Kids Can Press seeks Picture Books, plus Fiction and Nonfiction for children 5 to 14

What if Bunny's Not a Bully by Lana Button,
illustrations by Christine Battuz, published by Kids Can

Kids Can Press

25 Dockside Drive
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5A 0B5

http://www.kidscanpress.com/

Kids Can Press publishes picture books and fiction and nonfiction manuscripts for young readers. It’s been around since 1973 and is the  home of beloved, best-selling series such as Franklin the Turtle, Scaredy Squirrel and CitizenKid.

Currently Kids Can is seeking:

Non-rhyming picture books for ages 3–5, 3–7, and 4–8  

Nonfiction for ages 5–8, 7–10, 8–12, and 10–14

Fiction for ages 6–9, 7–10, 8–12, and 10–14

Graphic novels (fiction and nonfiction) for all ages.

Kids Can especially likes funny, genuine, thoughtful, heartfelt and clever approaches to all sorts of stories and subjects. {Or any combination of those qualities}. That goes for nonfiction, too, with particular interest inthe areas of social-emotional development and mental health, historically underrepresented groups, global citizenship and awareness, and the environment. 

Submit by email to: submissions@kidscan.com

For picture books: send the entire manuscript (and remember, no rhyming!) 

For nonfiction: outline + 2–3 sample chapters/sections

For fiction: synopsis, outline + 3 sample chapters

For graphic novels (whether fiction or nonfiction): synopsis and/or outline + 3 sample chapters

Full submission guidelines here. Illustrator guidelines here.

Kids Can Press senior editor 
Patricia Ocampo

Note: Kids Can Press senior editor Patricia Ocampo will be one of the guest speakers for our in-person Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop Saturday, July 16, 2022, in Mississauga. Details here.

Details of all upcoming Kid Lit weekly class and one-day workshops here (and scroll down).

Beyond that, Brian Henry’s schedule continues to take shape...

Online: How to Write Great Dialogue, Sunday, June 26. Details here.

Online: Writing and Revising, Sunday, August 14. Details here.

***

Weekly classes: 

Online: Exploring Creative Writing, Wednesday mornings, 10 a.m. – 12 noon; July 6 – August 24. Details here.

Online: Writing Personal Stories, Thursday afternoons, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., July 7 – Aug 25. Details here. 

Online: Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday afternoons, 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. First reading sent June 27; classes July 6 – August 17  (or to Aug 24 if the class is full). Details here.

Online: Intensive Creative Writing, Thursday mornings, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. First readings sent June 28; classes July 7 – Aug 18  (or to Aug 25 if the class is full). Details here.

For more information or to register for any class, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca 

Writing Retreats:

Summer in Algonquin: Writing Retreat at Arowhon Pines Resort, July 8 – July 11, 2022. Join us for a weekend of creativity and fine dining in the midst of the Algonquin wilderness. Details here. Waiting list only.

Muskoka Writing Retreat at Sherwood Inn, Friday, Oct 14 – Monday Oct 17, 2022. Details here. Reserve early before it fills up! 

To reserve a spot or for more details about any course, workshop or retreat, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. For more children’s and young adult publishers, see here {and scroll down}. For book publishers in general, see here {and scroll down}

Online Writing Personal Stories class Thursday afternoons July 14 – August 18

Writing Personal Stories 

 ~ Eight weeks of writing and sharing

Online: Thursday afternoons, 2 – 4 p.m.
July 14 – August 18, 2022 {And we'll extend the course to Aug 25 if it fills up}
Offered on Zoom and accessible from anywhere there's internet 

Note: See all writing classes offered this summer here.

If you've ever considered writing your personal stories, this course is for you. We’ll look at memoirs, travel writing, personal essays, family history ~ personal stories of all kinds. Plus, of course, we’ll work on creativity and writing technique and have fun doing it. 

Whether you want to write a book or just get your thoughts down on paper, this weekly course will get you going. We'll reveal the tricks and conventions of telling true stories, and we’ll show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Weekly writing exercises and friendly feedback from the instructor will help you move forward on this writing adventure. Whether you want to write for your family and friends or for a wider public, don't miss this course.

Our guest speaker will be Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt, author of the critically acclaimed memoir Peacekeeper’s Daughter. On May 30, Tanya’s second book, a volume of poetry titled Chaos Theories of Goodness, will be published by Shoreline Press. 

