Strauss, Rochelle (Toronto, ON)

Writer’s Union member. Member of CANSCAIP, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Science Writers and Communicators of Canada, Society of Children’s Book and Writers and Illustrators, National Marine Educators Association, North American Association for Environmental Education, Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication, and Canadian Network for Ocean Education. A selection of awards and honour include UNESCO Ocean Literacy, United Nationals Sustainable Development Book Club, Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, Santa Monica Public Libraries Winner, Sigurd F Olsen Nature Writing Award for Children’s Literature Winner, International Book Award, Society of School Librarians Winner, and several other awards and honours.

Fees for on-site visits: $350 + HST per presentation, $600 + HST for two presentations on the same day. Each additional presentation on the same day $250 + HST, up to a maximum of 4 presentations. Mileage for school visits outside of Toronto $0.61/km. Accommodation fees may apply if outside GTHA. Fees for virtual visits: $300 + HST per presentation, $200 + HST for each additional presentation on the same day, to a maximum of 4 presentations per day.

Rochelle Strauss is on a mission to change the world – one book at a time! As an environmental educator and award-winning children’s author, Rochelle is dedicated to building environmental literacy and inspiring people to become active stewards of our planet. Through her work, she uses compelling storytelling to bring complex ecological processes and environmental issues to life, helping young people better understand the natural world and empowering them to make a positive impact. Most importantly, Rochelle also brings HOPE by sharing ripples of change – good new stories from around the world. Rochelle’s children’s books have won several awards, been translated globally and incorporated into curriculum in the US. The Global Ocean is a UNESCO endorsed Ocean Decade Activity, and One Well: The Story of Water on Earth was selected as part of the UN’s SDG Book Club in support of SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. One Well has also sold over half a million copies internationally. An active speaker and presenter, Rochelle can often be found building environmental literacy in classrooms around the world and raising the profile of non-fiction books as tools for STEM education at conferences and teacher training workshops. 

School Programs:

The Global Ocean

What if Earth had a beating heart that powered everything on the planet? In a way, the Global Ocean is like Earth’s Heart.

Using this powerful premise, this presentation focusses on building Ocean Literacy – the understanding of the ocean’s influence on us, and our influence on the ocean.

Diving into the global ocean students learn about the ocean and how it sustains all life on Earth. They explore the important roles the ocean plays in supporting life, such as regulating Earth’s climate, controlling weather, providing habitat, and as a source of food for many animals on the planet (including people). Students also hear about the many issues affecting the health of the global ocean such as pollution, global warming, overfishing, habitat destruction, etc.

But Rochelle’s emphasis is on HOPE. Using stories called ripples of change, Rochelle shares good news stories of ocean conservation and action from around the world, to demonstrate how people, organizations and governments are taking action and making a difference. An interactive activity engages the entire audience to demonstrate how even the smallest action have a big impact, leaving students feeling empowered, inspired and hopeful!

Curriculum connections: water cycle, ecosystems, habitats and communities, environment, diversity of living things, earth systems, climate change, food chains and webs, earth and human activity, weather and climate.

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth

Imagine for a moment that all the water on Earth came from just one well.

During this presentation, Rochelle leads students on a journey to become Well Aware, by building their water literacy. Students discover how all water on Earth is connected, as well as explore the water cycle, water as habitat, and the issues impacting Earth’s one well, such as the limited amount of freshwater on Earth, access to the well, demands on the well and pollution in the well. Shared stories also demonstrate how plants and animals (including people) use and depend on water.

The presentation wraps with good news stories and an opportunity for students to brainstorm actions they can take to protect water on Earth. A final dramatic moment comes with an activity that demonstrates how every student has the power to create their own ripples of change. The activity leaves the students feeling empowered and inspired.

Curriculum connections: water cycle, ecosystems, habitats and communities, environment, diversity of living things, earth systems, climate change, food chains and webs, earth and human activity, weather and climate.

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth

Please contact Rochelle directly to discuss presentations in support of Tree of Life.

