Mighty Village Books: Interview with Danielle Daniel, new Canadian publisher

Anytime that I can promote Canadian books I do so. And with a new independent Canadian publisher starting up, it's another reason to make readers aware of their presence and the opportunity for new Canadian books for reading and for enjoying. Recently, I learned that author-illustrator Danielle Daniel, creator of the award-winning Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (Groundwood, 2015), has been inspired to start her own publishing house named Mighty Village Books. Excited to learn more about Mighty Village Books, I interviewed Danielle Daniel about her new venture. 

• • • • • • •

 

 

Helen Kubiw: What motivated you to start your own publishing house?

 

Danielle Daniel: There have been many reasons behind this decision, but mostly, I wanted to build something new within the publishing industry—something filled with hope, creativity, and innovation. A model more aligned with my own spirit and vision for the future of publishing, one rooted in care, equity, and shared success.

 

HK: When did you first think about establishing a new publishing house, and how challenging was it to go from idea to reality?

 

Danielle Daniel: I began thinking seriously about this about three years ago, after my two novels were published and just as Sometimes I Feel Like a River was launching. Around that time, I noticed the joy I once felt on publication day had begun to fade. I wanted to reconnect with the heart of why I create, and to bring more meaning and joy into the process. Starting my own press felt like the natural next step, a way to nurture both my own work and the work of others within a model grounded in creativity, care and respect.
 

I’ve poured so much into building a press that reflects my values and vision. My experience as an author and illustrator of ten books, my background as an elementary teacher, and my MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing have all uniquely prepared me for this new chapter. I also genuinely enjoy growing and challenging myself—pushing into new territory feels like a natural extension of my creativity.

 

HK: As a publisher, what makes (will make) Mighty Village Books unique?

 

Danielle Daniel: Our motto is literally Little press. Big heart. At Mighty Village Books, we believe smaller is better. We publish with intention, choosing quality over quantity, because we care deeply about the books we create, the land on which we live and work, and the exceptional authors we’re honoured to support and champion. Our press was built to offer creators meaningful support and equitable profit-sharing—double the industry standard—because we believe storytelling should be sustainable, not extractive.

 

Beyond publishing books, we also create art and resources for classrooms, libraries, and beyond—beautiful, thoughtful tools that nurture imagination and connection. Through our shop and wholesale partnerships, we’re growing a creative community inspired by art and books. 

HK: This is a large and dauntless undertaking. Are there others who have partnered with you in this venture? Are there other creators whose work we’d recognize involved?

 

Danielle Daniel: This is indeed a large undertaking, and currently a sole proprietorship. While I have a small but mighty team who assist with graphic design and editing, Mighty Village Books remains a heart-led, independent operation built with great care and dedication. I’ve always been entrepreneurial by nature and look forward to the meaningful and rewarding work ahead.

 

HK: I like to keep a list of Canadian publishers of books for young people on my blog. Do you have the URL for your website yet? If so, can you please share it?

 

Danielle Daniel: www.mightyvillagebooks.com

(HK: I have now added this site to my list of publishers. See the list to the left.)

 
 

HK: What genres are you hoping to focus on? Also, will you be accepting submissions from any creator, or might they be limited to those who are Canadian or Indigenous or another group?

 

Danielle Daniel: We welcome submissions from both debut and established Canadian and Indigenous authors. Our hope is to publish a wide range of voices, with a deep commitment to supporting storytellers from underrepresented communities.

Our vision is rooted in nurturing early literacy through picture books and middle-grade stories that honour the emotional landscape of childhood and reflect the richness of diverse Canadian experiences, with a particular focus on voices from Northern Ontario. We’re drawn to stories that hold tenderness and truth, that make room for big feelings, wild imagination, and the quiet brilliance of being a child.

 

HK: What are the titles of your first publications and when are they scheduled for release? 

 

Danielle Daniel: While our first titles will be released in spring 2028, our growing collection of art and products designed to uplift, inspire, and empower both children and grownups is available now.

 

HK: I know that I use BNC CataList for learning about upcoming releases of Canadian books. Will you have your catalogues listed there?

 

Danielle Daniel: Yes, I’m familiar with BNC CataList and the important role it plays in connecting publishers, booksellers, and libraries across Canada. As Mighty Village Books grows and our first titles move closer to publication, I plan to have our catalogues listed there so readers like you can discover our upcoming books alongside other Canadian releases!

 

HK: Danielle, I am pleased to have reviewed several of your books, both those you’ve written (e.g., Sometimes I Feel Like a River [2023] and Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak [2024] and those which you have authored and illustrated (e.g., Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox  [2015] and Once In a Blue Moon [2018]). Will you continue to write and illustrate books? (I certainly hope so.) If so, will Mighty Village Books become your publisher?

 

Danielle Daniel: Thank you so much for your kind words, and for your support and thoughtful reviews of my previous books. I’m so grateful for your work in championing literacy. I’ll absolutely keep writing and illustrating—it’s the work I love most—and moving forward, my books will be proudly published through my press, Mighty Village Books.

  • • • • • • •

It was wonderful to chat with Danielle Daniel 

and learn more about Mighty Village Books.
 
Many thanks to Danielle Daniel
for the pleasure of this interview 
 
and

 

 to Rachel Sentes, Publicist at Serif, 

for facilitating this discussion and post.

 

 

 

If you're interested in checking out the wonderful books that Danielle Daniel has written and/or illustrated previously, here is a sample of titles:

 

 Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak 

(written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse; Groundwood, 2024)

Sometimes I Feel Like a River

(written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon; Groundwood, 2023)

You Hold Me Up

(written by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Danielle Daniel; Orca, 2017) 

I'm Afraid, Said the Leaf

(written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Matt James; Tundra, 2024)

Once in a Blue Moon

(written and illustrated by Danielle Daniel; Groundwood, 2017) 

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox

(written and illustrated by Danielle Daniel; Groundwood, 2015) 

Forever Birchwood

(written by Danielle Daniel; HarperCollins, 2022)

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky

(written by Danielle Daniel; Tundra, 2024) 

Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak

Written by Danielle Daniel

Illustrated by Jackie Traverse

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-698-1

32 pp.

Ages 3+

April 2024

On Earth Day, I often like to review a book that speaks to me of the natural world and particularly our relationship with the environment. Too often, it's about our negative impact on the earth which, unfortunately, has had to take the brunt of poor choices with regards to overdevelopment, pollution, and burning of fossil fuels, just to name a few. With those choices have come deforestation and loss of habitat and species diversity, and global warming. We know all that, so today let's celebrate trees and what they mean to us by luxuriating in their diversity and their power. 

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

Danielle Daniel, author of Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (2015) and Sometimes I Feel Like a River (2023), reminds us that we are not dissimilar to the living things outside of ourselves. Trees, like us, have life, reproduce, grow and heal, survive and support. They have their own personalities–should that be phytoalities?–that reflect everything from generosity to sensitivity, daring and resilience. With each tree highlighted, Danielle Daniel offers a poem about what a child feels and how it is expressed by each type of tree.

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

The first child feels like a maple, full and generous with the sap it shares. Still in winter, another child compares themselves to a birch with its peeling bark that brings hope. As we head into spring and then summer, there are cherry trees, cedars, aspens, spruce, and willows. Coming through all the seasons Danielle Daniel ends with the redwood, the ash, tamarack, oak, and pine. 

Sometimes I feel like a pine,

calm, still and gentle.

My branches cradle fresh-fallen snow,

filling me with peace.

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak may be a contemplative picture book about making connections between trees and feelings, told through verse, but it feels like literary forest bathing. (Check out some online videos for examples of this practice.) Danielle Daniel reminds us that trees are living and show us the best ways we can live, by being courageous and peaceful, optimistic and strong. She speaks of her Algonquin ancestors who appreciated trees as "sentient beings with spirits who can feel things." For those who are empathetic to the feelings of non-human entities, Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak validates our connection with other living things, and perhaps even some non-living things, and Danielle Daniel shows us why we might be making those connections. (Personally, I have always felt a kinship with cedars and Danielle Daniel's poem helps me see why, especially as a child reads beneath the tree's limbs.)

