• Age: 0 to 18
• Grade: p to 12
• Reading age: 0

Emily Carr (1871-1945) was a great artist of the North West Coast of Canada. One of the few woman painters of her generation, she has been exhibited with and compared to Georgia O'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo, two other great women artists whose work is finally receiving the recognition it deserves.

Emily Carr's life story is told in this highly original picture book by Nicolas Debon. Written and illustrated in comic strips, the book traces Carr's life through four of her famous paintings. The first part, named after the painting, Cedar House, represents Emily's first sketching trip to a remote village where she discovers the richness of West Coast native life and art. Autumn in France describes Emily at work in a Paris art studio and immersing herself in the New Art of Chagall, Matisse, Picasso and others. In Silhouette, Carr's work is exhibited at the National Gallery and she has a pivotal meeting with artists of the Group of Seven. Finally, in Beloved of the Sky, Emily reaches her full potential as an artist.

NICOLAS DEBON won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for his book The Strongest Man in the World. His illustrations in Dawn Watch by Jean E. Pendziwol were nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award. He has also written and illustrated A Brave Soldier and Four Pictures by Emily Carr. A Canadian, he now lives in France.

Nicolas Debon's profile page

• Short-listed, Norma Fleck Non-fiction Award
• Commended, CCBC Our Choice (Starred Selection)
• Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Awards: Illustration