So happy the news is officially official! PLUFFY & BORB CATCH A FRIEND -- written by me, illustrated by @naomispractice.bsky.social, and pubbed by @kidscanpress.bsky.social is coming to bookshelves in Fall 2027 🎉

Very grateful to @debbieohi.com for this 'cool' review of COMMUNITY SNOWMAN, our upcoming (Oct 8/25) wordless picture book, published by @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social & illustrated by Tine Modeweg-Hansen). Thank you, Debbie!! 🥰

🐾 Gotcha Day Cover Reveal 🐾 ⁠Adorably illustrated by Udayana Lugo & pubbed by @orcabook.bsky.social this heartfelt story about a stray dog finding their fur-ever home was inspired by our family’s experience with our sweet rescue pup, Freddie. In bookstores March 17/26 & available for pre-order now

I was thrilled to discover IGGY INCLUDED on the list of Red Cedar Fiction nominees for 2025/26! Huge thanks to the selection committee and my fellow Red Cedar nominee @annarosner.bsky.social for the heads up! #bookawards #nominee #middlegradebooks #canlit #ireadcanadian #Iwritecanadian #kidlit

And just like that, a brand new children's book springs to life 🌱 More details coming soon 😊 #thisnevergetsold #picturebook #canlit #Ireadcanadian #iwritecanadian #amwriting #writersofbluesky #bookcontract #kidlit

Summer Reads for Kids 8 to 18: looking for mental health-themed books for your children to read? See our list of 19 titles, including books by ‪@kerncarter.bsky.social | @sharigreen.bsky.social | @deborahkerbel.com | @kloshaughnessy.bsky.social‬ menderist.com/summer-readi...

“A little space, please!” Got a kiddo who craves a bit of personal space? Bought a copy of NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE or taken it out from the library? DM me your address & proof of purchase/library loan and I’ll send you a custom door hanger (with art by illustrator Udayana Lugo). *🇨🇦 residents only

🎉IODE Violet Downy Book Award Short List ⭐A Galaxy of Whales H Fawcett Tundra ⭐Iggy Included @deborahkerbel.com Scholastic ⭐Plague Thieves @parentclub.bsky.social @cormorantbooks.bsky.social ⭐The Outsmarters D Ellis @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social ⭐Tig HT Smith Rocky Pond #KidLit #CanKidLit

You can browse the 2025 #ForestOfReading nominees here: forestofreading.com/nominated-li... Congrats @grickle.bsky.social & @deborahkerbel.com on their #SilverBirch Fiction Honours! bsky.app/profile/hkub...

Congrats to #SilverBirch Fiction Honour Book winners @grickle.bsky.social and @deborahkerbel.com! Young readers know wonderful #CDN books.

Let’s see if this works…🤞 #gettingcreative #parentingsolutions

With shrinking review outlets for 🇨🇦 kidlit, the loss of CM Reviews leaves quite a void. Feeling grateful for all their years of steadfast support for 🇨🇦 kids books & sad to see it end. A review of NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE appears in the latest (& possibly final 😔) issue. Thank you for everything, CM!

I’m excited to share a sneak peek of the adorable 'book sibling' for WHAT ABOUT AN OCTOPUS? WHAT ABOUT AN ELEPHANT? will be stomping into bookstores August 2025 😊 Illustrated by Dawn Lo & published by @owlkids.bsky.social 🐘🐙📚🇨🇦 #ireadcanadian #informationalpicturebook #picturebook #fall2025 #kidlit

Canadian #kidlit creators, if you're not following @hkubiw.bsky.social yet, you should be. Her outstanding book review blog is one of the most viewed & influential in our community. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to Canadian children's books, Helen. You're a rockstar 🤩 🇨🇦 📚

If you like penguins—and who doesn’t?—then check out this new picture book, NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE, by @deborahkerbel.com & @udayana-lugo.bsky.social! #penguins #kidlit #EduSky #CanKidLit @picturebookseh.bsky.social @orcabook.bsky.social

Here's to new seasons, fresh starts, & finding little sprigs of hope at a time when they've never been more needed. Bring on the light...and happy first day of spring, friends 🌱 (Art by @joseebisaillon.bsky.social from WHIRL, published by @owlkids.bsky.social) #picturebook #wordless #spring

You know why these authors are happy? Because they're celebrating their new @orcabook.bsky.social books at Mabel's Fables Children's Bookstore! Congrats on a wonderful launch, Erin Silver, @alisonmcgauley.bsky.social, @deborahkerbel.com & @mkbirmingham.bsky.social! #kidlit #CanKidLit #picturebooks

My 30th kids book publishes today 🎉 NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE is about respecting personal space, accepting differences, & finding creative ways to support the people you love. May she waddle her way into ❤️ of kids who see themselves in her quest for ‘alone time’ in a world full of huddlers.

