SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Two Pieces of Chocolate
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BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.gabriellegrimard.com/index.php/en/
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COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 322
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
ADDRESS
CAREER
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews Jan. 15, 2019, review of Pearson, Kit: THE MAGIC BOAT.
Resource Links vol. 25 no. 2 Dec., 2019. Boudreau, Tanya. , “MESSIER, Mireille: Nutcracker Night.”. p. 8.
Children’s Bookwatch Dec., 2019. , “Nutcracker Night.”.
Children’s Bookwatch Jan., 2022. , “The Library Bus.”.
Kirkus Reviews Aug. 15, 2022, , “Smith, Monique Gray: I HOPE / NIPAKOSEYIMON.”.
Booklist vol. 119 no. 5-6 Nov. 1, 2022, Camargo, Rosie. , “Cocoa Magic.”.
Children’s Bookwatch Oct., 2023. , “If You See a Bluebird.”.
Children’s Bookwatch Apr., 2024. , “Our Spot.”.
After studyingFine Arts at Concordia University, Art Education at the University of Quebec in Montreal, and a few yearsas a painter and muralist on the island of Montreal, I took a more solid direction towards youth-illustration with the birth of my son in 2001. In recent years, I have mainly been involved with publishing that is geared towards a youth audience, educational publishing and a bit of advertising as well. I have worked with several Quebec publishers, including Dominiqueet Cie., Imagine, la Bagnole and HMH. I have also worked with such Canadian publishers as Orca Book and AnnickPress. Since 2007, I have worked with Painted-Words which is a New York-based agency for Illustrators. This opportunity has given me access to the U.S. and British markets within the children's publishing industry. I have been able to make both albums and games.
If my style remains traditional, it is mostly in that it is full of poetry. I love being able to translate through drawing the world in which I want to live. I love working light, and different levels and patterns. To create an album, my research work involves various media and it’s a process that I love, but my favourite aspect will always be colour. I use mainly watercolours,gouache and oil, which I combine together on watercolour-cardboard.I like watercolour for its lightness, gouachefor its intensity of colours, and oilfor the depth it offers within which I delve with happiness every time. In all, I add a touch of wooden pencil for the details which fly in the wind.
Gabrielle Grimard is the illustrator of the critically acclaimed books The Library Bus, Stolen Words, and Not My Girl, and the author–illustrator of Lila and the Crow. The Library Bus was a finalist for Canada’s prestigious Governor General’s Award, and her other books have been included on the USBBY Outstanding International Books List, the CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens List, and more. She lives in Canada.
Gabrielle Grimard
Agent: Claire Morance
Gabrielle Grimard has been drawing since she was a very young child. Born in Montreal, she studied Fine Arts at Concordia University. She began her career as a muralist, painting numerous walls in commercial buildings in the Montreal area. She is the critically acclaimed illustrator of Stolen Words, which was one of Kirkus’s “Best Picture Books to Give Strength.” Her debut author-illustrated picture book, Lila and the Crow, was called “an artful take on resilience” by Kirkus, and was named a Best Book for Kids & Teens by Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and a Toronto Public Library’s First & Best List book.
Client List
Zonderkidz
Peaceable Kingdom
Orca Book Publishers
Imagine
Dominique et Compagnie
Annick Press
Awards / Honors
2024 IPPY Award, Best Picture Book for All Ages – While Everyone is Sleeping
2022 Booklist from Rise: A Feminist Book Project- The Library Bus
2022 Blue Spruce Award Nominee, Forest of Reading – The Library Bus
2018 Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year- Stolen Words
2017 Shelf Awareness’s Best Picture Books of the Year – Stolen Words
2017 Kirkus’s Best Picture Books to Give Strength – Stolen Words
2017 Skipping Stones Honor Award – Lila and the Crow
2016 Toronto Public Library First and Best – Lila and the Crow
2015 Eric Hoffer Book Award Honorable Mention – Not My Girl
2015 CSMCL Best Multicultural Book – Not My Girl
2015 USBBY Outstanding International Book – Not My Girl
2015 Storytelling World Award – Not My Girl
2015 Information Book Award finalist, Children – Not My Girl
2015 Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre – Not My Girl
2013 Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles Prize Finalist – Le monde fabuleux de Monsieur Fred
2013 Governor General’s Literary Award Finalist – Le monde fabuleux de Monsieur Fred
2013 Prix des libraires du Québec selection – Le monde fabuleux de Monsieur Fred
2013 Best Books for Kids and Teens, starred selection – When I Was Eight
2013 Canadian Children’s Book CentreRecommended Reads List, Canadian Toy Testing Council – When I Was Eight
2013 Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize finalist – When I Was Eight
2013 Cybils Award nomination – When I Was Eight
Pearson, Kit THE MAGIC BOAT Orca (Children's Fiction) $19.95 3, 19 ISBN: 978-1-4598-1432-5
A shy girl bonds with new friends through the wonders of imagination in this Canadian collaboration.
