The Shaman's Apprentice

Written by Zacharias Kunuk

Illustrated by Megan Kyak-Monteith

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-268-0

32 pp.

Ages 9-12

May 2021

In this picture book based on his animated short film Angakuksajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice, Inuk director Zacharias Kunuk delivers a powerful story about a young girl facing her fears as she learns from her grandmother, a shaman, in finding healing help from the underworld.

From The Shaman's Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk, illus. by Megan Kyak-Monteith

Qunguliq and her granddaughter Supijaq are summoned by a young man to provide healing for an ill man at his camp. Packing up their qamutiik (sled), they head to the nearby camp, unaware that the qurvik (bed pan) has fallen off in their travels.

Though Qunguliq questions the ill man about why he is sick and what he may have done wrong, he refuses to answer her. Qunguliq requests Supijaq retrieve the qurvik which the girl cannot locate but, sent out again to the qamutiik, the pot has reappeared. Using the pot for its intended purpose, Qunguliq smears the urine on the ill man's face but without any of the expected healing.

Qunguliq decides they must travel underground and, with a magic song, opens a deep hole leading there. Cautioning her granddaughter that she must not be fearful if their journey underground is to be successful, Qunguliq leads them down a slope deep into the earth. But as they travel down, Supijaq realizes that their bodies have changed, becoming limp and soft as if their bones had left their bodies.

From The Shaman's Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk, illus. by Megan Kyak-Monteith

At the bottom, they face a giant husky protecting a doorway. Again, Supijaq is warned not to show fear, and the two proceed into a darkened room of tormented human spirits and Kannaaluk, also known as The One Below.

Kannaaluk reveals something to them which triggers a vision for the shamans of what the man had done, exposing a selfishness as the cause of his own illness. Returning to the sick man's qarmaq (sod house), Qunguliq confronts the man about breaking a taboo before he is healed.

From The Shaman's Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk, illus. by Megan Kyak-Monteith

This traditional Inuit story is rich with culture, language and an inter-generational relationship blended with subtle lessons about facing fears and karma. From the qarmaq with its qulliq (seal oil lamp) to healing practices and the presence of Kannaaluk (the legendary spirit, also known as Takannaaluk and Nuliajuk, who controls the sea mammals), Zacharias Kunuk embeds us in a traditional setting of the Inuit and honours this story with its messages of customs and beliefs. Born in a qarmaq on Baffin Island, Zacharias Kunuk tells this story with authenticity and insight and with the eye of a filmmaker. Qunguliq, whose voice is the only one given words, brings the wisdom and affection while her granddaughter listens and learns through her silence and actions. But with the artwork of Megan Kyak-Monteith, also born in Nunavut, The Shaman's Apprentice is radiant, whether in the qarmaq lit by the qulliq, or across the tundra of glowing blue snow, or even in the depths of the underworld. Though her palette is limited, Megan Kyak-Monteith evokes warmth and cold, comfort and tension with the profoundness of her technique. 

As with all traditional storytelling that is destined to teach and carry forward culture, The Shaman's Apprentice does so admirably in words and art, informing those outside of the culture and preserving it for those within.

Runaway (National Film Board of Canada Collection)

Story and characters by Cordell Barker

Adapted by Sarah Howden

Firefly Books

978-0-2281-0079-9

pp.

Ages 8-12

October 2019

Cordell Barker's short NFB film Runaway was released in 2009 but its black humour and commentary on greed and self-importance will now reach a new audience of young readers with this adaptation to print medium. Though the 9-minute film has very little discernible dialogue, Sarah Howden's adaptation fills in the narrative about a cow walking on railway tracks when a train is left without its conductor.

