Mr. Zinger's Hat wins the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

I was honoured to hear that Dusan and I have been awarded this year's Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. As I am at the Vancouver Writer's Festival (and having a terrific time, by the way--surely this isn't work) I couldn't attend the ceremony on Tuesday but my wife Rebecca graciously stepped in for me. Here follows the words she read for me.****This is an overwhelming honour. And if I was actually standing before you, I’d probably have a hard time getting the words out. Although I’m happy to be at the Vancouver Writers’ Festival, I am very sorry not to be with you in person. Not just because I want to be made a fuss over—although my wife Rebecca well knows how much I enjoy that—but because I feel, with all sincerity, such great pride at being part of this community of people who care so deeply about children’s books. When I started writing “Mr. Zinger’s Hat” I didn’t know that it was going to be a story about stories. In truth, I was as surprised by what came out of that hat as Leo, the boy in the story, is. And when it was done, it just felt to me as if needed the amazing gifts of Dusan Petricic to make it complete. Thank goodness he agreed to make it his story, too. I want to thank everyone at Tundra books. I want especially to thank Katherine Cole who was our editor. I want to express my gratitude to the Baillie family and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. And finally, to my family. Thank you all so much.

'A Bird's Eye' is a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

'A Bird's Eye has been named one of five finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Finalists receive $2,500, and the winner (announced at a gala on November 20) receives $25,000. ***The other nominees are: Krista Bridge, 'The Eliot Girls'; Lynn Coady, 'Hellgoing'; Colin McAdam, 'A Beautiful Truth'; Lisa Moore, 'Caught.' *** My congratulations to the other finalists. I look forward to meeting you all.

Early reviews of "A Bird's Eye"

"Fabulous...pure and utter magic." National Post.*** "A captivating coming-of-age story. Perhaps his finest book yet." Canadian Jewish News.*** "A slim volume of great beauty, memorable and filled with truth." Gary Shteyngart.*** "Captivating." Quill & Quire.***"Lyrical. 'A Bird's Eye' is written exactly to the scale it should be." Montreal Gazette.*** Amazon "Best Books of September."

'A Bird's Eye' book launch this Tuesday, August 27, at the Free Times Cafe

Well, the headline says it all, or almost all. Everyone is invited to the launch of my new novel. The launch starts at 7 p.m., there is music and refreshments, and the address is 320 College Street. So come on by. I'd love to see you.

A new novel, a new publisher

I'm a long-time admirer of House of Anansi and to say that I'm pleased they have become my new adult publisher is an understatement. On August 31, Anansi will publish my new novel, 'A Bird's Eye.' (The cover is designed by Brian Morgan.)

This small book took me about eight years to write, as I would work on it for several months and then put it down for a stretch before taking it up again. As I wrote in a recent issue of 'Quill & Quire' in an article about being an adult and a kids' author, the novel is "set in Toronto in the 1930s and concerns a 14-year-old boy who moves through a world of European immigrants, market vendors, African-Americans, rich entrepreneurs, vaudeville, gambling, sex, conjuring, mechanical toys, hermits, libraries, and broken dreams."

The Season of School Visits

I've been having a great time visiting schools this spring--in Toronto, Brampton, Burlington, Oakville, Stouffville and even Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Lately I've been talking about where stories begin and some schools have used the visit to get the kids writing. Here are a couple of photos from a recent visit to Sunnybrook in Toronto. The first shows off the 'Banjo of Destiny.' The second is a great example of a teacher and students using my visit as the starting point for their own creativity. Fantastic!

Oy, it's a new picture book!

After I finished writing "Oy, Feh, So" I just knew that Gary Clement had to be the illustrator. I've known Gary for nearly twenty-five years and I figured that it was about time he did something worthwhile. Other than the previous book we did, that is. Gary agreed--after all, what else did he have to do other than his daily cartoon for 'The National Post,' the art for his next show at Loop Gallery, his freelance work, etc. etc. And he did such a wonderful job that the pictures alone make me laugh. * The story is a homage to my aunts and uncles, and great aunts and uncles, and their visits to our house when I was a kid. * Here are some early reviews: "Very funny."-- Publisher's Weekly. "You don't have to be Jewish to find this one funny." -- Booklist. "Fagan has hit on a universal theme and pulls off a charming read. A great book for reading aloud."--CM Magazine. "Priceless"--Canlit for Little Canadians.