Mimi Power and Magnifico: an author's blog

"For as long as he could remember, Eli Edward Earnest had dreamed of being a chief of chocolate...a captain of cocoa...a chocolatier." from: The Chocolatier's Apprentice; Echo Memoirs, 2007. Talk about a plum assignment. Last year, Purdy's Chocolates in Vancouver was looking for a unique way to celebrate their upcoming 100 year anniversary and support a charitable endeavour at the same time. In collaboration with the company Echo Memoirs, they came up with the the idea of a children's book, and illustrator Lee Fodi and I took it from there. Pounds of chocolate were consumed in the process, but you do what you have to for a story. I'm pretty sure I sampled everything they make, a few even plucked (with permission) fresh from the conveyor belt. And I had a wonderful time with the Purdy's people, who inspired, from their own experiences, many of the scenes in the story. Eli stacking four thousand pounds of peanuts? That was chocolatier "Todd" of Tod

Old Mother Bear I will not tell you how many years this book was in the making, I think it broke a record. But was it ever worth the wait. Molly Bang has outdone herself with the most extraordinary bear picturebook imagery I have ever seen. And believe me, I've looked at a lot. This is one beautiful bear family, but Old Mother is the best of all. Happy New Year!