Ellie spends the summer with her grandmother at the beach. Too nervous to approach the other children, the young white girl keeps mostly to herself making sand castles and playing in the cool water until, while collecting pebbles, she happens upon Piper, an older girl of color who has a magic boat. Ellie is skeptical at first, but her doubts disappear as Piper takes them out to sea, racing on the water and surrounded by marine life. Moments later, the girls are flying as the boat turns into a balloon, and they share the sky with several birds and an intrepid ladybug. That is, until Nonna calls the pair to lunch. Pearson and Farris' prose moves seamlessly from the easy unhurriedness of summer play to the weightier awe of discovery. Grimard keeps visual pace with warm watercolors and pencil-sketched shading and lines that feel light but never fluffy, capturing the dynamic fluidity between real and pretend. The illustrations do, at times, feel as though they are missing some elements mentioned in the text--the emphasis on discovery prompts readers to scour the pages for the wildlife being mentioned, for instance. But an overall and well-developed theme of imagination and connection (even when you're nervous) far outweighs the small gaps.
Infectiously delightful. (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Pearson, Kit: THE MAGIC BOAT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A569224410/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=197ed0f0. Accessed 3 May 2025.
MESSIER, Mireille
Nutcracker Night
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard.
Pajama Press, 2019. 40p. Illus. Gr.
Preschool-2. 978-1-77278-091-8. Hdbk.
$22.95 (Reviewed from Advance
Reading Copy)
A young girl enjoys an evening out with her dad in New York City. They are dressed up to see The Nutcracker Ballet. The whole evening, from the time they catch a taxi and give the usher their tickets, to their time in the audience watching the ballet and listening to the orchestra, from intermission to the bravo when the ballet ends, their experiences are retold using onomatopoeia and watercolour, gouache, oil, coloured pencil and digital illustrations. Some of the sounds will be familiar to children (Tick! Tick! Tick!, Hushhhh!, Stomp-stomp, and Ohhhhh!) but others will be new, but understandable when viewed with the picture beside it (Swish! Swish!, Chitter! Chatter! Chitter! Chatter!, Pickle-dee Zing!). Highlights from the ballet include views of the nutcracker when he's new, broken and then fixed. Children will see the Mouse King, the marching soldiers and the Sugar Plum Fairy and flamenco dancers in their beautiful outfits. Although the evening looks serene and cozy, the creators of this book added realistic things one would see at the theatre such as sleeping people in the audience and audience members who make a little too much noise. The book ends with a one page write-up about the history of the ballet and the New York theatre that appears in the story.
This is a beautiful Christmas story, with a sparkly cover (the snowflakes are glossy) but it can be read at any time of the year to introduce children to ballet, theatre, or words that are associated with fun to say sounds.
Thematic Links: Nutcracker Ballet; Christmas; New York Theatre; Musicals; Onomatopoeia; Family Outing; Father-Daughter Relationships
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Boudreau, Tanya. "MESSIER, Mireille: Nutcracker Night." Resource Links, vol. 25, no. 2, Dec. 2019, p. 8. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A613340307/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3d5fd206. Accessed 3 May 2025.
Nutcracker Night
Mireille Messier, author
Gabrielle Grimard, illustrator
Pajama Press
http://pajamapress.ca
9781772780918, $19.95, HC, 40pp, www.amazon.com
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 the pages of "Nutcracker Night", an onomatopoeic picture book 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. And did she enjoy the ballet? The answer is a big smooch on her father's cheek. Written by Mireille Messier, "Nutcracker Night" is a celebration of a Christmas classic that is often a child's first experience of the ballet. Award-winning illustrator Gabrielle Grimard infuses each scene with warm holiday colors and a richness that will make young readers feel they are really there. An author's note enriches the text with further information and a brief summary of the famous ballet, making it an unreservedly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 3-7.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Nutcracker Night." Children's Bookwatch, Dec. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610934061/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=48a74b3f. Accessed 3 May 2025.
