“We Cheer Each Other On”
Lana Button repeated those words in her closing comments as President of CANSCAIP , the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers. I now have the honour of being the organization’s 22nd President. CANSCAIP is a member-supported, nation-wide community of book creators for kids and teens, founded in 1977. Our Members and Friends now include authors and illustrators (published and aspiring), performers, librarians, educators, publishers, editors, and journalists.
CANSCAIP membership, renewable annually, offers:
- Monthly meetings with expert speakers
- A Newsletter about Canada's children's book community
- Reduced registration fees for our conferences, webinars,
and other informative and inspiring programs
In the spirit of “We Cheer Each Other On,” I’d like to highlight some favourite books of five of the CANSCAIP presidents who preceded me. I have not read all their books, and these titles are not their most recent, so please check out their websites to find out about others.
Immediately before me was Lana Button.
Tough Like Mom, illustrated by Carmen Mok, is “a moving mother-daughter story about family hardship, vulnerability and love,” inspired by her relationship with her mom. (Lana is equally tough.)
CANSCAIP’s longest-standing president was Sharon Jennings.
Unravel is “ a coming-of-age story that is tender, real, and raw… a page-turner to savor.”
Barbara Greenwood was president of CANSCAIP when I joined in 1983.
A Pioneer Story: The Daily Life of a Canadian Family in 1840 is full of stories of a fictional family, accompanied by factual information and detailed drawings by Heather Collins.
Nancy Hartry managed her role as president while working full time as a lawyer and raising her two children.
Watching Jimmy is “a brilliant portrait of the post-war era, a family of strong women, and a resourceful protagonist who exudes character, resilience, and most of all love.
Sean Cassidy is an author-illustrator. (Yes, men and illustrators can become president!)
Wake Up, Henry Rooster! written by Margriet Ruurs is a funny story about a rooster tasked with making the sun rise — a tough job for a fun-loving guy who is not a morning person.
CANSCAIP is a friendly and inclusive community for beginning and experienced writers and artists. It’s for everyone who loves kids’ books. If that’s you, we’d love to have you join us!
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Kathy Stinson is the author of the classic Red Is Best and the award-winning The Man with the Violin. Her wide range of titles includes picture books, non-fiction, young adult fiction, historical fiction, horror, biography, series books, and short stories. She has met with her readers in every province and territory of Canada, in the United States, Britain, Liberia, and Korea. She lives in a small town in Ontario.
Thank you so much Kathy for taking on the Presidency of CANSCAIP. The organization has been such a support to me on my writing journey, from entering the Competition for Emerging Writers before I was published, to the inspirational CANSCAIP conference in Toronto I attended as a birthday gift from my husband many years ago, to the wonderful publicity my book launches were given in CANSCAIP e-mails, the opportunities to announce my book publications in the newsletter and an advertisement CANSCAIP sent out which connected me to the latest workshop I took on picture book writing with Karen Krossing. Congratulations on your new post and all the very best.
Thank you for your good wishes, Mary Lou, and for sharing how CANSCAIP has been importantly to you. All the best to you in your writing career!
Congratulations!
Thank you, Marty! Happy to see your name pop up today! 😊
Congratulations Kathy! I can think of no better person to take on this role! I’m so looking forward to cheering you on! 🙂
Thanks Marta. That’s sweet of you to say and I appreciate your vote of confidence!
Fabulous. As a long time supporter of the wonderful work that CCBC accomplishes, this makes me happy.
I’m glad, Wendy. I’m a big supporter of the work of the CCBC too, but just to clarify, it’s CANSCAIP that I’ll be devoting some energy to for the next while. I know you’re an avid CANSCAIP fan too!