Ontario book news, interviews and more

Marie-Louise Gay on Getting Personal about Tough Childhood Moments in Her Magical New Picture Book

For a kid, moving to a new house and finding friends in a new school can be extremely tough. In iconic KidLit creator Marie-Louise Gay's new picture book, Hopscotch (Groundwood Books), Ophelia uses ...

Picture Book Trends

Picture books, like all art forms, are subject to trends and shifts in theme, style and format. I don’t necessarily recommend writing to trend, but it’s always good to be familiar with what’s working ...

Read an Excerpt from Lawrencia's Last Parang, a Memoir of Grief & Racism Alongside Family, Love, & Success

Writer and cross-cultural expert Dr. Anita Jack-Davies was raised by her grandmother Lawrencia, a charismatic, wise, and loving woman who influenced Jack-Davies' open-hearted and curious approach to ...

Maggie Knaus Shares 2 Strange & Happy Moments from the Long Journey to Creating Her Stunning Debut Picture Book

Eleanor was born under a spectacular harvest moon. As it hung low in the sky, her grandfather made a promise: that wherever they both were, and however far apart that may be, they would look up at the ...

Read an Excerpt from Epic Historical Novel Tropical Rose by Debbie Sands

Many families have their own lore and legends but Debbie Sands' family stories were particularly sensational, and she loved to hear them again and again as she grew up.The family's favourite narratives ...

Book Therapy: Late-Summer Reading

We’ve now reached the point in the summer where my inner voice starts screaming “but there’s not enough time!” at full volume. With my genuine distaste for winter weather, summer is a precious ...

Co-Creators Kirsten Pendreigh & Crystal Smith Help Young Readers Find "Comfort and Connection in Natural Spaces"

Finding ways to connect to the people we've loved and lost can be a complex process. In author Kirsten Pendreigh and artist Crystal Smith's gentle and beautiful new picture book, Maybe a Whale (Groundwood ...

Read an Excerpt from Cattle by Early Asian-Canadian Literary Superstar Winnifred Eaton, Newly Republished After 100 Years

Winnifred Eaton was not only one of the first North American writers of Asian descent to publish fiction in English, she was one of the most successful novelists of her day. Born in Montreal to an English ...

Read an Excerpt from Michel Jean's Kukum, a Fictionalized History of His Innu Great-Grandparents' Extraordinary Love Story

Almanda Siméon, an orphan raised by her aunt and uncle in the tiny Quebec community of Saint-Prime, changes her life when she falls in love.Thomas a young Innu man, and both his and Almanda's families ...

Read an Excerpt from Lump, the New Novel from One of CanLit's Best Wordsmiths, Nathan Whitlock

A lump can have anything inside it, or nothing at all. This idea of what is contained, concealed, and hidden is central to Nathan Whitlock's searing, smart, satirical new novel, Lump (Rare Machines/Dundurn ...