A heartfelt story that celebrates the power of intergenerational love, connection and friendship, featuring the nostalgic imagery of a small East Coast village.

When Peter was little, he asked his grandmother to knit him a VERY big sweater. So she made him a sweater with love knit into every stitch. Young Peter wore the sweater, with its drooping sleeves and oversized body, everywhere he went. Eventually, Peter outgrew his small seaside village and decided to see the world with his sweater providing comfort and a reminder of home on every adventure. After traveling for many years, he returns home to find a new family next door. They too have traveled from far away, and Peter finds a connection with the young son, who also needs a comforting reminder of home.

Originally from British Columbia's northern interior, Erin Welch moved to the East Coast in 2010. While she will always miss the mountains, she has come to know and appreciate the sublime beauty of the Acadian forest. Erin has a degree in English literature and is a mother to twins. She lives in Bear River, Nova Scotia.

Dorothy Leung is an illustrator from the suburbs of Toronto. She studied and worked in architecture before pursuing her illustration dream. She is the illustrator of When the Wind Came and The Bird Feeder. In her work, she strives to evoke empathy, nostalgia, sentimentality and wonder. Dorothy's work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators and American Illustration and has appeared in publications such as The Walrus and the Globe and Mail.

Marketing and Promotional Plans

• Print and online advertising campaigns
• Promotion at national and regional school, library and trade conferences
• Extensive ARC distribution, including NetGalley
• Blog and social media promotion
• Outreach in Orca newsletters

Shivani a quitté Mumbai il y a quelques mois à peine…

Mais elle ne se sent plus vraiment comme une étrangère. Elle aime sa nouvelle école et elle a enfin une amie. Par contre, quand sa mère se propose pour cuisiner pour la fête-bénéfice annuelle de l’école, Shivani est sûre qu’elle deviendra la risée de tout le monde. Qu’est-ce qui arrivera si sa mère décide de préparer un de ses « plats qui puent » ? Shivani adore la cuisine indienne, mais pas question d’en manger devant ses amis.

Dès son entrée dans le gymnase le jour de la fête de l’école, Shivani sait que ses pires craintes sont devenues réalité : l’odeur caractéristique des épices indiennes flotte dans l’air. Mais ensuite, elle voit que des dizaines de personnes font la file devant le stand de sa mère. C’est le plus populaire !

Lauréate de plusieurs prix, l’autrice Mahtab Narsimhan a écrit de nombreux ouvrages pour les jeunes lecteurs anglophones, notamment Mission Mumbai, The Tiffin et The Third Eye, qui a remporté le prix Silver Birch. Mahtab a été autrice en résidence au Conseil scolaire du district de Toronto en 2015 et 2016. Née à Mumbai en Inde, elle a immigré au Canada en 1997 et vit à Vancouver, Colombie britannique.

Depuis une vingtaine d’années, Rachel Martinez a publié plus de quatre-vingts traductions dans des domaines variés pour des éditeurs francophones réputés : roman, arts visuels, récit, biographie, essai et littérature jeunesse. Elle a fait partie du conseil consultatif du Centre international de traduction littéraire de Banff de 2017 jusqu’à sa dissolution en 2019, et a siégé plusieurs années au conseil d’administration de l’Association des traducteurs et traductrices littéraires du Canada. Une mention sur la Liste d’honneur 2014 de l’International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) et le Prix des libraires du Québec 2017 (catégorie 12-17 ans, hors Québec) figurent parmi les marques de reconnaissance qu’elle a reçues. Elle a remporté en 2005 le prix du Gouverneur général du Canada en traduction française pour Glenn Gould, une vie de Kevin Bazzana et a été finaliste en 2013 et 2015.

Plans de promotion

• Campagnes publicitaires dans les imprimés et en ligne
• Promotion lors des congrès de professionnels et de bibliothécaires d’envergure nationale et régionale
• Large distribution d’exemplaires promotionnels
• Promotion dans les blogues et les médias sociaux
• Promotion dans les bulletins publiés par Orca

This is the true story of the journey of the Midnight Sun Mosque.