Bahram Rahman, author
Gabirelle Grimard, illustrator
Pajama Press
www.pajamapress.ca
9781772781014, $18.95, HC, 32pp
https://www.amazon.com/Library-Bus-Bahram-Rahman/dp/1772781010
It is still dark in Kabul, Afghanistan when the library bus rumbles out of the city. There are no bus seats--instead there are chairs and tables and shelves of books. And there are no passengers--instead there is Pari, who is nervously starting her first day as Mama's library helper. Pari stands tall to hand out notebooks and pencils at the villages and the refugee camp, but she feels intimidated. The girls they visit are learning to write English from Mama. Pari can't even read or write in Farsi yet. But next year she will go to school and learn all there is to know. And she is so lucky. Not long ago, Mama tells her, girls were not allowed to read at all!
A timely, beautifully illustrated, and charming picture book for children ages 5-8, "The Library Bus", with its relevance to current Afghanistan news reports, children's homelessness and poverty, and the value of libraries and reading by the team of author/storyteller Bahram Rahman and artist/illustrator Gabrielle Grimard is especially recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Library Bus." Children's Bookwatch, Jan. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A707299231/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9639278e. Accessed 3 May 2025.
Smith, Monique Gray I HOPE / NIPAKOSÊYIMON Orca (Children's None) $21.95 9, 13 ISBN: 978-1-4598-3325-8
Written in English and Cree, this book conveys an unseen adult's wishes for a child.
The hopes expressed have a reassuring and universal nature: "I hope you know beautiful happiness." "I hope that when sad tears leave your eyes someone is there to catch them." Many books of this nature tend to hope for wonderful things to happen to the child; refreshingly, this one expresses the hope that the child will also make wonderful things happen: "I hope you are helpful." "I hope you are a caretaker of Mother Earth." "I hope you are respectful." Grimard translates these feelings into luminous artwork that often expands upon the sentiment in question. On a page with the words, "I hope you are courageous," several children are shown holding placards that read "Every Child Matters," "We Are One," and "Equal." Every double-page spread expresses a hope, first in English, then followed by its Cree equivalent: "I hope that you are kind / nipakosêyimon ka-kisêw�tisiyan." Fittingly, given that this is a book addressed to children, the book ends, "I have lots of hopes, for you and for me, / but I wonder .What are your hopes?" The people portrayed are diverse in terms of ethnicity, skin color, and age. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Comforting, encouraging sentiments that adult readers and their little ones will appreciate. (Picture book. 3-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Smith, Monique Gray: I HOPE / NIPAKOSEYIMON." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713722708/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0c153e6d. Accessed 3 May 2025.
Cocoa Magic. By Sandra Bradley. Illus. by Gabrielle Grimard. Nov. 2022.32p. Pajama, $18.95 (9781772782646). K-Gr. 3.
This sweet story follows a young boy, who, through a small act of kindness, leads a movement at his school. Daniel loves spending time with Uncle Lewis, the "Cocoa King of Charlottetown," and learning how to shape and flavor chocolates each morning before school. One day, a new student named Sarah joins his class, but when Daniel smiles at her, she doesn't smile back. He understands how school can feel cold and lonely, so the next day, he secretly leaves a piece of chocolate in her desk. And she smiles when she finds it! Every day he brings more chocolates to share with Sarah and other classmates, who become kinder to others after receiving the unexpected gift. When Uncle Lewis takes a trip, it's the class' turn to cheer up Daniel with gifts of their own. Grimard's soft, muted artwork captures the old-fashioned feel of the story and its 1920s time period, but its message of giving is timeless. Bradley brings her experience as a social worker to this tale of empathy and kindness.--Rosie Camargo
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Camargo, Rosie. "Cocoa Magic." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 5-6, 1 Nov. 2022, pp. 74+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A727772642/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6c27a9b2. Accessed 3 May 2025.
