Written by Gillian Sze
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Orca Book Publisher
Spring 2023
Vibrant language and rhythm celebrate the start of a new day in this uplifting poem about a city waking up.
On a beautiful, sunny morning, a family runs errands along a city street. They visit a bakery, flower shop and fruit market. Exuberant in sounds and sights—a baker sugaring tarts, flowers greeting passers-by and pigeons cooing—the story ends as a new day of sparkling possibility begins. Written in pantoum form and illustrated with delightful three-dimensional diorama images that play with light and shadow, When Sunlight Tiptoes is sure to brighten the day of our littlest readers.
To purchase, please visit Orca
Written by Ann Yu-Kyung Choi
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Orca Book Publisher
Fall 2020
Yu-Rhee, a young Korean girl, wants to know how to tell time using a clock. Her mother tells her a tale from her childhood based on the traditional Korean practice of timekeeping, where the 12 animals of the zodiac are assigned to 2-hour sections of the 24-hour clock. Told from the point of view of a mountain, the story follows a child as they climb the mountainside in search of a plant to heal their ailing mother. The climb is steep, the path wild and the way difficult. The mountain watches the child struggle and calls on the animals that live on the mountainside to help the child, but as sunlight turns to moonlight, each animal claims to be too busy. Ultimately, Once Upon an Hour is a story about determination and teamwork that shows young readers the importance of helping others.
Reviews:
“A curious premise with captivating illustrations.” - Kirkus Reviews
“The repetitive text here is soothing in cadence...Pleasing colours, and the winsome expressions on the face of the hopeful child make readers sympathetic to the situation.” - Canadian Review of Materials
To purchase, please visit Orca
Written by Elin Kelsey
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Owlkids Books
Spring 2020
How do we say goodbye to a loved one after they die? Or how can we cope with feelings of loss? This book broaches a difficult topic in a heartfelt way by exploring the beauty in how animals mourn. From elephants to whales, parrots to bonobos, and lemurs to humans, we all have rituals to commemorate our loved ones and to lift each other up in difficult times of change and loss.
For videos and teacher guides, please visit A Last Goodbye website.
Reviews:
"Scientifically sound and philosophically profound." - Kirkus Reviews - STARRED REVIEW
“Kim's absorbing dioramas create tender scenes of community, intimacy, and loss...readers will appreciate the matter-of-fact, never emotionally prescriptive look at creatures’ mourning behaviors." - Publishers Weekly
"The book adopts a gentle tone and establishes a mood of reverence and respect through Elin Kelsey’s written text and Soyeon Kim’s attractive artwork." - Canadian Review of Materials
"Gentle and reassuring, with amazing artwork once again, this is a book that is as hopeful as it is beautiful." - Sal's Fiction Addiction
"A lovely piece of enhanced nonfiction... Thoughtful and eye-opening." - School Library Journal
"This stunning picture book is unusual in many ways, from its unique and seldom-explored topic to the illustrations done in collage and created using dioramas." - Booklist
Written by Elin Kelsey
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Owlkids Books
Spring 2019
You Are Never Alone is a picture book that explores how humans are inextricably connected to nature.
Using lyrical text grounded in current science alongside detailed diorama art, this informational picture book presents the idea that we thrive through connections to the land and sea and sky, and togetherness is key to nature. It encourages inquiry-based learning, inviting readers to wonder, ask questions, observe the natural world, and engage with big ideas.
For videos and teacher guide, please visit You Are Never Alone website.
