In 2010 I had the privilege of visiting the First Nations community of Dettah, NWT. The students at Kaw Tay Whee school gave me a copy of a book they had created called Walking In Dettah. Each student created a page describing what you might see in each month of the year in Dettah . The words are written in English and Wılıı̀deh, the language of the Yellowknives Dene. The stunning illustrations were created with plasticine. I treasure the book and have shared it in many classrooms over the years. My short time in Dettah made a lasting impression and continues to influence my work.
Walking in Dettah book cover
Walking in Dettah illustration
Walking in Dettah back cover
This spring I learned that Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Windsor would be visiting Dettah. It brought back happy memories – and I was a little jealous! To my delight, Lea Lamoureux, principal at Kaw Tay Whee contacted me to say that students had chosen some books as a gift for Camilla and my book Picture a Tree would be one of them, along with Yellowknife author Lana de Bastiani’s The Fox and My Boot, illustrated by Janet Pacey, The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, and of course the beautiful Walking in Dettah.
Most of the teachers at Kaw Tay Whee School are not Indigenous, but the vast majority of the students, parents and grandparents are. Students taught Camilla a little Wılıı̀deh.
“I think the fact that they had the opportunity to show, talk, and demonstrate – share important pieces of their culture at the school, where they were comfortable – it felt like a meaningful experience to me,” said Lamoureux.
“Putting that out into the world was important, and I think it was important for the students to feel that their identity was important. Some of the kids wore their orange shirts.” You can read more about the royal visit to Dettah here.
My treasured Kaw Tay Whee School mug
Stories connect us across time and place. I am always moved by the friendships and connections that continue through books, art, and reading. I raise my Kaw Tay Whee mug of tea to that! (pinky out for the Duchess!).
As proud member # 43009 of the Cloud Appreciation Society I was thrilled to have my art featured in the CAS Cloud Art Gallery. The featured illustration is “You can watch the passing parade” from Picture the Sky . My head is in the clouds! The CAS is a fun and fascinating organization for artists, scientists, cloud spotters and daydreamers. If that sounds like you, visit https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/
January 27 is Family Literacy Day! The theme “Learning in the Great Outdoors” is close to my heart. I love learning about plants and animals, and many of my books and illustrations are inspired by things I observe in nature. Families are invited to join me on January 27 at 4:30 pm EST for a live virtual presentation featuring a clay demonstration and Q&A. You can find how to register for this free event here.
Click here for a downloadable tip sheet for ideas on how to make outdoor time a fun family learning time. For more information on programs and ways to celebrate visit ABC Family Literacy Day.
Here is a picture I created inspired by outdoor learning. What will YOU find in the great outdoors?
Celebrating Family Literacy Day 2022! Learning in the Great Outdoors
Welcome to a new virtual art gallery of original Canadian children’s book art! I’m honoured to offer some of my original art for sale via The Picturebook Gallery. The gallery is in affiliation with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC)which is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing, illustrating and publishing of Canadian books for young readers. The award winning illustrators are donating 60% of the value of their art to support CCBC programs. The gallery opened to great success and the art has been flying! At this time only one of my originals is still available, the sky gazing dinosaurs from Picture the Sky (more pieces will be available in the new year). Don’t miss the opportunity to own an original by artists like Sue Todd, Qin Leung, Marie-Louise Gay, Gary Clement, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Jeremy Tankard and more, and know you are helping to bring Canadian books and young readers together. “See” you at the gallery!
Did dinosaurs read the sky? Original art from Picture the Sky by Barbara Reid.
I enjoyed chatting with Shiri and Kayla for the PJ Library. They are terrific friends, readers and storytellers! My book Fox Walked Alone is a current a PJ Library selection; we talked about creating stories and I shared some techniques for making a modelling clay fox. You can learn more about the PJ Library here. Enjoy the interview!
One of the best things about being a picture book creator is the way connections are made through books and art. A couple of years ago I met a young artist named Aarav and his mother at a Family Literacy Day event. Aarav shared a book that he had written and illustrated using plasticine. I was impressed and delighted to meet a fellow clay artist. Aarav’s mum kept us in touch and the next year she shared the exciting news that he had entered the 2020 Toronto Public Library’s annual Design-a-Bookmark contest for kids under 13 years of age. Aarav’s design was created with plasticine and was a winner in the age 7-9 category. In 2021 he created another winning bookmark with artwork created using a curled paper technique, and had the extra distinction of being an Elizabeth Cleaver Award selection. Along with the good news I received a beautiful card by Aarav that is now displayed in my studio.
Aarav’s 2021 winning bookmark and mixed media card
Canadian author and illustrator Elizabeth Cleaver was a trailblazer as a creator of multi medium and dimensional art. Her book The Enchanted Caribou, illustrated with shadow puppets, was a favourite with our daughters when they were small. I didn’t get to meet Elizabeth, but I followed in her footsteps on my first book tour in northern Manitoba and later was honoured to receive my own Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award.
Just like Aarav and the other bookmark artists, I entered art contests when I was a young. Contests gave me projects to try and the opportunity to learn from other artists and to share my art. It was sometimes scary to show my work, but getting positive feedback gave me confidence to keep at it. Each of the TPL bookmark contest designs were wonderful and unique. Congratulations ALL the artists who entered for their creativity and courage. Libraries are an excellent resource for young creators and their families to learn about contests and programs. You can learn more about the TPL Bookmark contest here.
Thanks to books, libraries and contests, artists from different places and times are able to inspire each other. Cheers to all the creative connections!
It’s been a long time in the making, but all the plasticine illustrations for my newest book are finished! They have been photographed and the digital files are off to the printers. The art is now safely boxed and stored in my studio. I use pizza sized boxes and re-use them when possible. You can see by the crossed out notes that some of the boxes have been used for other projects.
I Love You More , written by Emil Sher, will launch in February 2022. I can’t wait to share the love!
Watch it Grow has hatched and I couldn’t be happier. The book explores the lifecycles of four living things: a monarch butterfly, a sunflower, a green frog and a white oak tree. I love making pictures of nature and all of these subjects have a special place in my heart, especially the monarch butterfly. Our family spent many summers raising monarchs; finding milkweed leaves to feed the growing caterpillars, watching and waiting for the magical transformation to chrysalis and finally a beautiful butterfly. What’s growing in your neighbourhood?
Watch It Grow, by Barbara Reid. Published by North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
