Happy, Healthy Holidays!

Have you seen this video about how to improve your health in half an hour a day that's been making the rounds? It stars none other than Dr. Michael Evans, co-author of The Adventures of Medical Man!



He also just released a second video, Concussions 101. (Concussions are one of the topics covered in The Adventures of Medical Man, along with broken bones, strep throat, ear infections, asthma, and nut allergies.) If you want to learn about common health ailments in easy-to-understand terms, Dr. Mike's your man! We hope everyone enjoys a safe, healthy holiday season.

Speaking of holidays... Happy Holidays from the Annick elves! Our offices close at the end of the day and will re-open on Tuesday, January 3. So let me add a preemptive Happy New Year, too!

Skype Author Visits and Holiday Book Buying

Recently, author Sylvia McNicoll interviewed our author Sharon McKay for a Skype classroom visit with a middle school. They discussed Sharon's book Thunder over Kandahar: how did she do her research? What are the issues involved with writing from the perspective of a culture you don't belong to? Sylvia has a great post about it on her blog, so please click here to read it.

In other news, you may have noticed that it's December 16th. Which means there are less than ten days until Christmas! If you'd like to give your loved ones books for Christmas (and who wouldn't?), here are some places to start.

• Children's author and illustrator Patricia Storms has put together a list of Great Picture Books (including A Flock of Shoes and How Do You Read to a Rabbit?)
• January Magazine has an extensive Holiday Gift Guide (including 50 Underwear Questions)
• If you find teen boys hard to buy for, check out educator Janet Somerville's list of Books for Older Teen Boys
• If you're looking for the hand-selling experience online, stop by the Advent Book Blog, which crowdsources great reads from book lovers of every stripe (author, editors, booksellers, publishers, agents, etc.)

What book are you most excited to give or receive this year? Let us know in the comments!

Supporting Books and Literacy

Today, we had a visit from local MP Mark Adler, who presented Annick with a Canada Book Fund grant on behalf of the Department of Canadian Heritage. He said a few words about the importance of literacy and Canadian stories, and also shared his fond remembrance of a children's book from his childhood, The Hockey Sweater. In return, Annick Press Director Rick Wilks gave him some books to take home to his children, and also introduced him to local author/illustrator Ruth Ohi.

Here are some pictures from the visit:

MP Mark Adler (left) receives books for his children from Director Rick Wilks

MP Mark Adler and Director Rick Wilks with books

Left to right: MP Mark Adler, author/illustrator Ruth Ohi, Annick Press Director Rick Wilks

Annick Press has been publishing Canada's stories for over 35 years. Generations have grown up with books like The Paper Bag Princess, Red is Best, and more recently, Chanda's Secrets. The voices of Canadian writers shape and build our identity and have become a cornerstone of the knowledge economy. We're truly grateful for the support from the Department of Canadian Heritage. In a globalized entertainment industry it is more important than ever that we continue to share our stories. This support makes that possible.

World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. If you're looking for a powerful, realistic yet hopeful novel about how AIDS affects families and communities, pick up a copy of Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton.

Originally published in 2004, Chanda's Secrets is now in its twelfth printing and has been translated into eleven languages. Although it stands on its own as a compelling work of fiction and has won twenty-five awards and honors, it can also be used in the high school classroom (click here for a free teacher's guide). An e-book edition is available from Kobo, Sony, Barnes & Noble, and others.

Last year, a film adaptation of Chanda's Secrets debuted at the Cannes film festival as Life, Above All and took home the prestigious Prix François Chalais. The movie is now available through Sony Classics.

Whether you read Chanda's Secrets or watch Life, Above All, we hope Chanda's story will be inspiring.