The Bonanza Begins! So What the Heck is TD Book Week Anyway?

Every year, Canadian children's authors, illustrators, and storytellers change out of their uniforms (pajamas), leave their offices and studios (hermit caves), and travel across the country, meeting real live kids in their natural environments and receiving first-hand proof that what they do really does make a difference (and it does).

The event is called TD Canadian Children's Book Week.  Hundreds of schools, libraries, community centres and bookstores host events in every province and territory in Canada.  All told, more than 35,000 kids, teens, and adults will take part in the celebration.

TD Book Week would not be possible without the efforts of the staff at the Canadian Children's Book Centre and their team of Book Week Coordinators - a group of dedicated volunteers spread throughout the Provinces and Territories.  Coordinators are responsible for: arranging travel, lodging, and meals; planning itineraries; promotion and publicity; and handling any glitches or crises that arise during the weeks.

When planning, Coordinators try to maximize both travel efficiency and benefit to kids (especially those at remoter or less affluent schools).  Every year, schools that have never hosted an author before get the chance to do so, and authors get the opportunity to meet kids in parts of the country they've never visited before.  Arranging the event is a enormous job.  Coordinators spend hundreds of hours on their computers (an improvement from the days of post office visits and big brown envelopes!).   A one-week event takes almost a year to organize.

But don't take my word for it.  Gail Hamilton (Manitoba Coordinator since 2008) and Barb Kissick (PEI Coordinator since 1995) are joining us today to give us the inside scoop.


LEC: How did you first become involved in TD Book Week?

GAIL HAMILTON: I first became involved with Book Week when I took over Collene Ferguson’s position as Manitoba Regional Officer for the CCBC. For several years I had been on the selection committee for the Centre’s Our Choice magazine (now called Best Books for Kids and Teens)- Collene was the chair of that committee- and when she decided to give up her position so that she could focus on other things, I applied for the Regional Officer’s job. Coordinating Book Week was just one of the Regional Officer’s responsibilities. This May marks the fourth Book Week which I have coordinated in Manitoba.

BARB KISSICK: I have been involved since the 1980's when my library hosted a visiting author. After that I regularly purchased Canadian Children’s Book Week materials for the library and held special events during Canadian Children’s Book Week. In 1992, I was asked to be a driver for a day during Vlasta van Kampen’s Book Week visit to PEI. I was involved as a driver until 1995 when I became Book Week Coordinator for PEI.

LEC: What's your favorite TD Book Week memory and why?

GAIL HAMILTON: I don’t really have a favourite memory of Book Week, but I am constantly amazed at the fantastic displays and skits that teachers, librarians and students have created to welcome our touring authors. In one case, students made gigantic three-dimensional books, about four feet high, each book representing one of the visiting author’s (Mahtab Narsimhan) books. At another school, a student dressed up as one of the main characters in the Kaspar Snit series to introduce and thank author Cary Fagan. At a rural library, the head librarian invited the school choir to sing at the evening presentation prior to the author’s taking the stage. All of these examples are a testament to the value and importance that educators place on Book Week, great Canadian children’s literature, and connecting authors with kids.    

BARB KISSICK: I remember all my visiting authors with great affection. Children’s authors are great. They are enthusiastic about their writing and about talking to their readers. As presenters they are creative and entertaining. As guests they are flexible, generous, patient and kind. They are curious and full of questions about PEI. Together we have visited Green Gables, Cavendish and/or L. M. Montgomery’s grave or the Confederation Bridge or the beach. Each visit has it’s own special memories. Last year’s Book Week memory took place at the Souris Consolidated School when Maggie De Vries asked the children how many fished or had family members that fished. Maggie was startled when every child and teacher in the school library raised their hands! The teacher-librarian then challenged Maggie to put her feet in the Atlantic Ocean at Basin Head beach after the reading. It was a damp, cold and windy day but Maggie did it! We even have the pictures to prove it.


LEC: How do visits from children's book creators impact the kids in your communities?

GAIL HAMILTON: Several ways. Firstly, kids get to hear first hand that writing is not merely a matter of putting pen to paper or typing at a computer. There is much thought, creativity, research and planning- as well as the dreaded revision- that goes into the creation of a book. Many kids are shocked to find that authors might make up to 15 revisions before they and their editors are satisfied that the book is ready to go to print. So kids learn that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Secondly, kids find out that many authors set daily writing goals within certain “office hours”. So they learn the importance of goal-setting and daily “practice” to achieve their aims. Thirdly, authors are usually brutally honest and often show their audiences a few (or even a stack) of their rejection letters from publishers. Yet they tell kids that in order to achieve a dream, one has to develop a bit of a thick skin and continue to persevere if that dream is meaningful enough to them. Fourthly, authors explain that their ideas sometimes come from very simple objects or events. Inspiration can come from anywhere and kids should always be mindful of examining things in different ways- to develop awareness- in order to be inspired. Finally, for some kids, for whatever reason- be it a lack of access to books in their community or at home- an author’s visit is their first exposure to great Canadian children’s literature. To watch a child thoroughly enrapt in a story is a joy to behold.

One example of the extremely positive impact that an author visit has on a community of learners was a writing workshop given by Lori Weber during Book Week a few years ago. Lori presented her views on the writing process to a junior high school writing club and gave examples from one of her books. Then she had the students do a few writing exercises and read them aloud. To have a “real” author provide positive feedback and to praise their writing abilities was a very special moment for those students. One child was too shy to read her paragraph aloud, but she stayed behind after class to show it to Lori. The smile on the child’s face said it all!

BARB KISSICK: The visits bring excitement to the schools and make reading alive. The visits introduce the children to new authors and to the knowledge that they too can write.


LEC: What's the one thing you think Canadians most need to know about TD Book Week?

GAIL HAMILTON: One thing (well, maybe two things) that Canadians most need to learn about Book Week is that until they see it for themselves, they will never realize the far-reaching impact that an author’s visit has on children, and what an absolute wealth of literary and artistic talent- authors, illustrators and storytellers- we have in this country.

BARB KISSICK: They need to know that as part of this week, children’s authors are going across the country visiting schools and libraries and meeting with their readers. They need to know that children’s literature in this country is world class and energetic and through these visits children learn that authors are writing for them.

Stay tuned - author interviews begin tomorrow!  And don't forget to enter for the giveaways.  Full contest rules can be found here.