Going Beyond The Page: A Conversation with Brian McLachlan

Brian McLachlan is a cartoonist who writes the “Alex and Charlie” strip for Owl Magazine. He's also done cartoons for Nickelodeon, Dragon, and The New Yorker Magazine. His bookDraw Out The Story: 10 Secrets to Creating Your Own Comics, received an ILA Nonfiction Award, a JLG Gold Medal, and was a Silver Birch finalist. After a fantastic session of cartooning with youth at John Innes Community Centre in Toronto Brian spoke with us about why he enjoyed working with First Book Canada!How did you hear about First Book Canada?I learned about First Book Canada from my fellow author/illustrator friend Hilary Leung, who told me about doing presentations for a super cool and super supportive organization. Then I brought my kids to one of his First Book Canada Reading Celebrations and saw what he was saying was true! … [books] are so important towards a lifetime of learning and growing.Why do you like Reading Celebrations?Normally when you hear about giving kids a free sample to get them hooked, it’s on something not so good. It's great to see that idea applied to books, which are so important towards a lifetime of learning and growing.What role did books play in your life when you were growing up?Reading books as a kid was fantastic. But I really lit up when my mom showed me how you could make your own. When I wasn't reading, I was writing and drawing my own stories. Books invite you to interact with them, and imagine the scenes, so it's natural that you can take that imagination outside of the book and onto the blank page.Thank you, Brian, for being an Author Champion and getting books to kids!###Learn more about our Author Champions!Are you an author who has worked with First Book Canada and you want to share your experience? Contact ourCommunications Coordinator.