• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize (2007) nominee

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007

Queen Daisy can't help it - It's her feet that are misbehaving!

Queen Daisy had a great deal of trouble with her feet. They had a mind of their own and did not like behaving in a royal way. Proper shoes were out of the question, and sometimes her feet did not wear shoes at all! Her feet were especially naughty when Queen Daisy forced them to dress properly. At balls her feet would kick high in the air or tap-dance on the marble palace floors. Once, when a king from a neighboring kingdom brought his mean, bullying ways to Queen Daisy's court, her feet hauled off and kicked the king in the ankle. That's when a meeting had to be called of all the wise women and wizards and footmen in the kingdom to find a solution to Queen Daisy's terrible problem. And what a solution it turns out to be. Queen Daisy's feet will dance into the hearts of restless feet everywhere.

Sarah Ellis's wonderfully whimsical tale will ring a bell with all children and adults whose feet get restless. And Du�an Petricic illustrations may well encourage a little more unroyal behavior.

Sarah Ellis is one of Canada's most-loved children's writers. A former librarian, she is a highly sought-after children's book reviewer, literary jury member and speaker who lectures internationally on Canadian children's books. She is the winner of the Governor General's Award (Pick-Up Sticks), the Mr. Christie's Award (Out of the Blue and The Several Lives of Orphan Jack) and the Sheila A. Egoff Award (The Baby Project, Back of Beyond and Odd Man Out). Further accolades for Odd Man Out include the prestigious TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Master List, ALA Notable Book for Older Readers, Maine State Library Cream of the Crop List and OLA Best Bets - Top 10 Fiction for Children. Sarah Ellis has also won the Vicky Metcalf Award for a Body of Work. Sarah is on the faculty of Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Sarah Ellis' profile page

Duan Petricic was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, but loved to pretend that he grew up in Zemun, an old city located just across the river (and now a part of Belgrade). As a boy he did all the forbidden things that children do, but what Duan loved most was to draw. He started drawing at age four and, encouraged by his parents, he never stopped. He found inspiration in everything, and drawing became a way to communicate with the people around him. Two books that were very important to his childhood were an old encyclopedia with lots of pictures and The Boys from Pavel’s Street by Ferenc Molnár. Early on, he was moved by the drawings found within the encyclopedia. As he grew older, he adored many artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer, and Picasso. Duan has been illustrating children’s books for many years. He has received numerous honors and awards for his work, in North America and internationally, including an IBBY Certificate of Honour and an Alberta Book Award for On Tumbledown Hill (Red Deer Press). The Longitude Prize (FSG) was selected as a Robert F. Siebert Honor Book for a Distinguished Informative Book for Children in the US. His beautiful, evocative illustrations for Mattland (2009) by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert garnered Duan the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award from the Canadian Library Association as well as the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. His illustrations for Better Together (2011) by Sheryl and Simon Shapiro were described as “sublime” by Kirkus Reviews. When it came time to reissue Robert Munsch’s Mud Puddle (2012), Duan was Annick’s first choice to reillustrate the classic. The results are a fresh and energetic look that will delight a whole new generation of young Munsch fans. Duan’s latest book, The Man with the Violin (2013), was greeted with rave reviews, including starred reviews in Kirkus and uill & uire. Written by Kathy Stinson, this beautifully evocative picture book tells the true story of world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, who conducted an experiment by anonymously playing his priceless violin in the Washington D.C. subway station. Luckily for Duan, his profession is his favorite hobby and he is happy when at work. To young artists he would give this advice: “Think, think, think, think, draw!” Duan lives in Toronto where he is a regular contributor as an editorial cartoonist in the Toronto Star.

Dusan Petricic's profile page

"With its whimsical humour and its support for the importance of rebellion (in small doses), this foot-stomping read-aloud will please plenty of fidgety youngsters."
— Publishers Weekly

"Ellis's fun, spirited story matches well with Petricic's cartoon illustrations. An energetic, fun story that will tickle the restless toes of children everywhere."
— School Library Journal

"Required reading for all unruly little kickers, stompers, squirmers and scuffers."
— Kirkus

"The high-energy illustrations . . . are the stars of the pages here (so many toes!), but the text bears endless readings, as parents will increasingly appreciate once kids get the jokes for this rollicking story of something afoot in Daisy's queendom."
— The Georgia Straight

"The slightly aghast oh-no-not-again tone of Ellis's narration is perfectly partnered with the impish sass and inspired silliness of Du�an Petricic's illustrations."
— Quill & Quire

"Ticklish delightful and stomping good time."
— Curled up with a good kids book

"This collaboration between Sarah Ellis and talented, award-winning illustrator Du�an Petricic is a lively contribution to picture book collections. . . The book is full of visual treats."
— Resource Links