About the Author

Sarah Ellis has written many children’s books, including Pick-Up Sticks, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, Odd Man Out, which won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and The Baby Project, which won the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Book Prize. In 1995 Sarah was honoured with the Vicky Metcalf Award for her outstanding body of work. In addition to her own writing, Sarah is on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and reviews children’s literature for Quill & Quire and The Hornbook.

Sarah’s mother grew up in small-town Saskatchewan, and the stories of her childhood inspired Sarah to write A Prairie as Wide as the Sea. While doing research for the book, Sarah was surprised to discover a letter in a 1927 newspaper that her own mother (who had died decades earlier) had written when she was a girl. Sarah describes finding that letter as “a gift.”

Another gift is that in researching and writing three Dear Canada titles, Sarah has become more alert to all the stories our country has to offer.

Sarah lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.