Levi's Gift

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Ellie Arscott

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-498-0

32 pp.

Ages 3–7

November 2025 

 

Kathy Stinson's latest picture book, beautifully illustrated by Ellie Arscott, tells the story of Levi, a boy who loved to play his violin while his brother Ezra played the accordion. But that was before the war came, and Levi and his family are forced from their home. The yellow star on Levi's shirt tells us more of his tragedy. By the time he is sixteen, the war is over, and his family is gone, as is his home. But he dreams of getting a violin again and making music.

From Levi's Gift, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Ellie Arscott

Frugality and hard work help him buy a violin again and he "poured his great sadness about all he had seen and all he had lost in the war." (pg.9) With time, he emigrates, marries and has a child for whom he plays the beloved Brahm's "Lullaby" that he'd played with his brother. For many years, Levi plays his violin, but when his hands grow stiff and it becomes difficult to play, he stores his violin away.

 

When a call goes out for donations of used musical instruments for a school, Levi hesitantly decides to take his violin out of storage and give it away. When he receives a letter from a little girl who invites him to visit her at her school, Levi learns that his violin and the music played on it have the capacity to heal in many ways.

From Levi's Gift, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Ellie Arscott

Kathy Stinson, award-winning author of picture books, non-fiction, and middle-grade and YA novels, has a lovely connection with stories of the violin (e.g., The Man with the Violin, 2013; Dance with the Violin, 2017), and Levi's Gift is another wistful story of those touched by music and the playing of the violin. But, with Levi's Gift, Kathy Stinson also reminds us of the many losses that happened during the war. For Levi, that violin was more than just an instrument. It was a connection to his past, to his family, to happy times, and more. It was a joyful connection to a time before. To give up his violin, even to a worthy cause, was a challenge for Levi. Yet, that gift begat a new one, with Levi making a new connection and one that related to his past. I was tearful realizing how Levi's story had come full circle with different characters, with a different violin, and in a different place, but with quiet consequence and subtle benevolence. 

Ellie Arscott, who illustrated Night Walk (Sara O'Leary, 2020), A is for Anne (Mo Duffy Cobb, 2023), and The Warmest Blanket in the World (Tamara Levine, 2025), has a lightness to her artwork that works well with gentle stories such as Levi's Gift. Ellie Arscott uses paint and pencil to give context for Kathy Stinson's words, showing us more than just people and place. She gives the reader history and ancestry as well as story, and there's much tenderness reflected in her illustrations. Levi may be an elderly man but making connections with his past and with others is what elevates him. Ellie Arscott's  use of pastel colours, particularly blues and pinks, keeps that softness of feeling and story.

From Levi's Gift, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Ellie Arscott

Through their words and art, Kathy Stinson and Ellie Arscott remind us that music and generosity contribute and communicate beyond the immediate. You never know when a simple act of giving can touch another and in unexpected ways. For Levi, it is magical, even spiritualistic. (Once you see his reaction to the girl's playing of the violin, you'll understand.) I could see Levi's Gift being based on a true story, but, even if it isn't, this story offers hope that sometimes that which is lost returns in a different way to reconnect us to the past and to complete us in the now.

The Rock and the Butterfly

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-3700-3

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

October 2024 

 

There was a rock and there was a butterfly. Together their story is far greater than the sum of their parts. 

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Once there was a rock that sat solidly on the ground.

 

And once there was a butterfly that flitted and fluttered everywhere.

The contrast in the rock and the butterfly is best understood when the butterfly tires from too much flitting and tucks itself into a groove in the rock to rest and keep the world from spinning. The rock offers comfort and safety. That is, until one day, the rock is gone.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

The butterfly really needs the rock and it is perplexed because a "rock was always where you left it...wasn't it?" Bereft, the butterfly looks for that comfort and safety elsewhere. It tries a hanging leaf and the space between blades of grass, but it cannot find a refuge that replicates that rest and security.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Still, relegated to take shelter on the ground itself, the butterfly finds that this last resort offers new possibilities to feel the warmth of the sun and the calm of the moonlight and get just a bit of that quivering joy back into its wings. The rock may be gone but the ground that cradled it can now offer support to another.

