As we conclude this guide to contemporary Canadian picture books, we celebrate the many, many exemplary titles we have read, and the joy and information they bring to readers young and old.
We are also conscious of roads left unexplored. We haven’t tapped the growing number of picture books produced by self-publishing routes, or small start-up presses we’ve yet to hear about. Authors and illustrators who live and write in Canada but published between 2017–2019 with companies outside the country are also not included in our thematic chapters, and thus we haven’t been able to share some truly masterful works by The Fan Brothers, Rob Gonsalves, Jon Klassen, Alice Kuipers, George Littlechild, Jeremy Tankard, and more. French language books published in Canada were also not explored in our work, leaving out many noteworthy titles, and this avenue would be fascinating to explore and connect with a comparative analysis of English titles. And a separate study that includes counting books and alphabet books would definitely be a worthy endeavor, not to mention the wonderful board books being produced, as these texts were not included in our project.
Additional research projects are suggested in terms of depictions of Canadian identity in targeted samples of these picture books. For example, explorations of text and images might identify what messages we are giving young audiences about culture, and examine where – in text, illustrations, or both – these messages appear. Other questions might take a research team into examining notions of place, or the intertextuality that appears in postmodern picture books, following previous research by Johnson and Bainbridge (2013) or Sipe and Pantaleo (2008). In our explorations, we sometimes found it difficult to locate information about the media used by illustrators, especially in reviews, and we suggest that more attention should be given to the illustrator’s visual craft alongside the author’s written text – both modes of communication are important.
We also encourage future research that will expand understandings of wider, culturally representative content in Canadian picture books. In terms of Indigenous content, we have noted in general the titles where Indigenous authors or illustrators are connected, but a more responsive study to understand Indigenous knowledge and perspectives more deeply is suggested in order to explore patterns and themes that appear from various distinct Indigenous groups across Canada.
Classic works from around the world have no doubt influenced our own creative content in Canada, and we think about John Burningham, Eric Carle, Mem Fox, Leo Lionni, Arnold Lobel, Helen Oxenbury, Beatrix Potter, Michael Rosen, Shaun Tan, Rosemary Wells, Brian Wildsmith, Audrey Wood, Jane Yolen… the list of inspirational writers and artists goes on and on.
And then there’s the contemporary content from outside Canada that continues to push the envelope: Dear Mr. President by New Zealand author Sophie Siers (illustrated by Anne Villeneuve), about a child who hears of a president building a wall and starts writing him letters; New York author Esmé Shapiro’s Alma and the Beast, about celebrating human differences; Out, the story of a young girl and her mother who are refugees making the journey to a new home, by Australian author and illustrator team Angela May George and Owen Swan; new bilingual work by Jill Daniels, a Ritharrnu and Madarrpa arist in Australia; and of course the wonderful books of Peter H. Reynolds, especially Ish – which champions the bravery of artists and other creators everywhere. Again, the list extends off the page, around the corner, and into the distance.
There are a few books that were slated for publication in time for our scrutiny but delays due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have prevented us from reading them on schedule. One of these is Kathy Stinson’s The Girl Who Loved Giraffes and became the world’s first giraffologist (illustrated by François Thisdale, and designed by Kong Njo), a true story about Anne Innis Dagg. We are reminded that new books are entering the field all the time, and we want to encourage you to keep reading!
We could continue! But we’ll stop here. We hope our work has interested, challenged, and amazed you, and supported more Canadian picture books than ever before in reaching the hands of readers… where they belong!