NOTE: JENNIFER MCGRATH is touring in Quebec's Gaspesie region where the Eastern Shores School Board has arranged for schools to book presentations with the author.
BIOGRAPHY
A national award-winning children’s author from Canada’s East Coast, Jennifer is known for her dynamic presentations and engaging storytelling style. Her books are popular with avid and reluctant readers alike, and have been included in classroom reading programs, literacy initiatives and book clubs across the country. Jennifer's picture book The Snow Knows (illustrated by Josee Bisaillon, published by Nimbus) won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Prize and the Alice Kitts Memorial Award for Excellence in Children's Writing. Her middle grade novel, Chocolate River Rescue was a Hackmatack Award winner and was shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award. Jennifer's newest picture book, The Pony and the Starling (Groundwood Books, 2025) illustrated by Kristina Jones, is a gentle story of an unusual but enduring friendship through the seasons. She lives in Hillsborough, New Brunswick (just down the road from the world-famous Hopewell Rocks) and is currently owned by a border collie named Robbie and an Irish Cob pony named Thorin.
Home Location: Hillsborough, New Brunswick
Creator Type: Author
Genres: Picture books, middle-grade fiction
Website: www.jennifermcgrath.ca
Tour Region: Quebec (Gaspesie Region)
Target Audience: Kindergarten – Grade 11
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
The Pony and the Starling
Target Audience: Grades 2 - 4
This interactive presentation begins with a safari into the jungle of the imagination before moving on to explore the idea of Story Seeds, word collecting, and finding inspiration in the world around us. We will look at the amazing natural phenomenon of 'murmurations', the not-so ordinary 'common starling' and the importance of noticing the little things. The presentation will include a reading of The Pony and the Starling - a gentle story of an unusual but enduring friendship through the changing seasons. The workshop will be supported with power point presentations, audio visuals and performative poetry. Students will be invited to engage and ask questions.
Required equipment: Smartboard/TV or projector screen
Required materials: N/A
Pugs Cause Traffic Jams
Target Audience: Kindergarten - Grade 3
This high energy, interactive presentation includes a rollicking read-aloud of the hilarious Pugs Cause Traffic Jams, followed by a sing-along about Kirby the Pug. Students will chime in on the reading, and are invited to talk about the dogs they know in their own families and neighbourhoods. This presentation is supported by a power point, performative poetry, as well as printable activity and colouring pages.
Required equipment: Smartboard/TV or projector screen
Required materials: N/A
Cooking Up a Story
Target Audience: Grades 7 - 11
In this story & writing workshop, we will look at the basic ingredients that go into most stories (including movies). Students will be invited to write out their own recipes for a Good Story, (flavoured to their individual tastes). Students can then share their story idea, and ask questions of the author about the writing process, publishing, art & illustration, etc., in a Q&A with the author.
Required equipment: Smart board/TV or projector screen
Required materials: notebook, sketchbook OR recipe cards; writing and/or drawing materials (pens, coloured pencils, etc)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Pony and the Starling. Groundwood Books, 2025
Pugs Cause Traffic Jams. Kids Can Press, 2022
The Snow Knows. Nimbus Publishing, 2016
Gadzooks: The Christmas Goose. Nimbus Publishing, 2010
White Cave Escape. Nimbus Publishing, 2009
Chocolate River Rescue. Nimbus Publishing, 2007