The Mesdames of Mystery & Mayhem: Book event (Burlington, ON)

Authors

Sylvia McNicoll

children's author of the Great Mistakes Mysteries series

and

Melodie Campbell

author of adult fiction Gina Gallo Mystery series

are launching new books in their mystery series!

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Join them for this event to celebrate their newest books

The Diamond Mistake Mystery

(The Great Mistake Mystery, #4)

 

Written by Sylvia McNicoll

Dundurn

224 pp.

Ages 9-12

May 2019

and

The Goddaughter Does Vegas

(A Gina Gallo Mystery, #6)

Written by Melodie Campbell

Orca Book Publishers

144 pp.

Adult

January 2019

on

Sunday, May 19, 2019

2-5 p.m.

at

A Different Drummer Books

Burlington, ON

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ 

Totsapalooza Festival 2019 (Toronto, ON)

Small Print Toronto

 

is presenting its

annual kids' festival of books, bands and DIY crafts

It's

 TOTSAPALOOZA

A Day with Qin Leng & Friends

on 

Saturday, February 2, 2019

 1:00 -3:00 p.m.

at 

Revival

783 College St.  (at Shaw)

Toronto, ON

Advance tickets 

(always a good idea as they sell out quickly)

are available here:

 

$15 for adults

$10 for kids

Free for non-walkers ages 0-2 (who will not be participating in crafts)

Activities include:

● author-illustrator Qin Leng unveiling her debut picture book as an author, I Am Small, and conducting a drawing demonstration;

● a sneak preview of Mine.Yours. by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Qin Leng, which will be published in April, 2019 by Kids Can Press, which is making early copies available for sale;

● drag performers JP (Fay Schlift) and Kaleb (Fluffy Soufflé) running their wildly popular, interactive reading program, Drag Queen Storytime;

● author Emil Sher sharing his picture book Away, illustrated by Qin Leng;

● drummer Dave Clark (Rheostatics, Dinner Is Ruined, Gord Downie) piloting The Woodshed Orchestra’s five-piece horn section, four-piece rhythm section and full-ensemble vocals, in a soulful mash up of classic dance styles from around the world;

● choreographer Ann-Marie Williams conducting her popular family dance sessions;

● dressing up and creating souvenirs of the day at PhaseOne Entertainment's Photo Booth.

● Wanda’s Pie-in-the-Sky pop-up bakery selling healthy, handmade snacks.

● the sale of books for signing by authors and illustrator.

Be sure to get your tickets before they are sold out 

(and sold out they will be!) 

 

How to Catch a Bear Who Loves to Read: Book launch (Toronto)

Join author Andrew Katz 

for the Toronto launch of his picture book

How to Catch a Bear Who Loves to Read

Written by Andrew Katz and Juliana Léveillé-Trudel 

Illustrated by Joseph Sherman

CrackBoom! Books 

978-2924786475

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

November 2018

on

Sunday, November 11, 2018

2 p.m.

at

Queen Books

914 Queen Street East

Toronto, ON 

There will be:

 • a reading of the book by Andrew Katz 

(with music provided by singer-songwriter Peter Katz) 

and

• book signing by author Andrew Katz and
illustrator Joseph Sherman

The event is detailed as follows:

Queen Books invites you to join a spunky girl, her forest animal friends, and a book-loving bear for a reading by Montreal author Andrew Katz of his new picture book How to Catch a Bear Who Loves to Read (ages 4-7), co-written with Juliana Léveillé-Trudel. Special musical guest, JUNO-nominated and Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter Peter Katz, will be lending his guitar to the storytelling, and Gemini Award-winning illustrator Joseph Sherman will be there as well for a book-signing following the reading.

Bear- and book-lovers of all ages are welcome!

Details here.

Africville: Book launch (Toronto, ON)

I am sorry I missed posting about the book launch earlier this month (September 13) at the Africville Museum in Halifax but here's hoping that this launch will be successful in making more people aware of this heritage site and take the trouble to learn more about its history.

 •••••••••••••••••••

Join author 

Shauntay Grant

for a celebration of her new picture book

Africville

Written by Shauntay Grant

Illustrated by Eva Campbell

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-043-9

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

September 2018

on

Saturday, September 29, 2018

from

2 - 4:30 p.m.

at

A Different Booklist

777-779 Bathurst Street

Toronto, ON

Learn more about the book with my review posted here today.

