Stephen McCallum
Stephen McCallum is an animator, illustrator and instructor who lives with his wife in Victoria. Although he was born in Victoria, Stephen spent many of his early summers visiting family on the prairies, where he developed a love for nature and animals. This experience illuminates his artwork.
Stephen has won several awards and prizes for animated film. In 1992 his movie "From Flores" won an award for the Best Short Fiction Film at the International Environmental Film Festival in Brazil. Stephen's work experience includes stints as an animator at the Walt Disney Studios and a storyboard artist with the National Film Board of Canada.
Stephen has worked with Orca twice previously, collaborating with Marilynn Reynolds both times. The first project they completed together was Belle's Journey, in 1993. Next came A Dog for a Friend, in 1994. The New Land marks their third collaborative effort. Stephen is very comfortable doing presentations and is open to participating in any promotional events.
Reviews
Belle's JourneyMarilyn Reynolds
Illustrated by Stephen McCallum
In the early 1920s, when Marilyn Reynolds' mother was a child on the Canadian prairie, she rode her pony, Belle, eight miles to piano lessons. Ms. Reynolds' account of the pair's trip through a sudden, blinding snowstorm movingly portrays Belle's life-saving perseverance during that Journey and the events that surrounded it. Stephen McCallum's colored-pencil drawings perfectly illustrate a story impossible to read just once. 1993, Orca, Ages 7 up, $14.95. Reviewer: Beverly Kobrin
ISBN: 1-55143-021-5
The Good Companion
Joan Skogan
Illustrations by Stephen McCallum
The Good Companion is a fishing vessel commanded by a superstitious captain. On this ship, there are no women, no black suitcases, and the coffee cups must hang facing inboard. The five-member crew even eats the same meal of ham and raisin pie the first night of every trip. But one night, the crew rescues a mysterious red-haired girl from a leaky rowboat. For ten days, she is good company for the crew. The captain, however, is relieved when they reach port and the woman is put off his boat. Time passes, with the same rigid routine, until one winter morning when a storm threatens the ship. As the deck fills with water, the terrified captain sees a vision of the strange red-haired girl, followed by an inexplicable righting of the ship. That night, the captain suggests a change in the dinner menu, indicating a new acceptance of change in general. The vibrant watercolor illustrations provide an engaging realism to this eerie tale. On one level, this intriguing picture book is a ghost story set within the fishing industry. On another level, it could be considered a feminist allegory of societal change. 1998, Orca Book Publishers, Ages 7 to 10, $15.95. Reviewer: Jackie Hechtkopf
ISBN: 1-55143-134-3
The New Land; A First Year On The Prairie
Marilynn Reynolds
Illustrated by Stephen McCallum
Father, Mother, John, and little Annie come to the New World late in the nineteenth century in order to make a new life. The new land could be Canada or the U.S.--it really doesn't matter. We don't know where they came from, but that doesn't matter either. The voyage from Europe, the train trip across half the continent, and the ox-cart journey to the new homestead are written in a matter-of-fact style that doesn't try to glorify anything, or hide any of the real hardships involved. The arrival, digging a well, building a sod hut and barn, spending a lonely winter--it's like reading a journal written by someone you loved. 1997, Orca, Ages 5 to 10, $14.95. Reviewer: Judy Silverman
ISBN: 1-55143-069-X
Added 1999
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If you're interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.