From Runaway by Cordell Barker, adapted by Sarah Howden

Sarah Howden's narrative begins with a commentary about how uncomplicated cows are compared to humans who are "always up to something." (pg. 9) There are the wine-drinking, cigar-smoking and billiards-playing top-hatted rich men, and one lady with her black dog, in the first car behind the engine. In the next car with their livestock are the pointy-hatted folk who are crowded to the rafters and who pass the time with music and beer. In the caboose, three train crewmen sleep. As "They were all going about their business, no questions asked" (pg. 14), the little dog escapes into the locomotive. The Captain, not missing an opportunity to ingratiate himself with a rich patron, shoves back the fireman and is promptly bitten by the urchin-like canine. While the rich woman takes the Captain back into her chamber to tend to his wound, the train is left without a man at the helm. The train is now a runaway and all the more after the Fireman falls onto the levers when the cow is hit. (It's okay. The cow survives.)

As the Fireman searches for the Captain, the oblivious patrons continue with their preferred activities. The train loses its caboose on a wild ride down a mountain and destroys a bridge after passing over it but the worst is when there is insufficient fuel to get the train up the slope on the other side of the bridge. Will the passengers work together to find a solution?

From Runaway by Cordell Barker, adapted by Sarah Howden

How the story in the print edition of Runaway ends is up for interpretation though the cow does live to see a glorious sunset. The rich people do take advantage of the common people, promising them money for their clothes to be used for fuel, and then unhitch their car and take back the money. The Captain and lady and her dog eventually reappear and get caught up in the efforts to save the train. But how much can they do when a train is hurtling up and over hills out of control?

Cordell Barker's story takes the reader on an alarming ride of both a train without a conductor and a culture without goodwill. A little benevolence and the tale of this train and its occupants could have had a far different ending. But, with greed and self-importance overriding all common sense, this train is doomed. Regrettably, Runaway is a stark metaphor for our narcissistic world, even more so than in 2009, by reflecting a society that emphasizes taking care of the self before all else. Only the Fireman can see the need to put self aside but even he cannot prevent the disaster when all work against the whole and think only of the self.

From Runaway by Cordell Barker, adapted by Sarah Howden

As in any graphic novel, the art helps tell the story. The art in Runaway is strong in its depiction of the different classes of people, with the rich in their train car decorated in rose with food artwork and the commoners in their earthy-coloured attire living with their food animals. Even the conductor, expecting to be called Captain, aspires to more in his highly-decorated bicorn hat and jacket festooned with golden epaulets. But the art also tells us what the Fireman is thinking, how the cow conducts herself as she needs, and that the rich on the train take glee in taking advantage of the poor and even delight in their demise.

Because Cordell Barker uses dialogue sparingly in the short film, Sarah Howden needed to "fill-in-the-blanks" for young readers for whom the complexity of the circumstances might not be evident. They will understand the story, just as they might understand a fairy tale, but to give them insight into the greater picture of Runaway, Sarah Howden highlights the humans' actions from a distant perspective, trying to understand what they do and why, all which will help explain the outcome of the story. Her words give landscape to the story without explaining everything, allowing young readers to apply their own visual literacy skills and interpretation to the allegory of what can go wrong when self and greed override all.

🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥

The original short film is available on the NFB's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/qUGHv2VAESE and is an accomplishment of movement, tension and social statement. Just be prepared: it's only a happy ending for the cow in this version.

Uploaded by NFB to YouTube on May 26, 2017.

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts

Story and art by Torill Kove

National Film Board of Canada Collection

Firefly Books

978-1-77085-967-8

32 pp.

Ages 7-10

September, 2017

The National Film Board of Canada has been a part of Canada since 1939, impressing audiences, critics and award juries around the world for its entirety.  Films from documentaries to animations have delighted and now Firefly Books is partnering with the NFB to bring some of its stories to publication.  Starting next month, Firefly Books is launching the National Film Board of Canada Collection with the publication of two picture books including this one, My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts, based on the 1999 Oscar®-nominated NFB animated film of the same name.

Torill Kove recounts a story she'd heard from her grandmother, Aslang Bech of Norway, of her activities just before, during and prior to World War II in Oslo.  Though I have no doubts that Torill Kove’s grandmother, whose photo prefaces the story, truly ironed the King’s shirts, there is an air of a tall tale to her story of civil disobedience against the Nazis that may or may not be true.  I choose to believe it as it would be so satisfying if it were. Regardless of its veracity, the story is charming.

