Marthe Jocelyn

In 1855, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote to his publisher, complaining about the irritating fad of “scribbling women.” Whether they were written by professionals, by women who simply wanted to connect with others, or by those who wanted to leave a record of their lives, those “scribbles” are fascinating, informative, and instructive.

Margaret Catc …

Wake up, Nellie! The fun is about to begin. First, there’s deciding what to wear. Then there’s breakfast with all kinds of shapes and textures and tastes. From indoor play in a made-up train, to a trip to the park and a bedtime cuddle with Daddy, Nellie’s day is full of discoveries.

Marthe Jocelyn’s bright collages incorporate a feast of con …

Nominated for the 2005 Norma Fleck Award

Thousands of mothers carried their babies to the gates of the Foundling Hospital desperate to save them from the cruel streets of eighteenth-century London. Each baby was left with a personal “token” – identification if a repentant mother ever returned to reclaim her child.

Captain Thomas Coram, himself …

From airplane/avión/avion to zigzag/zigzag/zigzag, Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter have created a unique ABC for the very young. The book works perfectly in three languages, English, Spanish, and French (English, Español, and Français). In each case, deceptively simple paper cuts will delight the eye while young readers explore words in three l …

In the late nineteenth century, in a dot of a town called Westley, lives the smallest girl in the world. Josephine stands only twenty-two inches high and her parents charge gawkers a penny a piece to see her – until they realize that the headmistress of MacLaren Academy for Girls will pay even more.

At the Academy Josephine is treated like a slave …

With a fresh cast of animal characters — and what they eat — the creative team of Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter has produced another work in their award-winning series for very young book and art lovers.

Marthe Jocelyn’s simple concept of matching creatures — familiar and unusual — with their favorite foods is brought to life by the sp …

“First times” can be life-changing experiences. Marthe Jocelyn has selected fourteen unforgettable stories, written by several of the best authors in North America, which explore human nature and take the reader on a transforming journey. From innocent firsts, such as first blue jeans, first boyfriend, first job, first step into adulthood, to t …

A love story, a social history, and an act that echoes through generations.

Set in the late 1800's, Marthe Jocelyn's stunning new novel is told in the voices of four people whose lives and destinies intertwine. There's Mary, who begins "exceeding ignorant" (apart from what a girl can learn from family mayhem, a dead mother, and a grim stepmother) an …

Hannah is a little girl with a big problem. She loves her dresses – so much so that she cannot decide what to wear. Her solution is inventive. She will assign one dress to each day. The problem seems to be solved until a special day – her birthday – rolls around. To save having to make a decision, Hannah piles on all her seven dresses! But ho …

Hannah loves to make collections. Whether it’s new barrettes for her hair or seashells from the shore, she likes to gather things and sort them by size, shape, and color.

But now she is facing a dilemma. The children in her class have been invited to bring their favorite collection to school. How can she possibly pick a favorite?

Once again, Hannah …

The year is 1924, the heyday of the revived Spiritualist movement. Fourteen-year-old Annie and her mother are successful purveyors of psychic chicanery; they move from town to town, cashing in on the fad for clairvoyant guidance.

When they arrive in Peach Hill, Annie is once again compelled into her part of the act: she has to pretend that she’s …

Winner of the 2005 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

It is 1901 and Mable Riley dreams of adventure and of becoming a writer. When her older sister leaves home to become a schoolmistress in the small town of Stratford, Ontario, Mable is sent along too. Mable hopes her new world will be full of peril and romance. But life at the Goodhand Farm ( …

School is over! Hurry, pack up all your summer clothes (don’t forget your bathing suit!), load everything into the car, and find a spot in the backseat. Summer is about to begin.

The siblings in Marthe Jocelyn’s new picture book can’t wait to get to the cottage. The smell of pine needles, the first swim off the dock, playing summer games, and …

One Some Many by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter is an excellent early introduction to numbers and to the principles of modern art. It is the perfect companion to 1 2 3, a counting book with a difference. Slaughter’s bold, Matisse-inspired paper cuts illustrate basic artistic elements, including color, form, and line, while the playful and inven …

Marthe Jocelyn’s ability to present important-to-learn concepts to the very young has garnered accolades from around the world. Ones and Twos is her first book collaboration with her nineteen-year-old art student daughter, Nell, and, together, they explore numeracy, sorting, and pairing. Each brightly illustrated page invites children to identify …

Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter explore opposites in this gorgeous introduction to modern art for small readers. Cut paper images introduce children to color, form, and design as they explore tall giraffes and short mice, squares and circles, light day and dark night.

