Scot Ritchie
Scot Ritchie is an award-winning author and illustrator. He has worked with the National Film Board of Canada and been a judge for the Governor General's Award for Illustration.
Scot grew up with one creative parent and one encouraging parent. He is convinced this is a recipe for success because he's spent his life being fairly sure he knows what he's doing --- but at the same time, never entirely sure. When you're not entirely sure, you're probably learning.
Growing up in the port city of Vancouver, Scot had a curiosity about the world. He has been able to marry his passion for bookmaking with his passion for travel. Even before the internet, Scot would pack up his mini office and work from places as far afield as Chania in Crete, Berlin, Honolulu and a 17th century stable in Amsterdam. Scot likes to think this shows up in his work, giving it a universal appeal.
Scot's books have been translated into many languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Korean and Russian.
He draws on paper then scans the ink line into his computer where the coloring is done. He is especially proud of his Exploring Our Community series with Kids Can Press.
Kids Books (2)
Synopsis:
In this engaging nonfiction picture book, five young friends --- Nick, Yulee, Pedro, Sally and Martin --- spend the day travelling around their neighbourhood and participating in activities designed to raise money for their local library. Along the way, they learn about the people and places that make up their community and what it means to be a part of one. A map opens the story, with each of the places the children will be visiting labelled, including the gas station, retirement home, school, police station, soccer field, community garden and, of course, the library! Then each of the following spreads features a different location, detailed in a bright, busy illustration. Illustration captions expand the locations' connections to the concept of community. For example, when they stop at a yard sale, the caption reads, Donating means you give something to help a good cause. You can donate money, things or your time. In some cases, readers are asked to find things or people within the illustrations, which adds an interactive experience.
Author and illustrator Scot Ritchie has created a rich resource for social studies lessons on places, roles and jobs within a community, and what it takes to be a responsible citizen. But there is also the potential here for even broader classroom discussions, including about the economy of a community, geography and mapping, and how the character education concepts of cooperation, responsibility and teamwork apply. The author has also included step-by-step instructions for a puzzle-making project.
Reviews
"An excellent addition for the community shelf, this minimizes didacticism while encompassing many aspects of the topic that are missing from other entries". — Kirkus Reviews
"This engaging picture book packs a tremendous amount of accessible information into an appealingpackage." — Booklist
"... a wonderful springboard to learning about community building and participating in community events." — Resource Links
Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.75" x 10.25"
Synopsis:
A lively look at the journey of a West Coast tugboat towing a log boom, as seen through the eyes of a young boy.
"I’m helping Dad on the tugboat. We’re going to tow a log boom to the sawmill on the river… I look out for ferries and other boats in the harbor… Then I see it — a deadhead!"
Follow a child and his father through their workday on a tugboat on the West Coast as they watch a log boom being made, then tow it to a mill upriver. The pair must steer clear of other ships, race against the tide and weather a storm along the way.
Told from a child's perspective, this fun, accessible picture book explores the key role of a tugboat in the logging process. As explained in the author's note, the story is inspired by Scot Ritchie’s childhood memories of seeing tugs and log booms off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, with additional information provided in the note about forestry on the West Coast today.
Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Key text features: author's note, diagrams, glossary, illustrations, facts, map, speech bubbles, writing inspiration
Additional Information
40 pages | 9.75" x 10.75" | Hardcover
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