In partnership with CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers), the County of Lambton, Lambton Kent District School Board, St. Clair Catholic District School Board and the Sarnia Bookkeeper, we are pleased to present an exhibition of original art that is featured in Canadian Children's Books. All Ages will be delighted with the art that will be installed at "eye level" for visitors of a certain age! During this exhibition, elementary schools from across Sarnia Lambton will be invited to participate in Virtual Artist Workshops by some artists featured in the exhibition. Lambton County libraries featured summer workshops with artists and young people to design Book Covers based on a favourite book with the winning cover design on exhibit. The Sarnia Bookkeeper bookstore will be featured in the Gallery Gift Shop with books and such.
Artists
Sahar Abdallah
Sahar Abdallah is un Egyptian-Canadian children's books illustrator. She held several solo exhibitions in Cairo and in Toronto and participated in collective exhibitions in Egypt, Canada, UAE and Lebanon. She got the State award for her illustrations 2012, Egypt. And was awarded UAEBBY Etisalat Award for Illustration for Think of Others by Mahmoud Darwish in 2018, and for book of the year in 2020 for Layali Sharhrzizi. She has participated in many workshops related to children's books in Egypt,Lebanon, Oman, Algeria and India. |
Ellie Arscott
Ellie Arscott is an award winning illustrator for children's books. Her debut Night Walk written by Sara O'Leary (Groundwood Books, 2020) won a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in 2021. A is for Anne by Mo Duffy Cobb (Pownal Street Press, 2023) came out in February and Auntie's Rez Surprise by Heather O'Watch (Second Story Press, 2023) is publishing in September. Nonna and the Girls Next Door written by Gianna Patriarca (Second Story Press, 2022) was recently read board wide at the TDSB celebrating Italian Heritage month. Ellie graduated Sheridan College in Interpretive Illustration and lives in Toronto with her family. |
Ashley Barron
Ashley Barron's illustrations appear in more than twelve picture books, including My City Speaks by Darren Lebeuf (Schneider Family Book Award), City Baby by Laurie Elmquist (Bank Street Best Books of the Year) and Pretty Tricky by Etta Kaner (Kirkus Best Picture Books, Outstanding Science Trade Books). Chaiwala! by Priti Birla Maheshwari (Owlkids) has been selected as this year's TD Grade One Book Giveaway. Ashley lives in Toronto with her partner and three cats. |
Renné Benoit
Renné Benoit is living her childhood dream of being an artist. Trained in graphic design, she is the award-winning illustrator of more than 15 books for children. Renné lives in St. Thomas, Ontario. |
Ron Broda
Ron Broda is a renowned children’s book illustrator and paper sculptor. With over fifteen years in advertising, art directing, and commercial illustration, Ron combines techniques in paper sculpture and watercolour to create vivid illustrations with great detail and realism. He lives in Sarnia, and when not in his studio, Ron makes time to tour libraries and schools. |
Teresa Chan
Teresa Chan is a Toronto-based multimedia artist who loves nature. As a Hong Kong diaspora from a Japanese Buddhist family, her illustration style is unadorned, embodying the Zen philosophy and reconnecting to the spiritual world shared with her faraway family. After a long stay in Taiwan indigenous village, she finished her study in anthropology and received Montessori training. Her works were featured in exhibitions in Hong Kong, Toronto and The Washington Post. She completed an artist residency about climate change on Mnisiing/Toronto Island this year. Published picture books include Angry Croissant (2021), Crying Leaf (2022) and Disgusting Hair (2023). |
Brenda Clark
Brenda Clark studied illustration at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and after graduating she worked with educational publishers illustrating elementary school books. In 1985, Kids Can Press asked Brenda to illustrate Franklin in the Dark, written by Paulette Bourgeois. That book became a beloved bestseller, which led to many more books about Franklin the Turtle. Brenda illustrated more than 30 Franklin titles and numerous activity books for the series, and in 1997 the first animated episode of Franklin was televised. |
Phoebe Gilman
Phoebe Gilman was born and raised in New York, and moved to Toronto as an adult. She taught for 15 years at the Ontario College of Art before devoting herself full-time to writing and illustrating children's books. Jillian Jiggs was the first in a series of books about a feisty and imaginative young girl. Something from Nothing won the 1993 Ruth Schwartz Award for best children's book, and was later adapted into a television special. Phoebe died in 2002. |
Linda Hendry
Linda Hendry—whose first illustrated book was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award—has created more than 60 children’s books over her career as an author and illustrator. These days, Linda creates landscape and still life paintings. She lives in Eden Mills, Ontario. |