In 2010 a Winnipeg-based charity raised funds to build and ship a mosque to Inuvik, one of the most northern towns in Canada’s Arctic. A small but growing Muslim community there had been using a cramped trailer for their services, but there just wasn't enough space. The mosque travelled over 4,000 kilometers on a journey fraught with poor weather, incomplete bridges, narrow roads, low traffic wires and a deadline to get on the last barge heading up the Mackenzie River before the first winter freeze. But it made it just in time and is now one of the most northern mosques in the world.

This beautiful picture book reminds us that the collective dream of fostering a multicultural and tolerant Canada exists and that people of all backgrounds will come together to build bridges and overcome obstacles for the greater good of their neighbors.

Shazia Afzal has been a teacher and storyteller for over twenty years. Having immigrated to Canada in 2002, Shazia sought to live near her community mosque with every move. Because of her firsthand understanding of the challenges Muslim families face in new communities, the incredible story behind the construction and transportation of the Midnight Sun Mosque resonated with Shazia. She felt compelled to share the story with children who may not have heard of its epic adventure and to remind young readers that it is a blessing to live in a country where people are free to practice their faith. Shazia lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

Aliya Ghare graduated from OCAD University, where she majored in illustration and minored in English, with the hope of combining the two disciplines to write and illustrate children’s picture books and graphic novels. She enjoys creating visually rich and poetic imagery, and exploring social and political issues, as well as human interest subjects, in her work. In addition to illustrating picture books, her illustrative works range from editorial to advertising, surface design and more. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration and Adobe, and has been awarded by and published in the Applied Arts and 3x3 magazines. Aliya lives in Toronto.

Marketing and Promotional Plans

• Print and online advertising campaigns
• Promotion at national and regional school, library and trade conferences
• Extensive ARC distribution, including NetGalley
• Blog and social media promotion
• Outreach in Orca newsletters

What drives people to search for new homes?

From war zones to politics, there are many reasons why people have always searched for a place to call home. In Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees we discover how human migration has shaped our world. We explore its origins and the current issues facing immigrants and refugees today, and we hear the first-hand stories of people who have moved across the globe looking for safety, security and happiness. Author Jen Sookfong Lee shares her personal experience of growing up as the child of immigrants and gives a human face to the realities of being an immigrant or refugee today.

Jen Sookfong Lee was born and raised on Vancouver's East Side, and she now lives with her son in North Burnaby. Her books include The Conjoined, nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize; The Better Mother, a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award; The End of East; Gentlemen of the Shade; Chinese New Year and The Animals of Chinese New Year. Jen was a columnist for CBC Radio One's The Next Chapter for many years. She teaches at The Writer's Studio Online with Simon Fraser University, edits fiction for Wolsak & Wynn and co-hosts the literary podcast Can't Lit.

Drew Shannon is an illustrator who earned a bachelor of arts at Sheridan College and has worked with many different clients, including CBC, VICE Media, UNICEF, the Washington Post and NPR. He is the illustrator of several books including Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees, Are We There Yet? How Humans Find Their Way and This is Your Brain On Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias. Drew lives in Toronto.

Marketing and Promotional Plans

• Print and online advertising campaigns
• Promotion at national and regional school, library and trade conferences
• Extensive ARC distribution, including NetGalley
• Blog and social media promotion
• Outreach in Orca newsletters

Marwan et Tarek fuient leur pays en guerre.

À bord d’un bateau surchargé, les deux frères affrontent l’inconnu et le danger.

En compagnie d’autres sans-pays, les garçons cherchent une terre d’adoption.

Mais partout on les repousse, on les ignore ou on les craint.

Où trouver un pays pour vivre en paix, aux côtés de gens accueillants ?

Dans quel port ?

Sur quelle île ?

Dans quels cœurs ?

