Showing posts with label Sheree Fitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sheree Fitch. Show all posts

February 26, 2025

2025 Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers: Now open for submissions


Let's support young Canadian writers because they will be the published authors of our future. To that end, the Sheree Fitch Prize, a teen writing contest organized by the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick, encourages young people ages 13 to 18 who live in New Brunswick to submit a short story or poem  for this contest.
 
I may not live in New Brunswick but how did I not know about this writing contest for young people? A competition that encourages teens to write and submit their writing for judging by published authors is definitely a win-win. Here are the details, which are available via the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick website.
 
Who may enter?
• Only teens from 13-18 years of age who are residents of New Brunswick may enter
 
What to submit?
• A short story or poem written by the teen
• A short story may be up to 4000 words
• A poem may be up to 100 lines
• Only two submissions per person 

How to enter?
• Entry is free
• Email entries to info@wfnb.ca with the subject line "Sheree Fitch Prize" 
• The deadline for submission is Monday, March 31, 2025

Who will be the judge this year?
• Writer Jacqueline Halsey, author of Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune, Piper, and Peggy's Letters
 
What are the prizes?
• First Prize is $100
• Second Prize is $50
• Third Prize is a 1-year membership to the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick
Time to get writing! 
 
💻✏💻✏💻✏💻✏💻
 
For those who don't know of the incredible collection of works by writer Sheree Fitch, from picture books to poetry collections and YA novels, check out some of her most notable titles:
 
Toes in My Nose and Other Poems
EveryBody's Different on EveryBody Street 
There's a Mouse in My House
Summer Feet
If You Could Wear My Sneakers
Mabel Murple
There Were Monkey's in My Kitchen
If I Had a Million Onions
The Gravesavers
One More Step

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April 13, 2022

Sing in the Spring!

Written by Sheree Fitch
Art by Deb Plestid
Nimbus Publishing
978-1-77471-039-5
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
March 2022

Though spring officially hit the calendar last month, we know the unpredictability of April, a month in which snowstorms can follow on the heels of mild temperatures and budding snowdrops and croci are challenged with fickle weather. In fact, as I look out my open windows and enjoy a light breeze of 17oC weather, Manitoba and northern Ontario are bracing for a snow storm of epic proportions. So, let's let Sheree Fitch's verses help transition all of us from winter when...
There's a secret hush of magic 
when winter lingers on,
when our garden patch
is still a quilt of white.
And with the real quilts of Deb Plestid's fabric art, the transition to spring and rains and flowers, birds and butterflies is well-serenaded.
From Sing in the Spring! by Sheree Fitch, art by Deb Plestid
While the days are getting longer, a child still enjoys a winter of tracks in the snow and snowshoeing with their father. There may still be storms and power outages, fires and mittens, but they know what is coming. From the roots growing beneath the surface and insects and more resting, perhaps even dreaming, the onset of spring is anticipated.  And then it starts.
The frozen river cracks
and groans
like a giant's belly rumbles
like a thunder god who grumbles
Fee-fi-fo-fum!
From Sing in the Spring! by Sheree Fitch, art by Deb Plestid
The awakening is seen and heard. There's a dance of movement, as asparagus tips push upwards and leaves unfurl, and of song, with dripping rain–Spring rain's garden fairies weeping happy tears–and peepers peeping. The shift from winter to spring is both slow and fast, like a ballad that is both lullaby and swing, soft and cacophonous. And when it has finally arrived, it is...
SPRING!
heart sparkly
gold glittery
glad shimmery
LIGHT
on
EVERYTHING!
Sheree Fitch's words have always sparkled with insight and heart. She feels and she shares, sometimes with humour, sometimes with poignancy. With her words, Sheree Fitch has created music that carries young readers of her free verse along in that transformation from winter season to spring. No matter where they are in our country, children will recognize elements that define the seasons for them, though some may present themselves earlier or later. They'll be looking for plants and insects outdoors but also in the quilted art of Deb Plestid. Her fabric art is astounding. She gives such texture through her choice of fabrics, colours, stitching and patterns. Not only can Deb Plestid depict natural elements authentically, she installs them in rivers that are cold, leaf litter that is expectant, and skies that are alive. As Sheree Fitch brings song into spring with her words, Deb Plestid does so with quilted art.
From Sing in the Spring! by Sheree Fitch, art by Deb Plestid
Whether this month or next, I can surely see Sheree Fitch dancing with her arms raised high as fiddleheads emerge and the hummingbirds arrive and Deb Plestid stitching tableaux of the natural world as she captures each new shift and development. The coming of spring has never been so lyrical and bright.
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February 25, 2022

Funny Pages Festival: April 22 (Halifax and Online)


It's time to get kids laughing again by celebrating books that crack them up with the hope "to laugh low literacy rates right out of existence." 
This brainchild of author Vicki Grant is the aim of Canada's first and only festival dedicated to children's books of humour.


