The Art of the Picture Book

Rachel Wada, Sydney Smith  and Qin Leng

The Art of the Picture Book

Rachel Wada, Sydney Smith  and Qin Leng

10:00am

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

120 mins

Join three of the shortlisted illustrators of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Qin Leng (When I found Grandma), Sydney Smith (Small in the City) and Rachel Wada (The Phone Booth in Mr Hirota’s Garden), as they discuss and demonstrate their illustrative styles and techniques. Picture books are the first introduction we have to the world of visual literacy and through image can build complex and sophisticated narratives that very young children can follow. This discussion explores the importance of the picture book to develop a child’s awareness of the world and their place within it.

Moderated by Audrey Hudson, Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and presented in partnership with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

English captioning is available for this video. Please click the ‘CC’ button in the video toolbar to turn it on.

Join three of the shortlisted illustrators of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Qin Leng (When I found Grandma), Sydney Smith (Small in the City) and Rachel Wada (The Phone Booth in Mr Hirota’s Garden), as they discuss and demonstrate their illustrative styles and techniques. Picture books are the first introduction we have to the world of visual literacy and through image can build complex and sophisticated narratives that very young children can follow. This discussion explores the importance of the picture book to develop a child’s awareness of the world and their place within it.

Moderated by Audrey Hudson, Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and presented in partnership with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

English captioning is available for this video. Please click the ‘CC’ button in the video toolbar to turn it on.

Featured Authors

Rachel Wada was born in Japan, grew up briefly in Hong Kong and China, and now lives and works in Vancouver. Her illustrative style is characterized by rich textures, colours and details executed both traditionally and digitally. Her children's book debut, The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden written by Heather Smith (Orca Book Publishers), has received four starred reviews and been named a Best Picture Book of 2019 by both Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Rachel’s work can also be found in newspapers, magazines and online publications.

Read more about Rachel Wada

Sydney Smith was born in rural Nova Scotia and has been drawing from an early age. Since graduating from NSCAD University, he has illustrated numerous children’s books, including the highly acclaimed wordless picture book Sidewalk Flowers, conceived by Jon Arno Lawson, which won a Governor General’s Award, among many other honours, and was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book. He is also the illustrator of Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, for which he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal, and which won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Prize. Small in the City is the first picture book that Sydney has written as well as illustrated.

Read more about Sydney Smith 

Qin Leng is a designer and illustrator of books for young people, including Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson. She has received numerous awards for her animated short films and artwork. Qin Leng lives in Toronto with her family.

Read more about Qin Leng

10:00am

Tuesday, October 27

120 mins

What to read

When I found Grandma by , The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden by , Small in the City by ,
To top