Welcome to my blog (scroll down to see individual posts), which was originally on a separate site at Inkygirl.com. I also have a separate Inkygirl newsletter on Substack at debbieohi.substack.com.
Also see: Inkygirl interviews – Resources
Joyce Wan designed her first greeting card when she was in first grade for a city-wide greeting card design contest. The design won first place and was subsequently sold through a major department store chain. Twenty years later that design would inspire a design studio called Wanart whose products and books . . .
#BookADay: THIS ONE SUMMER written by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books/House Of Anansi, 2014). Bought this at The Beguiling Books & Art a while back after hearing it won the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Illustration. I found that the book perfectly captured the feeling of summer in both the text and . . .
Karen Krossing wrote poetry and rants as a teen and dreamed of becoming a published writer. Today, she’s the author of seven successful novels for kids and teens, and she conducts writing workshops to empower emerging writers. Her latest is Punch Like a Girl (Orca, 2015). I met Karen through Torkidlit and CANSCAIP, and have been . . .
I first met Russ Cox through our mutual friend Hazel Mitchell, when we were both members of Pixel Shavings. I’ve been grateful to Russ for his encouragement and support, especially his tips re: Photoshop and Painter. He’s one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Plus check out the WONDERFUL and uncannily . . .
#BookADay: SHADOW CHASERS by Elly McKay ( Theater Clouds on FB), published by Running Press. I love Elly’s absolutely gorgeous paper-theater lightbox illustrations. Synopsis: “Once evening paints the summer sky, shadows will come out to play. You must move fast, because as quickly as the wind blows, the shadows will . . .
Know the difference between actually being productive and the illusion of productivity, especially when you’re online.
I had a FANTASTIC time during my WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? Book Tour earlier this month. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Children’s for making the book tour possible for me, and to all the schools, libraries and bookstores who participated. For those interested, I’ve posted links to my photos and . . .
Today’s #BookADay: WON TON AND CHOPSTICK, written by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (Henry Holt). Synopsis: “Won Ton cat’s purrfect life with his boy is changed forever when the family adopts a (gasp!) puppy.” More about the book, including a Teacher’s Guide & Activity Kit. Lee was kind enough to answer Three Questions for me . . .
#BookADay: FOX AND SQUIRREL MAKE A FRIEND by my awesome sis, Ruth Ohi (published by Scholastic Canada). This was a “Best Books” selection by the The Canadian Children’s Book Centre and a “First and Best” Toronto Public Library Selection! “Is there room for someone else in Fox and Squirrel’s friendship? Fox and Squirrel are the best of . . .