Ann Blades (born November 16, 1947) is a Canadian illustrator, writer and educator. She was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

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 earned a teaching certificate from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

in 1970. In 1974, she graduated in nursing from the

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main campus in B ...

. Blades taught school in a number of isolated communities in

. Her first book ''Mary of Mile 18'', published in 1971, received the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award. It was followed by ''A Boy of Taché'' in 1973. ''Mary of Mile 18'' was made into a film by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

. Her illustrations were included in an exhibition "Canada at Bologna" at the 1990

Bologna Children's Book Fair The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...

in Italy.

Selected works

* ''The Cottage at Crescent Beach'' (1977) * ''Jacques the Woodcutter'' (1977) text by Michael Macklem * ''A Salmon for Simon'' (1978) text by Betty Waterton, received the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize * ''Six Darn Cows'' (1980), text by

Margaret Laurence Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-pr ...

* ''Anna's Pet'' (1980) text by Margaret Atwood and Joyce Barkhouse * ''Pettranella'' (1980) text by Betty Waterton * ''By the Sea: An Alphabet Book'' (1985), won the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award * ''Ida and the Wool Smugglers'' (1987) text by Sue Ann Alderson * ''The Singing Basket'' (1990) retold by

Kit Pearson Kathleen Margaret "Kit" Pearson (born April 30, 1947) is a Canadian writer and winner of numerous literature awards. Pearson is perhaps best known for her linked novels '' The Sky Is Falling'' (1989), ''Looking at the Moon'' (1991), and ''The Li ...

* ''A Ride for Martha'' (1993) text by Sue Ann Alderson * ''A Dog Came Too'' (1993) text by Ainslee Martin * ''Back to the Cabin'' (1996) * ''Pond Seasons'' (1997) text by Sue Ann Alderson

References

External links

* * Archives of Ann Blade
(Ann Blades fonds, R11708)
are held at Library and Archives Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Blades, Ann 1947 births Living people Artists from Vancouver Canadian children's book illustrators Canadian women children's writers Writers from Vancouver 20th-century Canadian women writers