FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: IBBY Canada and Toronto Public Library are delighted to announce that Todd Stewart is the 2025 Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence.
During his residency during the month of October, Todd Stewart will offer hands-on art workshops for school classes in person or online, sessions for adults on topics related to working as an illustrator, presentations to high school and college art students, portfolio reviews, and an exhibition of his artwork. The in-person art workshops will be hosted at Toronto Public Library’s North York Central Library.
Todd is a self-taught printmaker and filmmaker, as well as an illustrator and author of picture books. He co-manages a collective print studio, and runs silkscreen and illustration workshops for children, youth, and adults at his studio and in schools, galleries, local business, libraries, and artist-run centres. Silkscreen techniques are an integral part of Todd’s illustration process and he incorporates them in all of his book projects.
Todd's recent book Skating Wild on an Inland Sea, written by Jean E. Pendziwol, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature - Illustrated Books, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award. Other books he illustrated include Pipo, written by Amélie Dumoulin; Flow, Spin, Grow written by Patchen Barss; and See You Next Year written by Andrew Larsen. Todd also wrote and illustrated Little Moments in a Big Universe and The Wind and the Trees. Raised in the Prairies, Todd lives in Montreal with his family.
The Illustrator in Residence Program honours the life of Joanne Fitzgerald (1956–2011), whose books include Plain Noodles, Emily’s House, and Doctor Kiss Says Yes (winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award). The program is a joint project of IBBY Canada, Toronto Public Library, and Joanne Fitzgerald’s family. The illustrators are Martha Newbigging (2013), Patricia Storms (2014), John Martz (2015), Dianna Bonder (2016), Ashley Barron (2017), Nahid Kazemi (2018), Diego Herrera/Yayo (2019), Soyeon Kim (2021), Sandra Dumais (2022), Carey Sookocheff (2023), Chelsea O’Byrne (2024), and Todd Stewart (2025).
Toronto Public Library (TPL) is the world's busiest urban public library system, with more than 46 million annual visits to its branches and online. TPL empowers Torontonians to thrive in the digital age and knowledge economy through easy access to technology, lifelong learning, and diverse cultural and leisure experiences, where, when and how customers need. To learn more, visit tpl.ca, email Answerline at answerline@tpl.ca or follow TPL on X, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to email updates.
IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People, was founded in 1953 and represents an international network of people committed to bringing books and children together. IBBY Canada, one of over 80 IBBY national sections worldwide, is a volunteer organization promoting quality English, French and Indigenous Canadian children's literature nationally and internationally. To become a member of IBBY Canada, click here.
For more information, please contact:
Helena Aalto
Coordinator, Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence Program
helena.aalto@rogers.com