Reviews:
"it is all elegantly presented in soaring, vivid language...breathtakingly beautiful." - Kirkus Reviews - STARRED REVIEW
“[This] book could serve as a springboard for further scientific investigation.” - Booklist
“A captivating array of mixed-media artwork illustrates the often intangible emotional and physical bonds that exist throughout nature.” - Foreword Reviews - STARRED REVIEW
"This book is as reassuring as it is gorgeous." - Romper
"The connections that are part of all life on this planet are carefully explained and presented, allowing young readers a chance to think on the way life works and how nature impacts every single thing we do." - Sal's Fiction Addiction
Written by Kerry McCluskey and Roy Goose
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Inhabit Media
Fall 2017
Sukaq loves to drift off to sleep listening to his mother tell him stories. His favourite story is the tale of how a raven created the world. But this time, as his mother begins to tell the story and his eyelids become heavy, he is suddenly whisked away on the wings of the raven to ride along as the entire world is formed!
This traditional legend from Inuit storyteller Roy Goose is brought to life through co-author Kerry McCluskey’s jubilant retelling.
Reviews:
“By telling an origin story with a little boy dreaming of accompanying the giant raven as it creates the universe brings the story from legend to something more personal and even bigger.” — CanLit for Little Canadians
Awards:
2018 Selection for the White Ravens
Written by Elin Kelsey
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Spring 2015
Owlkids Books
Wild Ideas looks deep into the forests, skies and oceans to explore how animals solve problems. Whether it’s weaving a safe place to rest and reflect, blowing a fine net of bubbles to trap fish, or leaping boldly into a new situation, the animals featured (including the orangutan, humpback whale and gibbon) can teach us a lot about creative problem solving tools and strategies.
For videos and teacher guides, please visit Wild Ideas website.
Reviews:
"Speaks directly to young readers in a carefully constructed, elegant, accessible language that transcends the ordinary and demonstrates not even the slightest hint of condescension... This is a work that will be read and examined again and again, with something new to be discovered at every turn. Profound and entirely wonderful." - Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
"An imaginative and illuminating catalog of various animals' problem-solving strategies...[a] heartening celebration of our kinship with other beings." - Brain Pickings
"The depth of the images and the surprising facts work together to create a lovely connection between the readers and the natural world." - The Boston Globe
"Owlkids hit the mark with Wild Ideas." - The National Post
“Although most readers will be drawn to this book because of the animal content, they might pick up some problem-solving skills in the process." - School Library Journal
"Kelsey presents simple, powerful examples in warm, accessible language...beautifully presented and rich in ideas." - Booklist,
"Encourages children to think creatively about solving their own problems and to use animals as inspiration and example...This is a nice addition to beginning science classrooms." - The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
"This book introduces innovative thinking and problem-solving." - Library Media Connection
Awards:
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book for Kids and Teens, 2015
Kirkus Best of 2015 Selection, 2015
Written by Jan Thornhill
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Owlkids Books
2013 Spring
When Sammy, a young Wilson's warbler, wakes up one frosty August morning near the Arctic Circle, he instinctively knows that it's time to make his first migratory journey south to Panama. But there's one problem — where's Panama? All the other warblers having left without him, Sammy sets off on his journey by himself, stopping to ask the same question of each of the different animals that he meets along the way: "Is this Panama?" From the caribou heading to his winter forest to the monarch butterflies flitting to Mexico, every animal has a different destination and different advice for Sammy on how to find his way. Finally, a flock of his warbler cousins shows Sammy that finding Panama is as easy as following the stars. Animal migration patterns and seasonal changes are on display throughout this fascinating story, complemented by intricate paper collage, watercolor, and pen-and-ink illustrations.
To download activity map, please click HERE.
Reviews:
“An unusual and attractive take on a perennially absorbing topic.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Together, the text and images help make sense of a few of nature's curiosities. A truly educational journey.”- Booklist Review
"Thornhill's book is a well-told, beautifully illustrated, and informative one meant to spark children's curiosity and to broaden their engagement with the world around them." - CM Magazine
"Thornhill nicely captures the tension created by the collision of Sammy's excitement for the mysteries surrounding his first migration with the dangers and hardships associated with the sheer exhausting length of the journey. ...Kim's gorgeous illustrations combine watercolour paintings, ink and cut-paper collages, vibrant in colour and rich in detail."- Canadian Children's Book News
"Full of information, including a map of migrations routes, the book gives plenty of information about how different animals migrate to find better nesting grounds or food in addition to a good story."- Green Teacher
"A fun survey of winter migrations." - Ithaca Child
"Delicate, three-dimensional illustrations combine natural materials, sketching, and painting... The pages are beautifully composed to capture the scale of the animals with Sammy providing perspective." - Student Library Journal
“The beautifully illustrated double page spreads will help readers begin to understand the mystery of migration for a variety of species.” - Sal's Fiction Addiction
Awards:
Canadian Toy Testing Council's Great Book List, 2014
OLA Best Bets Top 10 Picture Books List, Honourable Mention, 2013
Cybils Awards, Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction category, 2013
Canadian Children's Literature Roundtable's Information Book Award, 2014
Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens, STARRED SELECTION, 2014
Vicky Metcalf Award for author Jan Thornhill's body of work, 2015
Written by Elin Kelsey
Illustrated by Soyeon Kim
Fall 2012
Owlkids Books
You Are Stardust begins by introducing the idea that every tiny atom in our bodies came from a star that exploded long before we were born. From its opening pages, the book suggests that we are intimately connected to the natural world; it compares the way we learn to speak to the way baby birds learn to sing, and the growth of human bodies to the growth of forests. Award-winning author Elin Kelsey — along with a number of concerned parents and educators around the world — believes children are losing touch with nature. This innovative picture book aims to reintroduce children to their innate relationship with the world around them by sharing many of the surprising ways that we are all connected to the natural world.
For videos and teacher guides, please visit You Are Stardust website.
Reviews:
“This is a book that reveals both the relationships and parallels between humans and the planet they live on, something children think about a lot...and it does so in a clear and compelling way...Don't miss this one, which begs to be shared intimately with children. Gather together, be still, and learn how we are stardust.” - Kirkus Book Blog Network
“In You are Stardust, Elin Kelsey works magic. This lyrical book effortlessly connects kids to their timeless origins, and the natural world, while teaching them science too. Soyeon Kim's playful illustrations will allow children's imaginations to run wild, even as they will hang on the book's every word. Bravo!An exquisite picture-book that instills that profound sense of connection with the natural world. Underpinning the narrative is a bold sense of optimism — a refreshing antidote to the fear-appeal strategy plaguing most environmental messages today…a thoughtful, beautiful piece of early science education presented by two women, the most heartening such example since Lauren Redniss’s Radioactive.”- Brain Pickings
“Readers learn interesting facts about themselves and are urged to make parallels to the planet at large. Meanwhile paper cutouts of children travel from page to page in the mixed-media dioramas, illustrating the text's assertions in a fantastical way...each one provides much to consider and absorb.” - School Library Journal
“An exceptional collaboration.”- ForeWord Reviews
“These oddball leaps at marrying the natural world with typical kid-thoughts are evocative…[and] Kim's way of literally tying us to nature is as abstract, and as intriguing, as Kelsey's.” - Booklist
“Like the child pictured, who turns cartwheels on an overturned tree, readers, too, will join in this joyful ceremony of the cycle of life.” - Shelf Awareness for Readers
“As the worlds of science and illustration continue to show, sometimes non-traditional forms of illustration - the whimsical, the mysterious, the abstract - are the best ways to draw in a new audience to scientific ideas...[You Are Stardust] transcends typical illustration and leaves room for children and adults alike to ponder the wonderful facts it presents.” - Scientific American
Awards:
Ontario Library Association, Blue Spruce Award, 2013
A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2012 Selection, 2012
YABC Choice Awards, Non-fiction Picture Book Category, 2012
Brain Pickings 13 Best Childrens, Illustrated & Picture Books of 2013, 2013
Brain Pickings 13 Best Science & Technology Books of 2013, 2013
Childrenʼs Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award, 2013
Parents' Choice Foundation Award, 2013
Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book for Kids and Teens, 2013