Soyean Kim
Soyeon Kim is a Korean-born Canadian artist living in Pickering, Ontario. Inspired by nature, she creates a world that is both once real and fantastical in three-dimensional dioramas by carefully arranging the painted and texturized paper cutouts. She is the illustrator of picture books: You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas, Is This Panama? Sukaq and the Raven, You Are Never Alone, A Last Goodbye, Once Upon an Hour, and When Sunlight Tiptoes. |
Vladyana Krykorka
Vladyana Krykorka was born and raised in Prague, and attended a high school that specialized in art. After she moved to Canada, she graduated from the Ontario College of Art. She first worked as an art director for Maclean Hunter business publications, and then began illustrating textbooks and picture books. In total, Vladyana has illustrated more than 20 picture books for children. |
Michael Martchenko
Michael Martchenko began his career as a commercial artist, but when author Robert Munsch and the publisher of Annick Press saw Michael’s work at a graphic arts exhibition, they asked him to consider illustrating children's books. Michael's first illustrated book was Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess. |
Michele Nidenoff
Michele Nidenoff began her career as a graphic artist in London, Ontario. She now lives in Toronto and works as a freelance Illustrator and calligrapher. The majority of her illustration appears in children's books, magazines, anthologies and educational publishing, and she has illustrated more than 20 children's books. Published work includes "Generous People are Everywhere" 2020, "Dear God: Prayers for Young Children" 2019, and "Children's Prayers with Hope Bear" 2017 by Judy Rois, Anglican Foundation of Canada, and "Sleeping Dragons All Around" by Sheree Fitch, Nimbus Publishing 2009. Michele has been the CANSCAIP Illustrator Rep since May 2017. |
Karen Patkau
Author and illustrator Karen Patkau's work can be found in twenty -five picture books. She won the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Medal for Excellence in Children's Illustration for her first book, Don't Eat Spiders by Robert Heidbreder. Since then her titles have appeared on lists including Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books, Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award finalists, Green Book Festival Award honor books, Ontario Library Association Best Bets and White Ravens selections. Creatures Great and Small, Who Needs a Swamp?, Triceratops Stomp and A Flower is a Friend are a few of her books. |
Barbara Reid
Barbara Reid is the author and illustrator of more than a dozen award winning picture books, and the illustrator of over twenty-five including The Subway Mouse, Picture a Tree and Picture the Sky. Barbara’s unique plasticine illustrations have been published around the world, and she was appointed to the Order of Canada for her contributions to children’s literature. She is inspired by the young readers, writers and artists she meets in classrooms across Canada. I Love You More, written by Emil Sher is her newest book. |
Olivia Skelhorne-Gross
Olivia Skelhorne-Gross is an artist and mother living in Hamilton, ON. Since 2017, embroidery has been Olivia's primary medium through which she explores a variety of subject matters, particularly realistic pet portraits and embroidered patterns for clothing. Over the years, Olivia has grown her business through social media, gaining and large and dedicated following of friends and supporters. She has always dreamed of using embroidery to illustrate children's fiction and was inspired by her young daughter's love of singing and reading to create her first book, Round & Round the Garden. |
Jan Thornhill
Jan Thornhill is the author and illustrator of numerous science and nature books for children. Her first book, The Wildlife ABC, was a finalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award in 1987. The companion title, The Wildlife 123, was published the following year and won the UNICEF Ezra Jack Keats International Award for Excellence in Children’s Book Illustration. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Jan now lives near Havelock, Ontario. |
Sue Todd
Sue Todd creates digitally coloured hand-carved linocut prints for books, magazines, products, posters and public art. Recent children's books include The Night is Deep and Wide by Gillian Sze, The Wild Beast and an African Alphabet by Eric Walters for Orca Book Publishers, and The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito by Tomson Highway for Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Sue particularly enjoys myths and legends and has illustrated many folktales from around the world. In addition to illustration commissions, Sue is working on writing and illustrating her own stories. |
Mélanie Watt
Mélanie Watt is the award-winning author and illustrator of bestselling books that include the Scaredy Squirrel series, Augustine, and titles starring egocentric cat Chester. Mélanie lives near Montreal, Quebec. |