Teacher’s guides available upon request 🙂

Important Info:

  • Grades: 3-7 (accommodations can be made for younger/older)
  • Group size: Max 150 students per presentation (happy discuss larger groups)
  • Requirements: LCD projector and screen, as well as mic and speaker for groups of 30 or more.
  • Virtual visits can be conducted via Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.
  • Times: Rochelle can (and has!) accommodated presentations around the globe, in a range of time zones.

Contact Rochelle to book a visit:

    Lukidis, Lydia (Montreal, Quebec)

    Award winning author Lydia Lukidis, recipient of a Silver Birch Express honor (Forest of Reading) Award, SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the North American division, and multiple Cybils Award nominations.

    Rates:For in-person workshops (Montreal and surrounding areas)- $300 for one sixty-minute session, $450 for two, $600 for three, $750 for four, plus a travel fee of $0.50/km.

    For virtual workshops- $200 for a session of up to sixty minutes, $100 for each additional session on the same day, up to four sessions in one day. Flexible and able to accommodate schedules in a range of time zones.

    Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 60+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere (Capstone, 2025), DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner for the Canada and North America division, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, a Cybils Award nominee, and winner of the Dogwood Readers Award. A science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. She also enjoys writing books with social emotional learning (SEL) themes such as friendship, empathy, and gratitude.

    Workshops:

    Lydia has 15 years experience working with children in elementary schools. She’s passionate about spreading the love for literacy and her presentations are dynamic and lively. The goal is to entertain and educate in a way that illuminates the magic of the written word.

    Lydia offers writing workshops that tie in with educational curriculum for students from kindergarten to grade six. Each workshop begins with an initial presentation where she discusses her writing process giving particular attention to the art of editing. This will include some fun literacy games. Lydia will then help students brainstorm and start their own writing process. These workshops are an excellent opportunity for students to develop good writing and cognitive skills, improve literacy, and tap into creative self-expression. Study guides and follow up activities will be provided.

    The workshops are tailored for each grade, here are the various options:

    • Story Making 101 (1-6)
    • Character Development (K-6)
    • Fairy Tale Magic (1-4)
    • The Power of Mythology (4-6)
    • Persuasive Writing (2-6)
    • The Art of Poetry (2-6)
    • Personal Narratives (2-6)
    • Crafting Nonfiction (2-6)
    • Let’s Write a Book (2-6, a special 3-part workshop where students communally write and illustrate a book that Lydia will print)
    • Author Reading with Puppetry Workshop (K-3)
    • Advanced Narrative Building (6)

    (35 students maximum for in-person, 100 for virtual)

    Presentations:

    • Sparking Interest through STEM: This presentation will show children that STEM is not only all around us, but it’s also fun and exciting! (K-3)
    • Dream Big and Take the Leap: This presentation will highlight the perseverance required to achieve your dreams and how seeming “failures” can help you carve your path to success. The goal is to inspire students to dream big! (3-6)

    (100 students maximum)

    Suggested Reading:

    Grades 2-5:

    DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench is a lyrical spare-text STEM picture book that takes readers on a journey to where few humans have ever been. The narrative debunks scary myths about this mysterious place with surprising and beautiful truths about life at Earth’s deepest point.

    (Themes: STEM, deep sea, biodiversity, conservation, oceanography, biology, geology)

    Kindergarten-3:

    Grades 2-5:

    UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere: Look up–into the blue and beyond. What do you see? The sky–our atmosphere–may seem empty or invisible. But is it? Using spare, lyrical language, author Lydia Lukidis takes readers on an imagined journey up, up high to discover the surprising and wondrous things flying, floating, and happening between the treetops and the stars in this STEM-based picture book.

    Themes: STEM, weather, atmospheres, clouds

    Grades 2-5:

    DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights is the true story of Dr. Mae Jemison, whose lifelong passions of science and dance prepared her to become a trailblazing astronaut, making her the first Black woman to travel into outer space. Throughout it all, she pursued her love of dance.

