Have you ever stopped to think about the buried creeks and waterways tucked under our parks, homes, and streets? There’s a wetlands near my home where a creek burbles to the surface briefly before it’s contained underground again. It sparked My Creek Speaks, written by me and illustrated by Hawlii Pichette. This lyrical nonfiction picture book is a way to connect and reconcile with the waterways that sustain us. It’s also a cross-cultural creative collaboration that I’m grateful to be part of. I’m an author of settler heritage, and Hawlii is a Mushkego Cree (Treaty 9) urban mixed ancestry artist and illustrator. Together with Groundwood Books, we can’t wait to share our creation with you in Fall 2026.
I’m a fan of Hawlii’s first picture book, BENJAMIN’S THUNDERSTORM, wonderfully written by Melanie Florence. Please check it out!
Have you ever stopped to think about all the footsteps that have walked your street—yesterday, today, and tomorrow? That thinking sparked My Street Remembers, written by me and illustrated by Cathie Jamieson. This lyrical nonfiction picture book is a way to connect and reconcile with the land where we live. It’s also a cross-cultural creative collaboration that I’m grateful to be part of. I’m an author of settler heritage, and Cathie is an Anishinaabe artist of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Together with Groundwood Books, we’ve created something special that we’re excited to share with you in Fall 2025.
I adore Cathie’s illustrations, including her art installation “The Gathering in Place,” currently on display at the YDZ Experience Centre in Toronto:
I’m thrilled to be co-creating One Cosmic Rock: The Asteroid That Changed Our World with illustrator Julia Vasileva! A companion book to One Tiny Bubble: The Story of Our Last Universal Common Ancestor, this new picture book tells the story of the asteroid responsible for the dinosaurs’ extinction 66 million years ago. It also celebrates the resilience of life on Earth and the evolution of the diverse life-forms thriving today. It’s coming in Spring 2026 from Owlkids Books, with many thanks to my agent Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown for negotiating the deal!
I’m honoured that One Tiny Bubble, illustrated by Dawn Lo, has been included in the TD Summer Reading Club 2024! This club is Canada’s biggest, bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, interests, and abilities. It’s offered at more than 2,000 public libraries as well as online. I love how it celebrates Canadian authors, illustrators and stories, and inspires kids to read!
Guess what arrived? In June, illustrator Dawn Lo and I were honoured to win the 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in Canada for One Tiny Bubble, and I just received this lovely recognition of it!
I have so much gratitude to Owlkids Books for taking on this project. Karen Li first championed the project, Stacey Roderick was such a thorough and vigorous editor that she was a dream to work with, Dawn Lo brought one tiny bubble to life with the magic of her brush, Alisa Baldwin designed it so well that the book won second place in the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design (Children’s Category), and the marketing and publicity team at Owlkids have been on point and supportive at all times.
This book began during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I want to acknowledge the wisdom of faculty advisor William Alexander and workshop leader Cynthia Leitich Smith, who enthusiastically welcomed my fledgling manuscript, as well as the support of my writing partners who read many early drafts of this manuscript.
Thanks also to Dr. William F. Martin, author of many scientific articles on life’s early evolution and professor at the Institute of Molecular Evolution in Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Dr. Martin enthusiastically reviewed the text and illustrations, and I greatly value his expertise.
And of course, I must recognize the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and its members. This award is implemented by the SCBWI and peer-selected by its members. I’m grateful for their support.
If you’d like to learn more about One Tiny Bubble, please check out these resources:
