Authors' Booking Service is pleased to announce that children's author/illustrator Ashley Spires is now scheduling visits for May 2012.

Her rate is $300 per session, $500 for two, $750 for three and $1000 for four, plus the cost of public transit. Ashley is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada; schools wishing to invite her may be eligible for a travel and fee subsidy to offset the cost of her visit. Contact us for details of this program.

Since Ashley won’t have a car when she visits Ontario, she would like to ask if someone from your school or library could arrange to pick her up from the transit station.

Works written and illustrated by Ashley Spires


Small Saul, Kids Can Press, 2011

Larf, Kids Can Press, 2012

Binky Under Pressure, Kids Can Press, 2011

Binky To The Rescue, Kids Can Press, 2010

Binky The Space Cat, Kids Can Press, 2009

Penguin and The Cupcake, Simply Read Books, 2008

Works illustrated by Ashley Spires

The Time Time Stopped, Don Gilmor (author), Scholastic Books, 2011

C’mere Boy, Sharon Jennings (author), Kids Can Press, 2010

Scary Science, Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone (authors), Scholastic Books, 2010

Ella’s Umbrellas, Jennifer Lloyd (author), Simply Read Books, 2009

The Red Shoes, Eleri Glass (author), Simply Read Books, 2008

My Mom Loves Me More Than Sushi, Filomena Gomes (author), Second Story Press, 2006

Nominations And Awards

Small Saul

The Blue Spruce Award Nominee 2012

Binky The Space Cat

Silver Birch Express Winner 2011

Hackmatack Award Winner 2011

Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Nominee 2010

Binky To The Rescue

Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Nominee 2011

Eisner Award Nominee, Best Children’s Publication, 2011

Best Children’s Books of the Year, Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, Winner

Book of The Year, Foreward Reviews Winner

Penguin and the Cupcake

Chocolate Lily Award Winner 2010

Presentation Details


Ashley’s presentation centres on some of the common questions children ask her. “How to do you get your ideas?” and “How do you know when your drawings are good enough?” Through illustrated examples, she discusses the various stages of the book making process to emphasize just how much work it is to make an illustration. Most students expect to sit down and draw something perfectly the first time, which can lead to a great deal of frustration. Ashley shows the kids just how many times she has to draw something to get it right and even then there are many imperfections.

The final part of the presentation is a group drawing session in which the kids can chose which of Ashley’s characters they would like to draw. Ashley will lead the kids, step by step, through the drawing process and have even the most hesitant of drawers whipping up their own versions of Binky, Saul or Penguin.

For the younger groups (K-2) I find it best to present for a maximum of 45 minutes. For the older grades, because we can do a more complicated drawing together and their questions are often more intricate, I will present for 60- 75 minutes.

Grades I will present to: K - 8. 

Maximum number of students per session: 75.

I have presented to larger groups in the past and am certainly open to doing so if it works best for the school. Please contact me if this is something you are considering.    
I am comfortable presenting in: classroom, library, auditorium, and gymnasium.

Equipment and other requirements

Flip chart or white board. Markers.

Screen (if groups are in larger venues. I like to show actual examples when possible, but if in a larger venue I do have either a powerpoint or a DVD option for my presentation.)

In the cases of the larger venues (ie. Gymnasiums) a projector for either a Powerpoint CD or a DVD.

Glass of water.

Paper, pencil and eraser for each child. (The eraser part is kind of important as I encourage the kids to make mistakes and emphasize the importance of erasers in my own work.)