 

Jackie Traverse, who is Ojibway from Lake St. Martin First Nation, uses her acrylic and gouache art to project the Indigenous backgrounds of both author and artist. There are dots that are reminiscent of beadwork, and swirls of lines hinting at a Woodland basis, but Jackie Traverse's illustrations are not wholly of any one style. Her art reflects her heritage, and that of Danielle Daniel, but it is also completely her own, blending realism with that heritage. Each tree is distinct in foliage and stature, bark and morphology, but Jackie Traverse gives us more with her children, the landscapes, and the spirit in the art.

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

On this Earth Day, let's celebrate our connections with the natural world, and particularly trees, with Danielle Daniel and Jackie Traverse's Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak. You'll feel better for having done so. 

Sometimes I Feel Like a River

Written by Danielle Daniel

Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-695-0

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

March 2023

 

In 2015, Danielle Daniel brought us Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox to help her own child identify with his First Nations roots and allow other children to see themselves in the strengths and behaviours of animals. Now, Danielle Daniel has teamed up with illustrator Josée Bisaillon to take children on another sensory experience, one in which her poems reflect feelings as landscape elements from rivers to oceans and even the moon.

From Sometimes I Feel Like a River by Danielle Daniel, illus. by Josée Bisaillon

In four-line free verses, Danielle Daniel compares children's moods to how they experiences different environmental attributes. When a child feels like the sun, there is brightness and joy inside of them. If one feels like a river, it's because there is bending and maneuvering around obstacles. Another feels strong like a mountain, another peaceful like the sky, and others feels like rain or rainbows. All moods are reflected and recognized.

From Sometimes I Feel Like a River by Danielle Daniel, illus. by Josée Bisaillon

Just as there are different moods, there are different children, ensuring that all young readers might see themselves within and know that they and their feelings are validated.

From Sometimes I Feel Like a River by Danielle Daniel, illus. by Josée Bisaillon

Sometimes I Feel Like a River is a lovely meditative reflection in sensory metaphors. Both in Danielle Daniel's verse and in Josée Bisaillon's art, the emotions that are reflected are true, emulating both the range of experiences within and as a part of our natural world. Danielle Daniel's words take us into the smile of a rainbow, the "boom, roar, bang" of thunder or the depths of an ocean. We feel through her words what the child feels. But the feelings are not just internal. They are also connecting with the outside world and that's what Danielle Daniel wants us to do. She completes her book with a text called "A Mindful Walk or Roll" to help children take an excursion into nature to see and feel, to hear and smell. She wants children to know that they reflect the world as the world is part of them.

 

Because Josée Bisaillon uses a variety of media, including soft and wax pastels, cut paper, coloured pencils, gouache, charcoal, and even digital art, she can depict a full range of emotions and textures of place and people. Whether a child is reaching mountain peaks into the clouds or swimming in the colourful underwater world of an ocean, Josée Bisaillon delivers us into the experience.

Even after feeling the full range of emotions portrayed through Danielle Daniel's words and Josée Bisaillon's illustrations, I was left subdued and in a contemplative mood, pondering my own natural world of snow and trees and sun. Sometimes I Feel Like a River made me feel part of something, something bigger and more important. It's a good feeling.

Once in a Blue Moon

Written and illustrated by Danielle Daniel

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-975-1

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2017

We know that some things happen very rarely and they are cause for celebration and note.  These are things which we recognize as happening "once in a blue moon."  I'd like to recommend that we add any book from Marilyn Baillie picture book award-winning author-illustrator Danielle Daniel whose work was last enjoyed in I Am Canada: A Celebration (Scholastic, 2017) and her debut book Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (Groundwood, 2015).

From Once in a Blue Moon
by Danielle Daniel

In four-line verses that always start with the line "Once in a blue moon", Danielle Daniel recognizes an extraordinary natural event of rainbows, fireflies, trees, Northern Lights, a painted turtle and more. Accompanying the verse is an illustration on the right side of the double-spread page as seen in the image above.

