I’m Laurie Elmquist, the author behind the books.
If you love beautiful picture books, and well-told stories for young readers, you’ve come to the right spot.
I’m the author of Country Baby, a board book (ages 0-3) where Mom and baby pull on their boots, splash in puddles, and check on the chickens. I have three other books in the series, Beach Baby, Forest Baby, and City Baby with a focus on outdoor rambles (Orca Book Publishers). When I’m not writing for toddlers, I’m writing for the middle-grade crowd. My chapter books, Where’s Burgess? and Ruckus take young readers into a world of frogs, dogs, friendships and family dynamics (Orca Book Publishers).
I’m a cartoonist, a hiker, a not-very-good gardener, and a dog-lover. I write stories that I hope kids will love to read, and sometimes there are little tidbits in the books from my life, such as a horse named Sugar, or a terrier that is wild and waggy-tailed. I love to write about places on Vancouver Island and the creatures that live there, such as the geese that waddle up from the bay.
I was born in Hamilton, but mostly grew up in rural Ontario on the Bruce Peninsula. I attribute my big imagination to those years of growing up on Isaac Lake. The lake was a bird sanctuary, and ours was the only house near its shore. The lake was full of perch and bass, frogs and birds. I suppose that’s why frogs featured in the very first kid’s book that I wrote. As an adult, I moved back to Hamilton and attended McMaster University where I earned a BA in Literature. I received my MA in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Windsor.
Country Baby is a board book for babies (ages 0-3), available February 2024 and I can’t wait for you to read it.
Order the book on Amazon or buy at your local bookstore. Available February 13, 2024.
Laurie Elmquist 