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TUNDRA BOOKS<br />
<strong>Barbara</strong> <strong>Nichol</strong><br />
A writer of television scripts, children’s books, poetry,<br />
magazine articles and radio documentaries, <strong>Barbara</strong><br />
<strong>Nichol</strong>’s writing marries elements of fantasy and realism,<br />
blurring the lines between truth and fiction in the creation<br />
of a type of literary deception.<br />
In many cases, readers and listeners are fooled completely<br />
by <strong>Nichol</strong>’s vivid imagination. The Lying Down, was a<br />
mock radio documentary that explored Sarner’s Disease, a<br />
rare form of cholera that caused victims to fall into a deathlike<br />
sleep, many of which were mistakenly buried alive.<br />
Despite its broadcast on April 1, many medical<br />
experts contacted <strong>Nichol</strong> looking for more information about the non-existent Sarner’s Disease. Still others<br />
claimed to have had a victim among their ancestors.<br />
Her children’s picture book, Dippers, (illustrated by Barry Moser and published by <strong>Tundra</strong> in 1997) was<br />
adapted from a fifteen minute radio play about a summer heat wave in turn-of-the-century Toronto. The<br />
book tells the story of dippers, strange but harmless, flying creatures that came up the Don River. Again,<br />
many historians requested more information from <strong>Nichol</strong> about her research, and many believe the<br />
dippers actually existed. Dippers was a finalist for the 1997 Governor General’s Literary Award for best<br />
text in a children’s book and the City of Toronto Book Award .<br />
<strong>Nichol</strong> is the winner of a Genie Award, Golden Spire Award and Canal + Award for her short film, Home<br />
for Blind Women. “Basil Hears a Noise” a “Sesame Street” special was nominated for an Emmy, and won a<br />
Cable Ace Award. Her first children’s book, Beethoven Lives Upstairs (adapted from her Judo-awardwinning<br />
recording), was finalist for the Mr. Christie Book Award, and was named winner of Publishers<br />
Weekly’s Cuffie Award. A book of poetry, Biscuits in the Cupboard won the 1998 Mr. Christie Book<br />
Award.<br />
Trunks All Aboard: An Elephant ABC was published in Spring 2001. For One Small Garden, <strong>Barbara</strong> again<br />
teamed up with award-winning U.S. illustrator Barry Moser in this book about the hidden stories in a<br />
small urban garden. <strong>Barbara</strong>’s latest book, Safe and Sound, tells the tale of two pups who explore the<br />
world. To commemorate the 400 th anniversary of it’s creation, a retelling of Tales of Don Quixote will be<br />
published in Fall 2004.<br />
<strong>Barbara</strong> <strong>Nichol</strong> lives in Toronto.
TUNDRA BOOKS<br />
Selected Bibliography<br />
Tales of Don Quixote (<strong>Tundra</strong>) 2004<br />
Safe and Sound (<strong>Tundra</strong>) 2003<br />
Trunks All Aboard: An Elephant ABC (<strong>Tundra</strong>) 2001<br />
One Small Garden (<strong>Tundra</strong>) 2001<br />
Biscuits in the Cupboard (Stoddart) 1997<br />
Dippers (<strong>Tundra</strong>) 1997<br />
Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Lester) 1993<br />
Awards and Honours<br />
Dippers • Certificate of Merit, Premier Print Award, 1997<br />
• Our Choice, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, 1997/98<br />
• Best Picture Book, Quill and Quire, 1997<br />
• Shortlisted, Governor General’s Literary Award – Text, 1997<br />
• Shortlisted, City of Toronto Book Award, 1998<br />
• Chosen for “OLA Best Bets 1997” List for picture books by the OLA<br />
Canadian Materials Committee<br />
• Selected for inclusion in the Toronto Public Library’s Best 100 <strong>Books</strong><br />
for Children and Teens list<br />
Beethoven Lives Upstairs • Finalist for the Mr. Christie Award for Best Children’s Book, 1993<br />
• CM Notable Book, 1993<br />
• Book List Editors’ Choice, 1993
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