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A former teacher and child-care worker, Sheryl McFarlane was born in Pembroke in the Ottawa Valley on January 20, 1954. She was raised in Arizona. She came back to live in Canada in 1972 and received her B.Ed from UBC. She was living in Victoria when she wrote her first book Waiting for the Whales, illustrated by Ron Lightburn. It's about a grandfather passing his knowledge of annually returning whales to his granddaughter. It received several awards including the IODE National Children's Literature Award. Illustrated by Sheena Lott, her Jessie's Island (Orca 1992) celebrates the joy of unstructured play on a West Coast island. More recently McFarlane also wrote A Pod of Orcas (Fitzhenry & Whiteside $17.95) illustrated by Kirsti Anne Wakelin. A former chair of the Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable as well as a past editor of their newsletter, she has produced children's book festivals in Victoria. Her juvenile novel The Smell of Paint concerns an avid long distance runner who is estranged from her artist mother until her mother suddenly becomes ill.
BOOKS:
Island in the Salish Sea (Orca 2018) $19.95 978-1-4598-1345-8. Illustrated by Leslie Redhead
Waiting for the Whales (Orca, 1991; Republished by Orca 2017) $10.95 978-1-459813687
Jessie's Island (Orca, 1993; Republished: Orca, 2015 9781459810525)
Moonsnail Song (Orca, 1994)
Eagle Dreams (Orca, 1994)
Tides of Change (Orca, 1995)
Going to the Fair (Orca, 1996)
A Pod of Orcas (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002; 2006)
What's That Sound? In the City (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003)
What's That Sound? On the Farm (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003)
The Smell of Paint (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2006).
What's That Sound? By the Sea, illustrated by Kim LaFave (F&W $9.95) 1-55041-957-9
What's That Sound? At the Circus, illustrated by Kim LaFave (F&W $9.95) 1-55041-959-5
Island Santa (Health Foundation 2012), illustrated by Sheena Lott. 0988053608 ISBN-13: 9780988053601
[BCBW 2018] "Kidlit"
BOOKS:
Island in the Salish Sea (Orca 2018) $19.95 978-1-4598-1345-8. Illustrated by Leslie Redhead
Waiting for the Whales (Orca, 1991; Republished by Orca 2017) $10.95 978-1-459813687
Jessie's Island (Orca, 1993; Republished: Orca, 2015 9781459810525)
Moonsnail Song (Orca, 1994)
Eagle Dreams (Orca, 1994)
Tides of Change (Orca, 1995)
Going to the Fair (Orca, 1996)
A Pod of Orcas (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002; 2006)
What's That Sound? In the City (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003)
What's That Sound? On the Farm (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003)
The Smell of Paint (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2006).
What's That Sound? By the Sea, illustrated by Kim LaFave (F&W $9.95) 1-55041-957-9
What's That Sound? At the Circus, illustrated by Kim LaFave (F&W $9.95) 1-55041-959-5
Island Santa (Health Foundation 2012), illustrated by Sheena Lott. 0988053608 ISBN-13: 9780988053601
[BCBW 2018] "Kidlit"
Articles: 1 Article for this author
Island Santa
Born in Norway in 1916, Kaare Norgaard worked as a commercial first aid attendant in a Cowichan Valley logging camp as a younger man, and was responsible for the care of 30 families. He moved to Victoria in 1948 and began a long and successful career as a Fuller Brush salesman, eventually becoming the company's western manager. After retiring, as a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Kaare came up with the idea of turning his boat, the Blue Fjord, into a "Santa Boat."; Kaare piloted his floating sleigh to the remote coastal islands that surround Vancouver Island, bringing gifts to children. In 1991, Kaare established the Norgaard Foundation to, "help pick up those who have fallen through the cracks."; The Foundation supports children and seniors. Its recent $1 million donation to the Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island for Jeneece Place is the single-largest in Norgaard's history. Kaare Norgaard died in 2005.
The Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island is a registered charity that raises funds to support the well-being of children and youth in need on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. With roots dating back to 1922, the organization was previously known as the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children. To honour Norgaard, the foundation has published Island Santa (Health Foundation $19.95), a children's book illustrated by Sheena Lott and written by Sheryl McFarlane to recall how Kaare Norgaard's ship, the Blue Fjord, was transformed into a floating sleigh that delivered Christmas gifts to Gulf Islands children in need of holiday cheer. The story links the historical philanthropy of Kaare Norgaard to the current day philanthropy of Jeneece Edroff, who was the inspiration for Jeneece Place, a 10-bedroom home away from home. Operated and funded by Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island, Jeneece Place provides a welcoming, safe, supportive and inexpensive environment for families who travel to Victoria for their child's medical care.
[BCBW 2012]
