Pajama Press

Pajama Press is thrilled to announce that three of our titles have been nominated for the 2017 Willow Awards.

French Toast, written by Kari-Lynn Winters and illustrated by François Thisdale, is a finalist for the Shining Willow Award.

In this picture book, Phoebe, the daughter of a white French-Canadian mother and a Jamaican English-speaking father, dislikes her school nickname of “French Toast.” Gently prompted by her blind grandmother, she uses descriptions of familiar foods from both cultures to explain the family’s varied skin colors—and realizes she can take ownership of the nickname proudly. Quill & Quire says it is “simply told and cleverly imagined” in their starred review.

Sky Pig, written by Jan L. Coates and illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo, is also a finalist for the Shining Willow Award.

In Sky Pig, Jan L. Coates weaves a story of sweetness and whimsy, ingenuity and empathy. Plasticine artist Suzanne Del Rizzo brings dimension and energy to the tale of a pig who wants—against all popular truisms—to fly. He may never reach the sky on homemade clockwork wings, but Ollie still dreams as hard as ever a pig can dream. And Jack, a true friend, realizes that just because a pig can’t fly in the ways they have tried doesn’t mean he can never soar. An uplifting picture book for anyone who has tried and tried again. Sky Pig is also a 2016 Best Books for Kids and Teens selection. 

The Hill by Karen Bass is a finalist for the Snow Willow Award.

Jared’s plane has crashed in the Alberta wilderness, and Kyle is first on the scene. After a night spent on the hilltop the teens discover something odd: the plane has disappeared. And worst of all, something is hunting them. Karen Bass, the multi-award-winning author of Graffiti Knight and Uncertain Soldier, brings her signature action packed style to a chilling new subject: the Cree Wîhtiko legend. Inspired by the real story of a remote plane crash and by the legends of her Cree friends and neighbours, Karen brings eerie life—or perhaps something other than life—to the northern Alberta landscape. The Hill was also a White Ravens 2016 selection, and a 2016 Best Books for Kids and Teens selection.

From the Willow Awards website:

“The mission of The Willow Awards is to promote reading by granting a “Willow Award” to the Canadian and/or Saskatchewan book(s) voted by Saskatchewan students to be the best of those nominated in designated categories for a specific year.”

For more information about these awards, please visit the Willow Awards website.

See the full list of 2017 Willow Awards finalists here.

“Pigs and flying are the stuff of idiomatic legend, but a porker named Ollie is determined to make it happen in this offbeat story from Coates (Rocket Man) and Del Rizzo (Gerbil, Uncurled). With help from a young human friend, Jack, Ollie tries several methods of getting airborne, such as strapping branches to his body like wings and creating a parachute/kite hybrid. Every attempt ends with an “oooooomph!” and a “plop!” Del Rizzo stages the action in three-dimensional mixed-media scenes made from plasticine, clay, and other materials, capturing the imaginative energy Jack and Ollie bring to the task (one impressive set of wings features steampunk-style gears and straps) and the stinging defeats Ollie suffers. By the fourth time readers see the pig banged up from a fall, though, they’ll probably be ready for the story to move on, which it does with the arrival of a hot-air balloon.”

Click here to read the entire review.

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Elizabeth Bird, a librarian at New York Public Library, writer for the School Library Journal and influential voice in children’s literature, posted her list of “Some of the Best Picture Books of 2016 Thus Far (Mid-Year Summary)” earlier this week. Of the 81 titles listed, we are thrilled to have two of our titles included.  Elliot by Julie Pearson, one of our Spring titles, and Sky Pig by Jan L. Coates both received nods.

Of Elliot, she writes, “used in the right context, this book does something that no other book does.” She also took the time to write a very thoughtful review of Elliot, which can be found here.

Elizabeth Bird also has some very nice praise for Suzanne Del Rizzo’s Plasticine and multimedia illustrations in Sky Pig by Jan L. Coates: “Crazycool art going on here.  I think it’s all clay, but it’s hard to tell.  Whatever the medium is, it fits the storyline perfectly.  I always have so much fun reading the book that I forget to look up how it’s made.”

Click here to see the rest of Elizabeth Bird’s wonderful picks.

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Speaking of lists, our forthcoming winter title, Little Fox, Lost, appeared in Travis Jonker‘s “2016 is Foxy” roundup, where we’re pleased to find it in good company.

All three of these books, and the rest of our titles, can be purchased or pre-ordered at an independent bookstore near you.

“A whimsical story about a pig named Ollie, who wants to fly, and his best friend, Jack, who wants to help him succeed. Of course, pigs can’t fly, but Ollie’s determination to try and try and try sends a clear message to the reading audience—never give up on your dream and keep on trying to achieve it. Jack’s determination to help Ollie in his quest speaks to the importance of the champion who provides the support the questor needs to keep going. At the end of the story, Ollie does get to fly in a hot air balloon and complete his quest the best way he can.

Sky Pig is delightful, not only for the story and its life lesson, but also for the colourful, mixed media illustrations which help provide the depth and breadth of the book. There is nothing flat in the story or in its presentation. Pre-readers will be able to tell a story from the beauty and texture of the illustrations of the pig who tries to fly and his help who cheers him on. This picture book is highly recommended for whole class reading, individual reading, as well as for students learning about and experimenting with art forms and art media.”

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CCBC has interviewed Suzanne Del Rizzo, the illustrator of Sky Pig by Jan L. Coates, for their June 2016 newsletter. She discusses how she became an illustrator, her creative process, the books she and her kids are loving just now, and what’s next for her.
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“Sky Pig just hit the shelves in April, and I had so much fun illustrating it. Sky Pig was written by Jan Coates, and published by Pajama Press. When I read the manuscript, I was immediately drawn to the extraordinary friendship between Jack and his pig-pal, Ollie, as he helps his friend try (and try and try…) to achieve his dream of flying. Jan’s lovely story gave me lots of room creatively. I had a blast channeling my inner kid, dreaming up the whimsical flying contraptions that Jack constructs for Ollie.”

Click here to read the rest of the review.

“All Ollie the pig wants is to fly. His friend, Jack, makes him wings out of duck feathers, a parachute out of a burlap sack, and even sends him careening down a hill with a clutch of umbrellas. Illustrator Suzanne Del Rizzo uses Plasticine, polymer clay, and mixed media to create her 3-D images.”—Quill & Quire

“…Dreamers can dream but, with a friend like Jack, Ollie’s dream that a pig could fly comes true.  It takes a little determination, a lot of imagination and being in the right place at the right time but Ollie’s dream, courtesy of Jack’s friendship and piggy bank, becomes a reality.  Jan L. Coates’ story is uplifting like much of her previous work…and even more so with Suzanne Del Rizzo’s spectacular art…The doughy art (plasticene with polymer clay) with mixed media collage features adds the textures and colour to elevate the story even higher.”   —Helen Kubiw, CanLit for LittleCanadians

Click here to read the full review.

“…Sky Pig is an inspirational story of two friends who have the courage to dream big and the persistence to see it through…Del Rizzo has created a series of tiny masterpieces in illustrating this book.” —CM Magazine.

Click here to read the full review.