Tanya holds an MA in English Literature from McGill University and an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC. These days, she lives in Quebec’s Eastern Townships with her husband and four children. She was born in Germany to French-Canadian parents and grew up on various army bases across Canada, from Quebec’s North Shore to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. When she was twelve, her family moved to Tiberius, Israel, where her father served as a United Nations peacekeeper on the Golan Heights. When war broke out with Lebanon, Tanya and her family moved to Beirut, where they lived for seven months, at the height of the Lebanese civil war.

Tanya’s journal from 1982-1983 became the seeds of her memoir, Peacekeeper’s Daughter.

Peacekeeper’s Daughter is both a coming-of-age story and an exploration of family dynamics, the shattering effects of violence and war, and the power of memory itself to reconcile us to our past selves, to the extraordinary places we have been and sights we have seen.

Tanya has had poems and stories published (click here and here for a taste), has been nominated for some awards (see here), and is currently working on a number of works for children and a novel for adults.

You can read an excerpt from Peacekeeper’s Daughter here, It’s available through the publisher, Thistledown Press here, from Chapters here, or order it through your local bookstore – see here.

To pre-order your copy of Chaos Theories of Goodness go to Shoreline Press here.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews of Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

Fee: $176.11 plus 13% hst = $199

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

“Have You Read It Yet?” by Rebecca Martin

Books read in your youth grip you more deeply. You cry harder, you laugh louder and they stick with you longer. The great ones stay with you forever. Stories open your young eyes to a world you didn’t know existed – imagined or real. 

Every twist and turn is shocking because you have never seen it before. The stories grow your empathy – showing you characters from different places, genders and economic backgrounds – and you become friends with someone you never would have met. Good books in childhood help form your adult life. 

One of those books for me was Harry Potter. There was a fervent energy in my elementary and junior high classrooms around every book and movie release. Have you read it yet? No? It’s SO cool! 

This excitement was not restricted just to the girls (like my equal tween passion for a certain moody but drop-dead gorgeous vampire) but shared with the boys as well. Harry Potter was as cool as Lord of the Rings. It was respected by my older (very cool) brother and his (very cute) friends even though one of the main characters was a nerdy girl. We all stood in line together to buy the seventh and final book at midnight.

My cousin, Maddie, was perhaps even more of a bookworm than I was. We constantly traded books and had long debates over the benefits of attending Hogwarts versus the benefits of dating a vampire. At Hogwarts you could get a comprehensive magical education, power, never-ending quests and the ability to fly In Forks, Washington, you could get to make out with Edward Cullen. A true predicament.

I vividly remember sitting on Maddie’s bed, around the age of eight or nine, scanning her bookshelf. Her grandparents on her mother’s side owned the local bookstore in town so there was always a unique find on her shelf. I pulled out the latest Harry Potter. We chatted about it for a couple minutes reliving our favourite plot twists and funny lines.

As I was pouring over the cover art I said “J.K. Rowling must be so cool. I want to meet him!”

“J.K. Rowling isn’t a man. She’s a woman!” Maddie said.

“No way he’s a woman.” I replied in disbelief. 

“Yeah, she is! Her name is Joanne.” Maddie prattled off a few more facts about the author while I let the first sink in. She was a woman? But my cool older brother loved these books? All the boys did.

Maddie left the room as our parents were calling us but I lingered for a few more seconds on the bed gazing at the book before I put it back on the shelf. All the most popular books were written by people with names like Kenneth, Roald or John. I felt something click inside me in that moment that perhaps this Harry Potter book series was extra special. 

*** 

Rebecca Martin is an accountant living in Calgary, Alberta, with her wonderful partner Dave and a few sickly houseplants. She has many passions to keep life interesting including running, hiking, biking, skiing, embroidery and of course reading & writing. 

Note: Quick Brown Fox welcomes essays about a favourite book or about your experience of reading or writing. To get a taste of what other writers have done, see here and scroll down).

Submit to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca Include a short bio at the end of your piece and attach a photo of yourself. 

Also, for information about our In-Person Writing for Children and for Young Adults, with Kids Can Press senior editor Patricia Ocampo, on Saturday, July 16, see here.

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Attentions teens: Join us this summer for Online Exploring Creative Writing course on Wednesday mornings

Exploring Creative Writing

 ~ Discover your creative side

Online: Wednesday mornings, 10 a.m. – 12 noon
July 13 – August 17, 2022 {And we'll extend the course to Aug 24 if it fills up}
Offered on Zoom and accessible from anywhere there's internet 

Note: See all writing classes offered this summer here.