The book begins with a history lesson about Norway and the country’s decision to have a king lead them when it became an independent country.  Prince Carl of Denmark was selected and became King Haakon VII of Norway with Queen Maud and young Prince Olav in tow.  Though the family became proud Norwegians, embracing the people and culture readily, their wrinkled appearance had Norwegians shaking their heads.  So a clothing shop called Hoff agree to iron the royal family’s clothing, and years later this is the shop to which Torill Kove’s grandmother came to work.  A little investigative work led her to learn that she truly was ironing the King’s shirts.

From My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts 

by Torill Kove

All that changed when Norway was drawn into war against the Germans in 1940.  Proudly, the King refused to surrender and urged Norwegians to resist.  Now relegated to ironing the shirts of the German army, Torill Kove's grandmother began to sabotage their uniforms and encouraged the other Hoff pressers to do the same. “Word of their activities spread and soon all the shirt pressers in Norway were involved in a nationwide shirt sabotage.”

From My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts 

by  Torill Kove

Though history books may attribute the departure of the Germans in 1945 to Europe-wide capitulation, Torill Kove suggests they left because they had no undamaged clothes and fled in near-nakedness.  For this act of civil disobedience, her grandmother and others were decorated as resistance fighters.

From My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts 

by Torill Kove

Tall tale? Maybe.  Enthralling?  Absolutely!  Between the story details and Torill Kove’s illustrations, which are playful yet factual as seen by the accuracy of Torill Kove’s depiction of the King, My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts is a splendid side story that illuminates how a country outside of the the key players could withstand and triumph during World World II.  By keeping her tale absorbing while boisterous in colour and cartoon-like illustrations, Torill Kove tells history in a way that goes beyond both truth and tragedy, something few stories of WWII can achieve.

NFB  NFB  NFB  NFB  NFB  NFB

Do check out the animated short upon which this picture book is based at the NFB's channel on YouTube. The link is https://youtu.be/5LfJrv1_sZI

The Owl and the Lemming

by Roselynn Akulukjuk

Illustrated by Amanda Sandland

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-120-1

32 pp.

Ages 5-7

November 2016

Like Aesop’s Fables, The Owl and the Lemming is a tale with a moral but it is more than just a morality story. Through the words of Nunavut-born filmmaker Roselynn Akulukjuk and illustrator Amanda Sandland, this fable is an Inuit legend with a lesson based on a local predator-prey relationship amidst that Arctic ambience of mossy and rocky tundra.  The Owl and the Lemming is as elegant in its story-telling and art as it is wise in its teaching.

A young lemming makes her way out of the den in the spring to partake in some much-needed feeding on tasty moss.  So engrossed in her eating, she fails to notice a snowy owl land directly in front of the entrance to the lemming’s den.   The young lemming tries to trick the snowy owl with some juvenile ploys based on distraction but, though young, the owl is wise to her intentions. Finally the lemming invites the owl to play a jumping game with the lemming’s fate as a meal the prize.  The owl is only too happy to show his prowess at jumping, sadly for him allowing the lemming to scurry back into her den.  Though his father cautions him, “Next time, don’t play with your food” (pg. 25), the little owl knows it was his pride that cost him his meal.

That old adage of pride going before a fall is ever so true in this Inuit tale, told with humour by Roselynn Akulukjuk who directed a puppet-based film of the story for Taqqut Productions, just winning Best Animation at the 41st annual American Indian Film Institute Festival.  It’s an auspicious recognition of the talent of Roselynn Akulukjuk to tell such a legend with both clarity and richness, staying true to her Nunavut roots while extending herself into her new pathways for story-telling.  Similarly, Amanda Sandland uses her artwork to combine the whimsical with the realistic, creating composite images of drawings with photographic backgrounds.  With only a few touches of comic design, like the den’s doorway and fencing, added to the true tundra landscape, Amanda Sandland puts all her efforts in creating a lemming and an owl worthy of the legend’s title.

