Mélanie Watt
French-Canadian illustrator and writer of children's picture books
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Mélanie Watt | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1975 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Education | Université du Québec à Montréal |
| Occupations | Children's book author and illustrator |
| Notable work | Scaredy Squirrel |
As of 2012, she has sold over two million books that have been translated into 23 languages.[5]
Biography
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]
Awards and honours
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] |
Works
Scaredy Squirrel
- Scaredy Squirrel (2006)
- Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (2007)
- Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (2008)
- Scaredy Squirrel at Night (2009)
- Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party (2011)
- Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas (2012)
- Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping (2013)
- Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween (2013)
- Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell (2021)
- Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise (2022)
- Scaredy Squirrel Visits the Doctor (2022)
- Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (2023)
Chester
- Chester (2007)
- Chester's Back! (2008)
- Chester's Masterpiece (2010)
Other works
- Leon the Chameleon (2001)
- Colors (2005)
- Augustine (2009)
- You're Finally Here! (2011)
- Have I Got a Book for You (2013)
- Bug in a Vacuum (2015)
