Mélanie Watt | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | Université du Québec à Montréal |
Occupation(s) | Children's book author and illustrator |
Notable work | Scaredy Squirrel |
Mélanie Watt (born August 20, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian children's author and illustrator. [1] [2] She is best known for Scaredy Squirrel, which won the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and was published in French as Frisson l'écureuil. [3] Melanie Watt's other major picture book series is Chester, which is about a cat named Chester who competes with Watt for the chance to write and illustrate his books. Chester (2009), the first book in the series, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. [4]
As of 2012, she has sold over two million books that have been translated into 23 languages. [5]
As a child, Mélanie Watt enjoyed drawing the comic strip character Garfield. [6] The Scaredy Squirrel series is influenced by Watt's childhood experiences, [7] including her childhood fear of sharks. [6] She received a BA in graphic design from the Université du Québec à Montréal. [8] In 1999, while enrolled in an illustration class taught by Michele Lemieux, Watt wrote her first story, Leon the Chameleon. [8]
One of her inspirations is children's book author Mo Willems. [8]
She currently resides near Montreal. [3]
Five of Watt's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Leon the Chameleon (2001), [9] Scaredy Squirrel (2006), [10] Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (2007), [11] Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (2008), [12] and Scaredy Squirrel at Night (2009). [13]
Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Scaredy Squirrel | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books | Winner | [14] |
2007 | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection | [15] [16] | |
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award | Winner | [10] | ||
2008 | Chester's Back | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books | Finalist | [17] |
2011 | Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party | Goodreads Choice Award for Picture Books | Nominee | [18] |
2015 | Bug in a Vacuum | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books | Finalist | [19] |
Mélanie Watt | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | Université du Québec à Montréal |
Occupation(s) | Children's book author and illustrator |
Notable work | Scaredy Squirrel |
Mélanie Watt (born August 20, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian children's author and illustrator. [1] [2] She is best known for Scaredy Squirrel, which won the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and was published in French as Frisson l'écureuil. [3] Melanie Watt's other major picture book series is Chester, which is about a cat named Chester who competes with Watt for the chance to write and illustrate his books. Chester (2009), the first book in the series, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. [4]
As of 2012, she has sold over two million books that have been translated into 23 languages. [5]
As a child, Mélanie Watt enjoyed drawing the comic strip character Garfield. [6] The Scaredy Squirrel series is influenced by Watt's childhood experiences, [7] including her childhood fear of sharks. [6] She received a BA in graphic design from the Université du Québec à Montréal. [8] In 1999, while enrolled in an illustration class taught by Michele Lemieux, Watt wrote her first story, Leon the Chameleon. [8]
One of her inspirations is children's book author Mo Willems. [8]
She currently resides near Montreal. [3]
Five of Watt's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Leon the Chameleon (2001), [9] Scaredy Squirrel (2006), [10] Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (2007), [11] Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (2008), [12] and Scaredy Squirrel at Night (2009). [13]
Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Scaredy Squirrel | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books | Winner | [14] |
2007 | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection | [15] [16] | |
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award | Winner | [10] | ||
2008 | Chester's Back | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books | Finalist | [17] |
2011 | Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party | Goodreads Choice Award for Picture Books | Nominee | [18] |
2015 | Bug in a Vacuum | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books | Finalist | [19] |