For parents, teachers and kids interested in participating here are some of the details:

Date:                 Friday, April 22, 2022

Participants:     Kids of Grades 4 to 8

Events:             Author presentations, writing workshops, book signings and online fun. Plus there will be the awarding of the first Funny Pages Readers' Choice Awards.

Presenters:      This year's presenters will include Kate Beaton, Sheree Fitch and Angela Misri. 

Location:         Halifax Central Library (public health guidelines permitting) and Online
 
Tickets:            Available to schools at www.funnypages.ca on March 1st, with only 25  tickets per school. As per public health guidelines, 250 free tickets will be available through Eventbrite.  (If public health guidelines permit, more tickets will become available closer to the event.  Also, several tickets have been set aside for marginalized groups and home-schooled students.)
 
 
 
Full details about the Festival, the presenters, tickets and more are posted at the Funny Pages Festival website.

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April 02, 2021

A youngCanLit booklist for National Poetry Month



April is National Poetry Month in Canada and has been since 1999.  Promoted by the League of Canadian Poets, this month celebrates poetry in all its forms. You will note that Canada has many children's poets but our all-stars are definitely Sheree Fitch, Robert Heidbreder, Dennis Lee, Loris Lesynski and Robert Priest who have multiple volumes of poems ranging from the silly and fun to the profound and emotional. Though there are many books in which the story is told in verse, including novels in verse and many picture books told in rhyme, I've chosen to focus on books that are collections of poems. This explains why many books that are one long poem, such as Robert Service's The Cremation of Sam McGee, have not been included here. Still, this book list of over 50 titles celebrates rhyme, verse, metre and more completely. Enjoy these collections this month and always!
 

Alligator Pie and other poems (A Dennis Lee Treasury)
Written by Dennis Lee
Illustrations by Frank Newfeld, Juan Wijngaard, David McPhail
HarperCollins Canada
183 pp. 
Ages 2-10
2020
 
This is a collection of three books: Alligator Pie, Jelly Belly, and The Ice Cream Store

Auntie's Knitting a Baby
Written by Lois Simmie 
Illustrated by Anne Simmie
Orchard Books
70 pp.
Ages 8-10
1988

Cabbagehead
Written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-11
2003

Canadian Poems for Canadian Kids
Edited by Jen Hamilton
Illustrated by Merrill Fearon
Subway Books
64 pp.
Ages 9-12
2005
 

Carry On
Poetry by Young Immigrants
Compiled and illustrated by Rogé
Owlkids Books
36 pp.
All ages
2021

Catch the Sky: Playful Poems on the Air We Share
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Emily Dove
Greystone Kids
40 pp.
Ages 3-8
2020

Climbing Shadows: Poems for Children
Written by Shannon Bramer
Illustrated by Cindy Derby
Groundwood Books
44 pp.
Ages 4-9
2019

Crazy about Basketball!
Written by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Gerry Rasmussen
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2013

Crazy about Hockey! 
Written by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Gerry Rasmussen
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2015
Crazy about Soccer!
Written by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Gerry Rasmussen
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages
2012

Daysongs and Nightsongs
Written by Robert Priest
Illustrated by Keith Lee
Groundwood Books
31 pp.
Ages 2-5
1993

Dirty Dog Boogie
Written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2002

Don't Eat Spiders
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Karen Patkau
Oxford University Press
48 pp.
Ages 4-7
1985


Earth Magic
Written by Dionne Brand
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-13
2006
 
The Eco-diary of Kiran Singer
Written by Sue Ann Alderson
Tradewind Books
65 pp.
Ages 8-12
2007

Eenie Meenie Manitoba : Playful Poems from Coast to Coast
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
1996

Garbage Delight
Written by Dennis Lee
Illustrated by Frank Newfeld
HarperCollins Canada
64 pp.
Ages 0-7
2012
 
Haiti My Country
Written by Haitian schoolchildren
Compiled and illustrated by Rogé
Fifth House
44 pp.
Ages 7-11
2014

