Behind the Story: The People Who Create our Best Children's Booksand How They Do It

Kelly L. Green is editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual’s
Children’s Literature edition.

Behind the Story is a collection of profiles by and about children’s
book authors who also happen to be members of CANSCAIP (The Canadian
Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers). The
collection profiles many fine Canadian writers for children, and quotes
them at length on their attitudes toward writing, children’s
literature, and life in general. As a children’s literature
aficionado, I was fascinated to learn how Barbara Smucker got her ideas
for Underground to Canada and Incredible Jumbo (two of my personal
favorites), how Tololwa Mollel got started writing, and how large Edith
Fowke’s collection of folklore and folk music is. The book will be
particularly interesting to children, teachers, and parents who are fans
of the books these authors have written, and will do much to help fill
that insatiable desire students and teachers exhibit for more
biographical information on children’s authors.