Happy #internationalwomensday! May we continue having our voices heard, our words known, our opinions valued, and our work recognized. May we always remember our strength and our worth. And may we be blessed with a community of sisters who uplift each other whenever possible 💪

Shout-out to all my fellow Canadian creators...let's continue to support each other as well as our incredible Canadian publishing community 🇨🇦 Thanks to @carolmatas.bsky.social for this timely reminder ❤️

🥳 GROUP BOOK LAUNCH! 📚 We are excited to visit with friends & family as we share our new books at Mabel’s Fables Children’s Bookstore, March 11th from 6:30-8 pm. 🩷 We’d love to see you there! @picturebookseh.bsky.social @pb25vibes.bsky.social #kidlit @deborahkerbel.com @mkbirmingham.bsky.social

❄️ ☃️ COVER REVEAL ☃️ ❄️ Who's ready for more snow? (No shovelling required 😉 ) COMMUNITY SNOWMAN will be rolling into bookstores in #fall2025. (Illustrated by uber-talented Tine Modeweg-Hansen and published by the wonderful team at @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social)

Starting #Valentines Day reading with @deborahkerbel.com wonderful #NoHuddlesForHeliose!

With just 1 month to go until NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE officially hatches, I'm happy to share the news that Turkish & traditional Chinese language rights have been sold! So excited for kids around the world to meet Heloise the introverted penguin! 🐧 (Art: Udayana Lugo. Pubbed: @orcabook.bsky.social)

Getting mail from young readers is one of my favourite parts of this job. I mean, how cute is this letter?? 🥰🥰🥰

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an author in possession of a forthcoming book, must be stressing out about reviews. I am, thus, SUPER grateful for this sweet advance review of NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE from @ala-booklist.bsky.social. Thank you, Booklist! 😍 🐧 (Coming to stores March 11)

Children's writers have done a great job of building online community--but sometimes meeting people in person is exactly what you need @karenkrossing.bsky.social @danachurchwriter.bsky.social @lanabutton.bsky.social @deborahkerbel.com @jessicavitalis.bsky.social @nadialhohn.bsky.social

Sending out a Newfoundland-sized 'thank you' to Storytime with Stephanie for this wonderful review of IGGY INCLUDED 🥰 🐾 🙏 #middlegrade #IReadCanadian #bookstagram #bookreviews #canlit #kidlit #mysteries #dogbooksforkids #middlegradefiction #newfoundlanddog #silverbirch #forestofreading

Never again is now ✡️ #InternationalHolocaustRemembranceDay #NeverAgain

I’m very grateful to have recently received a recommender grant for my WIP. Sending out a heartfelt thank you to @ontarioarts.bsky.social and @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social 🙏

🐧 It's Penguin Awareness Day 🐧 Heloise the introverted penguin avoids crowds, huddles & other social gatherings, but loves giving rocks to let her penguin pals know she cares 💛 NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE (art by Udayana Lugo & published by @orcabook.bsky.social) is available to pre-order now!

Shabbat Shalom May peace and light be with you, my friends 🙏🎗️ #BringThemHome #bringonthelight #shabbatshalom #bringthemhomenow #peaceplease

The annual OLA #Superconference in #Toronto is coming up soon! I’ll be signing copies of IGGY INCLUDED and OPPOSITE IDENTICALS on Friday January 31st — if you’re there too, please find me and say ‘hello’ 👋 📚 #forestofreading #olasc #IReadCanadian #middlegradebooks

New year = new books! Delighted to be collaborating again with the brilliant Dawn Lo & the wonderful team @owlkids.bsky.social & thrilled to finally share the cover of our upcoming #fall2025 #informationalpicturebook & companion title to WHAT ABOUT AN OCTOPUS? WHAT ABOUT AN ELEPHANT? - coming Aug/25

The most meaningful gifts are often the ones that cost little or no money. Thank you @menderist.bsky.social for inviting me to write about one such gift in your holiday issue 'Gifts of Another Kind' 💙 menderist.com/remembering-...

