Meet the Canadian illustrator Julie Flett

Canadian Book Week 2025 Poster by Julie Flett

When I started working on kids’ books, I was learning about the languages that my grandparents had spoken, and I thought this was something I could share with kids and something I could 

contribute to my community through artwork and storytelling. 

Illustration from When we were Alone - read more here

Julie Flett is a Cree–Métis author, illustrator, and artist who has received numerous awards for her books, including two Governor General’s Awards, the American Indian Library Association Award, and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Her books have been selected for Best of the Year lists by media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Publisher's Weekly, The Horn Book, The Boston Globe, School Library Journal, The Globe and Mail, and Kirkus Reviews. 

I you live in Canada you can buy limited edition prints of art by Julie Flett. See more of her art here.

So much of the work that I do is connected to land based practices, and about our relationships to the land and each other, and I think this practice just came up really organically to the work. The more I work on projects, the more I fall in love with landscape and find that it grounds the work, it informs the colour palettes and tones and it grounds the characters.

Illustration from My Heart fills with Happiness

Read some Kirkus reviews:

Birdsong - Emotionally stunning. Kirkus Star review

We all Play - Flett’s characteristically minimalist compositions are deceptively simple. Readers who slow down to look will be charmed ... Kirkus Star review

Still this love goes on - This story will remain in readers’ hearts long after this book is shelved. Kirkus Star review

On the Trapline - The illustrations’ muted colors and the poetic rhythm of the words slow the world down for remembering. Kirkus Star review

In 2022 Julie Flett illustrated the International Children's Book Day poster.

As I was browsing in a city bookstore today I bumped into a former colleague and his wife who was previously a school Principal. We were chatting briefly about books and book shops and the availability of books here in Australia. Once again, I restated one of my hobby horse topics - we speak English in Australia so our children can enjoy the BEST books in the world from UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada. Yes we do have terrific books here in Australia but our kids are so lucky that we have heaps of other possibilities too. And then I said Canadian books are truly special. The former Principal utterly was amazed but I am sure if she could see books by some of the Canadian illustrators and authors I have featured here on this blog she would agree their work is some of the best in the world. I am so happy to share work here by Julie Flett. I think I might squeal if she attends the 2026 IBBY Congress in Ottawa.

Blurb or endorsement

Image source: Fictionary

There is a half-page article (it is behind a paywall) in our Sydney Morning Herald this weekend written by author and commentator Julia Baird with the title:

Last chapter for blurbs? Bring it on

I do agree with the issues raised by Julia Baird. Of course, her context is adult books, and probably more specifically adult fiction titles. 

Julia Baird says: this "kind of favour trading creates an incestuous and unmeritocratic literary ecosystem that often rewards connections over talent."

My issue here is with the term blurb. Publisher Sean Manning from Simon and Schuster has said his company will "no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books."

What Simon Manning really means is authors will not have to send out advance reader copies of their newest titles to their author friends and other influencers from the literary world in the hope of an endorsement which the publisher can then put on the front or back cover of their book.

Oxford Learners Dictionary

I have long railed against this practice of adding endorsements to the covers of children's books. In the case of children's books this is usually aimed at the adults who buy books for children - parents, caregivers, librarians, and teacher-librarians. In early every case I would argue the endorser's name placed on the book, either on the cover or inside the cover, especially on a middle grade novel aimed at a readers aged 9-12, has very little impact or relevance to the child if indeed they even recognise the name. And I would argue often these names also mean very little to parents.

Now back to explaining a book blurb:

Blurbs in Literature: Terminology

Synopsis: A brief summary or overview of the main plot and key elements of a literary work.

Endorsement: A statement of approval or recommendation from a well-known person, often an author or celebrity, used to promote a book.

Excerpt: A short passage or selection from a book that is chosen to showcase the writing style or a crucial moment in the narrative.

Teaser: A short promotional piece designed to generate interest without revealing too much about the plot.

Hook: A compelling or intriguing element within the story or blurb that grabs the reader’s attention and encourages further exploration.

Tagline: A short, memorable phrase or slogan associated with a book, often used for marketing and promotional purposes.

Back Cover Copy: The text on the back cover of a book that includes a blurb, author bio, and other relevant information.

Critical Acclaim: Positive reviews and praise from literary critics or notable publications, often highlighted in a book’s promotional materials.

Logline: A concise one or two-sentence description of a story, focusing on its central concept or unique selling point.

You can read more about how to write an effective blurb here. Teaching children to READ the blurb on a book and later teaching them how to write a blurb is a very useful skill. In my school library I always read the blurb to groups of students when I was doing a book talk and you will know that I often quote the bookseller or publisher or author blurb here on momotimetoread. And also in my former library when I was assisting individual children with book selection I always suggested reading the blurb as an aid to book choice. 

Blurbs are not Endorsements

Oxford Learners Dictionary: Endorsement - a statement made in an advertisement, usually by somebody famous or important, saying that they use and like a particular product

Endorsements, or they could be called testimonials, are an entirely different thing. Here are a few from middle grade books from my own shelves. I do not disagree with the actual endorsements quoted here from these recent Australian titles and these are all splendid books - my issue is with the idea of calling this a blurb:

The Fortune Maker

On the front cover it says:

"A glorious book, rich with historical understanding - Jackie French"

The Midwatch

On the back cover there are four endorsements. Here is one example:

"Gasp-out-loud brilliant. An absolute treasure of a book Katrinia Nannestad"

The 113th Assistant Librarian

On the front cover it says:

"A thrilling, wondrous ride. Sign me up for a library card ASAP!" Jeremy Lachlan

Being Jimmy Baxter

On the front cover it says:

"A moving story told with moments of absolute delight Morris Gleitzman."

Meet Mac Barnett in this interview with Jon Klassen

Mac Barnett is the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

When I saw this post today, so many viewpoints by Mac Barnett resonated with me and so I decided to share some quotes here on this blog. In this interview Jon Klassen talks to Mac Barnett just after he was officially appointed to a two-year term as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress.

Mac Barnett: I've been thinking a lot about this term "Ambassador." (In the U.K., this position is called the "Children's Laureate.") And the previous people who've held the post (I am the ninth Ambassador) have all interpreted the word in different ways. Jason Reynolds, for instance, encouraged kids to tell their stories and become their own ambassadors. [In Australian we also have a Laureate ACLF]

Jon Klassen: Does the position strike you as one with any clear goals, or do you kind of set those goals yourself, or is that the wrong way to look at an appointment like this?

Mac Barnett: (See poster above) The title is Behold, the Picture Book! and that logo is by Christian Robinson. ... I get to spend two years celebrating young people's literature in all its many forms, but especially picture books. ... I do think that we rush kids out of picture books, and that they appeal to a much wider swath of readers than we think. You and I always get excited when middle- and high-school teachers come to our signings and talk about using picture books in the classroom. You and I also always get bummed out when a parent tells us their five-year-old has grown out of picture books and now reads real books like Harry Potter, which may seem like a weird thing to say to us at a signing, but people say a lot of weird things to us at signings.

Mac Barnett: ... picture books are underestimated. The first reason is that people don't understand how picture books work. The picture book is a unique and peculiar art form. Understandably, there isn't widespread knowledge of picture book mechanics. ... there's this thing I know to be true but which most people don't (yet!) believe — that picture books are a great literature that deserves to stand alongside the novel, the short story, poetry, plays, etc.

Here is a video where Mac Barnett talks about this new and important role. And here is a three minute interview with NPR All things considered. 

Square

Extra Yarn

Twenty Questions

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem

Barnett says the picture book form doesn't get the same respect as other types of books – which he finds offensive. "Because we're dismissing kids," he said. "And if we think that children's books are anything less than real literature, it's because we think kids are something less than real people. If we believe they're real people, then they deserve good art." NPR February 2025

I would also like to mention this new set of board books by Jon Klassen - I have them on my to read and to buy and to gift list:

Good Night, Good Beach by Joy Cowley illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper

Joy Cowley is a master of rhyme and pace. The text is minimal but it has such a pleasing cadence. This is made all the richer by the way Hilary Jean Tapper adds a layer that will take readers into scenes way beyond the simple words. You could run a master class on pace and page turns using this book with older students or even better with trainee teachers.

Creaky old bed with rumpled sheet,

sunburned skin and sandy feet.

Moon at the window,

sea by the door,

waves hush-hushing on the shore.

Under the pillow, one white shell,

and sea-washed glass with salty smell.