Once in a blue moon,
floating across the river,

I spy a large brown owl

hooting down at me.

From Once Upon a Blue Moon
by Danielle Daniel

Like the rarities it celebrates, Once in a Blue Moon shines light on nature's wonders.  Some, like double rainbows, a tree, and a shooting star, may be seen in urban settings whereas others, like the Northern Lights and moose, are more likely to be witnessed in remote areas.  Regardless, Danielle Daniel's bold colours and shapes, strong in message and line, extol simple wonders that you don't have to travel to the far reaches of the world to see.  There is an organic feel to her art, perhaps a folkloric vibe or a reflection of Danielle Daniel's Métis heritage.  Whatever the nature of her artistry, Danielle Daniel has given us a picture book to encourage appreciation of what we do have and are able to behold regularly in Canada and it is Once in a Blue Moon.

From Once in a Blue Moon

by Danielle Daniel

I Am Canada: A Celebration

Written by Heather Patterson

Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard, Ruth Ohi, 
Barbara Reid, Jon Klassen, 
Marie-Louise Gay, Danielle Daniel, 

Ashley Spires, Geneviève Côté, 

Cale Atkinson, Doretta Groenendyk,
Qin Leng, Eva Campbell and
Irene Luxbacher

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-6304-0

Ages 3+

32 pp.

May 2017

With Canada celebrating 150 years since Confederation in 1867, there will be a plethora of books published solely for the purpose of memorializing that historic milestone for our relatively new country.  Though there has and will be sufficient backlash for praising the birth of a nation amidst the traditional habitation of this land by its Indigenous Peoples, I like to think that we can simply celebrate our land as it is, warts and all, as a glorious amalgamation of peoples and cultures.  This picture book, based on the poem by Heather Patterson and illustrated by thirteen outstanding illustrators, does just that.

The poem, written by Heather Patterson in 1996 and originally put to photographic interpretation (Scholastic Canada, 2006) reads as follows (I've separated lines as they appear in this edition; any errors are solely mine):

I am Canada.

I run, I swim,

I skate, I dance.

I skim over snow

on my toboggan.

I have space.

I read, I learn,

I draw, I dream.

I stay out late and see the

northern lights.

I have time.

I watch, I touch, I listen.

I make up my mind.

I decide to build a castle.

I am free.

I am Canada.

I am cool in summer

and cozy in winter.

I am springing in the spring

and floppy in the fall.

I eat pizza and pierogis

and peppers.

I eat meatballs and muffins

and mangos.

I am quiet,

I am curious,

I am friendly,

I am funny.

I explain, I explore, I enjoy,

I share, I sing, I celebrate.

I am Canada.

Each artist prepared a double-spread illustration to correspond with 1-4 lines of the poem and it's a delightful interpretation and showcase of Canada and its artistry by way of its creators, its landscape and its people.

Portion of illustration by Jeremy Tankard

in I Am Canada: A Celebration

by Heather Patterson

Jeremy Tankard, author-illustrator of Grumpy Bird and Hungry Bird, begins with a drawing of children hiking outdoors heading towards a blazing maple tree.  Ruth Ohi, author of recently reviewed Fox and Squirrel The Best Christmas Ever, brings a lightness of touch in style and content with everyone–families, pets, wildlife–enjoying the outdoors.  Plasticine artist Barbara Reid (Sing a Song of Bedtime) lends her craftsmanship to a winter scene of tobogganing, reminiscent of her award-winning Perfect Snow. Transplanted Canadian Jon Klassen (This is My Hat) focuses on his own outdoor scene of a lone house among bare winter trees amidst the wide open spaces of pristine snow, touched by a single child.  

Creator of Stella and Sam and Princess Pistachio, Marie-Louise Gay plays on the imaginative play that comes from books and learning with daydreaming children envisioning clouds of animals and skies of seas.  Danielle Daniel who burst onto the youngCanLit scene with her award-winning Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox honours our northern regions with a display of brilliant northern lights enjoyed by humans and wildlife alike.  Ashley Spires, author of Binky the Space Cat and The Thing Lou Couldn't Do, moves us to the warmth of a summer on B.C.'s shores for rest and recreation on the sand and in the water.