From The Owl and the Lemming 

by Roselynn Akulukjuk, 

illus. by Amanda Sandland

Readers should look for the release of Taqqut Productions’s film of this story, but indulge in this literary version from Inhabit Media for teaching and learning an important moral about pride and survival from a very northern perspective.

Photography in youngCanLit: A booklist for World Photography Day (August 19)

While numerous books, especially those of non-fiction, feature photographs,  there are many in which characters are engaged in photography or in which photographs move the plot forward.  Here, I've selected a list of picture books, fiction, young adult and non-fiction books in which photography or an image viewer (in the case of Super Duper Monster Viewer), and that includes still photography, digital and video, are key.  Each of these youngCanLit titles deserves to be recognized in this booklist in celebration of World Photography Day, August 19.

PICTURE BOOKS

Finders Keepers for Franklin
by Paulette Bourgeois
Illustrated by Brenda Clark
Kids Can Press
29 pp.
Ages 3-7
1997

Super-Duper Monster Viewer
by Kevin Sylvester
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2016

Willow’s Smile
by Lana Button
Illustrated by Tania Howells
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2016







FICTION and YOUNG ADULT

Barry, Boyhound
Andy Spearman
Knopf
230 pp.
Ages 9-12
2005

The Book of Spirits and Thieves
by Morgan Rhodes
Razorbill
358 pp.
Ages 12+
2015

The Darkest Magic (The Book of Spirits and Thieves, Book 2)
by Morgan Rhodes
Razorbill
448 pp.
Ages 12+
2016

Dying to Go Viral
by Sylvia McNicoll
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
251 pp.
Ages 12+
2013

Finding Grace
by Becky Citra
Second Story Press
195 pp.
Ages 9-12
2014

Ghosts of the Pacific
by Philip Roy
Ronsdale Press
251 pp.
Ages 11-14
2011

Grind
by Eric Walters
Orca Book Publishers
100 pp.
Ages 13-15
2004

The Journal
by Lois Donovan
Ronsdale Press
204 pp.
Ages 10+
2015

Jump Cut
by Ted Staunton
Orca Book Publishers
220 pp.
Ages 9-12
2012

Leftovers
by Heather Waldorf
Orca Book Publishers
198 pp.
Ages 12-16
2009

Lights, Camera, Disaster! (Macdonald Hall #6)
by Gordon Korman
Scholastic Canada
232 pp.
Ages 8-12
2004

Lucky Jonah
by Richard Scrimger
HarperCollinsCanada
223 pp.
Ages 12-14
2016

Mission Mumbai: A  Novel of Sacred Cows, Snakes, and Stolen Toilets
by Mahtab Narsimhan
Scholastic Press
272 pp.
Ages 9-12
2016

My Life Before Me
by Norah McClintock
Orca Book Publishers
248 pp.
Ages 12+
2015

Nine Doors
by Vicki Grant
Orca Book Publishers
96 pp.
Ages 11-14
2009

Northern Exposures
by Eric Walters
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
208 pp.
Ages 8-12
2008

Picture This
by Norah McClintock
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 12+
2009

RanVan: Magic Nation
by Diana Wieler
Groundwood Books
229 pp.
Ages 13+
1997

The Rule of Thirds (A Pippa Greene Novel)
by Chantel Guertin
ECW Press
192 pp.
Ages 13+
2013

Depth of Field (A Pippa Green Novel)
by Chantel Guertin
ECW Press
208 pp.
Ages 13+
2014

Leading Lines (A Pippa Greene Novel)
by Chantel Guertin
ECW Press
216 pp.
Ages 13+
2015

Scarlet Thunder
by Sigmund Brouwer
Orca Book Publishers
172 pp.
Ages 12-14
2008

Scenes from the Epic Life of a Total Genius
by Stacey Matson
llustrated by Simon Kwan
Scholastic Canada
255 pp.
Ages 10-13
2015

Shooter
by Caroline Pignat
Razorbill Canada
320 pp.
Ages 12+
2016

Thirty-six Exposures
by Kevin Major
Delacorte
154 pp.
Ages 15+
1984

Young Man With Camera
by Emil Sher
Pictures by David Wyman
Scholastic Canada
218 pp.
Ages 13+
2015

NON-FICTION

Beyond Bullets : A Photo Journal of Afghanistan
by Rafal Gerszak  with Dawn Hunter
Annick
128 pp.
Ages 12-15
2011

Canada from Above: A Photo Journey
by Heather Patterson
Scholastic
30 pp.
Ages 9-12
2010

Fantastic Female Filmmakers 
by Suzanne Simoni
Second Story Press
122 pp.
Ages 9-13
2008

It's a Snap!: George Eastman's First Photo
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2009

Learn to Speak Film: A Guide to Creating, Promoting & Screening Your Movies
by Michael Glassbourg
Illustrated by Jeff Kulak
Owlkids
96 pp.
Ages 10-13
2013

Photographing Greatness: The Story of Karsh
by Lian Godall
Napoleon
96 pp.
Ages 11-14
2008







Readers of CanLit for LittleCanadians, please let me know of any titles I should add to this list. Thanks.

Ready, set, say Canadian cheddar!

Art in youngCanLit: Book List

It's been almost 350 years since the first public art exhibition took place. On April 9 in the year 1667,  members of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture contributed to a show at the Palais Royal in Paris.  Since then (and probably before), artwork has served civilization by, as Pablo Picasso acknowledged, "washing the dust of daily life off our souls." To that end, I offer up this book list of youngCanLit and films that relates to famous art and artists and making art.


Picture Books

Anna's Goat
by Janice Kukyk Keefer
Illustrated by Janet Wilson
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2000
World War II story of sculptor Anna Simon.

Art Room
by Susan Vande Griek
Illustrated by Pascal Milelli
Groundwood Books
24 pp.
Ages 4-9
2002
About the drawing and art classes artist Emily Carr held in her Art Room.

Art's Supplies
by Chris Tougas
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2008
Art supplies come to life for a boy named Art.

Augustine
by Mélanie Watt
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2006
A penguin is inspired by Picasso.

Canada Counts: A Charles Pachter Counting Book
by Charles Pachter
Dancing Cat Books
64 pp.
Ages 8+
2009
Numbers are displayed through Charles Pachter's art.

The Clay Ladies
by Michael Bedard
Illustrated by Les Tait
Tundra Books
40 pp.
1999, 2006
Story based loosely on lives of sculptors Frances Loring and Florence Wyle.

Emily Carr's Attic
by Diane Léger
Illustrated by Michael Léger
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2008
Story of a boy introduced to Emily Carr through her House of All Sorts.

Four Pictures by Emily Carr
by Nicolas Debon
Groundwood Books
40 pp.
Ages 9-12
2003
Graphic novel format about four of Emily Carr's important pieces of art.

Go Home Bay
by Susan Vande Griek
Illustrated by Pascal Milelli
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
2016
Based on the summer that artist Tom Thomson spent at Go Home Bay, Ontario.

Grant and Tillie Go Walking 
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2015

Fictionalized account of modern artist Grant Wood.

I Wish I Could Draw
by Cary Fagan
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2014

Cary Fagan encourages children to draw while self-deprecating his own efforts.

I'm Drawing a Picture
by Doretta Groenendyk
Acorn Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-10
2015
About finding inspiration for art.

Lumpito and the Painter from Spain
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2012

Based on true story of Picasso and a dachshund who steals his heart.

The Master's Apprentice
by Rick Jacobson
Illustrated by Rick Jacobson and Laura Fernandez
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2008
About a boy sent to apprentice with Michelangelo.

