Kathryn E. Shoemaker of Vancouver has illustrated more than 30 children's books including A Telling Time (Tradewind, 2004) by Irene Watts and Tiffany Stone's first book, Floyd the Flamingo and his Flock of Friends (Tradewind, 2004). A Telling Time was chosen by the Internationale Jugend Bibliotek in Munich for The White Ravens 2006, their annual selection of outstanding international books for children and young adults.
Worth $10,000 each, the national Vine Awards for Jewish Literature in Canada are presented by the Koffler Centre for the Arts in four categories. The 2017 winners for Children's/Young Adult were Berlin-born Irene W. Watts (text) and Kathryn E. Shoemaker (illustrations) for Seeking Refuge (Tradewind $18.95), a graphic novel arising from the Kindertransport that enabled ten thousand Jewish children to escape from Nazi Germany prior to the outbreak of World War II. The story depicts the protagonist's estrangement in England as a refugee, missing her family and needing to learn English. Previously Kathryn Shoemaker co-authored Good-Bye Marianne: The Graphic Novel (Tundra, 2008), the first fictional installment of the Kindertransport exodus. "I came to London, England, in December 1938," says Watts, "as a seven-year-old refugee. When War broke out, I was evacuated with three million British children to the safety of the countryside, to Lanelly, S. Wales, where I was educated. I did not come to Canada with my husband and four children until 1968. Seeking Refuge is not my personal story, however it is based on the kinds of experiences many of the refugee children went through." 2018 will be the eightieth anniversary of this rescue. 9781926890029
[BCBW 2016] "Illustration"
Worth $10,000 each, the national Vine Awards for Jewish Literature in Canada are presented by the Koffler Centre for the Arts in four categories. The 2017 winners for Children's/Young Adult were Berlin-born Irene W. Watts (text) and Kathryn E. Shoemaker (illustrations) for Seeking Refuge (Tradewind $18.95), a graphic novel arising from the Kindertransport that enabled ten thousand Jewish children to escape from Nazi Germany prior to the outbreak of World War II. The story depicts the protagonist's estrangement in England as a refugee, missing her family and needing to learn English. Previously Kathryn Shoemaker co-authored Good-Bye Marianne: The Graphic Novel (Tundra, 2008), the first fictional installment of the Kindertransport exodus. "I came to London, England, in December 1938," says Watts, "as a seven-year-old refugee. When War broke out, I was evacuated with three million British children to the safety of the countryside, to Lanelly, S. Wales, where I was educated. I did not come to Canada with my husband and four children until 1968. Seeking Refuge is not my personal story, however it is based on the kinds of experiences many of the refugee children went through." 2018 will be the eightieth anniversary of this rescue. 9781926890029
[BCBW 2016] "Illustration"
Articles: 2 Articles for this author
What’ll I Do With the Baby-o?
Info (2007)
A children's librarian, Jane Cobb has been presenting kids with story time in public libraries for many years. She has also taught children's services in the Library Technician Program at Langara College in Vancouver. She is the author of I'm a Little Teapot! (Black Sheep Press, 1997), a collection of picture books, nursery rhymes, songs and games for teachers, parents and librarians. It was followed by a combination audio cassette and book, What'll I Do With The Baby-o? Nursery Rhymes, Songs and Stories for Babies (Black Sheep Press, 2007, $39.95), an attempt to create a "storytime bible" for daycares and parents concerned with pre-literacy development. Illustrated by Kathryn Shoemaker, Cobb's materials designed for children two years old or younger include 36 songs and ten stories that are easy to tell. 0-9698666-1-5
No Pets Allowed by Irene Watts & Kathryn E. Shoemaker (Tradewind $8.95)
Review
When matthew moves to the city he has to leave his dog Lucky behind. He and his mom now live in a Vancouver apartment, an apartment with a lot of rules, sternly enforced by Mr. Leo, the building manager.
In Irene Watts' No Pets Allowed, with illustrations by Kathryn E. Shoemaker, Fred, who's "a million times better than a fish,"; has a very nice leash, pulls the covers off the bed and, when Mr. Leo's not around, wrestles with Matthew on the front lawn.
The only glitch is that Fred's an invisible dog. That small detail doesn't stop Matthew and Fred from putting the run on a brick-wielding, window-smashing car thief. And when the apartment's residents sign a petition demanding a guard dog to prevent further vandalism, Matthew ends up with not one, but two dogs-Lucky and Fred.
Berlin-born Irene Watts, who's made her home in B.C. for the past twenty years, arrived in Great Britain as a child via Kindertransport, the rescue movement that from 1938 to the start of World War II moved 10,000 children (none of them accompanied by parents) out of Nazi Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
In 2001, Watts was honored with a Playwrights' Union of Canada lifetime membership for her outstanding contribution to Canadian drama and theatre. 978-1-896580-9-44
[BCBW 2011]
Louise Donnelly