Author Archives: English

Sergeant Billy WINS the Christopher Award!

I have a confession to make… I’ve often been a finalist for literary awards but I have never won. And that is fine. Being nominated truly IS an honour.

BUT… I am thrilled to announce that Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the goat who went to war has won (yes, WON!) the 2020 Christopher Award for best children’s book!

First presented in 1949, the Christopher Awards were established by Christopher founder Father James Keller to salute media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” Their goal is to encourage men, women and children to pursue excellence in creative arenas that have the potential to influence a mass audience positively.

In these especially trying time, I am so honoured that Sergeant Billy’s story is being recognized for shining a light in young reader’s hearts.

Because of the pandemic, I was not be able to attend the awards ceremony that usually takes place in NYC in May. Nonetheless, I will cherish this recognition and am happy to abide by the Christopher Award motto: “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”. #blessed

 

Sergeant Billy Finalist for the 2020 Shining Willow Awards!

Good news! My historical picture book, Sergeant Billy: The true story of the goat who went to war is a finalist for the 2020 Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Shining Willow Awards.

The Shining Willows are for readers from JK to Grade 3. The young participants will be the ones to read the 10 selected books and then vote for their favourite. What an honour it would be to be picked by the very readers I write for! I have my fingers crossed.

Of course, the announcement of the winners won’t be for a very long time – not until May 2021. But it prospect of having hundreds of children discovering Billy and his fabulous true story (a story that starts and ends in Saskatchewan, no less) is very exciting!

To see the selected books in the Shining Willow category and for more information about the Willow Awards, click here!

 

Sergeant Billy, Now Available in French!

Youpi! Youpi! Today is my book birthday. Well, kind of… but not really…

Today is the day that my historical picture book Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War comes out in FRENCH! Isn’t he “trop mignon”? 🙂

Sergent Billy : La vraie histoire du chevreau devenu soldat, is published by Éditions de l’Isatis whom I have had the pleasure of working with in the past with my picture books “Une bestiole à l’école” and “À qui le coco?”. It’s good to be back with such a great team!

So, from this day forward, I can come to your school or event and introduce kids to Billy, in either French or English or (why not!) BOTH!

Also, there is now a teacher’s activity sheet available in French that is available to dowload here: Fiche d’activités Sergent Billy

Au plaisir!

G.O.A.T. at the War Museum!

Here’s a confession… I am plucky! So when my new picture book Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War came out, I thought “Hey! This would be the perfect book to present at the War Museum in Ottawa”. So, I called them up and I told them so. And, guess what? They agreed!

I was invited to present Sergeant Billy, in French and in English, at the War Museum on a special evening of Remembrance activities for Youth groups. I was pretty stoked. But I had no idea what I was really in for…

At 6pm, they started arriving. Troops and troops of scouts, brownies and guides from all over Ottawa. At 6:45pm there were over 300 hundred kids in the auditorium. I was ready to start. But the organizers asked me to wait a little bit longer as more were still on their way. “More?” I thought. “Oh dear…”.

By 7pm the hall was full – standing room only. Some even watched from the second floor. I was given the green light and presented Sergeant Billy. The energy in the room was palpable. We all had a wonderful time.

After the event, I was told over 900 people attended the presentation. It’s all a bit of a wonderful, happy blur. It’s days like these were I LOVE my job!

Thank you to the organizers at the War Museum and to all who came out to listen to the story of Billy. I hope we get to do it again soon. It was the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time)!

 

Sergeant Billy Launch

 

November 3rd was the launch party for my new historical picture book, Sergeant Billy : The True Story of the Goat Who went to War. What a wonderful day we had!

It was also the opportunity for me to meet for the first time (in person) the illustrator of our book, the oh so nice and oh so talented Kass Reich!

 

It was so nice to finally all be under the same roof!

The happy event took place at one of my favourite indie bookstores – Queen Books in Leslieville (Toronto). If you haven’t been yet I highly recommend a visit. It is a magical place full of books, old creaky wood floors, fancy rugs, bossy wallpaper and a kids section that dreams are made of!

 

 

 

Thank you again to everyone who came out to celebrate Sergeant Billy with us!

Nutcracker Night

Beep! Beep! go the taxis. Voof! go the velvet curtains. The Nutcracker ballet and New York City’s David H. Koch Theater come to life in this onomatopoeic representation of a little girl’s experience at the ballet. From the swish of her dress and the tick-tick-tick of the conductor’s baton to the twelve bongs of the clock and the pitter-patter of dancers’ feet, this special evening is filled with sensory treats for the eyes and especially the ears.

Nutcracker Night
Pajama Press, Fall 2019
Story by Mireille Messier
Illustrations by Gabrielle Grimard
40 pages
3-8 years old
ISBN : 978-1-77278-091-8
Jacketed hadcover
$22.95

  • Click here to invite the author to your school to present this book!
  • Click here to purchase this book!

