Chelsea O'Byrne named IBBY Canada's 2024 Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: IBBY Canada is delighted to announce that Chelsea O’Bryne is the 2024 Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence. This program offers a published Canadian children’s book illustrator a month-long residency in a public library. The 2024 residency is hosted by Toronto Public Library at the North York Central Library for the month of October.

During her residency, Chelsea O’Byrne will offer hands-on art activities for school classes in person at the library or online, online workshops for adults on topics related to working as an illustrator, online presentations to students in high schools and colleges, and online portfolio reviews with artists and art students. 

Chelsea O’Byrne is a Vancouver-based artist and children’s book illustrator who works with a variety of media, including watercolour, chalk pastel, gouache and more. Her work also includes editorial illustration, concept art for animation, product and book design, and exhibitions around the world. Since 2017, Chelsea has taught illustration and drawing for students of all ages. Her workshops emphasize spontaneity, physical movement, and collaboration through drawing and storytelling.

Children’s books illustrated by Chelsea O’Bryne include Two Homes, One Heart written by Jessica Young, Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door written by Cary Fagan, Hello, Crow! written by Candace Savage, Bibi's Got Game, written by Bianca Andreescu with MaryBeth Leatherdale, and Our Corner Store written by Robert Heidbreder. Publishers of Chelsea’s books include Greystone Kids, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House Canada and Groundwood Books.

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 Award). The program is a joint project of IBBY Canada, Toronto Public Library, the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, and the Young 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).

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 (Twitter), 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, please join us here.             

For more information, please contact:

Helena Aalto

Coordinator, Joanne Fitzgerald Illustrator in Residence Program

helena.aalto@rogers.com