Oh my. There's no way a reader would know that this is a story about friendship and support, but also loss and grief and finally acceptance. That's a lot for a picture book. But it's not an "in-your-face" message about dealing with loss. Author Kathy Stinson has given younger readers a lovely story about two friends but, with a little help from an older reader, adult or otherwise, they may be able to see beyond the obvious and see a deeper relationship. They could see sadness and coping, joy and growth. Kathy Stinson, author extraordinaire of everything from picture books like Red is Best, The Man with the Violin and The Dog Who Wanted to Fly to young adult novels like What Happened to Ivy, always finds a way to tell important stories but in discrete plots and, often, with few words that are staggeringly impactful. It may be a story about a rock and a butterfly, but it goes beyond that simple premise, and speaks to the connection that bolsters life.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Brooke Kerrigan, who illustrated one of my favourite Christmas stories (The Christmas Wind by Stephanie Simpson McLellan), uses a blend of watercolour, gouache, pencil crayon and ink, with digital layering to achieve extraordinarily simple but robust artwork. As the title suggests, there are few characters that progress the story line, but Brooke Kerrigan focuses on the butterfly as it struggles, despairs, and rallies. Her nuance in the butterfly's disposition keeps the focus on that character while placing it in a vast and gorgeous world of land and sea, sky and weather. (Just look at those flowers in the illustration above.)

 

The Rock and the Butterfly released today, and I hope that parents and teachers will grab it for meaningful discussions. I believe that it's a story that encompasses much depth that would make it a basis for numerous lessons, from those about loss and grief to visual literacy–what does the butterfly show in its demeanour?–and speculation about the outcome for the rock. I could even see science lessons about living and non-living things and their relationships, and creative writing about the future for the butterfly, and even the absentee rock. But, most of all, The Rock and the Butterfly reminds us that loss is not limited to humans and that dealing with loss is a natural process that requires self-care, time, and a support system. Fortunately for this butterfly, healing is realized.

The Bare Naked Book

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Melissa Cho

Annick Press

978-1-77321-472-6

36 pp.

Ages 3-5

March 2021

We are all different and we are all the same, and this new edition of Kathy Stinson's classic body book reminds us of this. It celebrates how we are all similar in our body parts of hair, eyes, ears, noses, arms, teeth, tongues, bums, genitals, navels, toes and more and yet our differences in these similarities make us all naturally unique. The Bare Naked Book uncovers, i.e., lays bare (!), all the body facts to help little ones understand their bodies' bits and pieces and accept themselves as they are.

From The Bare Naked Book by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Melissa Cho

With a wonderful parade of bodies, Kathy Stinson starts her picture book with the declaration that...

Bodies, bodies!

Big and small,

short and tall,

young and old–

Every BODY is different!

Her sentiment is reflected in Melissa Cho's illustrations of people of all ages, colours, abilities and sizes who undoubtedly are as different on the inside as they are on the outside. (Aren't we all?)

From The Bare Naked Book by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Melissa Cho

Then Kathy Stinson looks at different body parts and how they may be different or what they can do, whether it be seeing or not seeing eyes that can cry or wink, or hands "Washing, holding, clapping, folding, dining, signing."

From The Bare Naked Book by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Melissa Cho

With each body part comes a question to help young children, primarily toddlers and preschoolers, locate their own for themselves. This reinforces their understanding and begins the discussion about how we are the same but different. There are additional lessons in Kathy Stinson's subtle statements like "Whatever you call whatever you have, your genitals belong to you" and a reminder after using your bum for a toilet break to "Remember please to wipe–and wash your hands!"

