Backhouse, Frances (Victoria, BC)

Member of The Writers’ Union of Canada; Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers; and Society of Environmental Journalists. Winner of City of Victoria Butler Book Prize. Finalist for: Forest of Reading Yellow Cedar Award; Young Readers’ Choice Book Awards of BC Red Cedar Award (x2); Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award; Green Earth Book Award; City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize; Lane Anderson Award; VanCity Book Prize; and Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction. Other book honours include: Gold Standard Selection (Junior Library Guild); and Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 (National Science Teaching Association and Children’s Book Council).  

In-person: $300 for one session; $550 for two (same day, same location); $800 for three. Virtual: $250. Plus GST on all fees. No travel costs within Greater Victoria region. For other areas, travel costs may include transportation (e.g., mileage at $0.50/km; ferry fares) and lodging, if required.

Frances Backhouse is an award-winning author of nonfiction books for children and adults, whose science writing draws on her experiences working as a biologist, park naturalist, and environmental journalist. Her engaging, fact-filled, photo-rich books for ages 9-12 explore the lives of iconic wildlife species, highlight their ecological importance and survival challenges, and introduce readers to scientists, conservationists, and young people who are working to ensure these animals will be with us forever. She believes in giving kids hope and the tools to make a difference in the world.

Frances also enjoys speaking to adult groups about her adult books and about writing. She has taught creative nonfiction and journalism to university students and community learners.

PRESENTATIONS

My presentations run 45-60 minutes and are best suited to grades 3 to 7, but can be adapted to suit audience interests and needs. I use photos from my books (shown as slides) and props (handed around if group size permits) to illustrate ideas, and read short selections from my books to encourage student reading. I love to interact with participants and I welcome questions. Topics and themes include nature, environment, ecology, conservation, biodiversity, human-wildlife relationships, and citizen science.

Owls Are Awesome

This presentation reveals the secrets of these popular yet mysterious birds and introduces participants to some of the 19 species that live in North America, ranging in size from the tiny elf owl to the hefty great horned owl. I also talk about the threats owls face and how kids can get involved in owl conservation, using real-life examples from the profiles of young people in my book Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?  (a 2024/25 Yellow Cedar Award nominee).

What’s So Great About Grizzly Bears?

Grizzly bears, one of North America’s most iconic wildlife species, once roamed across half the continent. Today, their range and numbers are much diminished and they are dealing with many challenges. In this presentation, I explore what makes grizzlies special and what they need to survive and thrive. I also talk about my experiences working as a field biologist studying grizzly bears in northern British Columbia. This presentation is based on my book Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness (a 2024/25 Red Cedar Award nominee).

Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers

This presentation explores the history and biology of Canada’s national mammal – an animal that was almost hunted to extinction during the fur-trade era, but is now found in big cities, wilderness parks and everywhere in between. I talk about the beaver’s amazing engineering skills, explain the term “keystone species,” and highlight the important role these radical rodents play as habitat creators, water stewards, and climate change allies. Participants will also learn about young people who are contributing to coexistence efforts that make it easier for us to live alongside these endearing but sometimes frustrating animals. This presentation is based on my book Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers.

Bear Buddies, Beaver Boosters and Owl Allies: How To Be a Friend to Wildlife

Life is hard for many wild animals these days and people are their biggest problem. But each of us has the power to turn things around and be a wildlife supporter. In this presentation, I share ideas about how young people can take action and make the world a friendlier place for all kinds of wild animals. I also offer inspiration and examples with real-life stories and photos of kids profiled in my books – Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?, Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness, and Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers.

Better With Bison

A presentation about bison – North America’s largest land animal and an important cultural and ecological keystone species – will be available once my new book, Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers, is published in Spring 2025.

For all presentations:

Group size: Flexible; 45 maximum preferred.

Venue: Classroom or library preferred.

Equipment and tech needs:

In-person presentations – A projector and screen; speakers (only for presentations that include video clips); a table; a microphone for larger groups or if room acoustics are poor.  

Virtual presentations – Access to your preferred online platform, including screen-sharing ability. A support person to help with technical matters and moderate the chat, if used. A room moderator to facilitate student participation and Q&A. The support person and room moderator can be the same person (e.g., a teacher or librarian). If the participants are in more than one room, each group should have its own moderator.

    Syed, Anoosha (Milton, ON)

    Anoosha Syed is a Pakistani-Canadian author, illustrator, and character designer for animation. She has illustrated over forty books, including I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown, APALA honor book, Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed and her author/illustrator debut, That’s Not My Name!