M is for Moose: A Charles Pachter Alphabet
by Charles Pachter
Dancing Cat Books
64 pp.
Ages 3-5
2008
An alphabet book illustrated with artwork of Canadian artist Charles Pachter.

The Mona Lisa Caper
by Rick Jacobson
Illustrated by Rick Jacobson and Laura Fernandez
Tundra
24 pp.
Ages 5-7
2005
Based on the theft of the famous painting in 1911.

Mr. Flux 
by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Matte Stephens
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages
2013
A tongue-in-cheek tale loosely inspired by the 1960s art movement known as Fluxus.

 

Mr. Gauguin's Heart
by Marie-Danielle Croteau
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Translated by Susan Ouriou
Tundra Books
24 pp.
Ages 7-10
2007
Based on true story of the inspiration for Paul Gauguin's first painting.

The Naked Lady
by Ian Wallace
Roaring Brook Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-10
2002
A young boy is inspired to become an artist from the sculptor who moves in next door.

The Paint Box
by Maxine Trottier
Illustrated by Stella East
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 6-11
2003
Story based on Renaissance artist Marietta Tintoretto.

Paris in the Spring with Picasso
by Joan Yolleck
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Schwartz & Wade Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-13
2010
Story based on important 20th c. artists in Paris.

Picturescape
by Elisa Gutiérrez
Simply Read Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-11
2005
A visit to an art gallery takes a boy on a magical journey through the artwork of Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, J.E.MacDonald, David Blackwood, Alex Colville, Ivan Eyre, Lawrence Harris, E.J. Hughes, William Kurelek, J.P. Lemieux, Christopher Pratt, and Gaugnet.

A Prairie Boy's Summer
by William Kurelek
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
1975
Summer as seen through the artwork of William Kurelek.

A Prairie Boy's Winter
by William Kurelek
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 9+
1984
Winter depicted in the art pieces of William Kurelek.

The Sidewalk Rescue
by Hazel Hutchins
Illustrated by Ruth Ohi
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2004
A sidewalk chalk drawing becomes a collaborative effort to help save the child drawn into it.

Virginia Wolf
by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by  Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-10
2012
Depicts how artist Vanessa Bell uses art to help her sister, writer Virginia Wolf, through a depressive episode.

When Emily Carr Met Woo
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2014
Story of Emily Carr's friendship with a little monkey named Woo.





Fiction

Caravaggio, Signed in Blood
by Mark David Smith
Tradewind Books
152 pp.
Ages 11-15
2014

Discovering Emily
by Jacqueline Pearce
Orca Book Publishers
97 pp.
Ages 8-10
2004

Emily Carr's Woo
by Constance Horne
Illustrated by Lissa Calvert
Oolichan books
72 pp.
Ages 9-11
1995

The Emily Carr Mystery
by Eric Wilson
HarperCollins Canada
192 pp.
Ages 8-12
2002

Emily's Dream
by Jacqueline Pearce
Orca Book Publishers
120 pp.
Ages 9-11
2005

Jackal in the Garden: An Encounter with Bihzad
by Deborah Ellis 
Watson-Guptill Publications
182 pp.
Ages 15+
2006

The Lost Sketch (Adventure.Net #1)
by Andrea Spalding and David Spalding
Whitecap Books
101 pp.
Ages 8-10
1999

The Prisoners and the Paintings (The Salt & Pepper Chronicles, #5)
by David A. Poulsen
Key Porter Books
173 pp.
Ages 8-12
2008

Sketches
by Eric Walters
Puffin
288 pp.
Ages 14+
2007

Tom Thomson’s Last Paddle (A Dani and Caitlin Mystery)

by Larry McCloskey

Sandcastle Books/Beach Holme

159 pp.

Ages 9-12

2002

Under Emily's Sky
by Ann Alma
Beach Holme
90 pp.
Ages 9-12
1997

Non-Fiction

Arctic Adventures: Tales from the Lives of Inuit Artists

by Raquel Rivera
Illustrated by Jirina Marton

Groundwood Books

48 pp.

