APPLY TO HOST YOLANDA T. MARSHALL (IN PERSON)
BIOGRAPHY
Yolanda T. Marshall is a celebrated Guyanese-born, Bajan-heritage Canadian author renowned for her vibrant, inclusive, and culturally rich children’s literature. Yolanda is a traditionally published, agented author of twenty beloved titles, including A Piece of Black Cake for Santa, Miles Away in the Caribbean, Sweet Sorrel Stand, C is for Carnival, My Soca Birthday Party: with Jollof Rice and Steel Pans—recognized by CBC as one of the Best Canadian Picture Books of 2020 and featured on TD's Top Recommended Reads for 2023 and Hot Cross Buns for Everyone — featured on TD's Top Recommended Reads for 2025. A champion for underrepresented voices, Yolanda serves as a columnist and editor for Canada’s Caribbean Camera newspaper’s “Lit Corner,” where she highlights the work of marginalized Canadian authors.Yolanda’s work has earned her national and international recognition. In 2023, she received the My People Award from the Blackhurst Cultural Centre for her outstanding contribution to Canadian literature. She was named Author of the Year by the Caribbean media Loop Awards in 2022 and listed on CBC's 2020 Best Picture Books.
Home Location: Toronto
Creator Type: Author
Genres: Picture books
Website: www.ytmarshall.com
Tour Region: Nova Scotia
Target Audience: Kindergarten - Grade 3
Cost: For one 60-minute presentation: $300 plus 14% HST
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
Brown Girl in the Snow
A picture book perfect for kids aged 4-8 comes a stunning tale about persistence, creativity in the garden, and adapting to a new place.
Target Audience: Kindergarten - Grade 3
Preferred group size: unlimited
Maximum group size: unlimited
Yolanda will begin by asking the children to think about a few engaging scenarios that connect them to the story. She will ask, "Raise your hands if you've ever moved to a new place where everything felt different." Then, she might pose the question, "What do you think it would be like to come from a warm place and move somewhere cold and snowy?" This will help the kids relate to Amina’s experience even before she opens the book. Yolanda will then introduce her story by explaining that it is about a brave girl named Amina who moves far away from the warm Caribbean to a place filled with snow. Despite the significant differences, Amina discovers a clever way to bring a piece of her old home with her. Following this introduction, the author will read her book and invite the children to clap and sing along with Amina’s song, if they feel comfortable doing so. After the reading and sing-along, Yolanda will share a little fact: Just like Amina, she also came from a warm place and learned about greenhouses in school and at the local library. She will then show images (and/or existing jars) of her homegrown sweet potato slips and explain how they can be propagated.
Required equipment: LCD projector, whiteboard or screen. Microphone for large groups
Required materials: none
Yolanda’s recommended extension activity for each classroom: To create sweet potato slips, you'll need a healthy sweet potato, a container of water, and some patience. Submerge the bottom half of the sweet potato in water, using toothpicks to suspend it if necessary. Position it in a warm, sunny spot and wait for sprouts (slips) to appear.
What's in the Cookie Tin?
A humorous picture book perfect for kids aged 4-8. Olivia and Benjamin are on their quest to eat what's inside the cookie tin. The siblings' experience at their grandparents' home sheds light on a multicultural phenomenon involving the cookie tins found in many homes worldwide.
Target Audience: Kindergarten - Grade 3
Preferred group size: unlimited
Maximum group size: unlimited
To set the scene with curiosity, Yolanda will begin by asking the children, "Have you ever seen one of these at your house or your grandparents' house? What's usually inside? Cookies? Maybe… maybe not!" “Has anyone ever opened a cookie tin and found something surprising inside?" "What would you want to find inside if you opened one?" These questions will help to spark the students’ connections before Yolanda opens the book. Yolanda will then read her funny, surprising story about two kids, Olivia and Benjamin’s first cookie tin experience at their grandparents' house. This book features shared childhood memories from Canadian teachers.
Required equipment: LCD projector, whiteboard or screen. Microphone for large groups.
Required materials: none
Yolanda’s cookie tin magic tricks: The author will present a large tin. Every time she opens it, there will be a smaller and smaller surprise (various tin sizes). The other trick includes a replica, magnet cookies. The tin will appear empty – but is it?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
SELECTED TITLES
What's In the Cookie Tin? Illustrated by Golnoush Moini. Chalkboard Publishing, 2024
My Kwanzaa Wish. Illustrated by Jamie Ellis Pasquale. Chalkboard Publishing, 2024
Big Birthday Wishes. Illustrated by Daria Lavrova. Chalkboard Publishing, 2025
Brown Girl in the Snow. Illustrated by Marianne Ferrer. Greystone Books, 2025