French version also available!
“La magie de Casse-Noisette” (Éditions Scholastic)

Themes: dance, ballet, sound words, performing arts, holidays, STEAM

Awards and Honours:
2019 Northern Lights Book Award: The Arts Winner

Reviews for Nutcracker Night:

“A sprightly introduction to the classic Christmas ballet….The spare text…[delivers] the story through a series of combinations of expertly chosen onomatopoeia and dialogue guiding readers from the anticipation of the ballet through its first act, intermission, the second act, the curtain call, and the child narrator’s closing, appreciative ‘Smooch!’ of thanks to her dad. Sure to elicit the storytime equivalent of ‘encore’ at Christmastime and beyond.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This vibrant tribute to a holiday tradition follows a sensory-filled adventure to a Nutcracker performance….A charming entrée for ballet-bound children.”—Publishers Weekly

“A good primer to complement a child’s first time seeing The Nutcracker and, for those familiar with it, a fresh take on a classic.”—The Horn Book Magazine

“Experience Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker through the eyes of a young girl attending the ballet in this fresh rendition of the beloved classic…The sights and sounds of the theater are center stage; musicians, dancers, and a lively audience interact through the onomatopoetic text.”—Foreword Reviews

“Nutcracker Night captures the magic of a young school-aged child’s visit to the ballet with her father. The Nutcracker, a classic ballet, comes to life as a true auditory experience….The pen and ink with watercolour illustrations are both detailed and energetic….Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine

“The onomatopoeic sounds bring the excitement of the night to life along with the beautiful illustrations rendered in watercolor, gouache, oil, colored pencil and digital media….This is a wonderful introduction to the ballet for young readers and will be enjoyed by fans of the holiday classic.”—Youth Services Book Review

“This delightful picture book would make a lovely December gift for a young child….The pictures here are charming, bringing the characters, audience members, musicians, and dancers to life. We see the rosy cheeks, the children awed by the night and the ones eager for more. There are many children, as would be expected for this ballet, and lots of ages of adults. Fathers and mothers, diversity of people, and a range of festive attire….Beautifully done.”—Canadian Bookworm

“[T]his beautifully illustrated book by Gabrielle Grimard are all the sounds a little girl hears as she attends the ballet with her dad….I haven’t had the privilege to attend a performance of the Nutcracker, but based on this book, I can imagine how beautiful it is.”—Booktime

Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War

This is the delightful tale of a brave war hero… who was a goat!

During World War I, a goat named Billy was adopted by a platoon of soldiers and became their loyal mascot.

Billy . . .

  • Trained with the soldiers
  • Was smuggled across the ocean
  • Got snuck into the frontlines in a crate of oranges
  • Ate some secret documents and was imprisoned for treason
  • Got trench foot
  • Head-butted soldiers into a trench, saving their lives
  • Was promoted to the rank of sergeant and came back home a decorated war hero!

This charming true story follows Sergeant Billy from his small prairie town in Saskatchewan to the trenches of World War I and back, through harrowing moments but also moments of camaraderie and celebration. This unforgettable goat and the platoon that loved him will capture your heart!

Themes: military, world war I, service animal, true story, biography, historical

Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat who Went to War
Tundra Books/Penduin Random House, Fall 2019
Story by Mireille Messier
Illustrations by Kass Reich
40 pages
4-10 years old
ISBN : 9-780-73526-442-7
Jacketed hadcover
$21.99
  • Click here to invite the author to your school to present this book!
  • Click
  • to order this book!
  • Click here to watch the book trailer!
  • Click here to access the free Discussion Guide (English)
  • Click this link to access a free, French Activity Sheet – Fiche d’activités Sergent Billy

Reviews

“Messier’s smooth, well-paced text and Reich’s muted gouache illustrations in warlike tones of olive and brown well convey the poignancy and humor of the story.” – KIRKUS REVIEW

“Mireille Messier takes young readers beyond the mud and blood of World War I with her rollicking humanizing tale of a goat and the soldiers who cared for it.” – Canadian Material Review, Highly recommended

“Messier and Reich deserve a medal for their ambitious work.” – Imaginary Elevators

Awards and Distinctions

Winner, Hackmatack Awards in the English non-fiction category (2021-2022)
Winner, OLA Forest of Reading Prix Mélèze Award (French edition) (2020-2021)
Finalist, Shining Willow, Saskatchewan’s Young Readers’ Choice Award, (2021)
Winner, Rocky Mountain Book Award, Alberta’s Young Readers’ Choice Award (2020)
Winner, Comstock Read-Aloud Book Award (2020)
Winner, Christopher Award for best children’s book (2020)

 

Treasure

When two siblings go on a treasure hunt, they aren’t sure exactly what kind of treasure they are looking for. What they do know is that treasures are shiny, mysterious and precious. And that all the really good treasures are hidden!

As they explore the forest, their curiosity pays off when they find the biggest, shiniest, most mysterious and precious treasure.

Told exclusively in dialogue, the story encourages readers to look for the small, everyday treasures that surround us. This beautifully illustrated picture book exudes a sense of wonder at the natural world and emphasizes the magical qualities of looking through a child’s eye.

Also available in French as Trésor.

Themes: nature, environment, water, adventure, siblings, treasure hunt, exploration

Endorsments for Treasure:
“Treasure reminds us that although we might not always find what we are looking for, we might discover something even more magical—a connection to nature and our Earth.”
— Autumn Peltier, First Nations Youth Water Advocate

“A wonderful way of rediscovering ancient, life-giving treasures.”
—David Suzuki, Scientist and Broadcaster

Awards and Honours:
2019 Kirkus Best Picture Books
2020 Prix AAOF de littérature jeunesse, finalist (French version)

Reviews for Treasure:
“A gentle exploration, using a child’s words and told at a child’s pace, of a marvelous world.” – Starred review, KIRKUS
Treasure
Orca Book Publisher, Fall 2019
Story by Mireille Messier
Illustrations by Irene Luxbacher
32 pages
3-8 years old
ISBN : 978-1-45981-734-0
Jacketed hadcover
$19.95
  • Click here to invite the author to your school to present this book!
  • Click here to purchase this book!