Élise Gravel (born 1977) is a Canadian writer from

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Gravel's original books and graphic novels focus on wacky and often gross content. In 2012, she won a Governor General's Award for Children's Illustration in French for her book ''La clé à molette''. Gravel has written more than thirty books, and her work has been translated into over twelve languages. She studied

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

, before becoming an illustrator. Gravel publishes in both English and in French. She is the daughter of writer

François Gravel François Gravel (born October 4, 1951) is a Canadian writer from Quebec.

and Murielle Grégoire. As of 2024, she is married with two daughters. In 2022, the

Writers' Trust of Canada The Writers' Trust of Canada () is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers. Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young (Canadian playwright), David Young; the W ...

awarded Gravel the

Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, colloquially called the Vicky, is given annually at the Writers' Trust Awards to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth". It is a top honour for ...

in honour of her body of work. In February 2024, the Jewish Public Library of Montreal moved her books to their closed stacks, following Instagram posts that the

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA; ) is a Zionist and Jewish advocacy organization and an agency of the Jewish Federations of Canada. It was founded in 2004 as the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CCIJA) and headqu ...

described as antisemitic. A few days later, the library restored the books. In 2025, Gravel was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Selected work

* ''Le Grand Antonio'' (2014), translated into English as ''The Great Antonio'' (2017), biography of Antonio Barichievich, known as The

Great Antonio Antonio Barichievich (October 10, 1925 – September 7, 2003), born Anton Barichevich and better known as The Great Antonio, was a Croatian-Canadian strongman, professional wrestler, and a Montreal eccentric artist. Barichievich was born in Zagr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravel, Elise 1977 births Living people Artists from Montreal Governor General's Award–winning children's illustrators Canadian children's book illustrators Canadian women children's book illustrators Governor General's Award–winning children's writers Canadian children's writers in French Writers from Montreal Canadian women children's writers Members of the Order of Canada