Ages 8-12
2007

Astonishing Women Artists (The Women's Hall of Fame Series)

by Heather Ball

Second Story Press

120 pp.

Ages 11+

2007

Breaking Free: The Story of William Kurelek
by May Ebbitt Cutler
Illustrated by William Kurelek
Tundra
32 pp.
Ages 10+
2002

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison
by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson
Pajama Press
40 pp.
All ages
2014

Canadian Artists

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Tony Meers

Scholastic Canada

46 pp.

Ages 7-9

2009

Capturing Joy: The story of Maud Lewis

by Jo Ellen Bogart
Illustrated by Mark Lang

Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 8-12

2002

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose: The story of a painting

by Hugh Brewster
kids Can Press
48 pp.
Ages 9-12
2007

Fictionalized account of one of John Singer Sargent's most famous paintings

The Children of China:  An Artist's Journey
by Song Nan Zhang
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 8+
1995

Emily Carr: At the Edge of the World

by Jo Ellen Bogart
Illustrated by Maxwell Newhouse

Tundra Books
40 pp.
Ages 10+

2003

Emily Carr

by Rosemary Neering
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
200 pp.
Ages 9-12

2001

Emily Carr: Rebel Artist
by Kate Braid
XYZ Publishing
178 pp.
Ages 11+
2000

Images of nature: Canadian poets and the Group of Seven

by David Booth

Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+

1995

Inuksuk Journey: An Artist at the Top of the World

by Mary Wallace

Maple Tree Press

64 pp.

Ages 9+

2008

A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night: An Autobiography in Art

by Song Nan Zhang
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
1993

Meet the Group of Seven

by David Wistow and Kelly McKinley

The Art Gallery of Ontario

Kids Can Press

48 pp.

Ages 9-13

1999

Photographing Greatness: The Story of Karsh
by Lian Godall
Napoleon
96 pp.
Ages 11-14
2008

Picasso: Soul on Fire

by Rick Jacobson
Illustrated by Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 10+
2004

Stones, Bones and Stitches:  Storytelling through Inuit Art
by Shelley Falconer and Shawna White
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 11+
2007

William Blake: The Gates of Paradise

by Michael Bedard

Tundra
192 pp.
Ages 14+

2006

Film

Canvas of War: The Art of World War II
Directed by Michael Ostroff
Written by Seaton Findlay
Produced by Neil Bregman
Sound Venture Productions and the Canadian War Museum
46 min 48 sec
Ages 15+
2000

The Group of Seven...in Celebration
Directed by Allan Wargon
National Film Board of Canada
53 min 21 sec
1995
Compilation of short films about A. Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer and Frederick Varley

I Can Make Art ... Like Andrew Qappik
Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
11 min 24 sec
Ages 9-13
2005
Andrew Qappik, Inuit print maker

I Can Make Art ... Like Emily Carr
Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
10 min 44 sec
Ages 9-13
2005

I Can Make Art ... Like Kai Chan

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
11 min 24 sec
Ages 9-13

2005

Sculptor and textile artist Kai Chan

I Can Make Art ... Like Marcelle Ferron

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
10 min 43 sec
Ages 9-13

2005

Quebec-born painter and stained glass artist

I Can Make Art ... Like Maud Lewis

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
12 min 3 sec
Ages 9-13
2005

Nova Scotian folk artist Maud Lewis

I Can Make Art ... Like Ron Noganosh

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
15 min 43 sec
Ages 9-13
2005

Sculptor Ron Noganosh

Kurelek
Directed by William Pettigrew
Produced by Robert Verrall and Tom Daly
National Film Board of Canada
10 min 7 sec
1967
Painter William Kurelek

The Other Side of the Picture
Directed by Teresa MacInnes
Produced by Gillian Darling Kovanic
National Film Board of Canada
53 min
Ages 12+
1999
Women artists in Canada such as Mary Pratt, Joyce Weiland, Jane Ash Poitras and Landon Mackenzie