Available for in-person visits: Greater Toronto Area and York Region
Available for virtual visits: Prince Edward Island
Genre: Picture Books, Non-Fiction
Target Audience: Kindergarten to Grade 4
Cost for School and Public Presentation: $250.00, plus applicable taxes
Biography
Rina Singh is an award-winning Canadian Children’s Author and Spoken Word coach. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Concordia University, Montreal, and a teaching degree from McGill University. As a writer, she is drawn to real life stories about social justice, the environment, and wildlife conservation. Her books have been translated in several languages and have received many starred reviews. Grandmother School, (Orca Books) which won the Christie Harris Children’s Literary prize affirms the life-changing power of education. 111 Trees, (Kids Can Press) won the Social Justice literature award and was featured in The New York Times. A lover of poetry, photography, beautiful books, and trees, she lives in a blue house in Toronto.
Presentation Information:
Presentation: Where Do Stories Come From? (General audience; 60 minutes)
In this 60-minute visual presentation, Rina looks back over her own career, using examples of the books she has written, she asks the audience to think about where stories and ideas come from. She shows how a book comes together, from first idea, to first draft and through the re-writing process. The last twenty minutes of the presentation are interactive. This presentation will appeal even to the most reluctant readers.
Maximum number of students: 100
Workshop: The Writer's Studio (Grades 4-6; Grades 7-8; 60 minutes)
In this fast-paced workshop, participants will explore how they can use their own experiences and curiosity and create compelling stories and poems using lyrical language. Unusual exercises help them discover the joy of playing with language. The workshop ends with student readings and there will be a handout for teachers.
Maximum number of students: 30
Book List
Foodie Fest (Orca Book Publishers, forthcoming 2025)
A Sky for the Birds (Orca Book Publishers, forthcoming 2025)
A Place in the World (Creative Editions, forthcoming 2025)
The Barefoot Skateboarders (Orca Book Publishers, forthcoming Fall 2024)
The Lion Queen (Cameron + Company, 2023)
Once, A Bird (Orca Book Publishers, 2023)
Imagine a Garden. (Greystone Kids, 2023)
The Forest Keeper. (NordSüd, 2023)
My Heart Beats (Orca Book Publishers, 2021)
111 Trees (Kids Can Press, 2020)
Grandmother School (Orca Book Publishers, 2020)
A Meeting in the Sky (The Creative Company, 2019)
Diwali Lights (Orca Book Publishers, 2018)
Holi Colors (Orca Book Publishers, 2018)
Diwali: Festival of Lights (Orca Book Publishers, 2016)
My First Book of Hindi Words (Tuttle Books, 2016)
Hindi for Heart (HarperCollins, 2013)
Guru Nanak: The First Sikh Guru (Groundwood Books, 2011)
Nearly Nonsense: Hoja Tales from Turkey (Tundra Books, 2011)
A Forest of Stories (Barefoot Books, 2003)
Moon Tales (Bloomsbury, 1999)
The Foolish Men of Agra (Key Porter Books, 1998)
The Magic Braid (Sister Vision Press, 1995)
Silences (HarperCollins, 1999)
Educational Books
Trickster Tales (Scholastic, 2007)
Why Snow is White: A Story for Holi (Scholastic, 2006)
Pitseolak Ashoona: Inuit Artist (Pearson, 2005)