Jean E. Pendziwol
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Lightkeeper's Daughters >
      • Book Club Questions
    • Books for Kids >
      • Picture Books
      • Dragon Safety
  • Blog
  • Resources and Activities
  • About
    • Contact
    • Events
    • Other works
  • Food Blog
Picture

When I Listen to Silence

Through the window, the child can hear the trees breathe and watches them sway back and forth as they begin to dance. Then bears join in, accompanied by the child on their drum, making so much noise they wake up a dragon! The dragon’s smoky breath fills the sky, and the wind forms a knight on a steed that gallops through the stars. The child’s adventure continues, as one wonderful flight of fancy leads to the next, from pirates to mermaids to whales, until they find themselves sitting silent once again among the trees. 

Jean E. Pendziwol has written a charming story-poem that looks at silence and stillness as an opportunity for the imagination and creativity to flourish. Carmen Mok’s magical illustrations flow from one spread to the next like animation, in a palette inspired by vintage printmaking.

​Illustrator: Carmen Mok 
​
Published by Groundwood Books
Publication date: April 2022


PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Pendziwol’s lilting, lyrical text … shows that sometimes a moment of quiet freedom can be a wonderful gift to a child’s imagination. — Quill & Quire

A beautiful ode to imagination and the magic of silence. --Booklist

Fairy-tale flashes of color dart across this bubbly story that celebrates being alone with one’s own thoughts and dreams. --Foreword Reviews



Picture
Picture

I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree

Why do shadows sometimes disappear? How can snowflakes be soft and fluffy, but also
icy and sharp? What do you do when the wind howls life a wolf? When the world seems
unpredictable, confusing and scary, the child in this story-poem finds hope in the tiny buds on a
cherry tree.
​
Jean E. Pendziwol has written a layered, lyrical exploration of the hardships and beauties of nature. Her poem, beautifully illustrated by Nathalie Dion, is a study in contrasts and a message of the hope that carries us through the year and through our lives.

​For supplementary resource guide, click here.
Illustrator: Nathalie Dion
Published by: Groundwood Books
September 2020
Order from your favourite independent bookstore!! 
Click here to order directly from Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press.
Also available through: Chapters/Indigo and Amazon.com
J'ai trouvé l'espoir dans un cerisier - Editions Deux
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Longlisted World Illustration Award,2020
Winner 3x3 International Illustration Annual Merit Award, 2020

An ode to solitude and nature, this picture book provides comforting certitude in current times of uncertainty. — Kirkus Reviews

[T]he text throughout creates a contemplative space for savoring lyrical language and reflecting on painterly, softly textured, striking art. — Horn Book

Ce livre est une dose concentrée de douceur poétique face à l’incertitude. - Le Monde

Jean E. Pendziwol has written a dream of a book with i found hope in a cherry tree. — Pickle Me This Blog
​
The gentle artwork guides readers through scenes of peacefulness and being alone in nature. Comfort abounds. — Sal’s Fiction Addiction Blog


Picture
In the stillness of a summer dawn, two siblings leave their campsite with fishing rods, tackle and bait, and push a red canoe into the lake. A perfect morning on the water unfolds, with thrilling glimpses of wildlife along the way.
The narrator describes the experience vividly. Trailing a lure through the blue-green depths, the siblings paddle around a point, spotting a moose in the shallows, a beaver swimming towards its home and an eagle returning to its nest. Suddenly there is a sharp tug and the rod bends to meet the water. A few heart-stopping moments later, the pair pull a silvery trout from the water, then paddle back to the campsite to fry up a delicious breakfast.
The poetic text is accompanied by stunningly beautiful paintings rendered on wood panels that give a nostalgic feeling to the story.

August 2017
Illustrated by Phil
Published by Groundwood Books
To purchase, visit Groundwood Books
August 1, 2017

"Evocative, lyrical, perfect." Kirkus STARRED REVIEW

"A true gem that invites contemplation and reflection in children, who are often too busy to notice the beauty of everyday life." School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

Picture
Picture
In this exquisite lullaby, the beauty and wonder of a northern winter night unfold, with images of a soft snowfall, the wild animals that appear in the garden, the twinkling stars, the gentle rhythm of the northern lights and the etchings of frost on the window pane.

