Tag: blue spruce

Blue Spruce Award nominee for the Forest of Reading 2023 for her debut children’s picture book Granny’s Kitchen illustrated by Ken Daley. TWUC member.

Rates: $250 plus HST for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (four sessions). Plus a travel fee of $0.68/km if outside Toronto or Peel.

Virtual visits: $150 plus HST for one session (60 minutes), $100 for each additional session on the same day to a maximum of four sessions.

Sadé Smith is a Canadian children’s book author of Jamaican descent. Her books often involve food with colorful illustrations to capture the vibrancy and beauty of the Caribbean islands. In addition to writing, Sadé is also a design technologist and she is very passionate about literature. She writes books of representation for young readers. She provides games, activities, book readings and writing workshops for young students aged 3-8 (grades Kindergarten to grade 3).

This collaborative school/library presentation includes:

• Author introduction and background / biography
• Introduction on writing / inspiration for the book
• Showing of the Shelly-Ann or Julie doll. May be passed around (depending on age and size of group)
• Social media handles and website / contact information. Information on where and how to purchase the book. Information about upcoming books and projects.
• Information about the “Kidz Korner” tab on the Sadé Smith website where students may find fun activities and download reading and writing templates for their own use.

Julie and the Mango Tree Presentation includes: Topics about Jamaican fruits, culture and mangoes!

Fun activities involving the many varieties of mangoes around the world and Caribbean fruits. (Guess the name of the Jamaican fruit). Play a Jamaican trivia game called How Much Do You Know About Jamaica?

A live reading of JULIE AND THE MANGO TREE followed by a Question and Comment period.

Granny’s Kitchen Presentation includes: Topics about family, Jamaican food, culture, language and fun facts that are located on the back page of the Granny’s Kitchen book.

A fun activity involving live props (and/or a digital presentation) of cooking utensils, equipment, Caribbean foods and fruits. (Guess the name of the food/fruit/kitchen items). This is a fun and educational way for the readers/listeners to learn about new things and foods that they may not know about.

A live reading of GRANNY’S KITCHEN followed by a Question and Comment period.

Writing Workshops include: Introduction on writing a book. Ideas to find inspiration for writing a book. An in-depth step-by-step tutorial on writing a children’s picture book using the Writing Templates format from the “Kidz Korner”.

Let’s write a story! The students will write a short story together by using the Writing Templates and what they learned from the step-by-step tutorial. Students/classes may continue illustrating the book(s) and putting it together on their own time as a class assignment after the workshop.

Note: Workshops are 60 minutes in length and split into two parts to accommodate for a younger audience.

To encourage interaction during in-person presentations, Sadé would prefer to meet with smaller groups at a time with a maximum of 4 groups per day.

Equipment Required:

• One table for presentation items and materials
• Separate table and chair to accommodate for book sales and signings (if requested)
• Computer with projector or television screen for displaying PowerPoint presentation from a USB drive or laptop
• Blank paper and crayons (if children would like to draw their own flag).

Note: Author will bring all required decorations and props needed for presentation.

Contact Sadé to book a visit: