
Forest of Reading Finalist!

As the author of the selected story for this year’s TD Summer Reading Club StoryWalk I got to invite participants to come with me on a treasure hunt in the forest. You can come along too by clicking here.
Happy hunting!
The TD Summer Reading Club is all about reading and having some bookish fun during the summer month, both inside AND OUTSIDE! That’s right – not only is reading outdoors ok, it’s encouraged! On top of all the great activities and books we have all come to know and love, the TD Summer Reading Club is now offering a bilingual storywalk.
What’s a storywalk, you ask? It’s a story that is printed on weatherproof panels and set up outside for everyone to enjoy!
This is the third year of the Storywalk. Over 200 libraries signed up to get the free panels for their branch this year and, best of all, this year my picture book Treasure/Trésor was selected for the Storywalk!
I have had friends and family send me pictures of the storywalk from all across the country and it is glorious. Some have been set up in the city while others are in fields, forest and even next to waterfalls. From British Columbia all the way to Labrador (hello to my friends in Chruchill Falls!), kids and their grownups are enjoying Treasure outdoors. Talk about living vicariously through my art!
Have you seen Treasure in your neck of the woods?
Hey! Toronto area peeps! Love books? Love gnomes? Do I have the event for you!
Spring 2023 has been a very special one. My oldest graduated from college, my youngest started college, I am (finally) back doing in-person events and school visits and… I have two new picture books out in stores!
No Horses in the House: The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur (Orca Book) is a narrative non-fiction biography. This picture book for readers 6 and up explores the life and works of Rosa Bonheur, a fascinating pant-wearing, animal-loving, rule-and-gender-defying French painter from the 19th-century. Thanks to the gorgeous illustrations by Anna Bron and an end of book historical timeline and information this new release is the perfect read for kids (and their grown-ups) who love animals, art, true stories and strong female characters.
This book is also available in French!
My second new release is The Magic Cap (Milky Way Picture Books). It’s a whimsical tale of friendship, perseverance, forest creatures and, of couse, magical gnomes! I have worked in the past with the fantastic team at Milky Way Picture Books as a translator and it is with great joy that I now join their ranks as an author. Readers 3 and up will delight in Charlotte Parent’s jewel-toned illustrations and will take joy in finding the tiny red caps hidden in the forest. The large format of this book also make it ideal for shared reading as well as presenting to groups.
This book is also available in French!
Spring has sprung. Let’s get reading!
Many moons ago, in a tiny, thatched cottage at the edge of the woods,lived two children named Isaura and Arlo with their hedgehog, Crispin. When their beloved pet becomes ill, Isaura suggests that they seek the magical healing
power of gnomes. Convinced this will heal it, the children set off into the woods with humble offerings, hoping to attract the gnomes. The trick does not seem to work, however, and gnomes are nowhere to be seen despite the children’s good intentions.
The Magic Cap
Milky Way Picture Books, May 2023
Story Mireille Messier
Illustrations Charlotte Parent
48 pages
ISBN : 9781990252211
Hardcover
$23.99 (CAD) / $18.99 (USD)
Themes: | fairytale, magic, friendship, siblings, gnomes, forest, animals |
My “printemps” is filling up fast! If you are in the Ottawa or Toronto regions please join me at these upcoming events where I will be promoting my French books.
Based on the incredible life of the pioneering, feminist and queer artist Rosa Bonheur, this charming story depicts Rosa’s early years and her drive to fight for her dreams.
Rosa Bonheur loved to draw animals. She was good at it too! Unfortunately, in nineteenth-century France, girls were not allowed to be artists. But Rosa didn’t let that stop her. In this fictionalized account of her early life in Paris, Rosa studies art at home, bringing a menagerie of animals into the apartment to study up close. When she is kicked out of the horse market for sneaking in wearing boys clothing, Rosa must think creatively to challenge the rules in pursuit of her dream of becoming a world-class realist painter and artist.
No Horses in the House!: The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur
Orca Book Publisher, March 2023
Story by Mireille Messier
Illustrations by Anna Bron
32 pages
ISBN: 9781459833524
Hardcover
$21.95
Themes: | artist biography, gender roles, girls can do anything, animal painting, horses, Art History, France, 19th century, perseverence |
Download the No Horses in the House! Discussion Guide.
Teachers, librarians, book peeps of Ontario, lend me your ears! If you are at the OLA Super Conference this week don’t miss this chance to come by the Orca Book Publishers’ booth and get your hands on a copy of my upcoming picture book No Horses in the House! BEFORE THEY ARE EVEN IN STORES!