Toucania

Brimming with whimsical illustrations of imaginary animals, this delightful tale of an independent young woman is sure to encourage your own little explorers to dream of their own big adventures.

Intrepid adventurer Amelia finally gets a chance to explore the legendary island of Toucania, following in her grandfather's footsteps. There she will get to observe the strange creatures that he used to tell her about as she drifted to sleep. Belicorns, chimpanthers and firebats have filled her dreams for years and now she has a chance to see them for herself. But Amelia must get to the island quickly! Otherwise Toucania will soon vanish back into the dense fog that keeps it hidden for decades at a time.

Marianne Ferrer was born in Venezuela and immigrated to Canada in 1998. After attending Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec, for illustration and design, she completed her education in graphic design at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Marianne won the Prix Lux for her illustrations in Le jardin invisible. Her style is characterized by its charm, delicacy and depth. Marianne lives in Montreal.

Valérie Picard is the artistic director at the Quebec publishing house Monsieur Ed. After obtaining a diploma in visual arts and a degree in anthropology, she fell in love with children's literature. Her book Le jardin invisible was a finalist for the Prix des Libraires in the Jeunesses category. Valérie lives in Montreal.

Charles Simard is a Québécois editor and translator from Tiohtià꞉ke / Montréal. He works as poetry, fiction, and nonfiction editor for Talonbooks in Vancouver on Coast Salish Territory. His published work includes the essay Littérature, analyse et forme: Herbert, Tolkien, Borges, Eco (EUE, 2010) and a number of translations for Orca Book Publishers, including Elise Gravel's The Wrench and Myriam Daguzan Bernier's dictionary of sexuality, Naked!. As a lexicographer, he has collaborated on the making of the popular linguistic suite Antidote in its bilingual editions. He holds a PhD in literature from Université de Montréal and was a postdoctoral fellow at the City University of New York's Graduate Center.