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Wednesday, 21 March 2007 |
Diane Swanson has written more than 60 books for children of all ages, from toddlers through teenagers.
Most of them deal with science and nature, such as A Crash of Rhinos, A Party of Jays: The Wacky Ways We Name Animal Groups. In Nibbling on Einstein’s Brain: The Good, the Bad and the Bogus in Science, Swanson helps children evaluate the scientific claims they hear.
"I can’t make up anything more amazing," the author says, than the creatures that already exist in our world. In this 2-minute video, filmed in the Vancouver offices of publisher Annick Press, Swanson describes one of those amazing creatures.
She also talks about how one can rediscover the beauty in the world around us by looking through the eyes of a child.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 March 2008 )
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Tuesday, 20 March 2007 |
Today we're featuring TWO books by Shari Graydon: Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know and In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and Youth.
In Your Face is about "the pressure on teens to live up to unattainable ideals of beauty," according to Graydon. The book talks about where our ideas of beauty come from, all the way back to early childhood. It goes on to take its readers through an historical and cross-cultural look at physical ideals.
Made You Look is also aimed at young readers, examining how they're targeted by marketing and advertising. Like In Your Face, this book also delves into the ideals that are pressed upon teens by various societal influences.
In this 2-minute video, filmed at the Toronto offices of publisher Annick Press, Graydon explains how and why these ideals are unobtainable and describes her hopes for creating a more "media-literate" youth.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 February 2008 )
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Monday, 19 March 2007 |
Author Emily Pohl-Weary grew up in a famous literary family and has made that tradition her own through a series of ambitious publishing projects.
As editor of the zine, Kiss Machine, Pohl Weary is herself a pioneer in do-it-yourself publishing. She's also written a critically-acclaimed biography of her grandmoter, sci-fi pioneer Judith Merril, along with a collection of poetry and an anthology on female super heroes.
It's no surprise, then, that the heroine of Pohl-Weary's young adult novel, Strange Times at Western High, is a fearless, independent zinester. In this 2-minute video, filmed in the Toronto offices of publisher Annick Press, the author introduces us to her lead character, 16-year old Natalie Fuentes, and speaks about girls, confidence, and indy culture.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 February 2008 )
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Saturday, 17 March 2007 |
Next in our Annick Press series of author videos comes Dennis Foon, father of the eerie Longlight Legacy trilogy of science fiction novels.
The trilogy comprises three books: The Dirt Eaters, Freewalker, and The Keeper's Shadow. The action takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and features two young heroes, Roan and his sister Stowe.
The Longlight Legacy continues to gain critical acclaim as one of the great science fiction trilogies of the new millennium. The cinematic scope of the work is no accident; author Dennis Foon is an accomplished playwright and filmmaker -- check out his credits in IMDb (the Internet Movie Database).
This 2-minute video was filmed at Annick Press' gorgeous offices overlooking the harbour in downtown Vancouver's historic Gastown district. In the video, Foon is bathed in luminous green light as he talks about the ecological underpinnings of his epic adventure.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 February 2008 )
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Friday, 16 March 2007 |
We are pleased to continue our series of children's authors from Annick Press in Toronto with what may be the most perfect author video we have ever shown.
Effervescent illustrator Ruth Ohi takes us inside the covers of Clara and the Bossy, her humorous look at the serious subject of bullying. Clara is a lovable Guinea Pig with a fondness for purple who tries too hard to please her glamorous friend.
Ruth Ohi (pronounced "Oh-Weee") has written and illustrated several children's books, including A Trip With Grandma and The Couch Was a Castle. Ruth Ohi fans get a rare treat in this 2-minute video: watching the author create an illustration right before your eyes! It's a magic moment and you shouldn't miss it.
With no further ado, let's join the author for a brief trip with Clara and the Bossy.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 February 2008 )
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Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
Kids today are rediscovering the 1960s and Mike Tanner is helping them program their iPods with the proper soundtrack.
Flat-Out Rock is a visually stunning guide to rock music from the '60s and early '70s. Gorgeous graphic design and rare, exquisite photographs place the musicians in the context of hippies, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and other '60s happenings.
Flat-Out Rock covers ten important bands or musicians and illustrates each artist's significance by describing a pivotal moment in their careers. Artists covered include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Neil Young with Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
In this 2-minute video, enjoy Tanner's luxurious voice and rock-star good looks as he describes how his background as a touring and recording musician contributed to Flat-Out Rock.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 February 2008 )
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