Plump up the pillow,

put out the light.

Good day,

good sea, good sand,

good night.

You might find this book listed with a different title if you live in New Zealand - At the Bach. 

I you have a library or book collection in your preschool this book is a must add addition. It would also make a sweet gift for a young child. 

Here is an interesting interview with Joy about her life. Her picture books include titles such as The Duck in the Gun (1969) and The Cheese Trap (1995). She has been actively involved in teaching early reading skills and helping those with reading difficulties. She has written approximately 500 books for children learning to read. You are sure to have seen her books for the Story Box Reading Program. These may be less familiar but I especially like her World Classics series:

One Little Bag by Henry Cole

One Little Bag is a wordless book - these are sometimes referred to as textless books and IBBY call them Silent Books - but of course they are far from silent. This one for example contains a really complex and very satisfying story about the creation of a paper bag beginning with a tree in the forest and then moving from the factory to the grocery store. This is not the end, however, because this bag is used and reused over and over again and even becomes a part of the generational story of one family. 

"On the very first Earth Day my entire school celebrated. ... That day ... my lunch was packed in a small paper bag. On that first Earth Day, however, I did not throw my bag away after lunch. Instead, I folded in and slipped it back into my back pocket. ... The next day I used that same little bag to carry my lunch to school again. And the next day. And the next day. For three years. ... It looked a little weather beaten with all the stapes and scotch tape I used to keep it together. I figure that bag was used about seven hundred times."  Henry Cole

This book needs to be added to your school library BUT here in Australia it is way too expensive. This book was published in 2020 and while it is still available it now costs AUS$53+. Back in 2021 the library where I borrowed this book paid AUS$32.

Here is the blurb by Henry Cole: From a tall tree growing in the forest-- to the checkout counter at the grocery store-- one little bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school. And so begins an incredible journey of one little bag that is used and reused and reused again. In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved little bag to continue its journey in the circle of life.

In this video Colby Sharp talks about reading this book to his class. Take a look at the Kirkus Star review. Here is the webpage for Henry Cole. 

Cole beautifully shows how small acts of reusing something can become tradition in a family. The book never seems like a lecture, always just showing and demonstrating how reuse is possible and its great potential as well. The paper bag in the story if remarkably resilient for so much use by generations, but I think we all have items in our families that survive despite being used by everyone, to be handed to the next generation. Told in images only, the book is filled with fine-line drawings that shine with light. The paper bag is the only color on the page, its brown color becoming all the more warm and glowing and the red hearts popping with color. A truly great wordless picture book. Waking Brain Cells

I previously talked about Nesting by Henry Cole.

Lotus and Feather by Ji-Li Jiang illustrated by Julie Downing

Lotus has been unwell, and her illness has taken her voice away. The other children no longer invite her to play. She lives with her kind, wise and compassionate grandfather beside a lake that used to be filled with lotus flowers, birds and fish. 

"One morning, Lotus went to collect reeds for her Grandpa. She stopped in awe when she saw a big bird, as white as fresh snow, standing in the marsh grass. Its wide wings edged with black feathers, like lace on a dress. Above the long, curved neck, its head was crowned with a red top like a dazzling ruby."

As Lotus stands looking at this exquisite creature a gunshot startles her. Her bird has been shot. She carefully carries him back to her grandfather. Over the coming weeks and months Feather gradually heals and eventually he stands up and even seems to dance. This entrances the other children. Then one evening Feather begins to crow loudly. He has sensed an earthquake. Lotus and her grandfather rush to alert the villagers because their lake is about to flood. 

Bookseller blurb: A winter illness left Lotus, a little girl, without a voice and without friends. A hunter's bullet left Feather, a crane, injured and unable to fly. As Lotus nurses Feather back to health, their bond grows. Soon Feather is following Lotus everywhere, even to school! The bird dances to the girl's reed whistle, much to the delight of the other children. One day, when the village floods, Feather helps raise the alarm as Lotus and her grandfather urge their neighbors to get to high ground. Feather is a true friend to Lotus, but the time comes when Lotus must be a true friend to him--by encouraging him to migrate with the rest of the cranes. The next spring, Feather miraculously returns, and that's not all . . . he has brought new life to the nearby lake. Inspired by the true story of a crane that rescued a Chinese village, and graced with sensitive watercolor illustrations, this lovely book about respecting nature offers deep emotion and delightful surprises.