A West Coast Summer: Book event (Victoria, BC)

Join 

artist

 Carol Evans

and

author

 Caroline Woodward

of

A West Coast Summer

  Illustrated with watercolours by Carol Evans

Text by Caroline Woodward

Harbour Publishing

978-1-550178432

32 pp.

All ages

September 2018

Reviewed here

From A West Coast Summer, art by Carol Evans, text by Caroline Woodward

for 

a presentation

about their new book

on

 Friday, October 5, 2018

at 

4 p.m.

at

Maritime Museum of British Columbia

634 Humboldt Street

Victoria, BC

Totsapalooza 10 Festival (Toronto, ON)

presents 

Totsapalooza

the tenth anniversary of

its annual festival 

of

 picture books, indie rock bands and DIY crafts

 for kids aged 2-8  

on

Saturday, February 3, 2018

1 - 4pm 

at 

Revival Nightclub 

783 College St.

Tickets:

Limited number of Early Bird tickets:

 $12 Adults / $8 Kids 

After they are sold out:

 $18 Adults / $12 Kids

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/totsapalooza-turns-ten-tickets-41030174356

Authors in attendance include:

Dennis Lee

who will launch his new collection of poems for children, 

Good Night Good Night

and

lead a sing-a-long of his Alligator Pie 

Barbara Reid

who will read her latest book Picture The Sky 

and 

present Sing a Song of Mother Goose 

with musical support from indie-rockers

Nadia L. Hohn

who will launch Malaika's Winter Carnival,

the sequel to Malaika's Costume

Other in attendance will include:

Drag Performers JP (Fay Slift) and Kaleb (Fluffy Soufflé) who will read and lead an activity with children as part of Drag Queen Storytime;

Rock trio Communism;

The Woodshed Orchestra, a horn, rhythm and vocal ensemble, who will perform a mash up of classic dance styles from around the world;

Choreographer Ann-Marie Williams of Movement Lab who will get the kids dancing;

DJ Castlefrank (a.k.a. Matt Blackett of Spacing Magazine) who will keep the party going with kid-friendly beats;

and

Wanda’s Pie-in-the-Sky who will sell healthy, handmade snacks from their pop-up bakery.

Get your tickets online now 

and 

have something special to share at Christmas and then in February!

Telling Tales Tuesdays: Paul Covello (Hamilton, ON)

Paul Covello

 illustrator, designer, and motion graphics artist from Toronto
will present from his books

Canada ABC and Toronto ABC

and take you on a tour across the country using numbers and letters
 to explore all of the incredible things about Canada

for the final

Telling Tales Tuesdays

on 

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

at

Cotton Factory

at the Quilt of Belong Exhibit

270 Sherman Avenue North, Hamilton, Ontario L8L 6N4

There will also be interactive literacy activities 

with staff from the Hamilton Public Library.

Admission is free

Free parking is available

Telling Tales Tuesdays has been going on all summer (July 11-August 15) as a collaborative celebration of Canada’s 150th with Telling Tales Festival, and is funded by the Community Fund for Canada's 150th which includes the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Government of Canada.

Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/114471629176575/

Triple book event: Blue Heron Books (Uxbridge, ON)

For animal lovers and those who love children's books

(today is World Children's Book Day)

think about attending a triple book launch 

this weekend

with authors

Jennifer Maruno

Rebecca Bender

and

  Suzanne Del Rizzo

for

their recently published books of youngCanLit 

Mooses's Roof

Written by Jennifer Maruno

Illustrated by Laurel Keating

Creative Book Publishing

978-1-771031004

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

March 2017

How Do You Feel?

Written and illustrated by Rebecca Bender

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-013-0

32 pp.

Ages 2-5

November, 2016

Reviewed here

My Beautiful Birds

Written and illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-012-3

32 pp.

Ages 6-10

March 2017

Reviewed here

on

  Saturday, April 8, 2017

from 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

at

Blue Heron Books

62 Brock St. West

Uxbridge, ON

Tagged Out: Book event (Toronto)

The Toronto Blue Jays may have played their last game of the season today

but

if you baseball,

live in or around Toronto

and  

want to support youth baseball

Then come out to the book event featuring 

author Joyce Grant's

new middle grade sports novel

Tagged Out

(Sports Stories series)

by Joyce Grant

Lorimer

978-1-4594-1075-6

123 pp.

Ages 12-14

2016

on Sunday, October 23, 2016

at 12 noon

at Christie Pits

(corner of Christie St. and Bloor St.)

Toronto, ON

On the Lorimer website, the book is described as follows:

The inner-city Toronto Blues baseball team is having a lousy year. Shortstop Nash and the Blues can't seem to win. They especially hate losing to their archrivals, the rich kids of the Parkhill Pirates. When all-star player Jock joins the team, it looks like the Blues might be able to turn the season around. The only problem? When the Pirates find out that Jock is gay, they ambush Nash and Jock, and Nash has to decide if he wants to stand by his teammate.

(Retrieved from http://www.formaclorimerbooks.ca/childrens-and-teens/Book/S/22/2895/Tagged-Out.html on October 19, 2016)

Get a signed copy of Tagged Out for $10

and

participate in the  Toronto Playgrounds Baseball

Derby for Distance

You can help fundraise 

for new equipment for 

the Toronto Playgrounds kids' baseball program

by participating in 

the batting competition 

at pitching machines of different speeds 

for different ages

There will be prizes, a raffle, refreshments, book sales and fun!

Details here

Friend or Foe?

by John Sobol

Illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-407-7

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2016

The beginning of Ottawa author John Sobol’s debut picture book Friend or Foe? is only missing the “Once upon a time…” because the sentiment is definitely that of a traditional tale, here based on a lonely, dark mouse who lives in a small house beside a great palace in which a white cat lives.

The two creatures have their evening routine, with the mouse creeping out onto the roof of the house, and the cat peering down from the palace’s tower window, each staring at the other. When the mouse notices a tiny hole in the palace’s exterior wall, he decides to slip into the palace, hopeful that he might find a friend in that cat with whom he feels a connection.  As he makes his way through the palace, he continues to wonder whether the cat really is a friend or perhaps a foe.

As the mouse climbed the stairs to the palace tower, he began to grow afraid.
What if he was wrong? If he was, the cat would tear him to pieces.  Still he kept climbing.
Was the cat friend or foe?
He had to know. (pg. 11)

But as he approaches the feline from behind, asking her aloud whether she is a friend or foe, the feline is startled and tumbles off the palace tower.  John Sobol ends Friend or Foe? with a twist, both in the animals’ reversal of fortunes and in the answer to the titular question that is probably reflective of many relationships though nebulous in its honesty.

From Friend or Foe? 

by John Sobol, illus. by Dasha Tolstikova

John Sobol's story is aptly illustrated by American Dasha Tolstikova’s austere artwork which emphasizes the disparity in the characters’ sizes and situations, powerfully using hues and tints of greys with only dashes of brightness in a red brick wall or orange light bulb.  Though there is little colour in Friend or Foe?, supporting the idea that there really is a subtle differentiation between the two situations of the title, Dasha Tolstikova uses colour cleverly both to reflect that contrast and suggest their similarity. Friend or Foe? is a very artful examination of connection in which only differences and likenesses are normally perceived.

From Friend or Foe? 

by John Sobol, illus. by Dasha Tolstikova

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A very special launch event is in the works for John Sobol’s Friend or Foe? 

Be part of Small Print Toronto’s Cat & Mouse City 

with author John Sobol 

for young readers 

(ages 2-8, who must be accompanied by an adult) 

on Saturday, October 22, 2016 

from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

at 

Lillian H. Smith Library 

(Toronto Public Library) 

239 College Street 

Toronto, ON 

The event is free but participants must sign up early as space is limited so register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cat-mouse-city-with-john-sobol-tickets-27655152305

Small Print Toronto’s invitation describes the event as follows: 

Our popular model city-building workshop, Mouse City, is about to face its its biggest urban planning challenge yet: the arrival of cats! Urban planners aged 2-8 can decide how Mouse City will accommodate its new, feline citizens. 

Ottawa author John Sobol will unveil his new book, Friend Or Foe?, and help young planners find the best place for their cardboard buildings on a large city grid.

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.

