P'esk'a is out and I was very happy to visit with the great people at Kids Books in Vancouver to see it on display.

I'm very excited to report that 'P'esk'a and the First Salmon Ceremony' is out! This book has been a labour of love.  The story follows a little boy through the village of Hiqelem. He races to get a tray to the chief in time for the first salmon ceremony. On the way we learn what life was like 1000 years ago in a First Nations village.

I'm happy to report two more books are in the works - still waiting on contracts so I won't spill the beans just yet. Don't want to jinx anything!

My House is Alive!

Looks like we have a new title for my book with OwlKids - 'My House is Alive!' I'm pretty excited to see this coming together as it's been a couple of years in the making. But working with OwlKids has been the best - big thanks to the talented Jessica Burgess and Claudia Davila. I'll put up half a page here... since we're still working I should probably wait but, what can I say, I get excited.
Other news about P'esk'a and the First Salmon Ceremony (with Groundwood) - it's not out until September but getting some really nice reaction from early releases. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23846170-p-esk-a-and-the-first-salmon-ceremony

We've been getting some great reviews for Look Where We Live and the clever people at Kids Can Press have come out with a nice video. It's quite simple but really very effective I think. Have a look:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzpMVIYQCJ4

Reviews are in!

Reviews are starting to come in for 'Look Where We Live!' and they're good! I specially liked Kirkus. You can see it here:  http://tinyurl.com/ncruylk
And the CBC has chosen 'Look Where We Live!' as one of their 15 'kids' books to watch out for' in 2015. http://tinyurl.com/nexktn9

Another book I've just finished is called 'P'ésk'a and The First Salmon Ceremony'.  It's out in the fall. The original name was 'Qwuni and The First Salmon Ceremony' but I found out that Qwuni is the wrong dialect for where my story takes place so it had to be changed. It turned out to be a good thing because P'ésk'a means hummingbird. It's a perfect name for the little boy as he runs through the village, poking his nose into everything. I'm really grateful to the Chief of the Sto'lo nation who was kind enough to give his approval to the book - it means a lot to me. 

So that's the latest news - of course there are the usual possible, probable or potential projects that may (or may not) come through - all part of the ever exciting life of a freelancer!

Berlin 2014

This is pulled from a spread for the latest in my series of books done with Kids Can Press (Follow that Map, Look at that Building and the upcoming Look Where We Live.)
Just coming to the end of another great visit to Berlin.  But this time has been special because I've been working on a story based on real people living here.  This is a first for me and I have to say it's pretty special to be influenced by your surroundings. The story could take place in any city but I think it's definitely influenced by the casual nature of Berlin and it's mix of urban life with nature creeping in on all sides (in a good way.)   Hopefully next time I write I'll be reporting that I found a publisher but I'm talking to someone now and keeping my fingers crossed.
Other than that there's a few books on the go - all 3 I have already written and am now preparing to get to work on the illustrations.  Usually I prefer the art part of a book the most but I think that has more to do with the fact that I've illustrated so many books but only written a handful.  The more I write the more I enjoy it.
I also did another great project with pirates and the great big ocean as a theme.  I'll put up one of the mazes I created for that.
I'm also looking forward to a new book I just illustrated called "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Puck'., based on the old children's song. This was so much fun to do because everything is so outrageous with the old lady eventually swallowing a whole hockey rink.  It's written by the very talented Stella Partheniou Grasso for Scholastic. 

Governor General Awards

     I can finally tell a secret that I've had to keep for the last 2 months.    I was asked to be a judge in the children's illustration category for the Governor General's Literary Awards - one of Canada's most prestigious awards.  The finalists have just been announced.
    It is a big honor to be asked but the biggest reward was being sent over 100 children's books to review.  I got  such a great overview of the amazing talent we have in Canada. 
    The follow up to this is going to be interesting. As an illustrator I have mostly kept to myself - believing, as a creative person, it's best to keep your head down and focus on your own work rather than looking at too much else.  But I have to say this has been so enjoyable to see how other illustrators handle certain subjects or choose to fill up a page. I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up in my work.
    To see the wonderful finalists check out http://canadacouncil.ca/en/council/news-room/news/2013/gg-finalistes-2
    Having said how enjoyable it was I also have to say it was a tough gig - deciding which book is better than another is a very arbitrary thing when styles, subjects and moods vary so much. But it is the nature of awards and I am grateful to have been asked to take part.