    Book topics: Empathy, First Day of School, Self-empowerment, Food and Culture. Family, South Asian and Muslim

    Awards:

    • Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award Honour 2023
    • APALA Honor for Bilal Cooks Daal
    • Society of Illustrators Original Art Show
    • Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize Shortlist
    • Featured in Netflix series ‘Bookmarks’
    • Featured in Eric Carle museum
    • Otter Award nominee

    Virtual Visits:

    • $300 + HST for up to one hour 
    • $200 + HST for each additional presentation on the same day

    I usually work with children ages JK-Gr 3. But older kids/teens can also benefit from learning about the life of an author/illustrator, and a love for writing and drawing!

    PRESENTATION FORMAT

    My session is a 1hr presentation that covers my career, how I wrote and illustrated the book That’s Not My Name!, and the importance of diversity/inclusivity in books. It ends with a live drawing demonstration and Q&A

    I also offer a shorter 30-45min storytime session (best suited for JK-SK) that includes an intro on myself, a reading, and Q&A. 

    This is a guideline of what I offer, but I am happy to be flexible and work around your school needs; if you’d like me to focus on any particular topics, books or activities we can definitely discuss!

    Other notes
    A projector is required for in-person visits, and microphone + podium for larger groups.
    For drawing activities, an easel with paper as well as paper, markers, crayons for the children to draw along with.
    In-person presentations for JK-2 max 30 per group, teacher/facilitator MUST be present.

    Contact Anoosha to book a visit:

      Bow, Erin (Kitchener, ON)

      erinbow1

      Writers’ Union Member. $250 virtual visit or $400 in-person, plus travel. $700 for a day with two visits (two schools can share).   Travel costs waived in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and the townships.

      Erin writes YA science fiction and fantasy middle grade books. With multiple awards, she’s considered one of Canada’s rising stars: Quill and Quire calls her “a new master,” and the CBC says she’s “so close to YA superstardom she can probably taste it.”  As a presenter she’s down-to-earth and funny, working to give students real answers and emotional honesty.

      CCBC Book Awards: TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award nominee

      “I’ve had many novelists visit my classes over the years, but I can honestly say I’ve never seen one connect so well with a teenaged audience. —A.J. Blauer, Acting Head of Literary Arts, Canterbury High School (Ottawa, Ontario)

      Free Virtual Visits!
      I do free 10-15 minute virtual visits with classes or clubs who are reading one of my books. There’s no presentation, so I’m counting on the teacher or moderator to run a short, informal conversation or a Q&A

      Audience: Any small group

      Timing: 10 to 15 minutes

      Presentation-style School Visits

      For upper elementary and middle schools: How to Fail

      A funny presentation on how I became an author by failing every step of the way. (Step one: don’t have a dream.)

      I’ll give your students a peek behind the scenes of my creative process — research, writing, editing, and more — but the heart of the presentation is grit, growth, and being a little easier on yourself.

      Audience: Targeted at grades 5 – 9. Single classes or whole-school gatherings.

      Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 30-40 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 45-60 minutes.

      For middle schools, high schools: How to Fall off a Roof

      Neuroscientists have a question: when you’re falling to your death, does time really slow down? Being scientists, they’ve tested this by dropping volunteers from a great height. Any guesses on what they learned?

      This presentation uses that answer — and other insights from modern neuroscience — to introduce new ways to think about how details and pacing change the emotional intensity of a scene.

      Audience: Targetted at grades 7 – 12, writers’ craft classes, university classes, writers’ master classes. Works as a workshop for single classes, but can also be run as a presentation for a gym-ful.

      Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 45-60 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 60-90 minutes.

      For upper elementary and middle schools: Sort of Simon

      Simon Sort of Says is my newest middle grade book.

      This presentation takes your readers behind the scenes of writing this book — and creativity generally — starting from “where do your get your ideas” and covering everything from an ordinary writing day to the big phone call day where something amazing happens.

      This presentation works for both classes who have read or are reading Simon, and for classes who are just curious about books, writing, and creativity.

      Content note: there is a school shooting in the backstory — not on the page — of Simon Sort of Says. That comes up in the backstory — not at the heart — of this presentation.

      Audience: Targetted at grades 5 – 9. Single classes or whole-school gatherings.

      Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 30-40 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 45-60 minutes.

      Workshops

      Writing Workshop: How to Walk Across a Room

      This highly interactive, on-your-feet workshop draws on improv exercises and group brainstorming to help students make characters come to life on the page.

      This workshop is at its absolute best as a series of short workshops and writing exercises that build on each other over the course of several writing days. Some of these can be teacher-run — I have sharable lesson plans. Contact me if you’re interested.

      Audience: Targeted at grades 7 – 12, writers’ craft classes, university classes, writers’ master classes. Best for single classes.

      Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 45-60 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 60-90 minutes.

      Writing Workshop: How to Fall off a Roof

      Neuroscientists have a question: when you’re falling to your death, does time really slow down? Being scientists, they’ve tested this by dropping volunteers from a great height. Any guesses on what they learned?

      This workshop uses that answer — and other insights from modern neuroscience — to introduce new ways to think about how details and pacing change the emotional intensity of a scene.

