Heidi Jardine Stoddart

Readings

Heidi’s school author/illustrator visits typically involve a series of “presentations” over the course of the day.

For Kindergarten and Grade 1 students, presentations include an age-appropriate introduction, a reading, some guided follow-up discussion and time for questions-and-answers. For Grades 2 and up, presentations include an introduction, a reading, discussion about her writing process and illustration techniques, and conclude with a question-and-answer period.

The timeline for presentations is generally as follows:

Heidi also visits Middle and High School classes and, based on consultation with the teacher and the focus of the course, discusses, with samples from her own work, topics of particular interest in the book making process, such as writing (Language Arts), illustrating (Visual Art) and/or trying to get published.

Heidi hopes, above all, to leave young students encouraged and inspired to read, write, dream and create on their own.

Special Equipment:

Book Sales:

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

Workshops

Heidi’s “Writers’ Workshop” typically guides students through some “getting started” exercises and strategies that they can explore as they begin work on a creative story of their own. The small group environment is intended to encourage participation, invite group sharing and lead to some one-on-one conferencing. Where time allows, workshops also include discussion relating to the revision process with activities highlighting topics such as finding your own, unique “voice”, word choice and editing/pruning.

For an “Illustrators’ Workshop”, the overall illustration process will be introduced and discussed with samples, from storyboard to final artwork. Arriving with a completed story (manuscript), students may then begin developing images and sketches of their main characters, become familiar with various page formats and layout/perspective options, and start developing a storyboard or basic plan for their own illustrated book. Multi-day workshops allow time for students to actually complete storyboards, comprehensive drawings with galleys, and get started on the final artwork to illustrate their stories.

Heidi is also willing to discuss and design workshops that aim to meet the needs, interests and goals of specific schools/students with regards to writing and/or visual art.

Special Equipment:

Book Sales:

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

Biography

Heidi Jardine Stoddart has always loved reading, writing and art and she started creating picture books when she was about 8 years old. Born in New Brunswick, Heidi grew up in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, studied English and French at Wilfrid Laurier University and received her B.Ed. from the University of Western Ontario.

Heidi spent the next ten years teaching at the elementary level in Waterloo, Ontario, and completed an MA in Art Education from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (now NSCAD University). Heidi is happy to be back in New Brunswick where she lives with her husband and their dog, Colby. She spends much of her time writing and illustrating children’s books, teaching part-time at the University of New Brunswick, and visiting schools to share her stories and work with enthusiastic, young readers, writers and artists.

Heidi’s work is inspired by memories of her own childhood and the whimsical, wondrous imaginations of young people who can often see magic in everyday things. Her books have been featured in interviews on CBC radio, “Mary Ann’s Pages” on Rogers Cable, and ATV’s “Breakfast Television” and “Live at Five”. East to the Sea, her first published book, is a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice Selection.