 

Kathy Stinson's original The Bare Naked Book (Annick Press, 1986), illustrated by Heather Collins, garnered much attention for its unabashed naming of human body parts but its honesty has won legions of fans. This new edition uses some of the original text but there is much that has been revised, providing a contemporary outlook of our world. Enhanced with illustrations by animator and designer Melissa Cho, The Bare Naked Book now reflects fully the diversity of our population. There are individuals of all shapes and colours and abilities, healthy and not so healthy, decorated and scarred, and all wonderfully uncommon and common. Melissa Cho makes our bodies a celebration of boldness, in colour and shape, and helps to ensure that every child will see themselves and those important to them in The Bare Naked Book. I was impressed by the diversity of physical traits and implied attributes of religion, culture, gender expression and relationships rarely seen in children's books but integral in our beautifully-varied world. These include a woman in a burka, several persons with amputated limbs including one with a blade prosthetic, someone with vitiligo, and another with mastectomy scars. It's as Kathy Stinson culminates her book...

Bodies, bodies

To love and to 

celebrate.

So many 

wonderful 

bodies!

From The Bare Naked Book by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Melissa Cho

The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Marie Lafrance

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0154-4 

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2020

 

"Let us set this

upside-down

world right again

by starting with

the children.

They will show

the grown-ups

the way to go."

– Jella Lepman, 1943

 

So begins Kathy Stinson's homage to Jella Lepman, creator of the International Youth Library and a key player in the founding of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). But while The Lady with the Books honours her efforts to bring books to children, Kathy Stinson's newest picture book is much more than a biography. It is a tome of hope that books have the promise to nurture during difficult times.

 

From The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Marie Lafrance

In the aftermath of World War II, a little girl, Anneliese, and her younger brother, Peter, wander the streets of Munich looking for food. What they do find, in addition to a bit of orange peel, is a line of people heading into a great hall filled with books. With memories of going to a library with their Papa, now both gone, the children are captivated and time flies until Anneliese and Peter are told by a kind lady that the exhibition was closing.

 

From The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Marie Lafrance

 

The next day they return to hear the same lady reading The Story of Ferdinand and are touched by the titular bull's pacifism, especially Peter who is drawn to flowers like Ferdinand. When this lady suggests that Anneliese might enjoy another book about a clever Pippi, Anneliese begins to imagine beyond the desolation of their daily lives, especially the struggle for food. The stories they hear at the exhibit and those that Anneliese weaves at night for her brother become a new source of sustenance, offering hope where there had been little.

Kathy Stinson's stories have always found ways to offer hope and comfort, easily getting into the heads of her characters and recognizing what is important to them. Whether it's colour (Red is Best) or music (The Man with the Violin) for children or a squirrel to The Dog Who Wanted to Fly, Kathy Stinson's picture books help children realize the importance of their dreams. At the onset of The Lady with the Books, Anneliese wonders why the women are clearing away rubble with their bare hands and sweeping the pavement when "Couldn't they see that the street would never be what it had been before the war?" However, by the story's end, she decides "she would join the women with their brooms. She would help clear the street around the damaged library. And maybe someday, the building would again be filled with books." There was hope again.

Marie Lafrance's illustrations, rendered in graphite pencil and coloured digitally, may reflect the devastating impacts of war, from bombed buildings to hunger, but the hope of Kathy Stinson's text and Jella Lepman's work–discussed in notes at the conclusion of the story–is there in the life peppering the scenes. From hardworking women with brooms, and men with wheelbarrows, trees and flowers growing out of rubble, markets of bright food, and books, books and more books, Marie Lafrance offers that buoyancy to the story, letting readers know that there is life and goodness out there.

Jella Lepman extended a hand to children after World War II, recognizing that more than food fed lives. Through book exhibitions, donations and ultimately the establishment of the International Youth Library, the largest international collection of children's books in the world, she nourished young lives, especially those disrupted by war and other disasters, to hope for better and more.

From The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Marie Lafrance

The Dog Who Wanted to Fly

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Brandon James Scott

Annick Press

978-1-77321-280-7

36 pp.

Ages 3-6

March 2019

A chattering squirrel just out of reach is the frustration of many a dog. Though a chase may be all that is wanted, but unlikely to happen when the squirrel remains out of reach, that mocking babble is taunting, and Zora is determined to find relief. If only she could fly!

