Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act

Written by Nicola Winstanley

Illustrated by Marianne Ferrer

Annick Press

978-1-77321-324-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2019 

Mel and Mo are twins and, as much as they love each other, they like different things. One likes the rain, the other sun. One likes getting up early, the other late. And as they grow older, their differences increase until all they do is disagree. When they choose careers, Mel takes over the family umbrella business and Mo performs on a high-wire with multiple poodles as part of the Sunny Sea-Side Circus.

From Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act by Nicola Winstanley, illus. by Marianne Ferrer

But, with time, things change. They always do. Mel's umbrellas and Mo's act both fall out of fashion, regardless of their efforts to adapt. It isn't until the twins come together to reinvent themselves and their product or act that they find a way to be successful, still different but now in balance.

From Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act by Nicola Winstanley, illus. by Marianne Ferrer

Nicola Winstanley, whose picture book How to Give Your Cat a Bath (Tundra, 2018) is currently nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award, always takes a light touch to important stories. Here we have non-binary twins who are the same but very different. Their differences define them. But when their choices become limiting, it is only by finding common ground that the two can continue to let their differences shine. Neither Mel nor Mo is expected to give up on themselves to "fit" into what their sibling or society deems appropriate for twins. Nicola Winstanley gives them the space to grow their creativity for creating a product or an entertainment but also the wisdom to recognize when collaboration would be beneficial.

From Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act by Nicola Winstanley, illus. by Marianne Ferrer

Similarly Marianne Ferrer balances the similarities between the two siblings with their differences. With one creating colourful umbrellas of wild shapes and the other astounding with high-wire acrobatics, Marianne Ferrer places the emphasis on the twins' differences, though still recognizing their similarities in hair styles and by dressing them similarly when young. I have been a big fan of artist Marianne Ferrer since reviewing Racines (Monsieur Ed, 2016). From that, my first French-language book review, I've been enthralled by her pencil and watercolour illustrations that employ a subtlety of colour and balance the whimsy with the sensible.

Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act may be about twins who want to be individuals whose differences are accepted as relevant, but it's also about knowing when to bring those differences into proximity for collaborative creativity. It's a fine balance that Mel and Mo are able to find and celebrate, as we all should.

A Bedtime Yarn: Book launch (Hamilton, ON)

Picture book author

Nicola Winstanley

Cinnamon Baby illus. by Janice Nadeau (Kids Can Press, 2011)

The Pirate's Bed illus. by Matt James (Tundra, 2015)

launches her new book

A Bedtime Yarn

Written by Nicola Winstanley

Illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller

Tundra Books

978-1-10191808-1

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

Release September 2017

on

 Saturday September 30, 2017

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

at

Epic Books

226 Locke Street South

Hamilton, ON

This darling tale is described as:

Frankie is a little bear who has a hard time falling asleep. The dark is scary, and he hates to be alone. So his mother gives him a ball of yarn to hold when he goes to bed, and she keeps the other end in the next room, working it into a surprise for Frankie. 

Every few nights the yarn color changes, and Frankie dreams in all the colors that he and his mother pick out. One night he's swimming in turquoise water, another night he's in a cool gray fog. He plays with a marmalade kitten and eats delicious chocolate cake. Eventually Frankie and his mother create something special--and Frankie learns that he's always connected to those he loves, even when he's alone in the dark.

A beautiful story of love and crafting, A Bedtime Yarn will appeal to knitters, sleepy little bears and any parents dealing with their child's fear of the dark.

Retrieved from Penguin Random House site at http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/534052/bedtime-yarn#9781101918081

on September 12, 2017.

This book launch has all the hallmarks of a great event:

•  treats

•  crafts

•  story reading

•  book signing by the author

Do attend!

The Pirate's Bed: Book Launch (Toronto)

Join author Nicola Winstanley 

and 

illustrator Matt James 

for the launch of their new picture book

The Pirate's Bed

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-616-3

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

March, 2015

on Sunday, March 29, 2015

2:00 p.m.

at

Another Story Bookshop

315 Roncesvalles Avenue

Toronto, ON

416-462-1105

Call or email (books@anotherstory.ca) to reserve your autographed copy

The blurb, retrieved from the RandomHouse site at http://www.randomhouse.com/book/228423/the-pirates-bed-by-nicola-winstanley#blurb_tabs, tells this of the book:

"A pirate is sleeping snug in his bed, dreaming pirate dreams, when a great storm comes up at sea. The pirate sleeps on, but his bed is awake and scared of the thunder and the angry waves. Tossed this way and that, the ship finally crashes, sending the pirate to a tropical island and his bed off to sea.
     At first, the bed is overjoyed. It's free from smelly feet, snoring and scratchy wool. It floats in the now peaceful water, meeting friendly gulls and playful dolphins and basking in the sun. But soon the little bed begins to feel like something is missing..."