Elegant storytelling and arresting compositions combine for a deeply satisfying emotional and aesthetic experience. Best shared one-on-one or in a small group so that children can pore over the lively and engaging artwork. School Library Journal

Downing’s finely crafted illustrations perfectly complement this reassuring story. Done with watercolor, pencil, and paint and digitally collated, they have the look of Chinese paintings, with misty backgrounds and gently bending reeds. The rosy-cheeked children wear red scarves, alluding to the author’s own childhood during the Cultural Revolution. Kirkus

My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything set up an extensive display of books for Chinese New Year and among them I found Lotus and Feather. This is a book to read and treasure and it has wonderful illustrations. It was published in 2017 but I think it is still available although sadly, as with all US Picture books now, it is very expensive at over AUS$40. I have not found a paperback edition. 

Here is the webpage of the illustrator Julie Downing. Read more about Ji-Li Jiang here. You can watch a video of the book at Storyline Online. 

Read the book!

This post on Facebook shocked me last week - not the content - the fact that this teacher did not think he/she should have read the book first before reading this book or perhaps ANY book to the class and then I was even more shocked to read that he or she isn't even going to read it over the weekend - the story will unfold for the teacher and the class next week. Surely this is just meant to be facetious?

I asked for recommendations for my class a couple of weeks ago and was overwhelmed by fantastic suggestions. My class chose "You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum" and we're absolutely loving it... or at least, we were...We have a long weekend this weekend and finished chapter 8 at 2.58pm. School finishes at 3.
JAKE DIES AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER. Cue half a class of seven-year-olds crying, me frantically flicking through in search of a spoiler (the whopper dog can't really be dead!), parents peering through the window wondering what on earth is going on... Honestly, should have come with a trigger warning. It's going to be a long five days waiting to find out what happens next! I've got my fingers crossed hoping Polly pulls something out of the bag...

I read You're a Bad Man Mr Gum when it was first published in 2006. I didn't remember much about the story so I re-read it last night. This is just meant to be a fun/funny/silly book - the term slapstick comes to mind. What this teacher didn't seem to know:

• This book is aimed at readers aged 7+ so it is very unlikely or even I might say impossible that a main character, even a dog main character will die. Sure, in books for older children such as Charlotte's Web and Bridge to Terabithia a loved character does die but You're a Bad Man Mr Gum is just a funny illustrated junior novel perfect for younger children or reluctant older kids who just want a laugh. (think of books like George's Marvellous Medicine).
• If you read the words from the scene on page 110 chapter 8 where Jake eats the poison left for him in Mr Gum's garden and then think about them it seems obvious that he is not dead: "But before he could take another bite, he gave a sad woof and fell over on his side, his big furry belly moving rapidly in and out."  I assume this is where the teacher stopped.
• The teacher could have turned to the last page and read "and Jake the dog played happily in gardens all summer long." (page 160). Voila - a happy ending - surely you are not surprised. 
• Finally, if the teacher had looked at the back cover there is a happy illustration of Polly and Jake together.

I seem to read comments like this so often - they make me despair. Teachers and parents asking for advice about books - when all they need to do is actually read the book themselves. It took me less than 20 minutes to read You're a Bad Man Mr Gum - surely this teacher could manage that!

The teacher could also have read a few review comments - because if Jake had died, I think the reviewers would have expressed their outrage. Here are a few comments I found on Goodreads. None talk about Jake dying:

It's silly, surreal, often abstract, did I mention silly? And it works enough of the time to pull you through the book and deliver the promised good time.

I haven't genuinely laughed at a book, like I did with this one in a long time. It was completely absurd and completely fun.

The nice thing about Andy Stanton's Mr. Gum books is that they're written with a two-dimensional villain in place with whom you never, at any point, sympathize.

Finally, back to my comment that surely teacher would have read the book prior to sharing it with her class. I maintain this is vital. If you personally don't like a book then it is surely okay to find another one to share. When a teacher truly loves a book it is nearly always true the class will too. I adore dystopian stories but I am not a fan of timeslip. Everyone has their own personal preferences and taste. I realise the teacher did like this first book from the series of eight by Andy Stanton but I just do not understand why he/she had not read it themselves. Sorry for the rant.