Ashley Spires is a Canadian children's book author and illustrator. She is the creator of the ''Binky the Space Cat'' graphic novels series and the 2014 bestseller, ''The Most Magnificent Thing''.
Biography
Spires was born and raised in
Tsawwassen
Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
.
She studied photography at the
Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...
, where she was inspired to pursue illustration after taking a class on book-making.
After graduation, she earned a contract with Lobster Press, for which she illustrated Peter Kuitenbrouwer's 2004 book, ''Our Song: The Story of
O Canada
"O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the mus ...
, the Canadian National Anthem''.
She later attended a postgraduate illustration program at Ontario's
Sheridan College
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west-Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.
Founded in ...
.
Spires is the author and illustrator of the ''Binky the Space Cat'' graphic novel series, about a cat who believes his house is a space station.
The first book in the series, ''Binky the Space Cat'', won the 2011
Silver Birch Express Award, presented by the
Ontario Library Association
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) was established in 1900 and is the oldest continually operating library association in Canada. With 5,000 members, OLA is also the largest library association in Canada and among the 10 largest library associ ...
. On September 7, 2019, a TV series based on the series, called ''
Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe'', premiered on
Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language specialty channel for preschoolers aged 2 to 5 that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from YTV's former preschool block, " The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of ...
.
Spires's 2014 book'', The Most Magnificent Thing'', earned a starred review from
Kirkus
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
and was listed among the
ALA Notable Books for Children 2015. It has sold over 500,000 copies
and been translated into multiple languages.
The book was adapted into a 22-minute animated
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
directed by
Arna Selznick
Arna Selznick is a Canadian animator, best known for directing Nelvana's 1985 animated film ''The Care Bears Movie''. Arna owns and operates a studio called Dancingmonkeys with her husband/partner John van Bruggen.
Career
2020-2021: Developmen ...
, featuring narration by
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
and voice acting by Lilly Bartlam and
Alison Pill
Alison Pill (born November 27, 1985) is a Canadian actress. A former child actress, Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous films and television series. She transitioned to adult roles and her breakthrough came with the television ...
.
It aired on Canadian children's channel
YTV in 2019
and was shown at a number of film festivals, including the 2019
San Diego International Film Festival
The San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) is an independent film festival in San Diego, California produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the ...
and the 2019
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
In 1983, Facets Multi-Media founded the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), the first competitive festival of films for children in the U.S. The impetus for the Festival came from a need to introduce new, culturally diverse fil ...
.
Selected works
As author and illustrator:
*''Binky the Space Cat'' (2009)
*''Binky to the Rescue'' (2010)
*''Binky Under Pressure'' (2011)
*''Small Saul'' (2011)
*''Binky Takes Charge'' (2012)
*''Larf'' (2012)
*''Binky License to Scratch'' (2013)
*''Edie's Ensembles'' (2014)
*''The Most Magnificent Thing'' (2014)
*''Gordon: Bark To The Future!'' (2016)
*''Fluffy Strikes Back'' (2016)
*''Over-scheduled Andrew'' (2017)
*''The Thing Lou Couldn't Do'' (2017)
*''Fairy Science'' (2019)
As illustrator only:
*''The Red Shoes'', by
Eleri Glass (2008)
*''Ella's Umbrellas'', by
Jennifer Lloyd (2010)
*''Spare Dog Parts'', by Alison Hughes (2016)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spires, Ashley
Canadian children's writers
Canadian illustrators
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Writers from British Columbia
People from Delta, British Columbia
Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni