Last fall, I was approached by The Jewish Public Library of Montreal to create a permanent signage for their Children’s Library. They wanted an image that would underline the importance of a children’s library, entice children to enter and celebrate the joy of reading. The illustration would be enlarged and printed on three vertical banners and hung at the entrance to the Norman Berman Children’s Library.

I have often been invited to give many talks at this wonderful, pro-active, community-oriented library, from presenting at their huge Young Author’s Conference to more intimate talks for their  Mother-Daughter Book Club. I have always been impressed by the dedication and energy of the librarians who work there. I wanted to represent this energy with a dynamic, vibrant, colourful image. I also wanted it to be playful and humorous. Libraries are full to the brim with stories, so my illustration had to tell a story. I wanted children to stop and immerse themselves in my picture, “reading” it in the smallest details . . .

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