PART OF THE TRANSATLANTIC FAMILY

Big News!

NOW PART OF THE TRANSATLANTIC FAMILY!

I’m thrilled to announce my new partnership with literary agent, Fiona Kenshole @ The Transatlantic Agency.

Fiona came to agenting after nearly a decade as VP at Laika Studios, creating a development slate of new projects for the Academy Award-winning animation studio, including the Oscar-nominated THE BOXTROLLS and CORALINE.

Previously she was a senior publisher in the UK where she published authors including Michael Bond (Paddington Bear), P.L Travers (Mary Poppins) and the Laureate Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) and was UK editor for Beverley Cleary, Lois Lowry, Bruce Coville, Gary Paulsen and Cynthia Voigt. She was nominated for “Editor of the Year” at the British Book Awards.

Fiona enjoys being on faculty as a conference guest speaker throughout the US and in Europe. She has taught publishing at Oxford Brookes University and Portland State; organized events for the Oxford Literary Festival and is herself a published author. A British citizen, Fiona is based in Portland, Oregon.

She joined Transatlantic in 2013. Her clients’ recent successes include Rosanne Parry’s MG A WOLF CALLED WANDER (Andersen Press/Greenwillow) which has spent 37 weeks in the NYT bestseller list and sold in 11 languages, and Vicki Grant’s YA rom-com, 36 QUESTIONS THAT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT YOU (Running Press), which sold in 22 languages and is optioned for TV.

Transatlantic Agency is a North American literary management company with a vibrant and diverse team of 18 agents known for their integrity, commitment and success representing storytellers across all genres and formats for books, speaking and TV & Film.

DRAWING COMICS WITH CTON

Workshop Video

DRAWING COMICS WITH CTON

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.

THE BUZZ FOR KIDS!

Trending Podcast

THE BUZZ FOR KIDS!

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:

1. Crocs are like beaver felt hats (really!)

2. Pokémon Go: Just a Matter of Time?

3. Psst! Can I Sell You a Fad?

CLASS OR LIBRARY VISITS ARE STILL ON, BUT DIFFERENT!

Remote Visits

CLASS OR LIBRARY VISITS ARE STILL ON, BUT DIFFERENT!

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

Inquire today for your class or library.

'TRENDING' BOOK RELEASE

New for 2020

TRENDING: HOW AND WHY STUFF GETS POPULAR

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.

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION, 2020

“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.”

— Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“An excellent, well-written, and comprehensive purchase for school and public libraries.”

— School Library Journal

“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.”

— Carolyn Phelan, Booklist (Starred Review)

Written by
Kira Vermond

Illustrated by
Clayton ‘CTON’ Hanmer

Published by
Owlkids Books

SPRING 2020

'DOG VS. ULTRA DOG' BOOK RELEASE

New for 2019

DOG VS. ULTRA DOG

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.

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION, 2019

“(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.”

— Publishers Weekly

“Packed with comics-style storytelling, visual cues, and action, this is a great pick for reluctant readers, dog lovers, and superhero fans alike.”

— goodreads.com

Written by
Troy Wilson

Illustrated by
Clayton ‘CTON’ Hanmer

Published by
Owlkids Books

SPRING 2019

2019 SUMMER READING CLUB ARTIST!

Official SRC Artist for 2019

WHAT IS THE TD SUMMER READING CLUB?

TD SUMMER READING CLUB IS CANADA’S BIGGEST, BILINGUAL SUMMER READING PROGRAM FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES, ALL INTERESTS, AND ALL ABILITIES. VISIT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY TO LEARN MORE!

I was honoured to be chosen as the official artist for the 2019 TD Summer Reading Club which included working with the super-amazing team from the Toronto Public Library and Archives Canada to build an awesome batch of fun material for the 2019 Summer Reading Club program. I was also lucky enough to attend the Indigenous launch party in northern Saskatchewan with the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, and visit Alberta for the English launch party in Lethbridge. Later in the summer, I had a blast touring to local libraries around the Toronto and Ottawa regions while conducting my workshop, Creating Your Own Comics with CTON! Thanks again to all the great kids, parents and librarians I met on my travels!

For those who aren’t familiar with the TD Summer Reading Club, it is a national, bilingual program co-created and delivered by over 2,200 public libraries across Canada. The program is developed by Toronto Public Library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada.

For more info about the TD Summer Reading Club, visit your local library today!