From The Dog Who Wanted to Fly by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Brandon James Scott

Tully the cat may be the voice of reason, stating quite clearly that "Dogs can't fly" but Zora is resolute. She bounces as high as she can and she crashes. She flaps her ears and her tail and she crashes. She tries to springboard from a teeter-totter and she crashes. She considers using an umbrella but that idea is thwarted by a human. She fashions herself into a plane with ears, paws and tail extended but she cannot will herself "up." Still, when Tully begins to fall from a perch on a branch, Zora zings to the rescue.

From The Dog Who Wanted to Fly by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Brandon James Scott

Zora's story is that of author Kathy Stinson's own dog Georgia to whom she dedicates the story, but it really is the story of every dog who watches wistfully at chase fodder a.k.a. squirrels. But, like anyone with big dreams that may be preposterous–let's face it: dogs can't fly–there still may be a way to achieve versions of those goals and that's what Zora does when her friend is in danger.  Kathy Stinson, who can write everything from picture books to YA novels, tells Zora's story with words and logic that young readers will understand and enjoy, ending it with the subtle humour that children will appreciate, sure to laugh themselves silly.

And the squirrel was very quiet.

From The Dog Who Wanted to Fly by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Brandon James Scott

Brandon James Scott is an accomplished animator, creating the Emmy-nominated "Justin Time" TV series, but his artwork really shines when giving visual life to Kathy Stinson's story. He endows Zora with the cuteness to sweeten her story and the attributes of determination, imagination and compassion to carry it forward. Her expressive eyes and eyebrows, mouth and body language always speak to Zora's intentions, just as Tully and the squirrel voice their own views. (Check out the final illustration directly above.) Even Zora's backyard of fenced-in greenery is lush with light and life.

Here's to Zora who doesn't let logic keep her from her dreams and to the squirrel and Tully who will have to rethink what a dog can and cannot do.

Zora, The Dog Who Wanted to Fly by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Brandon James Scott

🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

Annick Press, the publisher of The Dog Who Wanted to Fly, just posted this sweet book trailer for it on YouTube.

Uploaded by Annick Press to YouTube on March 12, 2019.

The Dog Who Wanted to Fly: Welcome Book Party (Rockwood, ON)

For a special March break activity

take in this special

Welcome Book Party

with

children's author

 Kathy Stinson

for 

her newest picture book

The Dog Who Wanted to Fly

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Brandon James Scott

Annick Press
978-1-773212807
36 pp.
Ages 3-6
March 2019

on

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

10:30 -11:30 a.m.

at

Rockwood Branch

Wellington Country Library
121 Rockmosa Drive
Rockwood, ON
N0B 2K0 

From Annick Press's website:

Who says dogs can’t fly?

Meet Zora: a dog with a big dream and an even bigger personality. All Zora wants to do is learn how to fly so she can catch that pesky squirrel in her yard. But try as she might to prove to her friend Tully —a skeptical cat—that dogs truly can fly, nothing seems to work. Until Zora finds the right motivation, that is.

Kathy Stinson’s charming story of perseverance is beautifully brought to life by Brandon James Scott’s exuberant and wonderfully expressive illustrations. Touching on themes of optimism and determination in the face of failure, The Dog Who Wanted to Fly is a book anyone—even a cat—will love.

Retrieved from

 http://www.annickpress.com/Dog-Who-Wanted-to-Fly-The 

on February 13, 2019.

  • • • • • • •
More details about the event are posted at the library website at https://calendar.wellington.ca/library/Detail/2019-03-13-1030-Welcome-Book-Party-with-Kathy-Stinson
 

The Man with the Violin

Written by Kathy Stinson
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Annick Press
978-1-55451-565-3
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
August 2013

When Kathy Stinson coupled the story of world-famous violinist Joshua Bell's playing incognito in a Washington subway station with illustrator Dušan Petričić's distinguished artwork, The Man with the Violin became a brilliant portrayal of the sensitivities of children and the sad loss of that wonder by most adults.

