If I Could Draw...

Written and illustrated by Patricia Storms

 ‎ DC Canada Education Publishing

978-1-834140667

36 pp.

Ages 4–8

April 2026 

 

A boy is bored. He is dismayed that he can't draw and that's what's holding him back from eliminating that boredom. If only he could draw, all would be well.

From If I Could Draw..., written and illustrated by Patricia Storms

 He then imagines all the wonderful things he would draw if he could draw. There would be dancing skyscrapers, unicorns playing ukuleles, and robots that served desserts. (Yum!) But as he imagines all the things he would draw, his little brother interrupts him, wanting to play. 

From If I Could Draw..., written and illustrated by Patricia Storms

In fact, he's so delighted to hear his big brother's ideas that he draws them, giving his brother the tangible art he so longs to create. What comes from that is a mutual admiration of their skills to imagine and to draw making a collaboration to chase away any boredom.

From If I Could Draw..., written and illustrated by Patricia Storms

Patricia Storms's story is one of creativity and self-awareness. It's reminds young children to identify the skills they have and not focus on the ones they don't have. (There will always be things we can't do.) Even better, she lets a younger brother help his older sib recognize what he himself cannot see. This lovely sibling relationship is one of support, not competition. And even though the older brother is initially reluctant to engage with his younger sib, he is moved by his words and takes the time to listen. By doing so, he learns to see his little brother's drawing skills and accept appreciation for own imagination. 

From If I Could Draw..., written and illustrated by Patricia Storms

Patricia Storms has both written and illustrated her own picture books (e.g., Never Let You Go, 2013), written picture books illustrated by others (e.g., The Dog's Gardener, 2021), and illustrated those authored by others (e.g., Moon Wishes, 2023). She obviously has no problems with the drawing component or the writing part. Still she reminds us that sometimes we forget what we can do when we can't do something else. And Patricia Storms helps us see the misery of not being able to do something—those illustrations lack colour and life—but also the brightness and fun when one is free to visualize and create.

 

I'm glad that Patricia Storms continues to delve into her creativity by exploring her art, both written text and visual art, to give colour and shape to the joy of a child's imagination. By showing us the different skills of two siblings, Patricia Storms reminds us to try, to play, and to collaborate if we are to find inventiveness.

Sun Wishes

Written by Patricia Storms

Illustrated by Milan Pavlović

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-450-5

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

May 2022

 

It's the middle of summer and the sun is out in all its glorious warmth and brightness. But what of all the other things the sun does through each day, around world and year round? As a child imagines what the sun sees and feels, Sun Wishes lets us see all of its glory from a different perspective.

From Sun Wishes by Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

"If I were the sun..." is how this reflection on the sun's activities begins. From singing a gentle morning song to awaken life, including the flowers, insects and other animals, to brightening a gloomy day after a rain to accompany a grandfather and grandson fishing. In other global locations, it inspires "a vivid tapestry" in rice fields and on the African savannah, in the oceans, in the trees and among forests.

Oh, to be the sun! To swing and sway

with the mountains and trees

and dance across luminous waters.

From Sun Wishes by Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

Even in the winter, the sun is there to warm snow angel-making children. And always, at the end of a busy day, the child imagines itself as the sun going to rest peacefully "knowing tomorrow I would shine once more."

From Sun Wishes by Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

Sun Wishes is an ode to the sun through the imaginings of a child recognizing the sun's omnipresence and its many  powers. It's actually amazing how evocative Patricia Storms's text and Milan Pavlović's art are in reflecting the sun's warmth and brightness, the dreariness of a grey day or the cool wetness of an ocean. The colours and life called up in words and illustrations are tangible, cooling in the heat of our own summer days and glittering in a storm's aftermath.

Patricia Storms, along with husband Guy Storms, first collaborated with artist Milan Pavlović on Moon Wishes (Groundwood, 2019). That same partnership now takes us into a different poetic reverie, that of a child looking at a celestial entity and envisioning all that it might experience.  From play to harvest, family and solitude, the sun attends to all, in its full range of colours and vibrancy. And, as this child does, we should respect and honour that vitality, in its bringing of life and overseeing it in its many forms.