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison - Book Event (Victoria)

Join co-authors

Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson

for a presentation and book-signing of 

their incredibly beautiful biography

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison

by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson

An Ann Featherstone Book

Pajama Press

978-1-927485-63-7

40 pp.

All ages

September, 2014

Reviewed here

on

Monday, December 1, 2014

7:30-9:30 p.m.

(Doors open at 7:00 p.m.)

at

Saanich Centennial Branch

Greater Victoria Public Library

3110 Tillicum Road

(by Pearkes Arena)

Tickets

$5 and $4 for students

Available at School House

2014 Douglas Street

or

at the door

(Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended to ensure seating)

I expect that this will be a very special event and I encourage anyone who loves beautiful books, artwork, Canadian landscapes, biographies, children's books and so much more to attend.

Together We Remember: A Family Remembrance event (Kleinburg, ON)

Celebrate peace

and

honour those who made sacrifices in war

at

Together We Remember

a Family Remembrance event

Join

the team behind 

Bear on the Homefront 

(Pajama Press, 2014)

authors Stephanie Innes and Harry Endrulat

and

illustrator Brian Deines

on

Sunday, November 9, 2014

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

at

The McMichael Gallery 

in Kleinburg, Ontario 

(just north of Toronto)

The event includes:

• a presentation featuring Bear on the Homefront and its prequel A Bear in War

• an exhibit of Brian Deines' original artwork

• interactive musical performance by JUNO-nominated musician Mike Ford

• hands-on watercolour workshop promoting peace and tolerance

Details:

• Family programming activities are included in the cost of admission.

• Adults must be accompanied by a child. 

Learn more at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection website.

Inspire! Toronto International Book Fair: November 13-16, 2014

There's the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Book World Prague International Book Fair, and now we have Inspire! Toronto International Book Fair, right here in Canada.  Now we really are an international city!

From November 13 to 16, 2014, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building will become home, albeit temporary, to thousands of authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, exhibitors, workshop participants and readers.  And it's your chance to speak with, listen to, engage with and learn about all things book!

The schedule is extensive and available at http://www.torontobookfair.ca/schedule/ 
I can't possibly cover all those scheduled to read or speak or just be in attendance, but I can focus on some of the youngCanLit luminaries whom I will try to visit. (n.b.: this is an international book fair, so international book people, illustrators and authors, children's and adult, will be in attendance so you may also get to see some exceptional non-youngCanLit people as well. There are some. Okay, many.)

1. Kelley Armstrong 
2. Ashley Barron 
3. Hugh Brewster 
4. Sigmund Brouwer
5. Geneviève Côté 
6. Claudia Dávila 
7. Deborah Ellis 
8. Mimi Fay 
9. Beth Goobie 
10. Linda Granfield 
11. Jacqueline Guest 
12. Jon Klassen 
13. Gordon Korman 
14. Julie Kraulis 
15. Michael Kusugak 
16. Aaron Kylie 
17. Karen Levine 
18. Elly MacKay 
19. Kyo Maclear 
20. Rosemary McCarney 
21. Norah McClintock
22. Brian McLachlan 
23. Sylvia McNicoll 
24. Mireille Messier 
25. Sarah Mlynowski 
26. Evan Munday 
27. George Murray 
28. Mahtab Narsimhan 
29. Debbie Ridpath Ohi 
30. Ruth Ohi 
31. Shane Peacock
32. Kris Pearn 
33. David Poulsen 
34. Pierre Pratt 
35. Barbara Reid
36. Richard Scrimger
37. Alan Silberberg
38. Ashley Spires 
39. Ted Staunton
40. Patricia Storms
41. Allan Stratton 
42. Caitlin Sweet 
43. Kevin Sylvester 
44. Meg Tilley 
45. Vikki VanSickle 
46. Frank Viva 
47. Eric Walters
48. Mélanie Watt 
49. David Weale 
50. John Wilson
51. Cybèle Young 
52. E. Paul Zehr 

If you look back over three years of postings here on CanLit for LittleCanadians, you'll see the majority of these authors and illustrators have been covered.  And those who haven't been just tells me that I'd better get to reading and writing a little faster!

Enjoy  

Inspire!

Information about tickets, programming, authors, exhibitors, etc. is all available at the Inspire! Toronto International Book Fair website www.torontobookfair.ca