Auteure, blogueuse et critique littéraire, Andrée Poulin a publié une trentaine de livres lui ayant valu de nombreuses distinctions et prix littéraires. Amitié, empathie, pauvreté et solidarité sont quelques thèmes qu’elle aborde, avec humour et sensibilité dans ses livres. Esquissant des paysages du Canada, d’Afrique et d’Asie, cette auteure—qui croit encore que les livres peuvent changer le monde—ouvre ainsi aux lecteurs une fenêtre sur d’autres cultures.

Quand Enzo Lord Mariano était tout petit, il a découvert qu'avec un simple crayon, il pouvait faire vivre un homard sur un bout de papier. Des homards, il en a dessiné à la tonne avant de réaliser tout ce qu'il lui était possible d'illustrer ! C'est à l'adolescence qu'il a ensuite eu la piqûre de la musique. Depuis, il ne sort plus de chez lui sans ses crayons dans sa poche et sa mandoline en bandoulière.

Auteur des romans Souffler dans la cassette (Leméac, 2017), récipiendaire du prix Cécile-Gagnon, et Maman veut partir (Leméac, 2018), récipiendaire du prix Alvine-Belisle, Jonathan Bécotte a terminé ses études en éducation à l’Université Concordia au printemps 2020. Maintenant enseignant au primaire, également titulaire d’un baccalauréat en études théâtrales, on reconnaît son style d’écriture à la poésie qui teinte ses récits et aux voix enfantines qui savent faire résonner la beauté dans l’ordinaire. Honey et Ketchup est son premier album pour enfants illustré.

Sabrina Gendron est diplômée en arts plastiques ainsi qu’en animation 2D/3D. Elle travaille sur divers projets d’illustration, d’animation et d’arts visuels, et compte de plus en plus d’albums et de romans jeunesse dans son porte-folio d’illustratrice. Ses illustrations à mi-chemin entre le réalisme et l’animation sont touchantes, colorées, vivantes et donnent envie de plonger dans les mondes qu’elle représente !

Shivani only left Mumbai a few months ago.

But she isn't feeling like such an outsider anymore. She likes her new school and she finally has a best friend. But when her mother volunteers for the school's annual fundraiser, Shivani is sure she will completely embarrass her. Especially if she cooks one of the "stinky" dishes that Shivani loves but is too ashamed to eat in front of her friends.

On the day of the fair, the moment Shivani walks into the gym, she knows her worst fears have come true: the unmistakable scent of Indian spices is in the air. But then she sees that dozens of people are lined up at her mom's stall. It's the most popular one!

Mahtab Narsimhan is the award-winning author of several books for young readers, including Careful What You Wish For, Mission Mumbai, The Tiffin and The Third Eye, which won the Silver Birch Award. She was a Writer in Residence at the Toronto District School Board from 2015 to 2016. Born in Mumbai, India, Mahtab immigrated to Canada in 1997. She now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

After her parents are deported, Maria's life is not only upended, it's in danger.

Jake's friend Maria is the daughter of undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in the country for a long time. But the new government has implemented a crackdown. Maria's parents are detained and quickly sent out of the country. Maria, who was born here, decides to hide out in Jake's basement rather than risk becoming a ward of the state. But when she returns to her old apartment to retrieve her hidden birth certificate, Maria is abducted by young men on the lookout for teenage girls who have lost their parents to deportation. Jake is determined to rescue Maria before she's turned over to the authorities. Or worse.

Lesley Choyce is an award-winning author of more than 100 books of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, young adult novels and several books in the Orca Soundings line. His works have been shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, the White Pine Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award, among others. Lesley lives in Nova Scotia.

Nhung N. Tran-Davies is a physician and advocate for social justice through education. She is the author of Ten Cents a Pound. She founded the Children of Vietnam Benevolent Foundation and spoke as part of the UN’s “i am a migrant” campaign. She lives outside Edmonton.

Nhung N. Tran-Davies is a physician and advocate for social justice through education. She is the author of Ten Cents a Pound. She founded the Children of Vietnam Benevolent Foundation and spoke as part of the UN’s “i am a migrant” campaign. She lives outside Edmonton.