Hawks Kettle, Puffins Wheel And Other Poems of Birds in Flight
Written by Susan Vande Griek
Illustrated by Mark Hoffmann
Kids Can Press
36 pp.
Ages 8-12
2019

The Hobo’s Crowbar
Written by JonArno Lawson
Illustrated by Alex Dempster
The Porcupine's Quill
96 pp.
All ages
2016
 
Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On
Written by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming
Illustrated by Peggy Collins
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2015 
 
Hungry for Science: Poems to Crunch On
Written by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming
Illustrated by Peggy Collins
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
2018 
 
I Am Small
Written by Sheree Fitch
Illustrated by Kim LaFave
Doubleday Canada
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
1997

I did it because...: How a Poem Happens
Written by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press
64 pp. 
Ages 8-12
2006

I Hate Dinosaurs and Other Poems
Edited by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by David Shaw
Houghton Mifflin
39 pp.
Ages 4-8
1992

If I Had a Million Onions
Written by Sheree Fitch
Illustrated by Yayo
Tradewind Books
64 pp.
Ages 9-12
2005

If You Could Wear My Sneakers
Written by Sheree Fitch
Illustrated by Darcia Labrosse
Nimbus Publishing
36 pp.
Ages 4-8
2017

Images of Nature: Canadian Poets and the Group of Seven
Selected by David Booth
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
All ages
1995
 
Lasso the Wind: Aurélia’s Verses and Other Poems 
Written by George Elliott Clarke
Illustrated by Susan Tooke 
Nimbus Publishing
64 pp.
Ages 9-13
2013

Mama Likes to Mambo
Written by Helaine Becker
Illustrated by John Beder
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
28 pp.
Ages 4-8
2001 

Mingan My Village
Written by Innu schoolchildren
Compiled and illustrated by Rogé
Fifth House Publishers
42 pp.
Ages 7-11
2014

Noisy Poems for a Busy Day
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith
Kids Can Press
40 pp.
Ages 4-8
2012

Nothing Beats a Pizza
Written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 8-12
2003
 
Other Goose: Recycled Rhymes for Our Fragile Times
Written by Barbara Wyn Klunder
Groundwood Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-11
2007

Our Corner Store
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Chelsea O’Byrne
Groundwood Books
64 pp.
Ages 7-11
2020

Poetree
Written by Caroline Pignat
Illustrated by François Thisdale
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
All ages
2018

Python Play and Other Recipes for Fun
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Karen Patkau
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
48 pp.
Ages 5-8
1999

Recess in the Dark: The Poems from the Far North
Written by Kalli Dakos
Illustrated by Erin Mercer
Canada Educational Publishing
45 pp.
Ages 5-10
2019

Rosa Rose
Written by Robert Priest
Illustrated by Joan Krypsman
Wolsak & Wynn
56 pp.
Ages 7-10
2013

Round Slice of Moon and Other Poem for Canadian Kids
Selected by Fran Newman
Scholastic
163 pp.
Ages 8-12
1980

The Secret Invasion of Bananas
Written by Robert Priest
Illustrated by Tineke Visser
Ekstasis Editions
144 pp.
Ages 6-12
2001


See Saw Saskatchewan: More Playful Poems from Coast to Coast
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2003

Shake-Awakes
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Marc Mongeau
Tradewind Books
40 pp.
Ages 4-7
2012

Shoe Shakes
Written by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2007
 
So Imagine Me: Nature Riddles in Poetry
Written by Lynn Davies
Illustrated by Chrissie Park-MacNeil
Nimbus Publishing
32 pp.
All ages
2020
 
Think Again
Written by JonArno Lawson
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Kids Can Press
64 pp.
Ages 10+
2010

'Til All the Stars Have Fallen
Edited by David Booth
Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
Kids Can Press
96 pp.
All ages
1989

Toes in My Nose and Other Poems
Written by Sheree Fitch
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Nimbus Publishing
48 pp.
Ages 4-8
2016

What Cats Think
Written by John Spray
Illustrated by Mies van Hout
Pajama Press
44 pp.
Ages 6-9
2019
 
When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for all Seasons
Written by Julie Fogliano
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Roaring Brook Press
56 pp.
All ages
2016

The Wolf is Back
Written by Robert Priest
Illustrated by Joan Krygsman
Wolsak & Wynn
96 pp.
Ages 7-9
2017

The Worm Song and Other Tasty Tunes
Collected by Janet Wilson
Illustrated by Cory Wilson
Scholastic Canada
104 pp.
Ages 7-12
1993

Zig-Zag: Zoems for Zindergarten
Written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2005
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