Things have been very busy over the past few months here at the studio! One thing I’ve been working on is illustrating a new children’s non-fiction book by Rachel Poliquin for the BC-based publisher, Greystone Kids. Here’s a sneak peak of one of my favourite spreads so far. Stay tuned for more!
I’m super excited, thrilled AND honoured to announce that my latest book collaboration with author Kira Vermond (Owlkids 2020), Trending: How and Why Stuff Gets Popular, has won the 2021 Forest of Reading Yellow Cedar Award! Thanks to all the voters/kids/readers out there for voting for Trending (and enjoying the book). It’s also our favourite to date as well! Check out the highly entertaining virtual event hosted by comedian/actor, Ali Hassan, here!
The Forest of Reading® is Canada’s largest recreational reading program! This initiative of the Ontario Library Association (OLA) offers ten reading programs to encourage a love of reading in people of all ages. The Forest helps celebrate Canadian books, publishers, authors and illustrators. More than 270,000 readers participate annually from their school and/or public library. All Canadians are invited to participate via their local public library, school library, or individually.
The Forest of Reading Award Programs are where children and young adults pick the winner! Readers choose a program that they would like to be a part of, usually based on their age or grade, and simply begin reading! They can read all ten of the titles, or pick and choose to read only the ones they are interested in. Participants are encouraged to read at least five of the ten titles to be eligible to vote in April. This program aims to encourage a genuine and life-long love of reading among readers of all ages.
TRENDING:
HOW AND WHY STUFF
GETS POPULAR
Written by
Kira Vermond
Illustrated by
Clayton ‘CTON’ Hanmer
Published by
Owlkids Books
WHAT?! During the pandemic?! How??? Why???!!!
Well, thanks to the magic of the internet and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, I will be joining a crew of amazing Canadian creators touring around Canada (virtually) for Canadian Children’s Book Week 2021, visiting schools, libraries, community centres and bookstores to share our love of creating books!
Usually, this amazing week is a physical tour for authors, illustrators and storytellers but since we are living in strange times, the Canadian Children's Book Centre has taken it completely online. This allows for all of those involved to visit several provinces and territories during their travels. A task that would be quite difficult to pull off in normal times!
From May 3rd to 7th, I will be stopping in New Brunswick, Quebec and the Northwest Territories to talk to kids about being an illustrator. We will discuss all things doodles, including comics and how they can use the medium to write stories of their own.
.🇨🇦 🍁 📚 📕 📖 🔖 🧒🏽
#CCBCBookWeek2021 / #liretoutvent
Organizers:
The Canadian Children's Book Centre / Communication-Jeunesse
Funders:
The Canada Council for the Arts #BringingTheArtsToLife
The Government of the Northwest Territories
Sponsors:
First Book Canada (these great folks not only sponsored one of my events but also provided a copy of my latest book, Trending, to every kid taking part in that particular presentation!)
WHERE I’M GOING:
Forest Glen Elementary School, Moncton, NB
LP Fisher Public Library,
Woodstock, NB
Joliette Elementary School,
Saint-Charles-Borromée, QC
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Elementary School,
Blainville, QC
Laurentian Elementary School, Lachute, QC
Belle Anse Elementary School, Gaspé, QC
Líídlįį Kúę Elementary School
Fort Simpson, NWT
Paul William Kaeser High School
Fort Smith, NWT
Click here for a google map of all the schools & libraries I’ll be visiting.
It was only a year ago this past summer that I was the TD Summer Reading Club’s official artist. This year, the club had to think differently due to the COVID-19 pandemic and create an learning experience that was almost entirely online. Part of this shift was to have authors and illustrators create YouTube videos based on their work. I was once again honoured to be called upon to be part of this initiative during these crazy times.
What did was convert my live comic workshop into an online version which showed kids how to create their own characters using simple shapes. Then, wrote a comic on the spot using these wacko characters. Watch the video to find out who I came up with and what happened to them!
Stay tuned for future videos…
Video created by CTON for:
TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest, bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, all interests, and all abilities. Find out more: tdsummerreadingclub.ca
Bibliovideo is a YouTube channel all about Canadian children’s books.
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is a national, not-for-profit organization founded in 1976. We are dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for young readers. Find out more: bookcentre.ca
Also supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Fads, trends and how stuff gets popular: for kids! Based on our latest book, "Trending: How and Why Stuff Gets Popular," Kira Vermond has created a series of Podcasts called ‘The Buzz. They decode the frenzied world of fads. Explore how fads take off and spread. How they can be crafted to lure you in. And how some viral fads can even turn downright dangerous....
Download them today!
For curious kids, 8-12.
THE BUZZ:
KID’S EDITION
Podcast by: Kira Vermond
Season 1 - Episodes:
Crocs are like beaver felt hats (really!)
Pokémon Go: Just a Matter of Time?
Psst! Can I Sell You a Fad?
Over the past number of years, I’ve had the honour to illustrate several of Kira Vermond’s amazingly written books. For our latest collaboration, we have put together a really fun, online Zoom-based presentation for kids 8-13 yrs old. Kira discusses fads and trends while I facilitate the concepts using fun, quick doodles through the Zoom whiteboard tool!
It’s a brave new world out there, so please know that we are available to present this program, plus our usual creator visits & workshops all online via Zoom! (This means you also get to peak into our studios where all the magic happens…)
Check out our latest presentations below. If you don’t see something you like, we can also create a custom program tailored to the needs of your classroom or group:
What’s up with fads and trends?
Would you ever swallow a live goldfish? Pour a bucket of ice water over your head? Wear seriously ugly shoes? Who would do that? And — more importantly — why? Trends may seem trivial on the surface, but they have the power to make regular people do pretty irregular things! Jump into the frenzied world of viral videos and songs, faddish food and clothes, and even dangerous crazes! Coming together online, Trending: How and Why Stuff Gets Popular (Owlkids, 2020) author Kira Vermond and illustrator Clayton Hanmer tell (and draw!) stories about how fads take off and spread, how they can be crafted to lure you in — and how to recognize bandwagon behaviour the minute you see it. (The pandemic toilet paper craze, anyone?)
Length 45 minutes
For ages 8-13
Create your own comics with CTON
Write and illustrate your own personal comic stories with 2019’s TD Summer Reading Club artist, Clayton Hanmer. Learn about the basic structure of comic creation and be encouraged to get silly (aka creative) while developing unique characters based on these concepts. Then jump right into writing and drawing a comic together around these characters. The workshop builds on children’s individual creativity and helps them gain confidence in their drawing and writing skills. Attendees will need access to a mic via Zoom, or a facilitator at their end with full access to Zoom. This program is always different and changes depending on the input from the attendees.
Length 45 minutes
For ages 6-12
Fads and trends: How do they start? Why do they spread? And how deep can their impact be? Although trends might seem trivial, if you dig deeper, you'll find that our desire to chase the next big thing can have an even bigger impact than expected.
Established middle-grade author Kira Vermond and cartoonist Clayton Hanmer team up in this fun and accessible nonfiction look at fads. In four short chapters, the book explores what a fad is, how the latest crazes catch on, and what makes us jump on the bandwagon. Finally, it looks at the fascinating and even frightening effects of fads both modern and historic. Who knew the beaver pelt craze in 17th century Europe would change ecosystems, start wars, and disrupt life as people knew it?
Comic-strip illustrations, an upbeat tone, and reader-friendly text make this a fun and timely tool for young readers who are building critical-thinking skills in the age of fake news and a world gone viral.
“Praise for Half-Truths and Brazen Lies, also by Kira Vermond and Clayton Hanmer: “[An] intuitively clear survey of the good, bad, and ugly manifestations of lying.”
“An excellent, well-written, and comprehensive purchase for school and public libraries.”
“Hanmer illustrates the text with energetic and sometimes amusing cartoon-style drawings, which appear singly or, occasionally, in a page of connected panels tracing a process through time. An entertaining, enlightening book on an unusual topic.”
Written by
Kira Vermond
Illustrated by
Clayton ‘CTON’ Hanmer
Published by
Owlkids Books
Tim loves his pet dog, Tuffy, and Tuffy adores his boy. Tim also happens to be an überfan of the TV superhero Ultra Dog: he watches the shows, reads the books, plays the video games, wears the cape, and even sports Ultra Dog underwear. Despite cajoling from the neighboring cat, Tuffy has absolutely no fear that Ultra Dog is stealing his boy. Ultra Dog is too famous to want a regular boy... right?
Just in case, Tuffy tries extra hard to be super obedient and to outdo Ultra Dog with his love for Tim. But when Tuffy hears about Tim's upcoming trip to Ultra Land, the faithful pup is officially afraid of losing his boy. What's a dog to do? Fight back, of course! Tuffy enacts a plan to beat Ultra Dog once and for all, and the reward is unexpected–but awesome.
“(Troy) Wilson (author of Perfect Man) and (Clayton) Hanmer (making his picture-book debut) create a humorous comics-style story featuring bold illustrations and amusing pop-culture references…
Along with the laughs, the tale assures that Tuffy doesn’t need to be ultra-anything, just himself, in order to be loved.”
“Packed with comics-style storytelling, visual cues, and action, this is a great pick for reluctant readers, dog lovers, and superhero fans alike.”
Written by
Troy Wilson
Illustrated by
Clayton ‘CTON’ Hanmer
Published by
Owlkids Books