      Jam-packed with weird science and fun examples, this workshop is the least interactive one I do, and can also be a presentation to a gym-ful.

      Audience: Targetted at grades 7 – 12, writers’ craft classes, university classes, writers’ master classes. Works as a workshop for single classes, but can also be run as a presentation for a gym-ful.

      Timing: Adaptable to your timetable, but generally 45-60 minutes plus a Q&A, for a total of 60-90 minutes.

      Writer in Residence options

      Want to take it up a notch? These workshops add together to create a great program for a writer in residence. Think every day for a week, or twice a month for a semester, or even more.

      This is my absolute favourite thing to do — it’s a game changer for me, for the kids, and for the teachers I work with.

      Contact Erin to book a visit.

        Fernandez, Caroline (Toronto, ON)

        Writer’s Union member. CANSCAIP. SCWBI. Silver Birch Non-Fiction Honour Book Award 2016.

        Rates – in person: $300 for one session and $150 for additional sessions. Virtual visits: $150 per session (with negotiation for size of audience and recording permissions). Travel outside of Toronto: 59.0 cents/km.

        Caroline Fernandez loves to write children’s books for curious kids. She’s won awards for her fantastic stories, like the exciting chapter book series “Asha and Baz” which highlights real-life historical women in STEM. She has written numerous picture books including; “Hide And Seek: Wild Animal Groups in North America” and “The Adventures of Grandmasaurus” (series) and “Stop Reading This Book“. For those looking for a big adventure, her middle-grade historical novel “Plague Thieves” is now out. Caroline is an enthusiastic presenter who encourages interaction during visits.

        • Asha and Baz Meet Elizebeth Friedman is a 2024 Next Generation Indie Award finalist
        • Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan is a 2023 Next Generation Indie Award Finalist and TD Summer Reading Club Recommended Read.
        • Asha and Baz Meet Hedy Lamar is a 2023 Purple Dragonfly winner
        • The Adventures of Grandmasaurus is a 2021 Purple Dragonfly winner
        • Boredom Busters is a 2015 Forest of Reading Silver Birch honour book award winner

        Presentations by Grades

        All presentations include a reading, engaging activities, and author Q & A. Caroline is happy to work with teachers and librarians to develop a need-specific presentation, but here are some examples:

        Middle Grade (60 minutes)

        • Plague Thieves

        Reading of Plague Thieves. Then, discussion of inspiration, brainstorming, researching, writing, revision, and editing of this historic middle grade novel. Discussion on the challenges of incorporating real facts into middle grade historical fiction.

        Themes: middle grade books, writing and editing, research, historical fiction, geography, history, pandemics, urbanization, STEM in renaissance times Vs modern times, types of story conflict in books.

        Grades JK-6 (60 minutes)

        Asha and Baz series (chapter book series)

        • Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan
        • Asha and Baz Meet Hedy Lamarr
        • Asha and Baz Meet Elizebeth Friedman
        • Asha and Baz Meet Katia Krafft

        In the Asha and Baz series, two children are faced with a STEM challenge in school. They time travel to meet a women in history who has made a significant discovery which relates back to their school challenge. They learn about the woman, her time, and her STEM genre. Then, they travel back to their time and apply what they learn to their class challenge. Each of the STEM challenges can be reproduced as an activity at home or in class using simple materials.

        Themes: science and technology, women in science, history, biography, space, STEM, gender equality, early reader chapter book

        • Hide and Seek: Wild Animal Groups in North America (picture book)

        Themes: collective nouns, animals, migration of monarch butterfly, North America, finding one’s place, inclusivity, Earth Day, Earth Month, picture book

        • Stop Reading This Book (picture book)

        The book judges the reader by their cover. Would you….could you stop reading this book?!

        Themes: antagonists, protagonists, conflict, resolution, picture book, diversity, bullying, reading, picture book

        The Adventures of Grandmasaurus (picture book series)

        • The Adventures of Grandmasaurus
        • The Adventures of Grandmasaurus At the Aquarium Rescue Centre
        • The Adventures of Grandmasaurus At the Supermarket

        Grandma sneezes herself into different dinosaurs on a field trip to the museum. Role reversal story where the kids know the rules better than Grandmasaurus.

        Themes: inter-generational relationships, non-gendered characters, role reversal, literary non-fiction, diversity, facts, role reversal, dinosaurs, picture book

        • Boredom Busters
        • More Boredom Busters

        Let’s dive into busting boredom! Brainstorming on things you can craft using supplies you have around your home or classroom. Great for makerspace and school-vacation activity ideas!

        Themes: Screen-free activities, recycle/upcycle, STEM, creativity, boredom busters, activity books

        Equipment required: Table. Library or classroom preferred.

        Mid-morning start time requested.

        Caroline also offers book marketing coaching for authors

        Contact Caroline for a visit: