Frances Wolfe

Readings

My sessions consist of a display of original oil paintings from each of my three books, as well as other visual aids (seashells, sketches and photographs). The sessions for younger children (Grades P-1) begin with a chat about what an author and an illustrator do and the importances of books in our lives. This is followed by the introduction of my first book Where I Live in which I describe the reasons why this little book came to be. It is a storytelling segment that talks about my summer days as a child, spent with my family in a very special place by the sea, the place where I live today. I then read Where I Live accompanied by an audio tape of ocean waves. This segment also includes a section with audience participation.

I then introduce and read my second book One Wish which is also about a little girl who wishes to live by the sea. To concluce, I read my latest offering, which will be published in the fall of 2008. It is a Christmas story called Just the Right Toy and is about the adventures of a little stuffed bunny. If there is time at the end of a session, I may do a drawing demonstration.

My sessions vary in content depending upon the ages of the children I am addressing. With the older children we talk a little about the process by which a book is published and about how an illustration goes from an idea to a finished piece of art and then on to be in the pages of a book.

I have thirty years of library experience working with children and I love to speak with, and to, children of all ages. My presentations are lively, informative and at times dramatic.

Special Equipment:

Two sturdy tables, and electrical outlet and a flip chart.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Biography

I was born and raised in a large family of seven children in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I am a self taught artist and my medium of choice is oils on masonite.

After leaving school I worked in the Halifax Library system from 1972 to 2003. During my time at the library I spent thirty years working with children in the Youth Services Department. Some of the activities I participated in at the library were puppet making, performing puppet shows, storytelling and craft programs. I also painted large murals on the walls of three of the library branches.

My time at the library exposed me to some of the most beautiful picture books in the world, written and illustrated for children. As a result of that influence, I began to write and illustrate my own books. My first book Where I Live was published by Tundra Books in 2001. The year that it was published, it was nominated for the for the Best First Book Award at the Atlantic Book Awards. It won the Anne Connor Brimer Award for an outstanding contribution to children's literature in Atlantic Canada and also won the Amelia Frances Howard Gibbon Award for illustration, given by the Canadian Library Association.

In 2003 I retired from the library after more than thirty years of service and began a new life exploring all things creative.

My second book, One Wish was published by Tundra Books in 2004 and it won the Mayors Award for illustration in 2005.

Today, I live with my husband in a house that we built with our own hands. It sits on the shore of Nova Scotia, on a piece of land that has been in my family for more than 200 years. It is here that I continue to write and paint. I have just completed my third book, Just the Right Toy, which is a Christmas story about the adventures of a little stuffed bunny. It will be published by Tundra Books and launched in the fall of 2008.