I'm about to start writing my first keynote address. The audience will be 500 middle grade students. Any advice or suggestions from those who've done this before would be most welcome 🙏

I got reader mail 😊 Of all my books, the Grade 3 kids at Robert Munsch PS chose ‘What About an Octopus?” as their fave! They were even inspired to write ‘story & fact’ books of their own. How awesome is that? Now they can't wait for the 2nd book in the ‘What About?’ series to come out next Fall…🐙 🐘

Very grateful to 'sea' this 'inkredible' 5-star review of WHAT ABOUT AN OCTOPUS? in the latest edition of CM 😍 🐙 (Sorry…I’m a ‘sucker’ for silly puns 😆 ) www.cmreviews.ca/node/4240#bo... #picturebook #informationalpicturebook #kidlit #canlit #IReadCanadian #IWriteCanadian #octopus #octopusbooks

I received the coziest hand knit blanket for my birthday...and Freddie immediately claimed it for himself. Maybe if I'm lucky he'll let me share it once in a while ☺️

My friends got me a pink tool kit for my birthday and it's quite possibly the best present of all time!

The Artists Against Antisemitism Auction is live - proceeds go to fighting antisemitism in the arts & supporting Jewish artists. I’ve donated a #picturebook #manuscript #critique. Please share with aspiring #kidlit creators interested in receiving feedback 🙏 💙 📚 event.auctria.com/8801e3af-8d1...

Hello to all my #kidlit community peeps! So nice to see so many of you here in the good place 🥰

Giving away I'M WORRIED & I'M SAD for #IReadCanadianDay to someone in Canada or the U.S. who is feeling this way right now. To enter, reply with the title of a 🇨🇦 Canadian #KidLit book (pls tag author/illus if they're on Bluesky) that isn't mine. I'll use random number picker to select winner on Sat.

Some exciting news… 🎉 IGGY's INCLUDED 🎉 Nominated for the Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction Award! The Forest of Reading® Program is the largest recreational reading program in 🇨🇦. Last year, almost 270,000 schools/libraries/individuals participated in this incredible program!

Earlier this week, I received this message from a reader that literally brightened my day ☀️ Look at what this mother created as a tribute to her child's favourite book 😮 A beautiful reminder of how art inspires art! (SUNNY DAYS was written by me, illustrated by Miki Sato & dubbed by Pajama Press)

Did you know octopuses are similar to dogs? 🐙 🐶 Both are curious, playful & extremely intelligent 🐙 🐶 Both share the same amount of neurons (about 500 million) 🐙 🐶 Both can perform tricks to get rewards But, although octopuses boast 9 brains (to a canine’s 1), dogs win when it comes to cuddliness 🐾

🥳🎈🐙 Today's my book birthday 🐙 🎈 🥳 Fact: there's no better way to celebrate than with an ‘ink’redible first review! WHAT ABOUT AN OCTOPUS? A FACT-FILLED UNDERWATER ADVENTURE is available to order now! 🎉 (Illustrated by Dawn Lo & pubbed by the wonderful team at Owlkids)

Signed an armful of books at Indigo Yorkdale yesterday. There’s something for everyone on your #kidlit reading list here. (And bonus…all Canadian 🇨🇦 written, illustrated, & published!) #graphicnovel #middlegradebooks #PictureBook #IReadCanadian #IWriteCanadian #Canlit

✨COVER REVEAL✨ Delighted to share the cover of my #winter2025 #picturebook — NO HUDDLES FOR HELOISE, about an introverted penguin who appreciates personal space (a problem when all the other penguins like to huddle). Pubbed by Orca Books & adorably illustrated by Udayana Lugo. #coverreveal #kidlit

UPDATED: My Bluesky Starter Thread. Newest version can always be accessed via debbieohi.link/starter. More #BlueSkyTips, resources etc: debbieohi.link/bluesky-tips Note: These are just suggestions; there's no ONE right way to use Bluesky. Feel free to share with anyone who needs it! cont'd 👇🏼