Jean E. Pendziwol's lyrical poem reflects a deep appreciation of the magic of a northern winter night where, even as a child slumbers, the world outside does not rest but continues its own natural rhythms.

Isabelle Arsenault's spare, beautifully rendered illustrations, with their subtle but striking use of color, make us feel that we too are experiencing the enchantment of that northern night. They simultaneously evoke winter's nighttime life and the cozy warmth and security of a beloved child's sleep.

"...one of the loveliest picture books you’ll see all year long."
Julie Danielson, Kirkus Reviews
July 26, 2013


"...destined to join the ranks of winter-themed classics to be reached for year after year." 
Sarah Sorenson, Quill and Quire
July 2013

"Once Upon a Northern Night is a breathsucker, a gust of cold winter air awakening the senses."
Donna McKinnon, 32 Pages
August 2013

August 2013
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Published by Groundwood Books, 2013
To purchase, visit Groundwood Books
Picture
Awards

Short-listed for the The Governor General's Literary Awards-Children's Literature- Text 2013
Selected for the Toronto Public Library's First and Best 2013
Selected for the Quill & Quire Book of the Year 2013
Short-listed for the Amelia Frances Howard‐Gibbon Award 2014
Short-listed for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Picture Book Award 2014
Selected for the Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year 2014
Short-listed for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award 2014

Picture
Picture
Picture

"A beautiful, lyrical celebration of northern light and night." Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
"A reverent ode to the magic and wonder of an icy winter night." Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
"This is a lovely wintry bedtime story, best for sharing one-on-one." School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
"“A sweet and lovely tale of the magic of waking up to a world transformed by winter.”" Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
"[A] mixture of magic, wildlife and deep comfort." New York Times

Picture
Based on stories that author Jean E. Pendziwol used to hear from her husband's grandmother, Marja's Skis is an engaging children's picturebook set at the close of the nineteenth century, in the Great Lakes region where many Scandinavians settled.  Evocative prose and beautiful illustrations bring this moving tale, set in a 19th-century Canadian logging town, to life.

"A heartwarming storybook that celebrates Scandinavian heritage." Midwest Book Review

Illustrated by Jirina Marton
Published by Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press, 2007
To purchase, visit Groundwood Books

Awards

Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award, 2007, Short-listed, 

Governor General's Literary Awards: Illustration, 2007, Short-listed, 

CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens 2008, 2008, Commended


Picture
The Red Sash is the story of a young Metis boy who lives near the fur trading post of Fort William, on Lake Superior, nearly 200 years ago. His father spends the long winter months as a guide, leading voyageurs into the northwest to trade with native people for furs. Now it is Rendezvous, when the voyageurs paddle back to Fort William with their packs of furs, and North West Company canoes come from Montreal bringing supplies for the next season.

Pendziwol’s engaging text combines with Debon’s vivid and historically accurate illustrations to give an authentic picture of life at a fur trading post in the early 1800s.

Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
Published by Groundwood Books, 
To purchase, visit Groundwood Books
Awards

Michigan Reading Association's "Great Lakes Great Books", 2007, Long-listed, 

CCBC Our Choice, 2006, Commended 


Picture
This lyrical picture book tells the story of a child and her father making a night crossing of Lake Superior on their sailboat.

As first mate, the child's job is to watch for ships, lights, land and logs while the autopilot steers the craft. Above, the Big Dipper, North Star, Milky Way and Northern Lights illuminate an inky night sky. And as dawn breaks, the horizon begins to glow and land appears, a black line between sky and sea. Striking illustrations by Nicolas Debon capture the excitement, mystery and beauty of this night-time adventure on the world's largest freshwater lake.

Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
Published by Groundwood Books, 
To purchase, visit Groundwood Books

Awards

Governor General's Literary Awards: Illustration, 2004, Short-listed

CLA Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award, 2005, Short-listed 

CCBC Our Choice, 2005, Commended 

Proudly powered by Weebly