This is your chance to take up writing in a warm, supportive environment We’ll explore writing short stories and writing true stories, writing in first person and in third person, writing technique and getting creative, getting down your very best writing and just for fun writing.

You’ll get a shot of inspiration every week and an assignment to keep you going till the next class. Best of all, this class will provide a zero-pressure, totally safe setting, where your words will grow and flower.

Fee:  $176.11 plus 13% hst = $199

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews of Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

“Arowhon Pines” by Howard Pell

“Arowhon Pines”

(For Brian Henry)

Writers retreat at Arowhon Pines
Great place to meet and scribble some rhymes
Blue water like lace, air smells of pine
Slowing our pace, stretching our time

Morning mist on the water, coffee calling us in
Lake is so frosty only the brave want to swim
Old friends and new—where are you from
Unused to hand-writing our fingers grow numb

Brian our mentor, prompts by the score
Much time to write and then write some more
You answer our questions it’s never a bother
We write we talk we learn from each other

So many ways to open our story
Pigs eating rattlers, for some it’s too gory
Some writers are plotters some seat of the pants
We invite our readers to join us in dance

Adjectives adverbs articles nouns
Dialogue irony rhythm and sounds
Questions and answers opinions and thoughts
First person third then the reader we’ve caught

Writing’s our joy our purpose in coming
The song of the loon the woodpecker thrumming
The rippling lake lapping the shore
The tread on the path the slap of screen door

Writing and eating a true holiday
Over so quickly wish we could stay
Some bring their wine some their root beer
We part with the promise—we’ll see you next year

The weekend is over time to go home
To thank you dear Brian we wrote you this poem
Just doggerel we know but the feeling is real
We hope that it shows just how we feel

***

Howard Pell retired in 2014 from a career in adult education in the computer field. He began writing a blog on his experiences with his retirement. Then with encouragement from friends and family he wrote his first book on things he learned and things he wished he had known before his retirement.

He’s now written and self-published two non-fiction books: Retire Fit, Fit and Fit and co-authored and self-published Retire Fit with S.A.F.E. Workouts. He’s also written many short stories and poems, and his first novel Lives Lived will be released in July. He and his wife Rosemary live in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Congratulations to Cyndi and Betty on their new books and to Jill and Jennifer on

If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. 

Also, be sure to let know if you're looking for a writers' group or beta readers; a notice in Quick Brown Fox, will help you find them. 

Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

 

Hi, Brian.

Years ago, when I was living in Kitchener, I took a number of your workshops.  I found them interesting, informative and helpful.

My novel has just been accepted by Crooked Lane Books. It should be published by next spring.  

Cheers
Cyndi MacMillan 

Read more about Cyndi’s upcoming novel here.  

For information about submitting to Crooked Lane, see here.

If you’re interested in getting published, join us for our online How to Get Published workshop with literary agent Barbara Berson of the Helen Heller agency. Details here.

 

Hi, Brian.

Hope all is well.

I'm excited to send you this link to a story that was published in Agnes & True, a dream lit mag for me. Thank you, as always, for how you and your workshop participants have helped me to improve my writing.

Best,

Jill Malleck

To read Jill’s story, “Blue Lines,” see here.

For information on submitting to Agnes and Trues – and to other good markets – see here.

 

Brian,

I have attended many of your workshops here in Sudbury, Ontario, and always received exceptional writing knowledge and guidance from you. My novel, A Burning We Will Die, is now available. Published by Renaissance Press in Gatineau, Quebec, this mystery story involves a Registered Nurse as an amateur protagonist working in our Northern Ontario community. Thank you for aiding in my direction to see my first novel published.

Thank you again,

Betty Guenette

Available from Chapters here.

 

Hi, Brian.

After a long drought of not writing any short pieces I recently had a very short piece, titled “Ninety-one,” published on 50-Word Stories here. I love that micro-fiction genre. A great place for your new-writer/new-students to get published and gain confidence.

And then, 50-Word Stories published a Part 2 to my story titled. You can read that one here.  

I’ve also got another article being published in Canadian Yachting magazine’s June issue. They pay real money! (Woohoo!)

Hope you are well,

Regards,

Jennifer M. Smith

Author of Green Ghost, Blue Ocean

Winner of the 2019 Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction

www.jennifermsmith.com

Note: You can read “Ninety-one” Parts 1 and 2 on Quick Brown Fox here.

And you can read Jennifer’s piece, “Westside Story” in Canadian Yachting here.

For information about submitting to 50-Word Stories, see here.

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See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.