APPLY TO HOST ASHLEY BARRON (IN PERSON)
BIOGRAPHY
Ashley Barron grew up in Oshawa/Whitby, Ontario and later studied illustration at the Ontario College of Art & Design. She’s a multimedia artist best known for her paper collage work. She’s illustrated over 20 picture books, two of which she’s authored. Ashley lives with her partner Kevin and four cats in Toronto, Ontario.
Home Location: Toronto, Ontario
Creator Type: Author-illustrator
Genres: Picture books
Website: ashleybarron.com
Tour Region: Saskatchewan
Target Audience: Kindergarten – Grade 5
Cost: For one 60-minute presentation: $300 plus 5% GST
NOTE: The fee of $300 (plus tax) will be paid to The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) upon receipt of an invoice from the CCBC. After Book Week, the CCBC will pay the author their presentation fee of $250 (plus taxes, if applicable).
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Swimming Fish Puppets
Paper collage workshop
Target Audience: Kindergarten to Grade 3
Preferred group size: 15 – 30 students
Maximum group size: 45 students
Join children’s author-illustrator Ashley Barron in an art activity that combines paper collage with puppetry. Ashley will start her workshop by sharing how a picture book is made and the steps she takes illustrating one. She’ll then read from her latest illustrated book, Shy Me (written by Sandra V. Feder and part of Groundwood Books’ Emotions and Me series). There are fishy elements throughout the book that Ashley will then bridge into her craft portion of the workshop. She’ll demonstrate some of her favourite paper collage techniques and then show students how to make their own colourful paper fish which they’ll later bring to life using simple puppetry tricks.
Required equipment: white board or chart board
Required materials: 1 glue stick per student, 1 pair of scissors per student, crayons and/or pencil crayons to share, coloured construction paper (and if possible, a bin of paper scraps of any kind: wrapping paper, old magazine, tissue paper, etc.), wooden dowels and tape for the puppets will be supplied by Ashley.
Flock of Neighbourhood Birds
Paper collage workshop
Target Audience: Grades 3-5
Preferred group size: 20 - 30 students
Maximum group size: 45 students
What birds live in your neighbourhood? Can you recognize them by the sounds they make, by their movements and colouring? What other clues can help you identify a species of bird?
In this workshop led by illustrator/author Ashley Barron, students will take a closer look at the common birds in their surroundings. A reading from her newest illustrated book, A Visit with the Birds (written by Sara Levine and published by Sourcebooks) will act as a springboard into this discussion, which will then lead into a craft.
Ashley will show students how to draw a bird by reimagining its parts (beak, wings, tail, etc) as simple shapes. She’ll then demonstrate how to add colour and texture to those simplified shapes using paper collage techniques and assemble them back into a bird. From there, Students will make their own paper bird. The end result will be a flock of birds that could be displayed on a classroom wall.
Required equipment: whiteboard or chart board
Required materials: 1 glue stick per student, 1 pair of scissors per student, sheets of white paper for sketching, crayons and/or pencil crayons to share, coloured construction paper (and/or a bin of paper scraps of any kind: wrapping paper, old magazine, tissue paper, etc.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lonely Me. Written by Sandra V. Feder. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Groundwood Books, Fall 2026)
A Visit With the Birds. Written by Sara Levine. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Sourcebooks, Spring 2026)
Shy Me. Written by Sandra V. Feder. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Groundwood Books, 2025)
Three City Kitties. Written and illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2024)
This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake. Written by Nicholas Ruddock. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Groundwood Books, 2024)
Granny Left Me a Rocketship. Written by Heather Smith. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Kids Can Press, 2023)
I, Sea. Written by Suzanne Sutherland. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2023)
Chaiwala!. Written by Priti Maheshwari. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2021)
My City Speaks. Written by Darren Lebeuf. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Kids Can Press, 2021)
City Baby. Written by Laurie Elmquist. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Orca Books, 2021)
Pretty Tricky. Written by Etta Kaner. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2020)
My Ocean is Blue. Written by Darren Lebeuf. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Kids Can Press, 2020)
Love You Head to Toe. Written and illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2019)
My Forest is Green. Written by Darren Lebeuf. illustrated by Ashley Barron (Kids Can Press, 2019)
Gentle Hands & Other Sing-Along Songs for Social-Emotional Learning. Written by Amadee Ricketts. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Free Spirit Publishing, 2018)
Birthdays Around the World. Written by Margriet Ruurs. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Kids Can Press, 2017)
Up!: How Families Around the World Carry Their Little Ones. Written by Susan Hughes. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2017)
Kyle Goes Alone. Written by Jan Thornhill. Illustrated by Ashley Barron, (Owlkids, 2015)
Shaping Up Summer. Written by Lizann Flatt and illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2014)
Sizing Up Winter. Written by Lizann Flatt. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2013)
Sorting through Spring. Written by Lizann Flatt. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2013)
Counting on Fall. Written by Lizann Flatt. Illustrated by Ashley Barron (Owlkids, 2012)