Heidi Jardine Stoddart
Biography:Heidi Jardine Stoddart was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick, but her dad worked as a banker so her family was transferred around a fair bit. Her family moved to Nova Scotia, then back to New Brunswick, and finally, when Heidi was in Grade 2, they settled in Kitchener, Ontario. There are a few things Heidi's known she wanted to do since she was 8 years old. One of them was to become a teacher (she and her two younger sisters used to PLAY school after they got home from school!?) and another was to make books. Heidi's mom still has some of her early creations stashed away – crooked pages of paper, stapled together, with crayon pictures and primary printing. English, Art, Music and French were her favourite subjects in school, and she went on to study English and French at Wilfrid Laurier University, received a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters in Art Education from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Heidi was an elementary teacher in Waterloo, Ontario, for ten years before returning to the Maritimes in 2000, where she now works as a Visual Arts mentor in elementary schools, teaches art education courses at the University of New Brunswick, and pursues her love of picture books as an author and illustrator. Picture books combine her favourite things: reading, writing, art and the opportunity to work with children. Heidi became an author because she is intrigued by the power of mere words and how, when strung together, they can create something that stirs our hearts, provokes our minds, or seems to truly exist, though only in our imaginations. Heidi also loves to draw and paint, and being an illustrator allows her to explore the interplay between language and images, to tell some of the story with words and reveal more of the story with pictures. Heidi likes to spend her spare time with her husband, Dwayne, and their dog, Colby. Her favourite pastimes include travelling to explore new places, walking along the ocean, and reading on the couch. Presentation Information:Heidi love books, and attempts to share this passion with students during the introduction of her presentations, along with some personal anecdotes that provide background for her stories. This is followed by a reading, and in order to share experiences from the Maritimes, Heidi will read aloud from her picture book, East to the Sea. (For larger groups, she has visuals and book pages ready to project using Powerpoint.) Heidi typically tailors the next part of the presentation to the age/grade level of the group. For younger students (JK – Grade 1), she guides students to watch and listen for specific information during the reading, and afterwards, students respond with some retell/reflection on the story and discuss some of the clues or details that they noticed by 'reading' the pictures as well. For Grades 2 and up, Heidi follows the reading with a description of her writing process (story ideas, first drafts, revisions/edits and final draft), and her illustration process, from storyboard through to final artwork. For middle and high school students (usually English or Visual Art classes), she shares more specifics regarding techniques of the writing and/or illustration processes, and also shares her experience submitting works to publishers, then working with the editors and graphic designers as her writing and illustrations are transformed into picture books. For all presentations, no matter the grade level, Heidi tries to incorporate visuals and concrete samples of her work wherever possible. Every session then moves towards a question-and-answer period so that students can 'guide' the remainder of the discussion, asking about what is most pertinent to them, and will conclude with a reading or her most recent book, Back to the Beach. Ideally, time frames are 30 minutes for JK to Grade 1 students, 45 minutes for Grades 2 and 3 students, and up to 60 minutes for students in Grades 4 and up. Heidi hopes, above all, to leave students excited and inspired to read, write, dream and create. Book Descriptions: Back to the Beach: This story follows Gus and his dog, Sam, for a day at the beach. They run across sand flats, build sandcastles and look for driftwood and seashells. But Gus's parents won't let them take their beach treasures home with them, saying, "We can't take it that far from the ocean tide's reach. There's no room in the car. Take it back to the beach!" Gus and Sam soon learn that you can't take the beach home with you – but you can always take yourself back to the beach! his is a read-aloud mix of prose and poetry that invites young readers to chime in and read along. Book List / Discography:Back to the Beach (Nimbus Publishing, 2009) Return to the Sea (Nimbus Publishing, 2007) East to the Sea (Nimbus Publishing, 2006) A Nothing-To-Do Day (DreamCatcher Publishing, 2005) East to the Sea (DreamCatcher Publishing, 2004) Awards:East to the Sea Return to the Sea
Praise for Heidi Jardine Stoddart:"Heidi is a wonderful facilitator with children as she is not only a competent writer and illustrator but a trained classroom teacher and artist. A joy for both students and teachers." "Heidi is a perfect guest to have in school. It is obvious that she loves children. I would also recommend her for workshops for teachers." "The students didn't want her to stop and asked when she was coming back. They all wanted to write after her presentations." "Since Heidi is both an author and illustrator she brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to share with all ages." This is the second time I've had Heidi [visit our school] and highly recommend her. She is well-prepared, has a dynamic presentation… Students love her presentations/workshops." "She had the children's interest through the whole presentation and captured their imaginations…" "…a warm and dynamic presenter whom the students thoroughly enjoyed." "I was thoroughly impressed with her ability, personable nature and presentation. She encourages students as she works with them and inspires them to do their best… I would recommend her to any school or organization that wants a positive learning experience." "She is outstanding. Well planned. Knows how to keep children interested!" "Students interacted with the author throughout the presentation and could really pick up on her energy and enthusiasm." "The best we've had!" "Her passion for writing and illustrating was a strong message… Her presentation was one that will not end on that day as we will all be making reference to her examples with our students throughout the year. Loved to have her back – what a privilege!" |
 Craft:author, illustrator Genre:picture books Ideal Audience Size:Up to 3 classes (60 – 90 students) of similar age level per presentation Maximum Audience Size:100 Grades:K – 12 (with audiences organized in similar grade-groupings) Special Equipment:LCD projector and screen (for Powerpoint slide show component), 2 tables for visual display/props Website:School Reading Fee:$169.50 per reading (includes HST) Public Reading Fee:$250.00 per reading (four readings covered by the Canada Council) Book Week Tour Contact:Monica Winkler |