Having originally heard Joshua Bell play solo violin for the main character in the movie "Ladies in Lavender" (in which a young Polish violinist is helped by two older British sisters after washing up on the Cornwall coast), I knew how his music could bring an audience to tears.  So it was surprising to learn that, in 2007, Joshua Bell participated in an experiment initiated by the Washington Post in which, wearing the outfit of a street musician (jeans and a baseball cap), Bell played his 1713 Stradivarius for transit goers for 45 minutes.  Only 7 of over a thousand people stopped to watch.  But here is the fascinating statistic:

"There was no ethnic or demographic pattern to distinguish the people who stayed to watch Bell, or the ones who gave money, from that vast majority who hurried on past, unheeding. Whites, blacks and Asians, young and old, men and women, were represented in all three groups. But the behavior of one demographic remained absolutely consistent. Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away." (Gene Weingarten, Sunday April 8, 2007, The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html on September 3, 2013.)

Kathy Stinson takes this astounding demographic and tells the story of a child who becomes enthralled by the music that he hears as his mother pulls him along on her way to work.  Dušan Petričić makes the music swirl and swoop in watercolour pastels of blue, purple, pink, green and peach among the black and white drabness of everyday travel of most adults.  The memory of that music continues to soothe Dylan as his day progresses, elevating him and brightening his day, even as the jarring clatter and clang of machines, dishes, voices drone on and on and on, no matter where he is.  Only when he hears the same music on the radio can Dylan get his mother's attention and take her along on his magical musical ride.

While Gene Weingarten and the Washington Post shared this musical experiment in print and in video on YouTube, Kathy Stinson's simple but powerful representation of The Man with the Violin, so subtly but poignantly depicted by Dušan Petričić's illustrations, is a far more convincing message of the capacity of music to enrich our lives and the wisdom of children that is too often and too easily disregarded.

What Happened to Ivy

Written by Kathy Stinson
Second Story Press
978-1-926920-81-8
146 pp.
Ages 14-17
2012

What Happened to Ivy is just as easily a question as it is a statement about the narrative within the covers of Kathy Stinson's newest book, selected as one of two Honour Books for the 2013 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year.

Ivy is the eleven-year-old sister of David, and the center of their family's world.  Ivy has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound, and her needs for costly meds, equipment, physio and other therapy, as well as for constant attention to dangerous seizures, behaviour and general care infuses every moment of their lives.  David, fifteen, doesn't resent Ivy or the effects her needs have on his life; but he doesn't appreciate his parents' treatment of him as a lackey rather than a son.

Unless they need me to do something, it's like I'm not even here. (pg. 27)

David is delighted when an old friend of his mother's moves in, with her daughter Hannah, to the house across the street from them.  He's even more encouraged when Hannah seems to want to spend time with him, especially since he begins thinking about her in terms beyond just friendship.  When Hannah is invited to accompany the family to the cottage, David is hopeful that she will add some lightness to the sombre atmosphere of his family's anticipation of Ivy's next operation.  And if he gets a bit of alone time with her, all the better.

Similarly, Hannah seems to enjoy being around the Burkes, particularly since she has no siblings and her dad who left when she was 7 gives the impression that he is oblivious to her.  In fact, Hannah notes how impressed she is by the familiar affection and concern they all have for Ivy, specifically remarking what a wonderful father Mr. Burke is to his daughter.

But the visit to the cottage changes everything.  Ivy has a severe seizure while in the water in her father's arms (her way of swimming) and all attempts to revive her are unsuccessful.  Then the questions begin.

Kathy Stinson depicts the tragedy of Ivy's death in the context of speculation as to its nature.  Shockingly, even Ivy's dad begins to question what happened to her and his role in her death.  Could he have done something to change the results?  Was he negligent?  Was he consciously thinking about Ivy's life?  When he gives voice to his questions, sharing them with his wife, and David overhears, an additional layer of emotion washes over their grief.  Each begins to question their feelings for Ivy.

At 146 pages, What Happened to Ivy is relatively short for a young adult novel and I suspect that it's because Kathy Stinson does not feel the need to wrap the story in layers upon layers of descriptive text and subplots to enhance the primary storyline.  Its bare bones are strong enough to support a complex examination of humanity and the connections that are strained when a much-loved child with physical challenges dies.  Without criticizing or defending any attitudes, Kathy Stinson allows compassion to steer the questions and the telling of What Happened to Ivy.