Land of the Silver Birch!

Neil 

Flambé and the 

Tokyo Treasure has been nominated for the Silver Birch Award for Fiction!

Canada has such a rich and varied collection of writers and illustrators. Check out the list here.

The GREAT Roy Peterson

I'm not sure how I missed the news that Roy Peterson died at the end of September but there was a glowing and much deserved tribute in today's Globe and Mail.

Sad news, but a chance to remember one of my absolute heroes.

When I was younger, I was given a copy of his book Blood, Sweat and Bears. Peterson did the cartoons, and Stanley Burke wrote the text.

Peterson's mastery of line, shadow (cross-hatching that would make angel's weep) and his sense of fun inspired me to try drawing my own cartoons. I've never even come close.

I mean, just look at how much is going on in this one!

I love the Alan Eagleson caricature, flipping the bird. If you ever read my book Shadrin Has Scored for Russia, you'll see dozens of 'homages' to this book in my drawings.

This one if possibly my fave. So simple, but so thoroughly considered. Each details is perfect, from the curve of the stick, to the way the wood of the trophy has clearly been chewed instead of sculpted. Wow.

I still have my copy of Blood, Sweat and Bears, one of my most treasured possessions. And I still pull it out and study it, and steal from it for my own work.

Roy Peterson, thanks.

A Qoodle of Margaret Atwood

Magaret Atwood was on CBC Radio's Q today.

The good folks on the show asked me to whip up a Qoodle of Ms. Atwood and her dystopian world.

Here's what I came up with.

My Q Opening Essay

I've had a few people ask for the text of my essay - pro KidsLit essay- from the September 19th episode of Q on CBC Radio.

Here it is.

It'a always nice to come sit in the Q chair.

I'm usually holed up in my attic writing books.

Kids books.

I want to talk about kids books for a second.

There are lots of stories out there right now about Gillers, Bookers, Westons... so on. Canada Reads will kick off in a few months. Books are front page news, finally.

But....

Did you know that the big Canadian Children's book awards were also announced?

Probably not.

Did you know that Jon Klassen - Winnipeg born, Toronto trained - recently won the Caldecott medal for "This is not my Hat"... the Oscars of kids books - and that one of his other titles was a runner-up?

Probably not.

Other countries seem to do a better job of celebrating these achievements. Maurice Sendak was a national treasure in the US. In England, "kids" authors sit on shelves next to "regular" authors, and receive about the same critical attention.

Canada stacks up against these countries with our Munsch's, Oppels, Marie-Louise Gays, Jon Klassens.

Where's our Canada Reads for kids?

I know what you're saying right now. 

Kiddy Litter - Too simplistic, simplified, lots of cuteness or goofiness.

Not true.

The same things were said about graphic novels just a few years ago. But once people began accepting those as a separate genre, and not books-lite, the snobbishness disappeared.

Anyone who think kids books are simple and silly hasn't read any lately.

You should.

Go check out cbc.ca/books

Click on kids.

And see what all the fuss should be about.

So many bookmarks

More Bookmarks!

See you all at Word on the Street Toronto this Sunday.

Postcards and more!

Gonna be a busy September.

There's the amazing Telling Tales Festival this Sunday in Rockton, ON. (I am definitely the B-list of the line-up for this year!) If you've never been, it's a blast... there are old trains, buildings, kettle corn!

Then, on Monday, there's Storybook Confidential, an event for Small Print Toronto. You can even get me to do a custom tattoo on your arm! (I think other illustrators might stretch that boundary, but I'm staying clean).

And then next Sunday it's Word on the Street Toronto. I'll have my own booth again on Kids Street (KS-19), and I've started getting this year's batch of handmade bookmarks ready.

Here's a preview.

Visit early and visit often!