    Themes: STEM, space, perseverance, breaking barriers, art meets science

    Requirements:

    Lydia will require a smart board with functional speakers for a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation. Students will need pencils, erasers, loose-leaf paper, and sometimes pencil crayons and markers. In order to ensure a successful workshop, it is essential that at least one educator/librarian remain in class for the duration of the workshop. For larger presentations in-person, she will require a table, microphone, and a proper PA system.

    Lydia also provides manuscript critiques for fiction and nonfiction.

    Contact Lydia to book a visit:

      O’Connor, Heather (Peterborough, ON).

      Writers’ Union of Canada member. Presentations and writing workshops in English. Kindergarten to Grade 12.

      Virtual visits (45 minutes): $150+HST. Virtual kindies (Two 20-minute sessions): $150+HST. In-person visits (45-60 minutes): $250+HST for one session, $450+HST for two, $600+HST for three, $800+HST for a full day (4 sessions). Kindies: two 25-minute sessions for $250+HST. Mileage for visits 100+ km from Peterborough.

      Heather M. O’Connor’s new picture book Fast Friends is a 2021 Blue Spruce Award nominee. She writes fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens.

      Heather is an enthusiastic presenter. She uses fun activities and clear, kid-friendly examples to engage with young audiences. “What it’s like to write a book? A lot like doing a school project,” she explains. Heather’s workshops and presentations can be tailored to your classroom. Most come with curriculum connections, follow-up activities and teacher resources.

      Presentations:
      Book talks

      Fast Friends (Blue-Spruce-nominated picture book)
      Suze and Tyson become friends speedy-quick, even though Suze is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair. This story is inspired by Heather’s daughter Suze and her friends growing up. Themes and curriculum connections: body language, mime, inclusion, friendship, welcoming newcomers, working with
      an illustrator.

      Betting Game (high-action sports novel for readers 10+, ideal for reluctant readers)
      Jack is a hotshot soccer player. When a new player joins the team, Jack gets drawn into gambling. Heather plays soccer herself. To research this book, she toured the Toronto FC Training Ground and met TFC head coach Greg Vanney. Themes and curriculum connections: soccer, research techniques, friendship, asking for help, teen gambling.

      A writer’s life

      • So you want to be a writer (Spoiler alert – It’s a lot like being a student)
      • Digging up the facts: Research anecdotes and tips
      • Even authors need an editor: Revising process, tips and hacks, exercises
      • All roads lead to writing: Careers in writing (ideal for Grade 10 Careers)

      Creative writing for young writers

      • “What ifs” and “I wonders” (gathering ideas)
      • Going on a Bear Hunt (conflict and tension)
      • Let’s tell a story (plot)
      • World-building (setting)
      • Story polish (revision)

      Creative writing for older kid and teens and adults

      • Writer’s craft: Hands-on sessions that focus on a single element of story (character, setting, point of view,
      • conflict, plot, theme.) Book four elements, get fifth free.
      • Short story writing
      • Revision

      Nonfiction presentations and hands-on writing workshops
      Heather’s been a freelance writer for almost 20 years. Her favourite news beat is LesPlan Educational Services. Bring her in to work with your students.

      • Ask the right questions: Interview techniques
      • Google doesn’t know everything: Research methods (archives, newspapers, oral histories)
      • Persuade me!: Persuasive writing
      • News or opinion: What’s the difference?
      • Writing the news (interviews, outlines, 5 Ws, inverted triangle writing)

      Books titles and awards:
      Fast Friends, Scholastic Canada, 2020. Picture book. Blue Spruce nominee, 2021 Forest of Reading. Toronto Public Library First and Best, 2020.
      Betting Game, Orca Book Publishers, 2015. Young adult high-low sports novel. Recommended title, Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2015. Highly recommended, CM Magazine.
      Runs with the Stars, Second Story, Spring 2022. Dual language picture book, written with Darcy Whitecrow.

      Audience size and equipment needed:
      Classroom or school library preferred. Will present in gyms or auditoriums if microphone provided. Please supply podium and table, and if possible, a digital projector and screen.

      Contact Heather to book a visit…