Just wanted to take a moment to thank the Oregon SCBWI for putting on a great retreat this weekend. A great balance of inspiring talks, time to work, and time to just hang out and talk with fellow writers and artists. I’ve been working like a fiend all summer long so it was great to have one weekend to recharge my creative energy. And views like this were icing on the cake.
I am thrilled to announce that I have two new books in the works both to be published in the spring of 2019. Here’s the announcement for The Last of the Name from Publishers Weekly
Amy Fitzgerald at Carolrhoda has acquired Rosanne Parry’s middle grade novel, Last of the Name. Twelve-year-old Danny O’Carolan, a poor Irish immigrant, arrives in New York City at the height of the Civil War, just before racial and class tensions trigger the infamous New York draft riots. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.
And appearing in the UK in BookBrunch was the announcement for A Wolf Called Wander.
21st-century White Fang’
Chloe Sackur, commissioning editor for fiction at Andersen Press, has signed A Wolf Called Wander, a middle grade novel by Rosanne Parry. Andersen has world rights through Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Agency, and will be selling the novel at the Bologna Book Fair this week. The publisher has commissioned illustrations from Spanish illustrator and animation artist Monica Armino. Publication, in a large format hardback, will be in spring 2019.
A Wolf Called Wander is the story of Swift, a wild wolf in the mountains of Oregon, who must make a dangerous journey to find a new home after his pack is attacked by other wolves. The novel is inspired by a real-life wolf, named “OR 7” by researchers, who undertook a 1,000-mile journey and was the first wild wolf to be seen in California for 90 years.
Sackur said: “A Wolf Called Wander is the 21st-century White Fang… It will appeal to children who love animals and adventure, and speak to all those who care about our impact on the environment. In pairing Rosanne’s story with Monica’s beautiful art, we hope to create an illustrated book that is as enduring as Patrick Ness and Jim Kay’s A Monster Calls, or Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen’s Pax.”
Kenshole said: “Rosanne Parry has won over 20 awards for her previous middle-grade books, combining excellent, passionate writing with detailed facts. Now she has turned to animals, and we are truly thrilled that the wonderful Andersen Press will be bringing her to a whole new international audience.”
Parry’s most recent book is The Turn of the Tide (Random House Children’s).
Teachers are always looking for books to pair with required units of study. Most students in the 3rd or 4th grade study the indigenous cultures of their region. Quality picture books by indigenous creators are few and far between so I was thrilled to find Peace Dancer and Orca Chief by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd.
Both books are traditional stories from the village of Kitkatla in British Columbia. This is the home town of the authors. Roy Henry Vickers is an artist and writer and Robert Budd is a historian. Roy holds a leadership position within his tribe. They belong to the Gitxaala Nation which is part of the larger language group known as the Tsimshian. Kitkatla is on the coast of British Columbia just east of the Islands of Haida Gwaii.
Peace Dancer is a traditional tale about the fate that befalls the people when children fail to respect a crow. It’s a flood narrative, which is interesting because so many ancient cultures have some kind of flood story. It gives the explanation for why a peace dancer is so important in a potlatch ceremony. In the author note, Roy Henry Vickers explains that he is the peace dancer for his community.
Orca Chief is also a story about the importance of respect for the natural world. In this story a group of disrespectful fishermen are taken under the sea to visit the Chief of the Orcas. After the fishermen apologize the Orca Chief forgives them and shows them ways to find many good things to eat–herrings, oolichan, and crabs.
Both books have stunning illustrations, combining a mainstream modern painting style with traditional formline art to represent the fish, birds and animals. They are vividly colored and brilliantly produced on the highest quality paper. If Vickers and Budd were Americans and therefore eligible, they would be contenders for the Caldecott with each of these books.
This week is small press week and it’s worth noting that these books are published by Harbour Publishing, a small independent publisher in British Columbia. They have been publishing the work of Vickers and Budd for many years. The pair has a new board book out this year called Hello Humpback.
When you are looking for diverse titles–especially by indigenous writers and artists–don’t forget the small presses.
One of my favorite things about being a bookseller is seeing hundreds of new picture books every year. There is so much talent in the picture book field and such creativity, I find it very inspiring. I’ve had my eye on one illustrator though who’s work I first saw in a modest little book called Fox’s Garden two years ago, and again in the stunning wordless book The Snow Rabbit last year. The artist is Camilee Garoche and she has a such a unique style it catches my eye every time.
She works in cut paper which is a style I’ve loved ever since my first glimpse of Nikki McClure’s work. But Garoche goes so much further. She cuts a paper scene, embellishes the scene with additional drawing and coloring. Then she lights the scene adding the element of shine and shadow, and then photographs the whole thing. The overall effect is completely enchanting with a depth I haven’t seen in other work.
She’s got a new picture book this year illustrating a song by Laurie Berkner. It’s called Pillowland and I can’t wait to introduce it to families at Annie Blooms Books who are looking for a unique bedtime story.
Ordinarily I recommend only children’s books on my blog, but in view of the fires which are burning hundreds of square miles of my home state, including some of my very favorite places in the wide world, I’d like to recommend a book by my friend Gary Ferguson. He has written dozens of books about the wilderness and its role in our lives. His book just out this summer is called Land on Fire. Its a well-researched look at how we got into our current cycle of catastrophic fires year after year, through decades of fire suppression and record draughts. It would be a great book group read and a worthwhile text for high school and even middle school science classes.
Thank you to the hundreds of firefighters, national guards, sheriffs, state patrolmen. coast guards, red cross personnel and volunteers, who have worked round the clock in brutal conditions to bring these fires under control and protect the people, land and wildlife we all treasure.