Simplest of all illustrations is award-winning artist Geneviève Côté's depiction of freedom, a child riding a blue loon embellished with a northern, a forested and an aquatic environments.  Her art, seen in her Mr. King and Piggy and Bunny series, has everything about Canada in the subtlest of depictions.

Illustration by Cale Atkinson 

in I Am Canada: A Celebration 

by Heather Patterson

But there's still more.  Cale Atkinson, illustrator of Vikki VanSickle's If I Had a Gryphon, lends his artwork to an exposé of Canada's four seasons and Doretta Groenendyk (A Harbour Seal in Halifax) provides a multicultural smorgasbord for a diversity of peoples and other animals.  (Have fun picking out all the foods displayed. I counted at least 17!) Perfect for the quiet stylings of prolific illustrator Qin Leng (A Family is a Family is a Family) is a spread about a walk in the woods of Mount Royal in the fall.  Eva Campbell, who illustrated Eric Walters' The Matatu, celebrates exploration and fireworks in her illustration.

Illustration by Qin Leng 

in I Am Canada: A Celebration 

by Heather Patterson

The culminating illustration is from Irene Luxbacher (Mr. Frank) and is perfection as the finale, with a blending of landscapes, indoor and out, and the anticipation of travel across this country.

Portion of illustration by Irene Luxbacher 

in I Am Canada: A Celebration 

by Heather Patterson

While Heather Patterson's words set the tone, it's the artwork of these Canadian illustrators that gives them substance and context.  I Am Canada is truly a celebration of all that is right in our country: the land and its people and the lifeblood they create.

************************************

A French-language version, Le Canada, C'est Moi, uses Geneviève Côté's illustration for its cover. 

Groundwood Books' Book Party: November 21, 2015 (Toronto)

Groundwood Books 

is having a party!

Join authors and illustrators

Maureen Fergus and Carey Sookocheff

Reviewed here

Monica Kulling and Sydney Smith

Reviewed here

Deborah Hodge

and

Danielle Daniel

Reviewed here

for an afternoon of activities and presentations for children ages 4-9

on Saturday, November 21, 2015

from 1 to 4 p.m.

at

the Koffler Center of the Arts

180 Shaw Street

Toronto, ON

In addition to the fun activities, 

Another Story Bookshop will have the books available for purchase.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox

Written and illustrated by Danielle Daniel

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-750-4

36 pp.

Ages 4-7

August 2015

Danielle Daniel may have written and illustrated Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox to “encourage her young son to connect with his Aboriginal roots” (author bio on book jacket) but the book’s wisdom reaches far beyond the Anishinaabe tradition of totems, inspiring all children to look within and find their own strengths of wisdom, vulnerability, determination, curiosity and more.

In four-line free verses, Danielle Daniel depicts twelve totem animals by identifying the animal, its characteristics, and its purposeful deeds.  From the bravery of the bear to the cleverness of the fox, the author-illustrator represents a child as each totem, with respect and admiration, directing them to help “identify with the positive character traits of animals that may be familiar to them” (Author’s Note; pg. 33) while still emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living things.

As a mixed-media artist (and another upcoming children’s book illustrator I will need to add to my growing lists of youngCanLit illustrators’ Who’s Who!) Danielle Daniel delivers wonderfully textured art of boys and girls in the masks +/- costumes of animal totems (as possible) standing before unique wallpapers of stripes, flowers and patterns.  Her palette is subtle in peaches, turquoises, mustard and taupes but powerful enough to stand out.  While moving with timidity, or joy, or seriousness, bravado or hesitancy, the children model a range of animal totems that reveal more about themselves, though apparently hiding their facial expressions.

Sometimes I feel like an owl,
Intuitive and discreet.
I fly across the dark night sky,
Always watching and listening. (pg. 16)

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox is lovely and captivating and can so easily reach beyond the gorgeous artwork and natural similes to draw readers into discussions of family and clans, of spirit guides and of introspection and self-awareness.  An amazing feat for “just” a little picture book.