An art book as well as a sound learning tool, Over Under is stunningly simple and …

What am I going to wear? The question that diverts us all is first presented in the toddler years when the mastery of getting dressed is a triumph and opinions about clothing are emphatic.

These four board books illustrated by collage-artist Marthe Jocelyn are a unique tribute to the colors, textures, and patterns that make clothes a child’s favo …

What am I going to wear? The question that diverts us all is first presented in the toddler years when the mastery of getting dressed is a triumph and opinions about clothing are emphatic.

These four board books illustrated by collage-artist Marthe Jocelyn are a unique tribute to the colors, textures, and patterns that make clothes a child’s favo …

What am I going to wear? The question that diverts us all is first presented in the toddler years when the mastery of getting dressed is a triumph and opinions about clothing are emphatic.

These four board books illustrated by collage-artist Marthe Jocelyn are a unique tribute to the colors, textures, and patterns that make clothes a child’s favo …

What am I going to wear? The question that diverts us all is first presented in the toddler years when the mastery of getting dressed is a triumph and opinions about clothing are emphatic.

These four board books illustrated by collage-artist Marthe Jocelyn are a unique tribute to the colors, textures, and patterns that make clothes a child’s favo …

Forget about differences! Here’s a wonderful new concept book to explore and enjoy!

Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter team up again to deliver a delightfully simple book. Jocelyn’s marvelous concept — finding common characteristics in different creatures and objects — coupled with Slaughter’s masterful paper cuts makes Same Same a clever in …

In all their permutations, these unforgettable stories explore one of the irresistible facets of human nature, the fact that everyone has a secret. Marthe Jocelyn has selected twelve stories
by several of the best authors in North America to explore the nature and the power of secrets. Sometimes secrets can be downright funny – how would you lik …

Billie Stoner’s mother is stuck to her like glue. In the Stoner family, togetherness rules. Billie is desperate to be like other eleven-year-olds she reads about, who are allowed to walk to school alone and who have their own rooms. While on a family outing to Central Park, Billie discovers a magic makeup bag that allows her to fulfil her deepest …

Alyssa is mean, sarcastic, and just plain no fun. Billie Stoner considers her to be an enemy and sometimes wishes that Alyssa would just disappear. That’s exactly what happens when Alyssa snoops in Billie’s knapsack and accidentally makes herself invisible with Billie’s secret powder. Now it’s up to Billie to help somebody who has made her …

What’s more fun – and more hard work – than a puppy? An invisible one!

Author Marthe Jocelyn takes readers back to Manhattan to meet up once again with Billie Stoner in her follow-up to The Invisible Day. Billie has always wanted a puppy, but her mother and father both agree: No dog! No problem, thinks Billie, who turns to her mad scientist fr …

What is time? This question, asked nearly fifty years ago by author Beth Gleick’s young son, prompted her to answer in a picture book for preschoolers, using simple language and familiar scenes: “In one second, you can bounce a ball, or jump, or say hello, or turn a page.”

Beth Gleick’s clean turn of phrase cleverly explains the passing of …

Where do you look for glasses? On a shelf? Or on a face?

In this playful exploration of homonyms, readers will discover the fun they can have with language. Is a wave at a beach? Or at a train station? Is a trunk in a garden? Or on an elephant? Kids will love the juxtaposition of words and meanings, and the detailed collage illustrations will have t …

A new book from the team of Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter, Which Way? is an invitation to explore and understand the concepts we see every day in the signs around us. Navigating the world involves many decisions. How do we know which way to go? Will we pedal or drive? Do we need a map? Will we detour to see the scenery? This colorful book takes …

A summer night. A Saturday. For Claire, this summer feels fantastic because she’ll be zooming off to college in the fall. For her younger sister, Natalie, it’s an okay time with her friends: summer jobs, then hanging out. Fun mostly, but nothing special.

A summer night. An accident. Life changes in a heartbeat.

In Would You, Marthe Jocelyn tells …