s job is to keep the people of Jewish town safe from fierce anti-Semitic attacks.

The story is a retelling of a famous Jewish folktale and is told through the eyes of young Jacob (the rabbi’s son), who longs to explore the big city beyond the ghetto’s gates, and secretly witnesses the formation of Clay Man late one night.
It is a beautifully written story that moves quickly and dramatically. The book is illustrated by another friend, Kathryn Shoemaker, and the combination of her evocative art with Irene’s words is a winning one.
It opens with a poem:
I am of clay
Old as earth
I lie here
Waiting
River washes over me
Water cools me, Sun warms me
I know light and dark
Light is bright and dark is black
I lie and wait
For a riveting read, full of Jewish history and lore, pick up this book. I highly recommend it!
Published by Tundra Books, for ages 8-12 years old and up.

2009 Information Book Award

One Peace: True Stories of Young Activists is the winner of this year’s Information Book Award, given by the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada. Congratulations to Janet Wilson! She’s the talented author and illustrator of this worthy book.

A few years ago, some of us heard Janet Wilson give a talk in Vancouver where she described how difficult it had been to find a publisher willing to take the book. Apparently, most of them found the topic too serious and difficult. But Janet persevered, believed in her book, got it published (by Orca Books) and here she is today — the big winner of a very prestigious award. I’m thrilled for her!

2009 Hycroft Event


If you’re in the Vancouver area, consider giving yourself a fall treat by attending the launch of dozens of books, written and illustrated by talented BC creators. The event will be held at Hycroft Manor, on November 10 at 6:30 pm.

Come out and see what an amazing array of books are being created in our corner of the world. Prepare to be impressed!

Autumn Poem

Every day as I stroll through my neighbourhood, I am taken by the beauty and colour of the autumn leaves, and I think about all the poets who have written poems to capture such a glorious fall scene.
For your reading pleasure, here is the first stanza of a poem titled Autumn, by John Clare, 1821.

The summer-flower has run to seed,
And yellow is the woodland bough;
And every leaf of bush and weed
Is tipt with autumn’s pencil now.

Prairie Horizons Conference

I’ve been meaning to write about this conference ever since I returned home from Saskatchewan in September, but life and writing seems to have gotten in the way.

CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers) has a prairie gathering every two years, and this year was my first time to attend. I was a little nervous, attending on my own, but as I have always heard, prairie people are amazingly friendly, and I had a wonderful time!
The conference was held over a weekend at a conference retreat centre (St. Michael’s) in Lumsden, in the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley. It was summer weather (31ËšC) and lovely. There were probably 50 attendees in total, and many (but not all) were published. The best part of the weekend for me was listening to the Open Mic night, where anyone could take 5 minutes to read or perform their work. I loved hearing the variety of writing, including fantasy, picture books, song lyrics and poetry. (I think I may have been one of the few nonfiction writers in the crowd.) What a talented group they were!
My favourite performance of the night was hearing a song, composed and sung, by Saskatchewan high school teacher, Sheena Koops. She had a beautiful voice, a delicate guitar strumming style, and a polished performance. What impressed me most was her ability to put all of those qualities together with her writing talent, into a song that made a big impact on everyone. It was called, “I Remember You, Grandpa” and it was the story of Sheena’s two grandfathers during the time of the Second World War. One grandfather was a pacifist and the other was a soldier. Sheena’s song is the story of how she loved them both, and how she came to terms with her own feelings about war, in light of a complicated family history. In the end, she celebrated both her grandfathers, and was able to make sense of a tricky issue. I was impressed! It’s a song that should be heard at every Remembrance Day ceremony.
I’m hoping Sheena will record her song. For now, she has been performing it for folks like us, and at her local farmer’s market. I wish her great success, with both her writing and musical ventures.
For your viewing pleasure, I’m posting a photo of Sheena and I at the conference. 🙂
I encourage every children’s writer and illustrator to get on a plane to Regina in September 2011 for the next Canscaip Prairie Conference. It was a memorable weekend for me, and one I hope to repeat again and again.
Cheers!