The Dog's Gardener

 

Written by Patricia Storms

Illustrated by Nathalie Dion

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-256-3

36 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2021

Depending on where you are located in Canada, Patricia Storms's story of The Dog's Gardener may already be in full swing or just starting, or perhaps a few weeks away if there are still occasional frosts. But, as the gardening season slowly ramps up, you know there are dogs like Dutch who are ready for the outdoors.

 

From The Dog's Gardener by Patricia Storms, illus. by Nathalie Dion

Told from a dog's perspective, The Dog's Gardener recounts a day of togetherness. From the early morning when Dutch hears her footsteps but waits for her to wake him up, pretending "to be asleep, just so I can hear her gentle voice."  And...

Then I wait for those beautiful words.

"Okay, Dutch. Let's go outside."

With that, the two companions make their way outdoors to an expansive garden of trees, flowers, and vegetables.

From The Dog's Gardener by Patricia Storms, illus. by Nathalie Dion

He knows her routines, from her heading to the dark and dusty shed that frightens him, to her midday rest at the great stump. And he has his own routines, waiting outside as she gets her tools from the little house, to rolling in the grass and napping at her feet when she rests, and anticipating the delight that comes with the turning on of the water hose.

From The Dog's Gardener by Patricia Storms, illus. by Nathalie Dion

Their day of gardening is a lesson in mindfulness, focusing on the task at hand, whether it be digging, watering, rolling or resting. And it's about being together with someone who is different and appreciates the same things but differently.

The Dog's Gardener is a lazy, summertime read of such depth of feeling between a dog and a human that the outdoors almost feels like another character in their story. Patricia Storms, whose picture books include Moon Wishes and Never Let You Go, conveys that contentment of task and company, together but separate, each pursuing outdoor joy, ending her story, as the pair head inside at the end of the day, with a single significant word: together.

Nathalie Dion, whose illustrations graced both The Big Bad Wolf in My House and I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, does well in creating artwork for stories with emotional connections between characters, even if those characters are non-human. Because the relationship in The Dog's Gardener is one of serenity and affection, Nathalie Dion's illustrations, which are created with hand-painted gouache textures combined with painting using a digital pastel brush, are reflective of its uplifting nature. The colours are warm and bright, the activity of dog and human are distinct and harmonious, and the story moves gently from morning to end of day.

For dog-lovers and gardeners, The Dog's Gardener is a complete package of fellowship and appreciation for the now, of undertakings and of company, of surroundings and of inclinations. For those who are neither, The Dog's Gardener is what we should be: mindful of what we're doing and with whom and appreciating every positive moment.

Moon Wishes: Book launch (Toronto, ON)

Join

authors

Patricia and Guy Storms

and

illustrator

Milan Pavlović

in celebrating the launch of 

Moon Wishes

Written by Guy and Patricia Storms
Illustrated by Milan Pavlović
Groundwood Books
978-1-77306-076-7
40 pp.
Ages 4-7
March 2019
Reviewed here

on

Sunday, March 10, 2019

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

at

TYPE Books Junction

2887 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON

416-761-9973


This free event for all ages
promises

cookies, music and fun!

Moon Wishes

Written by Guy and Patricia Storms
Illustrated by Milan Pavlović
Groundwood Books
978-1-77306-076-7
40 pp.
Ages 4-7
March 2019

Everyone makes wishes to the light of the moon but what does the moon wish for? That’s the question Guy Storms and Patricia Storms answer in their first picture book collaboration with illustrator Milan Pavlović.

From Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

With a beginning that allows young readers to put themselves up in the night sky, Guy Storms and Patricia Storms introduce Moon Wishes with "If I were the moon ..." and then propose the loveliest of sentiments to brighten the world from the darkness that extends far beyond nightfall. There would be the creation of art by shimmering over waters teeming with fish and over "dreams of snow." It would "wax and wane over the Earth's troubles" to soothe and light the way for travellers including human, bird and marine and showcase those who play, sing and reside outside. And the moon would always shine with love and light.

From Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

In a series of glorious images, as iridescent with their glowing moons as the cover, Milan Pavlović gives these heartfelt moon wishes substance. They are no longer wishful thinking or dreams for something better. They are real. Readers can see the lustrous moon paving the way for lives to be lived. From refugees trekking across an expansive landscape to the trumpeter serenading delighted felines or the whales swimming in seafoam green waters, Milan Pavlović shows the smiling moon, serene in all its phases, making the world a brighter place for all.

From Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlović

I will be adding this book to my Read a Book of Bedtime booklist because it belongs among those titles that help ease little ones to slumber.  With its meaningful intentions and luminous illustrations, Moon Wishes will certainly hush children to sleep knowing that the moon is watching over all and wishing only goodness.

•••••••••••••••••••••
The book launches this Sunday (March 10, 2019) in Toronto. Details here.

By the Time You Read This

Written by Jennifer Lanthier

Illustrated by Patricia Storms

Clockwise Press

 978-1-988347-05-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

April 2017

By the Time You Read This, this book will probably be out and I’ll have missed its launch, but, hey, what can you do? At least it’s not the devastating news like that which the arm cast-addled Oscar pens to his former friend Sam, beginning with “To my mortal enemy, By the time you read this….” He then proceeds to itemize all the play things he is dismantling or putting the kibosh on in light of their conflict: the Scientific Experiment of Glorious Doom; their Indestructible Fortress of Fiendishness; their Epic Battle of Giant Robots versus Alien Insects; the Magical Zoo of Mystical Creatures; the Neverending Novel of Awesome Adventures; the Precarious Portal for Intrepid Explorers; and the Time Travel Tower of Ultimate Power.  It seems Sam laughed when Oscar fell when skateboarding.

But all that anger dissipates when Sam finds Oscar and apologizes for laughing, not realizing he’d hurt himself.  Recalling all the fun things they had done together, Oscar relents, asking Sam if she’d like to sign his cast.  With that, the two surrender to their friendship and get back to the business of serious play.

From By the Time You Read This 

by Jennifer Lanthier 

illus. by Patricia Storms

Though Oscar is initially vehement in his new enemy-ship with Sam, as denoted by his powerful words and the decisiveness of his actions, he is not immune to a little empathy and an apology.  It’s amazing what a small step of humility and voiced regret can do to turn things around, especially in a childhood friendship.  Children are forever making friends and dissolving friendships on a whim, justifiably so or not.  It’s evident that, in By the Time You Read This, even anger and disappointment can be fleeting and resolved amicably with just a few words.  Jennifer Lanthier’s text demonstrates the depths of friendship in Oscar and Sam’s imaginative play, especially in their super-duper partnership in taking on the world.  How could Oscar and Sam not stay friends?

From By the Time You Read This 

by Jennifer Lanthier 

illus. by Patricia Storms

Patricia Storms, who can illustrate both tender books like Never Let You Go and playful picture books like The Ghosts Go Spooking, lends an energetic atmosphere to By the Time You Read This, portraying the spirit of children in her boldly-coloured cartoons and in the little details in signage (e.g., "Oscar + Sam ONLY, No Parents Allowed, No Brothers Either") and toys.   Kids will laugh themselves silly over the creatures in the Magical Zoo of Mystical Creatures, like the Farting Fur-Tail and Lionisaurus Rex, and probably recognize a few of their own toys within the pages of By the Time You Read This. They’ll definitely see themselves in the book.  This is a important as young readers need to know that friendships sometimes fall apart but can be reconstructed, sometimes with just a little bandage of kind words.  And even though By the Time You Read This ends with Oscar and Sam reconciled, back at play in their Planetary Pirate Ship, they might still have another falling out.  Such are the nature of friendships when you’re close to someone and care about what they feel and do. But, with a smile and a little play (perhaps the board game on the inside of By the Time You Read This' s cover), all might be forgiven.

Never Let You Go: Book Launch (Toronto)

Join

author and illustrator 
Patricia Storms 

for

the book launch

of

Never Let You Go

Scholastic Canada
978-1443119894
32 pp.
Ages 0-5
October, 2013

Sunday October 27, 2013

2:30-5:00 p.m.

at

Redfish Bluefish Creative Café

73 Harbord Street

Toronto, ON

Check out Patricia Storms' website to see the numerous books she's illustrated and those she's authored and illustrated.