Where did you grow up?
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
What is your earliest memory of drawing?
My kindergarten teacher was very excited when I drew a girl holding an umbrella... Most kids drew the arm holding the umbrella as an upside-down arc, like the handle of the umbrella, but I drew an elbow! Apparently this was unusual.
What books from your childhood have most influenced your work?
The Night Kitchen and Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
The Cuckoo Clock, by Mrs. Molesworth, illustrated by C.E. Brock
The Water Babies, by Charles Kingsley, illustrated by Linley Sambourne
Little House on the Prairie (the whole series), by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams
Charlotte's Web, by E.B White, illustrated by Garth Williams
Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Joseph Schindelman
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
Are You My Mother? and Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman
All books by Dr. Seuss
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang, by Mordecai Richler
Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales
What are your hobbies and interests besides reading and books?
Painting, watching movies, cooking, running, boxing, seeing theatre, dancing...
Who are a couple of your favorite illustrators?
That's a very long list! But here are a few current book illustrators that I adore: Dusan Petricic, Geneviève Côté, Isabelle Arsenault, Lisbeth Zwerger, Christoph Niemann
What one or two words of advice would you give for young illustrators?
Be patient, hang in there!
