children’s author launches two titles in little current
3 minute read
danielle daniel is launching two children's books in little current on saturday.
celebrated children’s author and illustrator danielle daniel says she was inspired by the healing power of nature when she wrote her two latest books.
daniel is hosting a double book launch at her store effie and the fox in little current on saturday, may 11 at 1 p.m. she wrote the books sometimes i feel like an oak and i’m afraid, said the leaf during the pandemic as she was processing the loss of a loved one.
“i was grieving the loss of my grandmother,” daniel said from her home on manitoulin island. “nature became therapeutic, and just being outside helped me. nature was a big teacher of how we are all interconnected. it offered me comfort and community.”
daniel said that writing is a solo pursuit and could be isolating at times. “being in nature, i feel part of something,” she said. “i wanted to represent that in my books.”
nature is a constant thread in daniel’s books. her debut children’s book sometimes i feel like a fox and follow-up sometimes i feel like a river, and then the middle grade novel forever birchwood, which is set in sudbury, and adult novel, daughters of the deer, all reflect on the influence of one’s surroundings, which for daniel’s characters, involve the outdoors.
“i never set out to write a picture book,” she said about the release of her latest two children’s books. “like a singer who receives a melody, my picture books land on me; it’s like a special gift. i call it a download — it’s like lightning hitting me. that’s how it comes for my picture books.”
daniel said that i’m afraid, said the leaf emphasizes the relationship between humans and nature.
“it highlights and celebrates the interconnection between us and nature,” she said. “this book is special to me because i’ve used the fewest words to say the most.”
publisher penguin random house canada describes i’m afraid, said the leaf, which is officially launched may 7, as a “touching, playful exploration of empathy and interdependency.”
advertisement
“it really is a comforting book in the times we live in, when it comes to the environment and global warming,” said daniel. “people are worrying about many things right now. this book reminds us we are stronger together, which was a common theme during the pandemic but also today.”
sometimes i feel like a river was released last spring, is a national bestseller and now in its third reprint. it has also been nominated for an award. sometimes i feel like an oak is the final book in the book series. the story is told through 12 lyrical poems that represent 12 different trees. in each poem, a child identifies with a feature of the tree, providing the reader with an opportunity to learn about each tree.
“writing this book was a gift at a time i was grieving,” she said. “i’ve tried to sit and write a picture book but they come at the most inconvenient time – when i’m driving or at the grocery store.”
daniel says she is working on a new novel but is not ready to share details just yet. she also has another middle grade novel coming out in october, reasons to look at the night sky, set in ottawa, where she lived while attending university. written in verse, the story centres around an 11-year-old space-obsessed girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut and begins to see the world differently when a substitute teacher comes into her life.
daniel’s double book launch takes place saturday at 1 p.m. at effie and the fox, which is located at 5 worthington st. in little current. the event features a book reading and signing, and a special giveaway. learn more at www.effieandthefox.com.
the local journalism initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government.
x: @sudburystar
share story