If You See a Bluebird
Bahram Rahman, author
Gabrielle Grimard, illustrator
Pajama Press
www.pajamapress.ca
9781772782844, $18.95, HC, 32pp
https://www.amazon.com/You-See-Bluebird-Bahram-Rahman/dp/177278284X
Synopsis: Although his family is now safe in their new country, Ali finds himself wishing he could go back to Afghanistan. A day spent picking blackberries with Nana reminds him of their old house with the mulberry tree he loved, and the day the soldiers came. He recalls their nighttime flight and the crowded buses and airplane that took him to this beautiful but unfamiliar place. When Ali and Nana spot a bluebird, she tells him to make a wish. Ali wishes to go home, but, as he comes to learn, home is not a place. Home is the love his family has for each other.
Critique: "If You See a Bluebird" by author/storyteller Bahram Rahman and artist/illustrator Gabrielle Grimard is an ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book and is thoroughly kid friendly and appropriate for young readers ages 5-8. With its storybook portrayal on the experience of former refugees as they learn to adapt and embrace a new country and a new home. "If You See a Bluebird" fully capture Ali's two worlds -- his homeland of Afghanistan and his new home in America. This very special and unique picture book is unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections.
Editorial Note #1: Bahram Rahman (https://pajamapress.ca/author/bahram_rahman) was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and grew up during the civil war and the first Taliban regime. He came to Canada as a refugee in 2012, and today is a senior policy advisor at the Ministry of Health in Ontario. Bahram's first picture book (and Governor General's Literary Award finalist) "The Library Bus", was praised by the New York Times for documenting the barriers to education experienced by girls in war-torn countries and their resilience and ingenuity in overcoming them. His 2021 picture book "A Sky-Blue Bench" was an honor book for the ALA Schneider Family Book Award, among many other honors.
Editorial Note #2: Gabrielle Grimard (transformed her love of design into a career in illustration over the course of her studies at Concordia University and the University of Quebec. In 2018, Gabrielle's picture book Stolen Words won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Book Award. Not My Girl was a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Her creativity has been applied to children's publishing, advertising, and educational contexts. She has a 'Painted Words Represent website at https://www.painted-words.com/portfolio/gabrielle-grimard
A story of family togetherness that redefines the meaning of home.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"If You See a Bluebird." Children's Bookwatch, Oct. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A773544694/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ee86a196. Accessed 3 May 2025.
Our Spot
Lindsay Ward, author
Gabrielle Grimard, illustrator
Two Lions
9781542039857, $17.99, HC, 32pp
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Spot-Lindsay-Ward/dp/1542039851
Synopsis: Every Thursday night, a girl and her papa go to their secret fishing spot in the middle of the city. Now it's just the two of them--there used to be three. The girl's mother had found this place, and they'd all fished there when the girl was small as peas. Even though it's different now, it's still tradition. The girl and her papa don't talk much; instead, they listen to the waves lapping against the shore as they fish. Sometimes they talk about Mama and the big walleye that always got away. As they head home, the city sparkling in the moonlight, the girl is content, ready for a night of dreaming about Mama and the fish.
Critique: The brilliant illustrations of Gabrielle Grimard beautifully support the gentle and charming picture book story "Our Spot" by author Lindsay Ward. The result is a truly memorable reading experience for children ages 3-7 about love, loss, tradition, and remembrance. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99), "Our Spot" is an original and highly recommended pick for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Lindsay Ward (www.lindsaymward.com) is the creator of the Dexter T. Rexter series as well as Jessie: Queen of the Road, Rosie: Stronger than Steel, Between the Lines, Pink Is Not a Color, This Book Is Gray, Brobarians, Rosco vs. the Baby, and The Importance of Being 3. Our Spot was inspired by her family's stories about a special fishing hole in the heart of Cleveland.
Editorial Note #2: Gabrielle Grimard (www.gabriellegrimard.com/index.php/en) is the illustrator of the critically acclaimed books The Library Bus, Stolen Words, and Not My Girl, and the author/illustrator of Lila and the Crow. The Library Bus was a finalist for Canada's prestigious Governor General's Award, and her other books have been included on the USBBY Outstanding International Books List, the CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens List, and more.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Our Spot." Children's Bookwatch, Apr. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A793839143/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ae2f8259. Accessed 3 May 2025.